Genesis: A Book in Context

As you and I come to scripture we need to approach our study appropriately… 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus state that an elder should be one “able to teach”

Today will feel a little more like teaching than preaching

This information is vital to our understanding of God’s Word

Let the text speak for itself. We all come to the Bible from our backgrounds, understandings, misunderstandings, desires and struggles. You and I need to take meaning from scripture, not read meaning into it.

“The truth is, it doesn't matter what a verse means to me, to you, or to anyone else. All that matters is what the verse means!” ― John F. MacArthur Jr., Charismatic Chaos

A Text Without a Context Is a Pretext

In other words, a scripture read without thought to the surrounding verses is easily misconstrued. Each verse lies inside a chapter. Each chapter inside a Book, inside a Testament, and inside the whole of Scripture. To properly pull the truth from a scripture it must be understood within the context of the segment it’s in, the chapter it’s in and the book as a whole. When doing so we find that each book has a specific purpose and/or theme. The verse takes on a broader meaning when you realize who it was written by, who it was written to and why it was written at all. The best interpretation of scripture is scripture itself!

GEORGE BRISTOW states… “Sadly, the Old Testament is sometimes neglected or thought of as the “Jewish” bible which has been made obsolete by the “christian” New Testament. But this is like saying once a building is complete its foundations and lower stories are no longer necessary! No, on the contrary, the ancient Hebrew words are “sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15)”

In order to help us grasp the book of Genesis better we will look at several things this morning in our brief time together:

The Book of Genesis:

Author

Audience

Genera

Purpose

The Book is Genesis: Holman states… “The English title is based on the name given by Greek translators (SEPTUAGINT) of this book in the second century BC. The name could be translated “source or “generation”. The original Hebrew title is simply the first word of the book “Bereshith, “in the beginning” as we see in Genesis 1:1

Author: Moses is most likely the one who wrote this writing most likely during Israel’s wandering in the wilderness

He is the author of the Pentateuch (first five books)

Jewish tradition attributes the Pentateuch to Moses

Audience: The newly brought out Israelites from Egypt wandering in the wilderness

They would know who they were AND whose they were

This introduction was needed coming out of Egypt

In the CONTEXT of the TORAH this was needed information in order to lay the foundation for God’s Law

Knowing this was pertinent for them to fulfill God’s purpose for them (and us too!)

The Genera of Literature: this book is written in Hebrew and is narrative in its form.

It is part of the first five books … Law, Pentateuch or Torah

The narrative is very Jewish… we will see this as we go through Genesis.

Often what will be shared is stated first

Then the details of the narrative are given

Sometimes a greater detail is given within the narrative

Then you will go back linearly to another topic that will be shared in the same manner

It tends to be more like spaghetti in its narrative rather than a straight linear line of events

EXAMPLES: Genesis 1 and 2 or Cains history then back to Seth

The Purpose: Genesis lays a historical and theological foundation for the rest of the Bible.

IF… the Bible is the story of God’s redemption for His people

THEN… Genesis 1-11 tells us why redemption is necessary

(Humans are rebellious, and unable to redeem themselves)

THEN… Genesis 12-50 shows the steps God initiates to establish a redeemed people and make a way for the redeemer to come!

His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

His care for them through Joseph in Egypt

Genesis in expressing this purpose is very detailed in certain areas and skips a great many other details along the way...

By now you should be in Chapter 8 … this week alone you have covered over 1600 years of time!!!

Roger Patterson taught in public schools for eight years before joining Answers in Genesis. He earned his BS Ed degree in biology from Montana State University–Billings. Roger is author of Evolution Exposed and serves on AiG’s editorial review board.

He states the numbers add up to: From Adam to Abraham we cover about 2000 years

It would be another 2000 years before Christ, and fast forward to where we are now another 2000 years!

The Archbishop James Ussher was a highly educated and well-respected historian who devoted his life to defending the Christian faith. Ussher meticulously researched the secular accounts of history and found that the Bible correlated with them. Ussher dedicated several years of his life to compiling a history of the world from creation to AD 70.

Ussher approximates creation occurring in the year 4004 BC using the chronologies in Genesis 5; 11 and elsewhere in scripture.

It is interesting that we cover such a broad span of tim in the first 11 chapters yet just over a couple hundred years the last 39 chapters.

As we break this book down in two parts we see:

Chapters 1-11 God deals with the world / all mankind

Key verse Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:1 NASB95

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Chapters 12-50 God deals with Abrahams Family

Key Verse Genesis 12:3

Genesis 12:3 NASB95

And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

God intended to bring blessing to the world… He has always cared for the world He created!

Genesis 1:1 is a clear statement…

Genesis 1:1 NASB95

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Think of this, as the people read and hear this verse they would have just been introduced to this God in Egypt

“so you will know I am” both Pharaoh, Egypt, and Israel!!!

God is before them in fire and cloud

God’s creation listens and waters part

Allen Ross beautifully states:

The account of Creation is the logical starting point for Genesis, for it explains the beginning of the universe. These verses have received much attention in connection with science; this is to be expected. But the passage is a theological treatise as well, for it lays a foundation for the rest of the Pentateuch.

In writing this work for Israel, Moses wished to portray God as the Founder and Creator of all life. The account shows that the God who created Israel is the God who created the world and all who are in it. Thus the theocracy is founded on the sovereign God of Creation. That nation, her Law, and her customs and beliefs all go back to who God is. Israel would here learn what kind of God was forming them into a nation.

Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

For Israel and for us the implications are worth thinking about:

If God created then He is in control

He has the authority to give the Law

Then only He can fully redeem just as He did in Egypt and as He would in His Son Jesus Christ

Genesis 1:1 is introducing what God is about to do in Chapters 1 & 2 next week we will look closer

We will see a faithful righteous God deal with sin… and constantly rescuing and offering blessing to the world He created. I look forward to looking at what God meant for us to know as we go through Genesis together!