Genesis.Message.revised.student

The Message of Genesis

Theme:   

Structure

Eleven                                       (“these are the generations of…”; 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1, 9; 37:2)—possibly indicate historical sources Moses used in composing the book of Genesis.

Message

“The purpose of the book of Genesis is to tell how and why Yahweh came to choose Abraham’s family and make a covenant with them” (Andrew Hill & John Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, p. 67).

I.                   Primeval History (Gen. 1-11):  Degradation—Human                              of Redemption

A.    The Creation Account (chs. 1-2):  Man’s                                   State

1.       The creation of the world

The purpose of the creation account is not primarily scientific or historical, but theological.  Through it, God impresses upon man the relationship that he and the world around him bear to his Creator and the theological implications resulting from that relationship.

A prerequisite for understanding redemptive history is the original state of man and his universe!

2.       The creation of man in the image of God

a.        Man is complex, but only a picture of God’s greatness (1:26-27).

b.       Man has dominion over creation (1:28-29).

c.        Male and female together express the image of God (1:27).

d.       Mankind is the climax of God’s creative work.

e.        Murder is unthinkable (9:6).

3.       The planting of the                                                         (2:8-25)

a.        A perfect environment

b.       Revelation from and communion with God

c.        The absence of sin and evil

d.       Conjugal bliss and companionship

          God intended for man to enjoy great blessing in his intimate relationship with his Creator.

B.      The Fall (chs. 3-5):  The Entrance of                and Its Results

1.       Sin is universally present—even in the lives of the chosen.

2.       Sin dominates in those not in the chosen line (4:5-8, 23-24).

Example:

3.       Sin is the cause of all subsequent evil in Genesis.

4.       The wages of sin is death (Gen. 5).

With the entrance of sin, man now has a desperate need of redemption.

C.     The Flood (chs. 6-9):  An Early Display of God’s                                 of Sin

D.    The Tower of Babel (ch. 11):  The Futility of                                         to Reach God

II.                Patriarchal History (Gen. 12-36):  Election—Divine                                of Redemption

A.     

Shortly after the separation of the people of the earth into nations, God chooses a man to be the father of a nation intended to be a light to those nations.

B.       

C.      

1.       First Prophesied in 3:15—a seed of the woman (a                                               )

This verse has long been known as the                                                                                                       . 

a.        There will be enmity between the serpent and the woman.

The woman (Eve) would not now be the submissive devotee of Satan. 

b.       There will be enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.

The seed of the serpent must refer to those who by their nature and actions are sons of the Tempter.  See, for example, Matt. 23:33; John 8:44; I John 3:8; Eph. 2:2-3 (“sons of disobedience”).  The seed of the woman refers generally to those who live in hostility toward the Tempter and contribute to his ultimate defeat.  In other words, God promises the existence of a godly line from the woman who would live in hostility toward the “sons of disobedience.”  This line first appears clearly in Gen. 4:26, with the birth of Seth’s son, Enos.

c.        The seed of the woman would                                      the serpent’s head.

The seed of the woman would crush the serpent!  The object of the serpent’s successful temptations would ultimately be the cause of his destruction.  From the (collective) seed of the woman, an Individual will arise to crush the serpent (not just the serpent’s seed).

d.       The                                  would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman.

2.       Affirmed in the promises to the patriarchs (22:18; 26:4)—a seed of Abraham (a                )

3.       Reappears in the final words of Jacob (Gen. 49:10)—a seed of Judah (a                            )

III.             History of Joseph (Gen. 37-50):  Incubation—Divine Protection of Redemption’s Plan

1. Joseph’s                                      in Egypt becomes God’s protection for Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 37-38).

1. Judah’s marriage to a Canaanite (Gen. 38:1-6)
2. Judah’s wicked sons (Gen. 38:7-10)
3. Judah’s relationship with his (Canaanite) daughter-in-law (Gen. 38:12-26)

1. The children of Israel settled in the area of                          , separate from the Egyptians (Gen. 46:34-47:6).  
2. The land of Goshen incubated the children of Israel and allowed them to grow into a monolithic nation.