Genesis
The Book of Beginnings
Summary | About | Why You Should Read it | Author | When Written | Context | Timeline | Location | Outline | Observations | Resources
Summary
Genesis establishes God’s ultimate purpose from the very beginning. That is to willingly choose to live in alignment with Him and serve His will. It starts with the creation of the physical universe. God created humanity and provides us with free will, so that we may act in His image, if we choose to do so. Humanity, tempted by Satan, selfishly tries to replace God with their own desires and suffers for it. God cleanses the earth of iniquity and saving only Noah and his family. Once again, humanity turns away from God and builds an idol to themselves in the Tower of Babel. God cause confusion and disperses the people.
God then raises up an example for us all to learn from. He calls Abram (later called Abraham), promising to bless him and his descendants if they will follow him. This is the birth of the Israelites. The story of Genesis follows from Abraham to his son Isaac, then Jacob and eventually the 12 patriarchs and their entry into Egypt and their time of bondage. Sin is a persistent problem.
The next table is a high-level look at the structure and contents of Genesis.
About
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Hebrew), also known as the Pentateuch (Greek), written by Moses. This collection is commonly referred to as “The Law”. It is also the first book of the Old Testament and of the entire canon of the Bible.
The name “Genesis” is a Greek word meaning “origin,” “source,” “generation,” or “beginning. Genesis is the second largest book in the Bible (by verse count) behind only Psalms.
Why You Should Read It
As the first book of the Bible, it establishes most of the major doctrines. What begins in Genesis will eventually conclude in Revelation.
Genesis lays the foundation for God’s Plan of Redemption, that is then elaborated on through the rest of the scriptures. It details the purpose for all creation and shows us examples of what God wants from His creation.
There are 3 main reasons to study the book of Genesis.
- It is the Book of Beginnings (Law of First Mention): It first mentions these major topics:
- Creation
- Man
- Woman
- Sabbath
- Marriage
- Home
- Childhood
- Sin
- Murder
- Sacrifice
- Grace
- Trade
- Agriculture
- City life
- Races
- Languages
- Chosen people
Genesis anticipates all false philosophies:
- Atheism (Genesis says the world was created by God)
- Pantheism (Genesis says God is transcendent and distinguishable)
- Polytheism (Genesis says there is One God)
- Materialism (Genesis says that matter had a beginning)
- Humanism (Genesis says that God, not man, is the ultimate reality)
- Evolutionism (Genesis says “God created”)
- Uniformism (Genesis says God intervenes in His creation)
All major doctrines have their roots in Genesis:
- Sovereign election
- Salvation
- Justification by faith
- Believer’s Security
- Separation
- Disciplinary chastisement
- Divine Incarnation
- Rapture of the Church
- Death and Resurrection
- Priesthoods (Aaronic and Melchizedek)
- The Antichrist
- Palestinian Covenant
Below is a list of things begun in Genesis and finished in Revelation. This book lays the foundation of God’s Word, God’s Plan and God’s Way.
Author
Despite all of the debate over this topic, there is a simple and clear answer to this question, assuming you believe Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus said himself, the answer is Moses, when he said, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luk 24:27 KJV). It is generally accepted that Moses is the author of the first 5 books, known in Hebrew as the Torah and in Greek as the Pentateuch.
There are those who argue against this. The Documentary Hypothesis (Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) says that the Torah was compiled by later editors: J (Jehovahist, Yahwist); E (Elohist); D (Deuteronomic source); and, P (Priestly source). This hypothesis was created without any compelling historical, linguistic or textual evidence and has been shredded by Oswalt T. Allis, R.N. Whybray, E.J. Young, Umbertos Cassuto, R.K. Harrison, Kenneth A. Kitchen and others.
“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” – John 5:45-47
When Written
1446 – 1406 BC
Moses wrote and compiled the contents of all five books of the Law by the end of the wilderness wanderings, before the Israelites entered into the promised land, as described in the verse below.
“Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you;” – Deu 31:26
Context
Genesis is the account of the creation of the physical universe and the story of early humanity. It spans more time than any other book of the Bible. By adding up the years of the various generation down through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, we can determine that the timeframe covered by Genesis is over 2,500 years.
The stories included in it conclude some 400 plus years before Moses’ time. Genesis also details that the chosen people would have to spend those 400 years in captivity.
This book is laid out in a very logical, organized, and detailed manner. It clearly lays out the history of what happened up until the time the Hebrews entered Egypt. In this context, the book can be read as historical documentation. Many argue that it is allegorical to be taken literally. While it is true that there are many allegorical and typological references in this work, one should not discount the possibility that the stories are both literal and allegorical.
The story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 raises many questions concerning a literal interpretation. This will be dealt with directly in future lessons on apologetics and the creation story.
The writing style of this book reflects the typical style of the earliest known recorded history. It is very compact in that a single sentence can contain many ideas and points that can be expounded upon. It is very concise in its presentation of the story. That makes it rather short and direct yet containing tremendous amounts of meaning and inferences.
The style and content also reflects what has been found in other Mesopotamian documents. The Nuzi tablets, although a few centuries after this period, reflect the patriarchal customs described in Genesis.
The first 38 chapters reflect this Mesopotamian style and character. It is at this point the story shifts to Egypt and the focus is on Joseph. It then takes on an Egyptian style and character. There are many Egyptian themes described in the later chapters.
These stories had been handed down from generation to generation. Moses, under divine inspiration, compiled these stories into the book of Genesis to lay the foundation for God’s Plan. It is written in a such a way as to be considered literally, figuratively and spiritually.
Timeline
Genesis spans the first 2,500+ years of earth’s history. The timeline below shows this general period in context of the entire Bible.
Within the story of Genesis, we find the specific times as shown on the timeline below. The first one shows the timeframes of the lineage from Adam to Abraham. This period covers the time of creation (Gen 1-2), the fall (Gen 3), the flood (Gen 6-9), the Tower of Babel (Gen 10) up to the calling of Abraham (Gen 11).
The timeline below lays out the lineage of Jesus from Adam until Abram (Abraham). The first number on the horizontal bars is the year born using the AM method of dating (years from Creation). The number in the middle of the bar represents the total number of years that person lived. The number on the right of the bar represents the year that person died or was translated.
This covers Genesis chapters 1-11.
Next is the timeline of the Patriarchs, starting with Abra(ha)m (Gen 12) and finishing with Joseph (Gen 50).
Location
The story of Genesis begins in the Garden of Eden, which is assumed by most Bible scholars to be in the fertile crescent, in a general area in what is today Basrah, near the Persian Gulf.
The story of the Tower of Babel is in the area later known as Babylon (shown on the map below), which today is in Iraq. Abraham was called out of the Chaldeas from the town of Ur. For a sense of scale, it is over 1000 KM (625 miles) between Israel and Babylon.
Outline
Creation (1:1 — 2:3)
Primeval History (2:4 — 11:26)
The account of the heavens and the earth (2:4 — 4:26)
Adam and Eve in Eden (2:4-25)
The Fall and Its Consequences (ch. 3)
Sin’s Progression (4:1-16)
The Genealogy of Cain (4:17-26)
The written account of Adam’s line (5:1 — 6:8)
The Genealogy of Seth (ch. 5)
God’s Response to Human Depravity (6:1-8)
The account of Noah – the Great Flood (6:9 — 9:29)
Preparing for the Flood (6:9 — 7:10)
Judgment and redemption (7:11 — 8:19)
The rising of the waters (7:11-24)
The receding of the waters (8:1-19)
The Flood’s aftermath (8:20 — 9:29)
A new promise (8:20-22)
Renewed benediction and new ordinances (9:1-7)
A new relationship (9:8-17)
A new temptation (9:18-23)
A final word (9:24-29)
The Tower of Babel (10:1 — 11:9)
The diffusion of nations (ch. 10)
The confusion of languages (11:1-9)
“The account of Shem” (11:10- 26)
Patriarchal History (11:27 — 50:26)
The Life of Abraham (11:27 — 25:11)
Abraham’s background (11:27-32)
Abraham’s call and response (chs. 12 – 14)
The Call of Abraham (ch. 12)
The Separation of Lot (ch. 13)
The Battle of the Nine Kings and Melchizidek (ch. 14)
Abraham’s faith and God’s covenant (chs. 15 – 22)
The Abrahamic Covenant (ch. 15)
Sarai and Hagar (ch. 16)
The Abrahamic Covenant & Circumscision (ch. 17)
Birth of Isaac Promised (ch. 18)
The Doom of Sodom (ch. 19)
(Abraham’s trechery (ch. 20)
Isaac is Born (ch. 21)
The Offering of Isaac (ch. 22)
Abraham’s final acts (23:1 – 25:11)
The Descendants of Ishmael (25:12-18).
The Life of Jacob (25:19 — 35:29)
Jacob at home (25:19 — 27:46)
Jacob abroad (chs. 28 – 30)
Jacob at home again (chs. 31 – 35)
The Descendants of Esau (36:1– 37:1)
The Life of Joseph (37:2 — 50:26)
Joseph’s career (37:2 — 41:57)
Jacob’s migration (chs. 42 – 47)
Jacob’s final days (48:1 — 50:14)
Joseph’s final days (50:15- 26)
Observations
- The events of Genesis end some three centuries before Moses’ birth.
- Genesis spans more time than any other book in the Bible. Genesis covers more time than the remaining sixty-five put together.
- 4,100 years of recorded Bible history.
- Over one-half of it (2,286 years) is recorded in Genesis.
- The remaining 1,814 years are covered in Exodus through Revelation (65 books).
- 2,000 old the 2,286 years are covered in Genesis 1-11.
- Genesis divides itself into three geographical settings.
- The Fertile Crescent – Chapters 1-11 spans more than 2,000 years and 1,500 miles.
- Israel – Chapters 12-36 covers less than 193 years in the small country of Canaan.
- Egypt – Chapters 37-50 covers about 93 years.
- WHY God chose Israel is explained in chapters 1-11.
- HOW God chose Israel is explained in chapters 12-50.
- Contains the Abraham covenant given in 12:1-2 and ratified in 15:1-21.
- Contains three specific promises:
- The promise of a great LAND – “From the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates.” (15:8)
- The promise of a great NATION – “And I will make your descendents as the dust of the earth.” (13:6)
- The promise of a great BLESSING – “I will bless you and make your name great: and you shall be a blessing.” (12:1)
