The Bible is a composition of 66 books. The Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books.
O.T. – 5 books of Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) – 12 books are historical (Joshua – Esther) – 5 books of poetry and songs (Job – Songs of Solomon) – 17 books of Prophecy (Isaiah – Micah)
N.T. – 4 books of Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) – 1 historical book (Acts) – 21 books of letters (Romans – Jude) – 1 book of prophecy (Revelation)
The O.T. deals with the time before Christ and the Old Covenant. While the N.T. with the time of Christ, the early Church and the New Covenant.
The books of the Law are referred to in different ways throughout scripture. (See Luke 24:27,44). A name given to the first five books of the O.T. is the Pentateuch, which means simply “five books”. Genesis is the first book of the Pentateuch or the Law of Moses.
1 – The title of the book
There are three possible titles for this book:-
- Hebrew text – “In the Beginning”
- Greek text – “Generations”
- English Text – “Genesis” which means “beginnings”. ah.
2 – The author of the book
Moses. See Section 4 for more details
3 – The historical setting
Genesis is a history of the world from the Creation to the descent of the Children of Israel into Egypt. It contains some of the best-known stories of the Old Testament, including (Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Ark and the Tower of Babel) and the biblical Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; it also has important clues to ancient Israelite cosmology and theology, notably the Covenant linking God to his Chosen People and the people to the Promised Land.
4 – The theme of the book
Why do we have the book of Genesis in the Bible ? There are three themes:-
- It demonstrates God’s sovereignty in:- Creation – God speaks and it happens and He plans it all Himself.
- Election – God comes down and chooses people such as Abel, Seth, Noah, Abraham and Jacob. He is not dependent on anything or anyone. B. It introduces to us Israel as God’s people.
- It gives us an account of the beginnings of everything, apart from God.
5 – The structure of the book
There are two approaches to the structure of the book of Genesis:-
- Literary approach – The phrase “These are the generations”, divides the book of Genesis up very nicely. See below:-:-
- “The generations of the heavens and the earth”. Genesis 2:4-4:26.
- “The generations of Adam”. Genesis 5:1-6:8.
- “The generations of Noah”. Genesis 6:9-9:29.
- “The generations of the sons of Noah”. Genesis 10:1-11:9.
- “The generations of Shem”. Genesis 11:10-11:26.
- “The generations of Terah”. Genesis 11:27-25:11.
- “The generations of Ishmael”. Genesis 25:12-25:18.
- “The generations of Isaac”. Genesis 25:19-35:29.
- “The generations of Esau”. Genesis 36:1-37:1.
- “The generations of Jacob”. Genesis 37:2-50:26.
- Topical approach:-
- The primeval history of the human race (Chapters 1-11). This covers 2,000 years and has 4 major stories:- – Story of creation – Story of the fall of man – Story of the Flood – Story of the tower of Babel.
- The Patriarchal history of Israel. This covers 350 years. The Patriarchs are the “fathers” of the nation of Israel. They consist of four men:- Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Joseph.
6 – “Problems” in the book
There are four main “problems” found within this book:-
- Authorship – Who wrote the book of Genesis ? There has been a complete rejection by liberal scholars that the book was written by Moses. They say that the book is a combination of the works of 3/4 authors and they date the book as 500-600 B.C. Is there any evidence to support that Moses was the author ?
- It is stated in the Bible – 1 Kings 2:3; Luke 24:27,44.
- The unity of the book of Genesis – See approaches to book.
- Tradition states that Moses is the author – Eg. Josephus the historian, 98 A.D.
- Archaeology – Writing was practiced in the time of Moses.
- The historicity of chapters 1-11. Some liberals teach that these verses are a myth. But when looked at it can be seen that these chapters are written as history. Jesus spoke about Adam, Abel, Noah and the flood. So if you consider Genesis 1-11 as being unhistorical, you have to call Jesus a liar and thus end up denying the rest of scripture.
- The problem of the two accounts of creation. It is common in Hebrew literature to give a general survey of something and then zero in on the main point in more detail. That is what happens in Genesis 1-2.
- The claim that this is an unscientific record of creation. The evolutionist claims that the Genesis record is unscientific.
- How can a snake speak? In the story of Balaam God enabled a donkey to speak. (Numbers 22:28). In Revelation 12:9 Satan is called “that old serpent, Satan, the deceiver”. So it seems that Satan did a devilish miracle. He did miracles through Pharaoh’s magicians in Exodus 7-8. Satan entered into the serpent, just as the demons entered the pigs in Mark 5. Satan caused the snake to speak.
- Did people in Genesis really live to such great ages? Eg. Methuselah died when he was 969 years old. Some points to note are:-
- As sin works its way into man’s body, he gradually lives less long. (Genesis 4:7)
- If there was a mist all around the earth before the Flood. this would have protected Man from harmful cosmic rays, which tend to shorten life.
- The Jewish historian, Josephus (100AD), writes that 12 ancient historians of other nations agree with the Bible that men before the Flood lived till nearly 1,000 years.
- There is no reason to doubt that the years are anything but literal in the Bible.
- How could Noah and his sons have built such an enormous vessel? From the dimensions it would have had a displacement of 20,000 tonnes. Thus making it the largest ship in the world until 1884.
- They had 120 years to do so. (Genesis 6:3).
- They probably hired men who were skilled.
- God instructed them on what materials to use and the measurements. (Genesis 6:14-16)
- How could all the animals have fitted into the ark?
- Only land animals and insects were taken. Not water breathers.
- Only the young of each animal was taken.
- There was probably only one breed of each kind. (ie. Not several variations of cat,dog,etc. This came later)
- No young may have been born during the trip.
- As mentioned before the ark was an enormous boat/barge.
7 – Selected studies from the book
- The sovereignty of God. He has every thing planned.
- The providence of God. God continually works in the life of mankind. He does not just wind us up and let us go our own way.
- The depravity of mankind.In Eden man is innocent, but with each covenant God makes with man, he fails God each time. It is God who begins to solve man’s problems by promising the coming Messiah through the seed of Abraham. Jesus of course came through the nation of Israel. (ie He was a Jew).
- The religion of Cain and Abel. These first two sons are symbolic of the two religions that will exist upon the earth. It appears that they were born as twins, but there the similarity ends. Cf. Hebrews 11:4 and Jude 11. Reflect on the comparisons below:-
| The way of Cain | The way of Abel |
|---|---|
| Unbelief of God’s word | Believed God’s word |
| Man’s way | God’s way |
| Works | Faith |
| Too cultered to kill a lamb | Obedient |
| The fruit of the ground | The blood of a lamb |
| A cursed gift | An acceptable gift |
| Judgment from God | God’s grace of salvation |
| Anger | Peacemaker |
| Muderer | Martyr (The first of many) |
| False religion | True religion |
- Lot – The dangers of backsliding – A ruined believer. Lot was a righteous man. (2 Peter 2:7,8). Lot is a picture of a Christian who lives close to the world and does not want to be separated or distinguished from it. Notice his downward steps:-
- Backsliding with Abram in Egypt (Genesis 12) – “Down” in Egypt – RICHES
- Choosing the land near Sodom (Genesis 13) – LUST OF THE EYES
- Living NEAR Sodom (Genesis 14) – HE LOVED THE CITY LIFE
- Living IN Sodom (Genesis 18,19) – HE LEFT THE TENT LIFE.
- God had to send angels to take Lot away from Sodom – HE LINGERED
- God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah but Lot wants to head for another city rather than the mountains – HE WANTED THE WORLD RATHER THAN GOD
- His wife disobeys God’s command and looked back from behind Lot. She becomes a pillar of salt. – HE LOST HIS WIFE
- He moves from Zoar to the mountains. He is afraid that Zoar might also be destroyed. He now made his home in a cave. – HE LOST HIS MATERIAL WEALTH
- His two daughters get him drunk. (No doubt acting on knowledge about their father they had learned in Sodom). The older one lies with her father one night and the plan is repeated for the younger one the next night. Each conceives a child. From these children will later come the Moabites and Ammonites. Future enemies of Israel. – INCEST
- The Bible tells us no more about Lot. – HE WAS A BANKRUPT BELIEVER
- Lot’s wife – The danger of not taking God seriously. Lot’s wife lingered behind Lot. She was reluctant to leave Sodom. She loved the lifestyle and could not cut her emotional ties. All this business of running away and not looking back was awfully extreme, terribly unrealistic. She didn’t mind being religious but this was being fanatical ! She wanted once last look. The bottom line of Mrs Lot’s philosophy could have been etched on her salt-block tombstone:-“THERE’S NO NEED TO TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY”. This is a popular philosophy today. But if you don’t take God seriously, then there’s no need to take your marriage seriously…. or the rearing of children ….. or cultivate character traits such as submission, faithfulness, sexual purity, humility, repentance, and honesty. Take a lick of salt. It stings, doesn’t it ?
- Isaac and Ishmael – The Spirit vs The flesh (Cf Galatians 4:22-31). When there is only the old nature there is no conflict. When the new nature comes the two fight each other. (Galatians 5:16-26).
| Ishmael | Isaac |
|---|---|
| Born of a bondwoman | Born of a freewoman |
| Mount Sinai | Mount Zion |
| Old nature | New nature |
| Jerusalem (Earthly) | New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10ff) |
| The Law | Grace |
| Child (Cf Galatians 3:19-25) | Son |
- Isaac – A picture of Christ.
| Isaac | Christ |
|---|---|
| God promised Isaac a son (Genesis 12:7) | God promised that a virgin would conceive and bring forth a son. (Isaiah 7:14) |
| Isaac came after 25 years when Abraham was “as good as dead” | Jesus came after 2,000 years |
| Birth announced by the Angel of the Lord. (Genesis 18:10-14) | Birth announced by the Arch-Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:30-35) |
| Abraham to call his son Isaac (Genesis 17:19) | Joseph to call the child Jesus (Matthew 1:21) |
| Isaac submitted to Abraham | Christ submitted to God the Father |
| Isaac carried the wood | Jesus carried the cross |
| Isaac was Abraham’s only son | Jesus was God’s only son |
| Isaac came “back from the dead” | Jesus arose from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19) |
| Mount Moriah | Mount Calvary |
- Names for God used in Genesis. Some liberal scholars would say that man developed his idea of God throughout the centuries. The Bible however tells us that God gradually REVEALS Himself to man, until it is completed with the coming of Jesus. (Colossians 2:9).
- El Shaddai – “God of the mountain”
- El ‘Elyon – “God Almighty” (Genesis 14:18-24)
- El ‘Olam – “God of eternity” (Genesis 21:33)
- El Ro’i – “God the seeing One” (Genesis 16:13)
- El-Bethel – “God of the house of God” (Genesis 31:13 and 35:7)
- “Shield” of Abram (Genesis 15:1)
- “Kinsman” of Isaac (Genesis 31:42,53)
- “Champion” of Jacob (Genesis 49:24)
- Judge (Genesis 18:25)
- The days of Noah – Signs of the last days (See Matthew 24:37-39 and Genesis 4-6).The social, economic and moral conditions before the flood will prevail before the Second Coming of Christ. It was an age of:-
- Religious apostasy (Genesis 4:3-5)
- Travel (Genesis 4:16) See also Daniel 12:4
- City building (Genesis 4:17)
- Polygamy (Genesis 4:19)
- Great agricultural advances (Genesis 4:20)
- Music (Genesis 4:21)
- Metallic arts (Genesis 4:22)
- Violence and Crime (Genesis 4:23-25)
- Jacob – Wrestling with God (Genesis 32:24-32). Jacob was a man who lived by his wits. He was a schemer, a deceiver. It is God, not Jacob, who starts the wrestling match. This passage does not teach man’s perseverance with God in prayer. It really teaches God’s perseverance with His man until He can break and the make him. How long does God have to wrestle with you? God wanted Jacob to come to the end of himself on his own, but Jacob could not break his self-will. Jacob had never suffered defeat. Now, however, he was grappling with God, who appears as a man. It is only when the Lord cripples Jacob that he is forced to cling to the Lord. His independence becomes dependence and he confesses that he is indeed “Jacob”. His entire life was characterized by what his name meant. Now God gives him a new name, “Israel” which means “prince of God” or “prince with God”. The carnal man becomes a spiritual man.
Categories: Bible Outline, Genesis
Feed My Sheep 
I have seen a large amount of “revisionist history” lately among deemed “scholars.”
What sort of “revisionist history” caught your attention?
We have David Cameron redefining what marriage is. Here is the Conservative (?) Party Prime Minister of the UK who is pushing hard for gay/lesbian marriage. He want them to “enjoy” the same benefits of marriage as heterosexuals. The various Churches are of course free (for now) to decide if they would allow in their church. The usual liberal churches are jumping on the bandwagon to be seen as “loving”. Those who decide not to will now (or very soon) be labelled as “bigots” and not living in “today’s modern society”. He wouldn’t dare but it to a referendum.
I think David Cameron has obviously not read much of Genesis never mind the Bible. He certainly is no scholar! I think the Beano might be more his reading material! Marriage is something that God initiated by creating and bringing the first man and woman together in marriage. It is the ideal building block for raising families. These politicians use words like “moral” and immoral” whenever they talk about greedy banks, bankers and business avoiding their taxes. What about sexual immorality? Give it enough time and even the paedophiles will be legalised. God is in Heaven and He doesn’t change like politicians!
I agree. I guess I should clarify. Historically, it used to be that the person closest to the scene was probably a more reliable source. Now, someone can come along thousands of years after the fact with questionable “evidence” which is really no evidence at all, and what they say gets elevated to the realms of truth and science.
Yes. People don’t like to be reminded of the past. We really should learn more from even recent history and maybe we wouldn’t have repeated another economic crisis. We could also look back at Sodom and Gomorrah and realise what happens when the sexually immoral are allowed too much licence. Or perhaps look at Babel when mankind starts thinking that we can achieve anything if we just put our minds to it. If we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it again and again. Sounds like the nation of Israel in the book of Judges and I don’t think they every really got the message either. Thanks for comments! God bless. Tam