“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1, ESV)
Why study Genesis?
Everything needs a foundation. Think about it. If you want to persuade someone to think the way you do, you need to begin your premise with a foundation of truth and fact. If you want to build a long-lasting house, you need to build on a solid and stable foundation. If you want to learn something, you must first understand the fundamentals of the alphabet, words, and language. These starting points in life establish the direction and, to great degree, the success of the effort. If one begins with a solid foundation the effort that follows will survive. However, if the foundation is based on a lie or false premise, the effort will eventually collapse, and everything will be wasted.
Genesis is the foundation of God’s Word, in other words, it literally holds up the rest of the Bible. Stop and think about God being the author of the Bible. Here we know God, the creator of language, the ultimate storyteller, begins His message to us with the book we call Genesis. Remember, this is how He chose to introduce and reveal Himself to us. In this book we learn about the character of God, how things began, the biggest problem that mankind ever faced and the solution to that problem.
As the foundation of the Bible, the book of Genesis is perhaps Satan’s primary target. If Satan can create doubt or convince people that this book is irrelevant, then he would be victorious. Why would someone believe the gospel message if the beginning of the Bible, or other sections, are considered an error, wrong or not something God said? We need to fully understand that the book of Genesis is not a fairytale, it is indeed God’s Word. Whenever man gets involved in trying to make Scripture more palatable or politically correct, they are stepping on a slippery slope and, once on, it is nearly impossible to get off or stop.
Since it is the foundation of the Bible, Genesis is a book that every Christian needs to know and spend time in learning. Otherwise, just like any other book, if you take away the first chapter you probably will never fully understand the story as the author intended.
Author
The Book of Genesis, like all other books of the Bible, were written by men under the inspiration and authority of the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21, NIV)
Most Bible scholars and theologians accept Moses as the author of the book of Genesis as well as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This is also confirmed by Jesus on several occasions, such as while He was walking on the Road to Emmaus shortly after His resurrection, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) He also later said, “Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”” (Luke 24:44)
Since Moses was not yet born, the content of this book was provided to him by God through some unknown process. Some scholars believe that there is evidence that some of the patriarchs wrote about their exploits and those writings were passed on from generation to generation, on down to Moses. While that is certainly possible (writing and writing implements were already in use and available), the evidence is not without controversy. However, we should remember that man was not around during creation, so where did Moses get his information from? Simple, from God. If God is powerful enough to create something from nothing and truly be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, then it should not be difficult for us to accept the fact that God provided Moses with the information he needed to write this and the other four books attributed to him.
Outline
I. Early History of the World (1:1-11:26)
A. Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (1:1-2:3)
1. Introduction (1:1-2)
2. Body (1:3-31)
3. Conclusion (2:1-3)
B. Adam and Eve in Eden (2:4-5)
C. The Fall of Man and Creation (Chapter 3)
D. Cain and Abel - Sin Spreading (4:1-24)
E. The Birth of Seth - Men Begin to Call on God (4:25-26)
F. The Genealogy Between Adam and Noah -
An Early Glimpse of the Gospel? (5:1-32)
G. The Extent of Sin Leading Up to the Flood -
Introducing the Nephilim (6:1-8)
H. The Great Flood (6:9-9:29)
1. Preparing for the Flood (6:9-7:10)
2. Judgment and Redemption (7:11-8:19)
a. The Rising of the Waters (7:11-24)
b. The Receding of the Waters (8:1-19)
3. The Flood’s Aftermath (8:20-9:29)
a. A New Promise (8:20-22)
b. New Ordinances (9:1-7)
c. A New Covenant (9:8-17)
d. A New Temptation (9:18-23)
e. Prophecies About Noah’s Sons (9:24-29)
H. The Progress and Spread of Many Nations (10:1-11:26)
1. The Diffusion of Nations -
Introducing Nimrod (Chapter 10)
2. The Confusion of Tongues -
The Tower of Babel (11:1-9)
3. The Genealogy of Shem (11:10-26)
II. Patriarchal History (11:27-50:26)
A. The Life of Abraham (11:27-25:11)
1. Abraham’s Background (11:27-32)
2. Abraham’s Call and Covenant (Chapters 12-14)
3. Abraham’s People (Chapters 15-24)
4. Abraham’s Last Days (25:1-11)
B. The Descendants of Ishmael (25:12-18)
C. The Life of Jacob (25:19-35:29)
1. Jacob at Home (25:19-27:46)
2. Jacob Abroad (Chapters 28-30)
3. Jacob at Home Again (Chapters 31-35)
D. The Descendants of Esau (36:1-37:1)
E. The Life of Joseph (37:2-50:26)
1. Joseph’s Career (37:2-41:57)
2. Jacob’s Migration (Chapters 42-47)
3. Jacob’s Last Days (48:1-50:14)
4. Joseph’s Last Days (50:15-26)
The Book of Beginnings
The book of Genesis is often called the book of beginnings, just as the name implies. This book stands alone when compared to similar literature, in as much as we hear about the origin of the universe and all life, including our own species, human beings. We also hear about the beginnings of institutions such as marriage and government. But perhaps the most important thing that is revealed in this book is the origin of sin and death. Why is that important? Because we are all condemned for eternity when we die, unless we accept the cure, which is also introduced in the book of Genesis. Without Genesis, we may never become aware of our incurable sin. Just like a fatal disease, if you are unaware of a problem, you may die, but if you know about it, you can seek help. The book of Genesis, like all of the other books in the Bible, point to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our cure.
The book of Genesis also introduces a variety of words that will not only be used consistently in this book, but also throughout the Bible, often establishing how those words should be interpreted elsewhere. Those words and phrases will be explored in the commentary.