Genesis: Book of Beginnings

The Jews refer to the first five books of the Bible as the Torah, which literally means "law". Another popular name for these same five books is the Hebrew word Pentateuch (literally, five-fold vessel), which was probably first used by the theologian Origen (A.D. 185-254).

"The Pentateuch's theme is historical, legislative, and spiritual. Historically, it records the origins of the human race and the origins and early fortunes of the Hebrew race. Legislatively, it records the laws that God gave to the Hebrew nation, under which they should live." ¹ Spiritually it points to God's holiness, man's separation from him, and the coming Messiah.

A table which could be representative of Israel's history in the Pentateuch follows: ²

Genesis	Israel's origin	Beginnings
Exodus	Deliverance from bondage	Deliverance
Leviticus	Worship	Legislation
Numbers	Wilderness wanderings	Testing
Deuteronomy	Law and Order	Preperation

It is generally accepted that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. As to where he did his writings there are two possible locations. The first being during his stay in Egypt (before 1445 B.C.); the second soon after the Exodus, sometime during the wilderness travels (which seems more likely).

Genesis opens with the words "In the beginning God created." This is the first work God did outside of Himself or ad extra. He began by creating the universe, the earth, and light.

During the six days of creation, God created in the general pattern of moving from the general (universe) to the specific (man). He created from the simple (plants) to the complex (animals). It is interesting to note that the order of created things, generally, follows the same order of supposed evolution, from the simple to the complex.

God's final and ultimate creation, in fact the purpose of his creating, is man, himself. Created after God's own image (Genesis 1:26) man is, in actuality, a projection of God's own image.

Yet, man sinned. Satan deceived Eve with a fruit that was good to look at (lust of the eyes), was good for food (lust of the flesh), and would make one wise (the pride of life). She, in turn, gave it to her husband and he too ate. (Later, Jesus would be tempted in a like manner in the wilderness.) ³

Satan's promises became true. Man did not die (physically) and they did know "good and evil." But they didn't become like God. They fell for his half-truths.

In a last ditch effort; Adam and Eve try to hide from God. This is the ultimate tragedy of sin; it not only separates us from Him, it makes us want to run away and hide!

Running or hiding from God is impossible. Because of man's sin, God cursed the ground and told Eve that she will bear great pain during child birth. To Satan (the serpent) he prophesied; "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel" (3:15). Here we have the first of over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament about Jesus, the first glimpse of the coming Messiah.

Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden as protection from the possibility of living forever in their sin (3:22,23). Soon, they gave birth to a son, Cain, who killed his brother Abel. Later another son was born, Seth. Through these two, the nations were born and the earth began to fill.

Generations came and went. The spiritual condition of man fell to the point where God was sorry he had created man (6:6) and decided to destroy all life on earth.

Yet one man found favor in the sight of the Lord. Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives would be spared God's wrath by riding out the flood in an ark. Noah also took two of every kind of animal with him onto the ark (seven of the "clean" animals and birds) to be preserved through the flood.

Over a year later, Noah, his family, and all the animals left the ark for the first time since the rain started. All life on the entire earth had been killed. They alone were the survivors.

Noah built an altar unto the Lord. And God blessed Noah and told him to re-populate the earth. He also promised to never again destroy the earth by flood.

The population of the world, once again, began to grow. They had become a powerful race and nothing they tried would be impossible for them (11:6). The Lord was forced to cause the people to scatter by confusing their speech.

Now, one man, Abraham (in the lineage of Shem, the son of Noah) received a message from God to leave his people and to move on. God blessed him and told him that he would become a great nation. In the following years, God built Abraham's character by putting him through several tests. God tested his obedience, values, love, loyalty, faith, and finally his salvation.

God told Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. So, after four days journey (the same number of days that the Passover Lamb was to be kept before killing it) Abraham and Isaac arrived at Mount Moriah (present day Golgatha) and built an altar. There, Abraham tied up his only son and laid him on the altar to kill him. At the last possible moment, God stopped the killing and provided another sacrifice.

"When Abraham died, God's blessings of Israel continued through Isaac." ⁵

Esau the older of Isaac's two sons was the heir to the birthright and "brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah," his mother (26:35). Jacob, the younger brother, followed after God, and sought this birthright for his own. He devised a plan (with the help of his mother) and deceived his father into giving it to him. Thus, Jacob received his father's blessing and a double portion of the estate.

Jacob left home and, one night, had a dream. In that dream, God spoke to him and told of his plans of making him the heir to the Abrahamic Covenant. God lay "hold of a selfish, willful, deceitful man striving by his own efforts to gain material blessings, and so transform his life that in the end his character is noble and beautiful, with a new outlook on what is true blessing." ⁶

The Lord greatly blessed Jacob and gave him many sons and daughters. One son, Joseph (the youngest), was hated by his brothers and was sold into slavery, unbeknownst to his father.

The Lord God used Joseph mightily while in captivity even though he was not of the Messianic line. Joseph became second in command, only to the Pharaoh himself, and was given control of all the Kingdom. During the famine to follow, he was considered the ruler and savior of all Egypt (47:25), and so displays a type or foreshadowing of the coming Savior.

Because of the famine, Joseph was reunited with his family and moved them all to Egypt to live. After some time, Israel grew old and at a time near his death, he blessed his sons (actually he prophesied). To Judah he promised the scepter and through him came the Messianic line. Israel died and, as promised, was buried with his fathers. All Egypt mourned for him for seventy days.

Joseph, his family, and his brothers and their families lived out their days in Egypt. Joseph took care of his father's family and lived for one-hundred-ten years.

1. Irving L. Jensen, Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, p.65.

2. Ibid., based on table found on page 65.

3. Matthew 4:3-10.

4. Dr. H. L. Willmington, Willimington's Guide to the Bible, Volume 1.

5. Irving L. Jensen, Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, p.75.

6. Ibib., p.76.

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