CHAPTER 1
Genesis – 'beginnings'
Introduction – Genesis is revelation – God revealing his Person and his plan for creation and mankind. It describes the beginning of all things in terms that have been understood by people of all ages.
Genesis is not intended as a scientific text of the 21st century. However it describes the creation in a way that could not have been conceived by the human mind at the time it was received (pre 2000 BC) if it were not for the fact that it was revealed (compare it with other ancient writings!). Furthermore, as a basic description it fits within the framework of our knowledge today. It speaks in terms that all people can understand. The focus is not on the scientific detail of Genesis but on the existence and purpose of God. To acknowledge God brings understanding to the Book and meaning to existence. To deny God is to produce criticism and rejection. Creation by God alone is essentially a primary matter of faith Heb 11:3.
Science cannot provide answers to the 'how' and 'why' of existence. However Genesis provides the meaning and purpose of all things.
It is also a record of people of faith – Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph – from the earliest of times Heb 11:1-40.
Genesis is not a comprehensive history of mankind. The narrative has been reduced to the basic facts needed to present the purpose of creation in a way that can be understood by people of all intellects. Yet the Bible is the oldest integrated record of the history of mankind on earth – from around 4000 BC to AD 100. It also provides the means of redemption and eternal life.
Author – The various records that made up the original accounts would have been mainly verbal until compiled by Moses who, being trained in Egypt as a prince had the skills of writing and record keeping Deu 31:24.
Period – The age of creation is not stated. A figure of 4000 BC for the appearance of Adam refers to the chronological record of the events in the Bible and is not comprehensive (ref p 95).
The purpose of the record was to present God's reason and plan for the creation. The time of Abraham's birth was around 1951 BC and the death of Joseph around 1590 BC.
Location - The Bible history began in Mesopotamia the birthplace of civilization and took place in the Fertile Crescent which stretches from Ur of the Chaldeans between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers through Canaan to the Nile River. Canaan was the Promised Land. It connected the great empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Persia and would be dominated by Greece and Rome.
Theme – The Beginnings of God's Relationship with Mankind
• Beginning of the Universe – The eternal God created all things physical out of nothing – 1:1-25
• Beginning of Mankind – Adam and Eve were created with specific purpose as representatives of mankind in the Garden of Eden – 1:26 to 2:25
• Beginning of Sin – Separation of Mankind from the intimate Presence of God because they fell short of the standard required – 3:1-24
• Beginning of Empire - The consequences of sin and the development of civilization – 4:1 to 5:32
• Beginning of Judgment – Increase of evil and the Flood - 6:1 to 9:29
• Beginning of the Chosen People - The call of Abraham and the Covenant Promise based on faith – 10:1 to 50:26.
The great theme of Genesis and the whole Bible is that the Sovereign Creator God chooses to enter into covenant relationship with mankind, an experience that is available today through faith in Jesus Christ 1Jn 5:11,12.
SUMMARY
God Was in the Beginning 1:1
Creation of All Things 1:2-31
The Focus on Mankind 2:1-25
The Fall of Man 3:1 to 5:32
The Flood 6:1 to 11:32
The Call of Abraham 12:1 to 14:24
The Covenant with God 15:1 to 21:34
Abraham's Greatest Test 22:1 to 28:22
Twelve Tribes of the Nation of Israel 29:1 to 36:43
Joseph, His Dreams and Trials 37:1 to 41:57
The People of Israel in Egypt 42:1 to 50:26
An Example of a Great Leader (ref p35)
GOD WAS IN THE BEGINNING
1:1 In the beginning God The Bible begins with the fact that God exists - before all things. He is Eternal, Spirit, the Procuring Cause, the Source of all things. From him all things proceeded Rev 4:8,11.
Eternal – that which has always existed - without beginning and end Ps 90:2; Is 40:28; 44:24; 57:15; Rom 1:20; 1Tim 1:17; 6:15,16. In a finite universe – beyond is the One 'who was, and is, and is to come' Rev 4:8 – the only Absolute.
• God - Elohim (Hebrew El – strong; Elohim – majesty, plural) – 'He who is in the highest degree to be reverenced'. The name implies Creator, Provider and Supreme Ruler 2:4-6 - unique to the Hebrew people - as apart from the man-made gods (els) and idols of the world. The plural nature of the word prefigures the Trinity 1:26; 3:22.
• the beginning – of the universe, heavens, earth, nature, creatures, mankind, fellowship, sin, salvation, judgment, God's chosen people - of all things. Science recognizes a beginning of space, time, matter, all things physical from an instantaneous burst of total energy Ps 33:6,9. The source & nature of energy is not understood.
CREATION OF ALL THINGS
1:2 the Earth was formless and empty – darkness - no visible light, no matter - only energy – the quantum vacuum.
The Spirit of God – hovered, brooded, intimately involved – the executive manager - we should expect that the Spirit be active in the creation 6:3; Jn 4:24; Col 1:16.
Waters – the essential and fundamental requirement for life.
1:3-4 God said – the source of the energy from which all matter and force originated – the cosmological dilemma for which science has no answer! By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command - what is seen was not made out of what was visible Heb 11:3; Job 38:33; Jer 33:25. The Bible says God created matter from that which could not be seen – ex nihilo, out of nothing. That matter could be formed from energy was unknown to science till 1905 with the discovery of E = mc2. By God's Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed - the present heavens and earth are reserved for judgment 2Pet 3:5-7.
Let there be light – light (photons, packets of energy) separated from matter – the matter dominated era. From this time there was light and elements were freed to form galaxies, stars and earth Job 38:19; Is 45:7; Rev 21:23,24.
1:5 evening and morning – the first day – a period in terms that people of all generations can appreciate - for a thousand years in your sight are like a day Ps 90:4.
1:6-8 an expanse (sky) with waters above and below – water above representing atmosphere, water below representing the seas which provide the conditions for life Job 38:8-11; Is 40:12,13; 2Pet 3:5,6 - the second day.
1:9,10 sea and land - the evaporative cycle, vital for life – but unknown till the 16th century - who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land Amos 5:8.
1:11-13 vegetation - after their various kinds – not progressive evolution of inanimate elements without purpose or direction, but by the will of God Rev 4:11 – the third day.
1:14-19 the heavens – the stars, sun and moon - he set them in place Ps 148:6 - the fourth day. Earth is the focus of the narrative – attention to the heavens followed. How would early mankind at the time of recording (before 2000 BC) have understood the cosmology of the last four centuries?
1:20-25 Creatures of the sea and air – fish, birds; of the land – animals, all after their kind – the fifth and sixth day.
And God saw that it was good – all that He had created v25.
1:26 Let us make man The plural reflects Trinity, God who is three in one – Father, Son and Holy Spirit 2Cor 13:14. The act of creation involved the 'Godhead' - by him (the Son) all things were created Col 1:15-17.
1:26 Let us make man in our image Mankind is the pinnacle of God's creation - a unique moral being with intellect – the image of God. Everyone has a sense of fairness, what is good and what is bad both for others and ourselves Eph 4:24; Col 3:10. Man also has the ability to choose. This image implies privilege, responsibility and accountability which had to be tested - men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken Mt 12:36; Rom 14:12. Man also has cognitive, analytical ability to understand the surroundings and the universe. The most incomprehensible aspect of the creation is that it is comprehensible to the creature Rom 1:18-20.
The path from atom (innate) to intellect (life) has not been identified. Human physical limitation causes many to think of God as made in the 'image of man' – a god they may choose to reject! To understand by revelation that God is eternal Spirit, not confined by the physical universe or human emotions liberates the soul.
1:27 So God created man The separation of the act from the decision shows the importance of mankind to God Is 43:7. There was purpose in this act - not the result of a countless series of random chance miniscule changes destined for oblivion - further revelation of the unique nature of God.
Male and female he created them - this shows God's intention from the beginning for a purpose, relationship and procreation - for a lifetime of commitment 2:18-25 - as confirmed by Jesus Mk 10:6-9.
1:28-30 God blessed them The intention for mankind was for good - to fill, subdue and rule. Creatures were originally vegetarian.
1:31 God saw all that he had made and it was very good –
• up to the creation of mankind everything was 'good' v25
• the appearance of man caused creation to be 'very good' v31 - the sixth day.
The purpose of the Bible is to reveal the nature of God and his relationship with mankind. We have the laws uncovered by natural science, the geological & biological records which reveal stages in the creation process consistent with the early Bible account. The explanation of Genesis is understandable by people of all generations – except by those who choose to deny it. The issue is not whether a 4,000 year old revelation from God is refuted by 21st century scientific discovery but rather if man was created by a benevolent Being with opportunity to share eternity or did life and intellect occur by chance from a single organic particle (quark) through countless changes without purpose or reason and with no destiny. This is a test of faith which each one must address.
There are many polytheistic mythological creation epics from Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, in fact from most cultures - some date from before 2000 BC. None compare with the Bible revelation of an eternal personal monotheistic Being who created mankind with the offer of eternal destiny.
THE FOCUS ON MANKIND
2:1-3 In all their vast array The whole universe is the work of God - so large, diverse, magnificent and unknowable in order to reflect his glory Ps 19:1-4.
The Seventh (Sabbath) Day is set aside for the benefit of man – recreation of the mind and body is an important principle and also time for the spirit to refocus on God v3; Ex 20:8-11.
The Godhead continued with the work of maintaining the universe without whose conscious attention it would revert into nothing out of which it was created - in Him all things hold together Col 1:17. This was confirmed by Jesus Jn 5:17; 2Pet 3:7.
Four fundamental energy forces hold all physical matter together – their source is unknown.
Some claim there is no room for God to intervene in the laws of nature. We live and move and have our being within the same laws from which we may wish to exclude God – yet would not see ourselves as being without a degree of freedom to move within those laws. The sustenance of the universe and the life of the believer by God is not to disrupt the physical laws but to bring meaning and purpose to existence.
2:4-25 Adam and Eve This section is not an alternative account but a summary – it proceeds from the general description of the creation to the specific purpose of God in the creation of mankind.
2:4 The LORD God – (Hebrew Yahweh Elohim) v4. The first use of this name YHWH, the Tetragrammaton, used some 7,000 times in the Old Testament. It refers to the special covenant name of God and his unique relationship with mankind, especially in redemption – written as LORD. The four consonants were not spoken by Jewish people out of reverence (Lord Hebrew Adonai 18:27 was read instead). YHWH was combined with the vowels of Lord to give the form 'YaHWeH' (English Jehovah) - from 1518.
The two words LORD God (Yahweh Elohim) are used to describe communion in the Garden and the Fall 2:1 to 3:24. The meaning of the name was more fully revealed to Moses at the burning bush Ex 3:14. The nature of God would not have been known without his progressive self-revelation 14:21-24 (ref p41).
2:7 The LORD (YHWH) God (Elohim) formed man - the unique nature of mankind specifically for relationship is again emphasized Ps 139:13-16.
• from dust – this fact would have been disputed until 1930's when it was discovered that the atoms that make up all matter including humans were created in the first three minutes of creation – we consist of stardust - along with all other physical matter in the universe 3:19.
• breathed into him – man became a living being. We differ from other creatures because we have God's image as well as the breath of God. Each breath we take is given by the conscious attention of the Creator – man who has but a breath in his nostrils Is 2:22; Ps 104:29. The greatest offence by the created being against the Creator is denial.
God's Covenant with Man
2:8-17 The First Covenant Genesis reveals that the universe was created so that man may have a relationship with God. It was God's initiative to create and to provide the offer of a covenant - an agreement in which God freely provides his blessing and man acknowledges the requirements. God was to make a number of covenants including with -
Adam - life, favor and relationship in return for commitment 2:16,17
Mankind - to send a Redeemer to remove the offense of sin 3:15
Noah - never again to flood the earth 6:18-21; 9:11
Abraham - to bless all nations through him by faith 17:4,19; 22:18
Israel - to be God's chosen people to reach the nations Ex 34:10 and
David - to provide the Messiah King through his line 2Sam 7:16.
The New Covenant Finally God made a covenant on behalf of those who put faith in his Son Jesus Christ - an unconditional agreement that would bring eternal life, thus fulfilling God's plan for the creation Mt 26:26-28. A garden was specially provided in Eden v8.
The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – however one views these two trees it is clear that mankind was created with innocence and eternal perspective. Both options involve personal choice v9.
The four rivers suggest a location in northern Iraq v10.
The Task - man was required to care for the Garden v15.
Promise of Covenant – man had unrestricted access to God v6.
The Only Condition – you must not eat. It was God's purpose to test man, a condition to prove trust, obedience, loyalty, belief and faith v16. Faith and trust must be tested to demonstrate genuineness. In the same way we are tested by the circumstances of life to prove our belief and trust in God Jas 1:12.
The Consequence - You will surely die v17 Failure would mean separation and ultimately physical death. Man was provided with a choice - between good and evil, right and wrong, communion and independence, relationship and rebellion - it is the same today.
The Family Unit - foundation of society
2:18-25 Man was created with the need for relationship No helper suitable was found v20 – woman was created as a helpmate and coworker, complementing. God made woman from the rib – an allegory of relationship, intimacy, interdependence v22.
