Genesis. Various Passages An Introduction ~ Part 1 ~ The Old Testament. In the beginning God created Genesis 1:1

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1 Genesis Various Passages An Introduction ~ Part 1 ~ The Old Testament I I In the beginning God created Genesis 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 n the councils of eternity past the divine decision was made. Even today angels, and mortals are prone to gasp in amazement as they ponder the implications of that mind-boggling plan. Here was the decision. In the fullness of time, the sinless Son of God would visit a cursed planet and shed His blood for its sinful inhabitants. Could anything more unexpected and undeserved by imagined? But many things must first precede and prepare for that glorious joy. To begin with, man and his universe would be created. Then, among the many, a particular nation would be selected to serve as a divine channel. Finally, all those events, places, and personalities playing a part in that glorious tale consummated at Bethlehem had to be carefully and accurately recorded. God s schedule called for 30 human authors to describe that sovereign story in some detail. Moses was the first and Malachi the final writer. However, God was in no hurry to complete His marvelous manuscript. A thousand years would transpire between the first and last Old Testament books. Then an additional four centuries passed before the beginning of the New Testament. But that is another story. 1 Introduction A. The Old Testament 1. God is the Author 2. God Speaks to Us Through It 3. God Commands Us to Study It 4. God Presents His Will 5. It Completes the Bible 6. It Presents Christ 7. It Presents Christianity s Historical Setting 8. It Presents Key Revelations 1 Willmington, Dr. H.L., Willmington s Survey of the Old Testament, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, 1987, p. 20.

2 Introduction: Christ is the theme of Scripture. Christ is the theme of the Old Testament. To understand Christ s ministry one must understand the Old Testament. To understand the Old Testament, one must recognize Christ in it. Viewing the Old Testament Christocentrically is not an interpretive (hermeneutical) option; for the Christian it is divine imperative. On five different occasions Jesus claimed to be the theme of the entire Old Testament: 2 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms (Luke 24:44). You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:37). Then I said, Here I am it is written about me in the scroll (Hebrews 10:7). This morning we are going to begin an adventure in beginnings. We are going to examine the book of beginnings, Genesis. This is the foundation of all of scripture. Without a working knowledge of Genesis we can not understand our roots as Christians. We cannot understand human nature, or the condition of the world. With Genesis, we will understand the nature of evil, the fallen nature of humanity, and why women fall in love with jerks. Since we are beginning at the beginning, I thought it would be a help to start with an introduction to the Old Testament in general before moving on to introducing the book of Genesis. This material is drawn from my own series on A Survey of the Old Testament, Willmington s Guide to the Bible 3 and Jensen s Survey of the Old Testament. 4 As I already noted some individuals have a problem with spending time in the Old Testament. I know this isn t a problem for us, but we need to respond to those who, while they may not theoretically hold to this position, do practically because they ignore it. I was listening to the Bible Answer Man Program a while back when someone called in asking about a specific denominational group which totally ignored the Old Testament. This group taught that only the New Testament was applicable to us today and that it was wrong to study the Old. Now granted this is an extreme position, after all many New Testaments include Psalms and Proverbs. But for practical purposes there are many churches that act as if 2 Geisler, Norman L., Christ: The Key to Interpreting the Bible, Moody Press, Chicago, IL., 1975, p Willmington, Dr. H.L., Willmington s Guide to the Bible, Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL, Jensen, Irving L., Jensen s Survey of the Old Testament, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, ) 2 (

3 they believed this way because they never open the Old Testament. They functionally believe that all attention must go to the New Testament because it tells of the life of Christ and gives directions for the Church and the Christian walk. The Old Testament is simply a depressing collection of stories about the Jews. Nevertheless, there are a number of reasons that we must study the Old Testament if we are to study scripture as a whole. 1. God is the author of the entire work. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 2. God speaks to us out of the entire Bible and therefore all has something of importance to say to us. Paul noted this, speaking of Old Testament accounts, when he said: These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:11). I don t know how those who are opposed to Old Testament events get around this one. 3. We are commanded to study Scripture. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8). Also we find similar comments in 2 Timothy 2:15 and Matthew 4:4. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. 4. God uses the Bible to carry out His will. a. Sinners are saved through its words. for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:13-17). ) 3 (

4 b. Sanctification comes through God s word. How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalms 119:9, 11). 5. The Bible is incomplete without the Old Testament. It is complemented by the New, i.e. Messianic prophecies given in the Old are fulfilled in the New. Consider the following example. Prophecy: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2). Fulfillment: Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod (Matthew 2:1). 6. The Ministry of Christ would be an enigma without the Old Testament. The Old Testament provides the background necessary to understand many of the words of Jesus. For example: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24). 7. The historical setting of Christianity is furnished by the Old Testament. The New is the record of the continuation of God s working with humanity, started in the Old. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4-5). 8. Key revelations of God are to be found in the Old Testament. It is God s sacred history, redemptive history. Therefore, the writers of the Old Testament have much to say about such crucial facts as: a. God is the sovereign Creator b. Man is a sinner in need of Salvation c. God is holy and He judges sin. d. God is love and He offers salvation to sinful men. e. A Saviour would be born to die for the sins of men. f. Man is saved by faith, not by works. ) 4 (

5 g. Israel was sovereignly chosen to be God s channel of the redemptive message to the world. h. All history will culminate at the throne of the sovereign Lord. 5 All of these issues will be examined as we study the book of Genesis. The important point to remember when studying scripture, both Old and New is that the focus is Jesus the Messiah to the Jews, the Christ to the Gentiles. This is why all of scripture must be studied, not just selected portions. Conclusion: Next Time we will consider general principles in studying Old Testament books and begin the introductory material for the book of Genesis itself. Following the introduction, I will given you an overview of the entire book, before we go into the verse by verse study. Finally, I will provide outlines and other materials that should help you in this study. As I previously suggested I would recommend reading through Genesis a number of times, possibly in a variety of translations, to give you a feel for what will be discussed. Finally, remember we study God s Word because it is the touchstone, the foundation for understanding all God calls us to be. It is only through God s word we can stand against the attack of the world s delusions. Kenton Anderson notes: My family and I recently saw the prime meridian at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. I took a picture of my children straddling the meridian, each with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and the other foot in the Western Hemisphere. The prime meridian itself is not impressive. You would not realize it was there if it were not for a bold line cut across the pavement. The demarcation is a human invention. Prior to the International Meridian Conference of 1884, each local region kept its own time, a system that, if continued, would have rendered impossible our current arrangements for trade and commerce. While the meridian is humanly derived, its relation to the stars is not, and that heavenly correspondence allows us to find our place on the map and in the world. The prime meridian is the work of John Flamsteed, the first astronomer royal, who made it his life mission to produce a proper navigational chart of the heavens, mapping the location of thousands of stars. Based on Flamsteed s work, scientists were able to help people find their position on the planet, allowing them to answer that fundamental question of philosophy and physics: Where am I? The prime meridian is a fixed position by which our knowledge of time and place can be understood. The Bible is like that with us. Scripture is our prime meridian. It is the fixed position, given by God himself, through which we can understand who we are, where we are, and where we must go from here. ~ Kenton C. Anderson, Choosing to Preach (Zondervan, 2006) 6 5 Ibid., p Larson, Craig Brian and Phyllis Ten Elshof, Gen. Eds., 1001 Illustrations That Connect, Grand Rapids, MI, 2008 ) 5 (

6 Genesis Various Passages An Introduction ~ Part 1 ~ The Old Testament I Introduction A. The Old Testament 1. God is the Author 5. It Completes the Bible 2. God Speaks to Us Through It 6. It Presents Christ 3. God Commands Us to Study It 7. It Presents Christianity s Historical Setting 4. God Presents His Will 8. It Presents Key Revelations Introduction: (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27, 24:44; John 5:37; Hebrews 10:7) 1. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) 2. (1 Corinthians 10:11) 3. (Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:15; Matthew 4:4)

7 4. a. Sinners are saved through its words. (Romans 10:13-17) b. Sanctification comes through God s word. (Psalms 119:9, 11) 5. Prophecy: (Micah 5:2) Fulfillment: (Matthew 2:1) 6. (Matthew 15:24) 7. (Galatians 4:4-5) ) 2 (

8 8. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. ) 3 (