Genesis Overview

27Jun09

Courtesy of Henrietta C. Mears, author of What The Bible Is All About

The word “Genesis” is Greek for “origin”, and accordingly this book explains the beginnings of everything except God.   

The book was written by Moses. In chapter 3, Satan is exposed as the enemy of God and the deceiver of the human race.  Satan attacks the book of Genesis for several reasons:

• Witness of a divine Creator and creation
• Divine promise of a Redeemer
• Bible that is “God-breathed” and therefore divinely inspired
• The book’s scientific accuracy
• Literal testimony to human sin as deliberate disobedience to God
• Its infallible truth and foreshadowing of the Messiah was confirmed by Jesus in John 5:46-47

In verse 15 of this book, we see the prophecy of Satan’s defeat and eventual doom. 

What beginnings are found in Genesis?

ch. 1.  The natural universe as well as our world
ch. 1-2  The human race
ch. 3  Sin and death
ch. 3  Promise of redemption
ch. 4 Family life
ch. 4-9 Man-made civilization
ch. 10-11 Nations of the world and diverse languages
ch. 12-50 Hebrew race

The book begins with “God” and ends “in a coffin”. It’s a history of man’s failure and God’s plan of redemption.

Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. ~ Romans 5:20

Most Important People:

• Abraham
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Joseph

Most Important Themes:

• Eternity: before the beginning and after the end
• Creation: the handiwork of God
• Abel’s Sacrifice: the road to redemption
• Enoch’s Relationship: walking in the Spirit
• Noah’s Obedience:  faith in action
• Abraham’s Faith: worship, trust, obey
• Isaac’s Joyfulness:  child of promise
• Jacob’s Surrender:  favor with God and man
• Joseph’s Service:  power with God and man

God’s Plan:

1. Generation — In the beginning God (v. 1:1)  God, Adam
2. Degeneration — Now the serpent (v. 3:1)  Satan
3. Regeneration — Now the Lord (v. 12:1)  Noah

Sovereign Grace Overcomes Man’s Failure:

• Ideal environment (Eden)
• Rule of conscience (From the Fall to the Flood)
• Patriarchal Rule (Noah to Joseph)

The Messiah in Genesis:

1. Seed of woman (v. 3:15)
2. Jacob’s ladder (v. 28:12)
3. Judah’s scepter (v. 49:10)
4. Entrance into the safety of the Ark (vs. 7:1, 7)
5. Joseph’s promotion from pit to throne (vs. 37:28, 41:41-44)

Five Patriarchal Fathers:

1. Abraham
2. Isaac
3. Jacob
4. Joseph
5. Job

Important Places:

1. Eden – The Garden of Beginnings
2. Ararat – The Mountain of the Ark
3. Babel – The Dispersion and Diverse Languages
4. Ur of the Chaldees – Abram Called Out
5. Canaan – Promised Land
6. Egypt – Temporary Home

ABRAHAMIC COVENANT:  Three Covenant Fathers

A. Abraham – Genesis 12:1-3

¹ The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 

² “I will make you into a great nation
       and I will bless you;
       I will make your name great,
       and you will be a blessing.

 ³ I will bless those who bless you,
       and whoever curses you I will curse;
       and all peoples on earth
       will be blessed through you.”

B. Isaac — Genesis 26:1-5

¹ Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.

² The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.

³ Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.

⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring  all nations on earth will be blessed,

⁵ because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.”

C. Jacob — Genesis 28:13-15

¹³ There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.

¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

From Family (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) to Nation (Exodus) with Joseph as the link between the two.  Joseph is the Messianic Patriarch, with at least 130 parallels between his life and the life of Jesus. 

OUTLINE of GENESIS:

CREATION  (Gen. ch. 1-2)

A. Jesus the Creator

1. John 1:1-3
2. Hebrews 1:1-3

B. The Holy Spirit — Gen. 1:2

THE FALL (Gen. ch. 3-4)

A.  Innocence in the Garden — God’s presence and fellowship 

B.  Free will — power of choice when tempted by Satan

C.  Failure to withstand outward temptation

1. Sin entered the world
2. Mankind became separated from God
3. The Earth was cursed
4. Sorrow was known

D.  God’s provision

1. Blood sacrifices to cover sin
2. The Sabbath is holy
3. Marriage is sacred
4. Tithing observed

E.  Life in the Antediluvian World

1. Herdsmen: Dwelt in tents, raised livestock
2. Musicians: Harp and organ
3. Artificers and manufacturers:  Brass and iron
4. Builders: Constructed cities

THE FLOOD (Genesis ch. 5-9)

A.  Failure to withstand inward temptation

B.  Evil threatened to destroy the good, so God acted decisively to take the first step toward a chosen nation.

C.  Noah warned mankind for 120 years as he was preparing the Ark, and 7 days passed once they boarded the Ark before the floodwaters came. 

D.  God’s mercies were refused so those left behind had to perish. [the Ark was an example of Christ -- if you aren't "in Christ", you are not saved]

E.  The purified earth was replenished by 8 individuals.  First thing they did after stepping on dry land was to build an altar and worship God.

F.  God gave mankind power to govern the Earth — the first institution of human government (and instituted capital punishment).

G.  Life in the New World according to Sir Charles Marston, famed archeologist

1. Euphrates River is central to early life, surrounded by country known as Shinar, Chaldea, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, or Iraq.  A desert land with two main rivers flowing toward the Persian Gulf:  the Tigris and Euphrates.
2. Two civilizations unearthed in the desert from around 5000 BC:  the Sumerians and the Semites.  The Semites are descendants of Shem, Noah’s son, and one of the branches of this family is Abraham’s line, the Hebrews.
3. Archeological evidence found for the flood includes not only geological, physical evidence, but also written proofs. 

BABEL (Genesis ch. 10-11)

A.  God commanded the people after the flood to spread across the Earth, and replenish the population, but instead, they tried to build a giant empire independent of God at Babel.  They did not want to submit to God’s authority, according to famed Jewish historian, Josephus.

B. Noah’s family exited the Ark in Armenia then people traveled back toward the plain of Babylonia, where the Tower of Babel was constructed.

C.  God divided the people by language, according to their place in Noah’s family line. 

• Shem:  Descendants settled in Arabia and to the East
• Ham:  Descendants settled in Africa
• Japheth:  Descendants settled in Europe

THE CALL OF ABRAHAM  (Genesis ch. 12-38)

A.  God’s reasons for appointing a chosen people

1. To entrust with the Holy Scriptures
2. To bear witness to the Lord to all the other nations
3. To watch for and one day welcome the long awaited Messiah

B.  Abram, the Altar Builder

1. Called “the friend of God”
2. God made a covenant with him
3. Promise that his family would become a great nation
4. This nation would be God’s chosen people

C.  Isaac, the Child of Promise

D.  Jacob = Israel, Great Man of God, Father of 12 Tribes

DESCENT INTO EGYPT (Genesis ch. 39-50)

~ The Story of God’s Overruling Providence ~

A. Joseph sold into slavery at age 17

B.  Became ruler of Egypt at age 30

C.  Brought his Hebrew family to Egypt at age 40

D. The Hebrews lived in Goshen

• Flourished and grew in numbers
• National identity developed
• No intermarrying with outsiders

Filed under: Author: Moses, Blessing, Death, Eternity, Failure, Family, Free Will, Genesis, Grace, Henrietta C. Mears, Innocence, Mercy, Nationalism, Provision, Redemption, Responsibility, Sacrifice, Sin, Sovereignty, Temptation   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Abel, Abraham, Ararat, Ark, Babel, Canaan, Covenant, Creation, Eden, Egypt, Enoch, Flood, Goshen, Government, Ham, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, Japheth, Joseph, Marriage, Messiah, Noah, Patriarch, Sabbath, Shem, Slavery, Tithing, Ur