Introductory Notes to Genesis

I. Name

"Genesis" is from a Greek word meaning "beginning" or "generation". The word "genesis" is translated "generation" in Matt. 1:1. Genesis is the book of generations, or beginnings. There are ten generations noted in the book: the heavens and earth (2:4); Adam (5:1); Noah (6:9); Shem (11:10); Terah (11:27); Ishmael (25:12); Isaac (25:19); Esau (36:1); and Jacob (37:2). As the seed-plot for the entire Bible, Genesis records for us the momentous beginning of the universe, human history, civilization, sin, salvation, sacrifice, marriage, and the family.

II. Author

It is generally agreed that Moses is the author of the first five books of the Bible, called "the Pentateuch" (from the Gk., penta, "five" and teuchos, "the case books were kept in"). Of course, Moses was not alive when the events in Genesis occurred, but the Spirit directed him in his writing (2 Peter 1:20-21). Christ believed that Moses wrote the books assigned to him (see John 5:45-47), and that is good enough authority for us.

III. Purpose

As you read Genesis, you cannot help but note that the first eleven chapters are general and without extensive detail; while the rest of the book, starting with chapter 12, gives the lives of four men in great detail: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. As you will note in our suggested outline of Genesis, the first section (1-11) deals with humankind in general and explains the origin of man and sin, while the last section (12-50) deals with Israel in particular. This suggests that the purpose of the book is to explain the beginnings of man and his sin and Israel and God's plan of salvation. In fact, one of the key themes in Genesis is divine election.

We begin with "the heavens and the earth," but then God chooses to deal with the earth, not the heavens; the theme from then on is God's program on earth. Having chosen the earth, God now bypasses the angels (fallen angels included) and elects to deal with man. From Adam's many sons, God chooses Seth (4:25). Of Seth's many descendants (Gen. 5), God chooses Noah (6:8), and from Noah's family, He chooses Shem (11:10), Terah (11:27), and finally Abraham (12:1). Abraham has many children, but Isaac is the chosen seed (21:12). Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau, and God chooses Jacob to be the recipient of His blessing.

All of this reveals God's gracious divine election. Not one of those people chosen deserved the honor; as is true for all believers, their election resulted fully from God's grace. Along with the electing grace of God, Genesis illustrates the wonderful power and providence of God. Men would disobey and doubt Him, yet He would rule and overrule to accomplish His purposes. Had His program failed in Genesis, there could have been no Messiah born in Bethlehem centuries later.

IV. Genesis and Revelation

The beginnings recorded in Genesis have their fulfillment in Revelation. God created the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1) and will one day create a new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1). Satan first attacked man (Gen. 3) yet will be defeated in his last attack (Rev. 20:7-10). God made darkness and light (Gen. 1:5), but one day there will no longer be night (Rev. 21:23; 22:5). There will be no more sea (Gen. 1:10; Rev. 21:1), and the curse will be lifted from creation (Gen. 3:14-17; Rev. 22:3). God drove man out of the garden (Gen. 3:24), but God's people will be welcomed into the heavenly paradise (Rev. 22:1ff), and the tree of life will be restored to man (Rev. 22:14). Babylon will be destroyed (Gen. 10:8-10; Rev. 17-19) and the promised judgment of Satan fulfilled (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 20:10).

V. Christ in Genesis

According to Luke 24:27, 44-45 Christ is found in "all the Scriptures". Following are but a few of the references to Christ in Genesis.

1. The creative Word—Gen. 1:3; John 1:1-5; 2 Cor. 4:3-7
2. The Last Adam—Rom. 5; 1 Cor. 15:45
3. The Seed of the woman—Gen. 3:15; Gal. 3:19; 4:4
4. Abel—Gen. 4; Heb. 11:4; 12:24
5. Noah and the flood—Gen. 6-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22
6. Melchizedek—Gen. 14; Heb. 7-10
7. Isaac, the child of promise—Gen. 17; Gal. 4:21-31 (Isaac pictures Christ in his miraculous birth, his willingness to die, his "resurrection" [Heb. 11:19], and his taking of a bride. Of course, Jesus actually died and arose from the dead. In Isaac, these events were only symbolic.)
8. The Lamb—Gen. 22:7-8; John 1:29
9. Jacob's ladder—Gen. 28:12ff; John 1:51
10. Joseph—Gen. 37-50 (Rejected by His brothers; beloved of the Father; made to suffer unjustly; exalted to reign. Joseph's brothers did not recognize him the first time they saw him, but they did recognize him the second time. So with Israel is their recognition of their Messiah.)

Genesis 1

We will confine ourselves to some major truths found in this important passage.

I. The Creator

No scientist or historian can improve upon, "In the beginning God..." This simple statement refutes the atheist, who says there is no God; the agnostic, who claims we cannot know God; the polytheist who worships many gods; the pantheist, who says that "all nature is God"; the materialist, who claims that matter is eternal and not created; and the fatalist, who teaches that there is no divine plan behind creation and history. God's personality is seen in this chapter, for He speaks, sees, names, and blesses. The scientist may claim that matter just "came into being", that life "happened", and that all complex forms of life "gradually evolved" from lower forms, but he cannot prove his claim. That there are changes within species (such as the development of the horse or the house cat) we admit, but that there are changes from one kind of creature into another, we will not accept. Why did God create the universe? Certainly not to add anything to Himself, since He needs nothing. Actually, creation limits God, since the Eternal must now confine Himself to work in time and human history. The Word makes it clear that Christ is the Author, Sustainer, and Goal of creation (Col. 1:15-17; Rev. 4:11). Christ, the Living Word, reveals God in the written Word and in the book of nature (John 1:1-5; also see Ps. 19).

What does creation reveal about God? Creation reveals: (1) His wisdom and power (Job 28:23-27; Prov. 3:19); (2) His glory (Ps. 19:1; (3) His power and Godhead (Rom. 1:18-21); (4) His love for insignificant man (Ps. 8:3-9); (5) His providential care (I. 40:12ff). Our Lord, when on earth, saw the gracious hand of the Father even in the flowers and fowl (Matt. 6:25ff).

The Hebrew name for God in Gen. 1 is Elohim—the name of God that links Him with creation. The basic root of the name is El which means "mighty, strong, prominent." In 2:4 we have "Lord God" which is Jehovah Elohim. Jehovah is the covenant name of God and links Him to His people. This is the name He gave when He spoke to Moses: "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex. 3:14-15, NKJV). It means that He is the self-existing, unchanging God.

II. The Creation

The existence of the angels and the fall of Satan antedated the Creation, for the angels ("sons of God") sang at Creation (Job 38:7). Lucifer was the highest of God's created beings in this original Creation (see Ezek. 28:11-19) and wanted to take the place of God (Isa. 14:12-17). We find Satan already on the scene in Gen. 3, so that his fall must have taken place earlier.

The earth was formless, so on the first three days, God formed what He wanted. The earth was empty, so God filled up what He had formed. He made the expanse of the heavens ("firmament") and filled it with stars and planets. He made the land and filled it with plants and animals. He made the seas and filled them with fish and water mammals. God brought light into being before He placed the lights into the heavens. Note the principle of separation illustrated in Creation; for God divided light from darkness and seas from land (see 2 Cor. 6:14-18). Note too that each living thing was to reproduce "after its kind"; there is no suggestion here of gradual evolution. We may breed different kinds of cattle, but we cannot breed a cow into a reindeer!

Man is the crown of Creation. There is a "divine conference" among the members of the Godhead before man is created, something not seen at any other step of the Creation. Some of the angels had already rebelled against God, and He certainly knew what man would do. Yet, in His love and grace, He molded the first man "in His image," referring to man's personality—mind, will, emotions, freedom—rather than his physical appearance. (See Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10.) Man was given the place of dominion over the earth, the highest position in Creation. This explains the attack of Satan; for Satan (Lucifer) had once held this position and had wanted an even higher one! If Lucifer could not have the place of God in the universe, then he would try to take the place of God in human's lives. And he succeeded! Man lost his dominion through sin (Ps. 8 and Heb. 2:5-18), but this dominion has been regained for us by Christ, the Last Adam (see Rom. 5). When on earth, Jesus proved that He had dominion over the fish (Luke 5; Matt. 17:24ff), the fowl (Matt. 26:74-75), and the beasts (Matt. 21:1-7).

Man's diet was originally vegetarian, but this was changed in Gen. 9:3-4. The Jews were given dietary restrictions (Lev. 11), but there are no such restrictions today (Mark 7:17-23; Acts 10:9-16; 1 Tim. 4:1-5).

III. The New Creation

Second Corinthians 4:3-6 and 5:17 make it clear that, in Christ, God has a new creation. Paul uses imagery from the Genesis creation account to illustrate this new creation. Man was created perfect but was ruined through sin. He is born a sinner, "without form and void"; his life is purposeless and empty and dark.

The Holy Spirit begins His work of conviction "moving" in men's hearts (Gen. 1:2). Indeed, salvation always begins with the Lord (Jonah 2:9); it is of His grace that any sinner is ever saved. The Spirit uses the Word to bring light (Ps. 119:130), for there can be no salvation apart from the Word of God (John 5:24). And Heb. 4:12 says that the Word has the power to "divide," calling to mind God's earlier dividing of light and darkness, waters and land.

Like the created beings in Genesis, believers have the responsibility of being fruitful and multiplying "after their kind." In a parallel to Adam's position of dominion, the believer is part of royalty under God's rule and can "reign in life" through Christ (Rom. 5:17ff).

Just as Adam was the head of the old creation, so Christ is the Head of the new creation; He is the Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45-49). The OT is the "book of the generations of Adam" (Gen. 5:1), and it ends speaking of a curse (Mal. 4:6). The NT is the "book of the generation of Jesus Christ" (Matt. 1:1), and it ends with "no more curse" (Rev. 22:3).