An Attempt To Listen To God Survey of Genesis

The Fidelity of The Scriptures

The scriptures begin and end with two remarkable books, namely Genesis and Revelation.  These two books in many ways are set in contrast to each other, a matter we shall consider.   It would be very hard to determine which of these two books Satan has more hatred for, and on which he has sought to cast doubts.  This is fully understandable for Genesis and Revelation emphatically present the factuality of his demise (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 20:3, 10).  Furthermore, they not only predict how and when Satan will be defeated, but also all his armies with him (Rev. 20:9).  This in itself teaches the distinct lesson that all aspects, obstinacy and rebellion of created beings against God, are doomed to failure no matter how magnificent his other achievements are.  It also presents the truth that irrespective of what Satan boasts, God is in control, and his satanic majesty’s duration and extent of abilities are under the control of God (Rev. 20:2-3, 7-10).

In Revelation there is recorded for humanity:
	a)	The end of the world’s religions  (Rev. 17:1-17)
	b)	The end of the world’s commerce  (Rev. 18:1-23)
	c)	The end of the world’s militaries  (Rev. 19:18-21)
	d)	The end of Satan’s final rebellion  (Rev. 20:7-10)

Genesis has fifty chapters, 1533 verses and takes approximately five hours to read.  In this book everything goes down.  The relevance of this will be seen when we consider Exodus.  When man sinned it is referred to as the “fall”, for as a result of Adam’s disobedience and sin, sin and death came in to the world.  Accompanying these were condemnation and guilt (Rom. 5:12,18; 3:19).  We read: “Abraham went down into Egypt” (Gen. 12:10) and “Joseph’s ten brethren went down . . . into Egypt” (Gen. 42:3).  It begins with God as the creator of life (Gen. 1:1-31) and ends with a man in a coffin (Gen. 50:26).

God was very kind for when He created man He implanted within him the blessing of curiosity.  Having this gift He knew man would have questions such as: “How did it all begin?”; “Where did I come from?”; “What is the purpose of life?”; “Where is it all moving toward?”.  Graciously He gave man the answers to such questions, but foolishly man rejects divine enlightenment.  Instead, he seeks to deny God and nullify the teachings of Genesis by seeking to find life or even water on other planets.  He is willing to spend billions of dollars of countries which are cash strapped to try to find out what happened one-millionth of a second after the big bang.  Let us rest securely that just as man in seeking to prove evolution spends millions of dollars to find the missing link, ultimately it will only be to discover it has all been a waste of money, brainpower, and time.  The answer is simple: “And God said, Let us make man” (Gen. 1:26).  The same with the big bang theory and every other hair brained idea Satan can instill into the puny brain of man, they will never find evidence of the big bang for the simple reason it did not happen.  The One who was there at the beginning says: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen.1:1).   The words of the hymn are so true:

The Bible stands like a rock undaunted ‘Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal, And they glow with a light sublime.

Refrain
The Bible stands though the hills may tumble It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation, For the Bible stands.

The Bible stands like a mountain towering Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted, And destroy it they never can.
Refrain

The Bible stands and it will forever, When the world has passed away;
By inspiration it has been given, All its precepts I will obey.
. . . Handor Lillenas

Furthermore, Genesis is not poetry where one takes poetical license, neither is it a parable, but a record of historical facts.  It is not a hypothesis of what may have happened, but God’s documentation of that which  actually happened.  Since God is true and all knowing, nothing that He caused to be written ever needs to be altered, not a syllable will ever be shown to be error.  It is never that science, etc., proves the Bible right, but the Bible proves what the scientists etc. say is right or wrong.  The scriptures are the criteria for all declarations man makes.

How Was The Data Received By Moses?

God employed several means for the conveyance of communication:
	a)	All pre creation information was by divine revelation (Gen. 1:1-2:3) and all post creation information concerning God’s thoughts was by divine revelation (Gen. 6:3; 18:20-21).  The truths were conveyed along from generation to generation.
	b)	All post creation information of:
			i)	Human history came by communication from one generation to another by way of writings. They wrote books (Gen. 5:1), covenants were sealed and these all came from those who knew them. The personal histories would not just have been handed down from generation to generation, but due to the lifespans of individuals, all could be checked and verified.  We must understand that Adam lived to see his grandson Enos (Gen. 5:7) who was the son of Seth (Gen. 5:6); his great-grandson Canaan (Gen. 5:9); his great great grandson Mahalaleel (Gen. 5:12); his great great great grandson Jared (Gen. 5:15); his great great great great grandson Enoch (Gen. 5:18); his great great great great great grandson Methuselah (Gen. 5:21); and his great great great great great great grandson Lamech (Gen. 5:25).

Why Did God Have It Written In a book?

There are a number of “books” mentioned in the scriptures: “The book of the generations of Adam” (Gen. 5:1); the “book of the covenant” (Ex. 24:7); the “book of the wars of the Lord” (Num. 21:14); and the “book of the law of Moses” (Josh. 8:31).  Why did God have things written?  For the simple reason that when a thing is written, it carries a solemnity, a legality that a verbalization does not have.  With the scriptures being the only authorized and inspired writings by God (2 Tim. 3:16), it indicates:
	a)	Unchangeable decrees, facts and absolutes.
	b)	An author, revealing their mind and heart, their actual being, and the desire to communicate and have fellowship.

Author

Sadly, from the seventeenth century, higher criticism by denying divine revelation and accepting evolutionary theories have erroneously taught that Moses did not write the Pentateuch.  Bible Schools and courses, books on theology, etc., have taught that at least four different authors (or groups of authors) wrote various portions of these books over many centuries, and then one or more editors over more years put them into the present form.  The “author or authors”??? who wrote the Jahwist section are known as (J); those who wrote the Elohist section are known as (E); and those who wrote the Priestly section are known as (P).  By the end of the nineteenth century an agreement was determined in which the writers were divided into 4 groups who wrote in different time frames. Those which used the name Jehovah (J) wrote around 925 B C; those who used the name Elohim (E) wrote around 725 B.C; those who wrote Deuteronomy which came under the letter (D) around 620 B C; and those who wrote the (P) section were priests around 585 B C.  I have no doubt that if Moses could read this he would be shaking his head in bewilderment and asking: “Did any of these men ever read the books others testified as to what I wrote?”  Consider the following:
	a)	“And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”  Ex. 17:14)
	b)	“And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.”  (Num. 33:2)
	c)	“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that they mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt will make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”  (Josh. 1:7-8)
	d)	“And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.”  (1 Kgs. 2:3)
	e)	“Then thou shalt prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.”  (1 Chron. 22:13)
	f)	“Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.”  (Dan. 9:11)
	g)	“Remember ye the Law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.”  (Mal. 4:4)
	h)	“And Jesus said unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”  (Matt. 8:4)
	i)	“And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the burning bush God spake unto him, saying: “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?”  (Mk. 12:26)
	j)	“Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it of Moses, but of the fathers) and ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man.”  (Jn. 7:22)
	k)	“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you.”  (Acts 3:22)
	l)	“For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, "That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.”  (Rom. 10:5)
	m)	“For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of an ox that treadeth out the corn.”  (1 Cor. 9:9)

If we reject the Mosaic authorship of the entire Pentateuch then:
	a)	It is a declaration that all these and many more passages are not inspired by God, for they all attribute to Moses that which was not written by him.  Such a statement means Joshua, the Lord, and Matthew, etc., were all false witnesses.  Since Matthew, Mark, and John all record the Lord attributing these books to Moses, it means he was in error, therefore it nullifies the Lord as a sinless man, His work on the cross is of no virtue, and those who believe in Him are still in their sins.
	b)	We are determining that at minimum, the Books of Exodus, Joshua, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, John, Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians all have erroneous teaching and thus could not be inspired.

The Various Primary Matters

The Aspect of God Emphasized

1)	His sovereignty over His creation.
		a)	In every book of the scriptures there is a manifestation of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit and some aspect of salvation.  In Genesis His sovereignty is seen in His creating (Gen. 1:1-31) and destroying creation as He sees fit (Gen. 6:7).  Let it be understood that God is not some ogre in the skies who cannot wait to destroy innocent people.  Those who were drown in the flood had ample warning.  For approximately one thousand years they had been warned of its approaching and long-suffering of God by the life of Methuselah (who lived 969 years), then for the last hundred years approximately Noah continued the work of preaching, as Enoch had done (Jude 1:14; 2 Pet. 2:5).  No one can say these people were not warned.  They did not want anything to do with God and were living in abundant sin (Gen. 6:5, 11-13).
2)	His sovereignty over people.
		a)	To Adam and Eve He will legislate His will  (Gen. 2:16-17)
		b)	At Babel it will be shown in causing diversity of language  (Gen. 11:6-7)
		c)	In His choosing Isaac and not Ishmael  (Gen. 17:20-21)
		d)	Jacob and not Esau  (Rom. 9:13)
		e)	In causing a woman past child bearing age to have a son  (Gen. 18:12)
		f)	And a woman who is barren  (Gen. 25:21)
3)	His sovereignty in God’s overruling the thoughts of men which were contrary to His purposes.
		a)	Satan filled Cain with hatred against his brother and slew him, but God overruled and Eve had Seth (Gen. 4:25)
		b)	Under satanic influence the whole earth was corrupt but God overruled and kept one man, namely Noah (Gen. 6:8-9)
		c)	Joseph’s brethren sought to get rid of Joseph but God overruled (Gen. 50:20)

Divine Persons Are Revealed By Names.

From my meditations on the names and titles of God, I discovered that no distinguishing term has only one meaning.  For instance, the Name Jehovah has at least 14 different meanings when associated with other titles and words.  This being so, the following “meanings” are abbreviated significances and NOT the full meaning of the words.

The Name of God is Associated With Places and Events

Aspects Of Christ

1)	Descriptive Names and Titles
		Our Lord has a number of descriptive names and titles in Genesis, such as:
		a)	Seed of the woman  (Gen. 3:15)
		b)	The Ladder to Heaven  (Gen. 28:12)
		c)	Shiloh  (Gen. 49:10)
		d)	Lawgiver  (Gen. 49:10)
2)	Types of Christ
		There are numerous types of Christ in Genesis, some of which are:
		a)	Adam - the federal head of an order of manhood.  (Gen. 2:7; Rom. 5:12, 18)
		b)	Abel - the shepherd who was hated by his brethren and killed.  (Gen. 4:5-8)
		c)	Noah - a man who walked with God in the midst of a perverse world.  (Gen. 6:1-8)
		d)	Joseph - the son of the Father’s love, hated by his brethren and despised, falsely accused but exalted on high.  (Gen. 37:3; 4, 8; 39:14-18; 41:41)
		e)	Isaac - the obedient son willing to lay down his life in obedience to the purposes of God.  (Gen. 22:9)
		f)	Abrahams ram - it was taken in the stead of another.  (Gen. 22:13)
		g)	Melchisedec (Gen. 14:18).  This man appears without any family or family history.  He is “like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually”  (Heb. 7:3)

Aspects Of The Holy Spirit

To the best of my knowledge, there is only one picture of the Holy Spirit and that is the “Unknown Servant” (Gen. 24:2) who was sent to come back with a wife for the father’s son.

Aspects Of The Gospel

The aspect of the gospel in Genesis is the recognition that man was guilty of the crime of disobedience (Rom. 5:19) having an attitude of unthankfulness to God for what they had (Rom. 1:21).  One can only imagine from personal experience the feeling of shame and hopelessness Adam and Eve felt when they were conscious of personal sin and a broken fellowship.  Centuries later Esau would sell his birthright for a bowl of porridge, Adam sold his for fellowship with his wife.  Conscious of the loss and spiritual nakedness, they sought a covering by creation but there was no escaping God.  In Rev. 6:16 man again will use creation to try to hide from God.  In infinite kindness the Lord gave them a message of hope when He said: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy   seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).

Every Biblical book presents a particular aspect of the Gospel and the first books of Moses do the same. The aspect of the gospel presented in Exodus is that of redemption and deliverance from the King, his kingdom and the gods of this world.  In Leviticus it is the privileges and practical outflow from redemption and deliverance.

Pre Genesis 1:1

Genesis begins with God.  There is no explanatory data given, just the fact: “In the beginning God created”.  One wonders what was done before Gen. 1:1?  From other scriptures we learn of the fellowship between Divine Persons, and one is brought into their council meetings and an understanding given of their purposes.  Scriptures such as:

Genesis and Revelation

 I am well aware that the common teaching of Genesis 1:1-2 is that there was a gap between verses one and two. Interestingly this was never “observed” until after Darwin proposed the teaching of the evolution of man, which demanded millions of years to accomplish.  Bible teachers had taught that the earth was 4000 years old when our Lord was here, so according to science, they were wrong!  To “fix” this situation so that the Bible was true and the earth was millions of years old, there was the decision that there was a gap between verse one and two, and in that gap there were the various stone age men and the dinosaurs which died off through some catastrophic event when Satan fell.  The following was then presented as the meaning of verse one.  God made the heaven and earth, a race of men died and so there was chaos.  It all sounds very plausible except that it is totally contrary to other scriptures.  For death to come into this world, it had to because sin was in the world, and man sinned.  The scriptures plainly teach that by one man sin entered (Rom. 5:12), and the man who sinned was Adam (Rom. 5:14).  That being so, there could not have been a pre-Adamite race of men who sinned and died, for death is the result of sin.  Furthermore, the scriptures make it evident that contrary to the common teaching, the earth and heaven were not created at the same time.  Job informs us that when God created the earth the stars shouted for joy (Job 38:7).  The gap was not between verses one and two, but it is in the word “and” in verse one.  In the beginning God created the heaven, which He populated (for the morning stars, the angels shouted for joy), and then, however long or short afterward, He created the earth, and then after another period of time, whither long or short, He created man.  Thus if the earth is 40, 50, 100, 1000 million billion years old, it does not matter, for that which we do know is some 6000 years ago God began His work of restructuring the earth to almost that which we now see.

Structure

Genesis is in two distinct sections and a careful reading will reveal the following:

The Eight Men Of Genesis

1)	Adam:
		That which is emphatically related to Adam is that he sinned and brought sin in to the world.  Summarized, the story of Adam is summed up in two words: “Sin” and “Woe”
2)	Abel:
		Abel is known for the sacrifice he brought to God and of his being a type of Christ as the Shepherd who was hated and slain for his fidelity to God.  The writer to the Hebrews will emphasize the superiority of the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 9:11-10:18) and His shepherd-hood (Heb. 13:20).  Summarized, the story of Abel is summed up in two words: “Sacrifice” and “Worship”
3)	Enoch:
		To Enoch was born Methuselah whose name means: “When he dies it will come to pass”.  I have no doubt that Enoch knew nothing about the flood, for that was revealed to Noah (Gen. 6:13), but Enoch knew the Lord was coming with ten thousand of His angels to execute judgment (Jude 1:14).  He was a man who, after his son was born, walked with God and did so for three hundred years (Gen. 5:22, 24). This was for those three hundred years a sanctified life.  Enoch was delivered by being caught up before the judgment fell.  Summarized, the story of Enoch is summed up in two words: "Sanctification” and “Walk"
4)	Noah:
		God warned Noah of the coming flood in which He would destroy all flesh because of the corruption and violence of humanity.  Acting in faith, Noah built an ark and saved his house, and he walked with God (Gen. 6:9).  This is a matter to be considered by all fathers: “What was it like to live in a family where the father walked with God”?  Noah’s life was not only a sanctified life but it was one of service for God. Summarized, the story of Noah is summed up in two words: “Service” and “Work”
5)	Abraham:
		The background of Abraham was one of idolatry (Josh. 24:1), but God, acting in His own sovereignty, selected Abraham for His own purposes and what a man he was.  Summarized, the story of Abraham is summed up in one word: “School”.  His was a learning experience until his faith was perfected (Jam. 2:22).
6)	Isaac:
		The two words which sums up the life of Isaac are: “Sonship” and “Succession”.  His life was constantly overshadowed for he was the son of a famous father and the father of a famous son.
7)	Jacob:
		Jacob, the supplanter (Gen. 27:36), and yet became a prince with God (Gen. 32:28).  He is connected constantly with redemption in Isaiah (Isa. 43:1; 44:23; 48:20).  The two words that summarize Jacob’s life are: “Supplanter” and “Salvation”
8)	Joseph:
		Joseph is one of the loveliest types of the Lord in the scriptures.  I am aware that it is said that not a sin is recorded about him, but I cannot agree with that.  This was an egotistical little informer who ran to tell daddy what his brothers were doing (Gen. 37:2).  Furthermore, when he had the second dream, that never came true (Gen. 37:10).  The two words which summarize his life are: “Distain” and “Sovereign”