Introduction to Genesis
This week we begin our study of Genesis, the first book in the bible. It will probably take 18 months. We will pause occasionally to introduce other important subjects.
Like many of you I have driven to Seattle on 90. However, one’s perspective of the great State of Washington is completely different when one flies there at 25,000 feet. You see the details as you drive I 90. But you see the vast panorama of the State when you fly.
That is what we want to do this morning. I want to fly over Genesis at 25,000 feet. I want us to see and understand the big themes, the big picture, in order to prepare us for the plunge into the details next week.
Themes in Genesis:
Ultimately, Genesis is about Beginnings. This morning I want to examine three big themes. 1st Genesis is about the beginning of Creation. It explains how we got here. 2nd Genesis is about the beginning of man. It tells us who we are in relation to God and Creation. 3rd Genesis is about the beginning of our knowledge of God. Genesis introduces us to God and begins to explain what he is like.
A. Genesis is about the Beginning of Creation.
Genesis begins with these 10 words. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
How do we know that God exists? The simple answer goes like this: Where there should be nothing there is something. Or, out of nothing, nothing comes. But there is something. There is a universe.
Where there is design, there must be a Designer. The physical creation, the universe, has the appearance of deep and rich design.
In addition, nothing happens without a cause. But, something has happened. Something is happening. There is something. Therefore, there must be an Intelligent Cause.
Genesis tells us who and what that Designer/Cause/Originator is. He is the self-existent God.
Milne: “All other things lack self-existence. They have only what we could term ‘God-existence. That is they continue to exist only because their existence is eternally willed by God…The universe has been drawn into existence out of the ‘pit’ or ‘abyss’ of non-existence, hence it hangs eternally over that pit into which it will collapse again, (and all things other than God will cease to be) if God should for even a moment cease his affirming of the universe.”[1]
The Bible teaches that God created the world in six literal days. Some would say periods. As we study Genesis we will teach six literal days, but we will be gracious to others that hold a period view, especially those who do not hold this view because of pressure from the scientific community. That would include Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, William Ames, Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, and B.B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen (d. 1935), J. Oliver Buswell (d. 1977), Donald Grey Barnhouse, and Francis Schaeffer. [2]
In the last century, the subject of Creation has been vehemently attacked by the theory of evolution. For the undiscerning this means that the biblical account is in conflict with Science. It is not the purpose of this sermon to delve into this subject. To really do so would necessitate a studious discussion of the distinction between science and scientism. For anyone interested, I have placed end notes in this sermon that deal with this subject.[i]. [ii]
Here is why our view of Origins is so important. If we are the product of random molecules meeting by blind chance, then we owe nothing to anyone outside of ourselves. This is the prevailing view.
Mohler: “The evolutionary worldview conceives all of life as a product of an accidental meeting of space, time, and energy. According to this worldview, human beings are nothing more than chemical machines whose greatest purpose is the replication of genes and the reproduction of the species.”[3]
If the evolutionary world view is true, there is no Creator. Therefore, there is no judgment. There is no final accounting. Morality does not matter. Nothing matters but the pursuit of pleasure.
But, if a personal God created me, and he cares about what I do then my behavior has meaning. A day of judgment is coming. On that day, I will give an accounting to my creator/owner. God will reward or punish me based upon my faithfulness to his will for how I lived my life.
B. Genesis begins the doctrine of Man.
Genesis teaches us important lessons about ourselves.
1. Image and Likeness
God created man in his image and likeness. God created man perfectible, but able to sin. (In the New Creation we will be perfected and unable to sin). He placed Adam in Eden, a Paradise. What made Eden Paradise was the tangible presence of God.
2. Two Sexes
For his glory, God created humanity in two sexes. He created Adam and placed him in Paradise to glorify himself by working, loving, and filling the earth with godly offspring. As we saw last week, this means that same sex attraction is contrary to God’s will. It is sin.
3. Superior to the Animals
God made Man superior to the animals. We are not just another species. God made us in his image and likeness. He made the animals to serve us.
Smith: “Animal rights, abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia are part and parcel of a new ethical system that is being promoted a Princeton University. A crucial assumption of Peter Singer’s popular ethics textbook is a logical conclusion of evolution: there is no reason to assume the superiority of the human race above other species…In the end the battle for the hearts and minds of men is never separated from the story of the beginning.”[4]
4. The Fall
Adam’s rebellion against God introduced death, pain, stress, material deprivation, conflict between the sexes, and unhappiness.
Genesis also demonstrates the progressive nature of sin. It progresses both in the human personality and in society at large. The effective of sin is cumulative. For example, the original penalty for sin was death. But despite Adam’s sin he did not die immediately. Because God is merciful and gracious Adam lived over 900 years, but each generation lived shorter and shorter as sin increasingly seized control of the human race.
5. People of God
Genesis is also about a chosen race through whom God’s salvation will come to the world. We will watch God call Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, and command him to go to Canaan. Through his obedience Father Abraham becomes the father of the people of God. Justified by faith alone, he becomes the prototype of what God calls his historical people to be.
Genesis sees each individual through the lens of a strong-group worldview. In the Primeval world, as with most of the world today, people identified with their extended family not their occupation or their spouse. Who you were the son of, mattered more than what you did. Therefore, genealogies are a very important part of Genesis. matters. We are connected to our ancestors, and our descendants are connected to us. The sins and virtues of ancestors affect us. There is an organic connection.
6. Process of Maturation
Genesis is also about the process of maturation in individual lives. It is about the progression and maturation of faith and trust in people. People grow and change. For example, there is an evolution in Abraham’s understanding of God’s promises. At age 75 God calls Abraham to follow him. He makes promises. They are physical— the land, descendants, protection from enemies. Abraham pursues the promises by obeying God. Ten years later the promise expands. "I am your shield your very great reward." The God of the promises is becoming His own reward. Ultimately, God becomes the fulfillment of the promise. Twenty five years pass and it all culminates in Abraham’s willingness to slay the gift because of his confidence, and superior love for, the Giver.
7. The Gospel
Genesis is about justification by faith alone. It is not about moralism. It is about obedience, but it is about the obedience that proceeds from faith. Abraham is made righteous by faith, but his faith increasingly expresses itself with amazing works.
C. Genesis Begins the doctrine of God
1. He is the God who glorifies himself by redeeming through judgment
After Adam’s sin God curses the Serpent and the ground. He judges Eve, but promises that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). In the words of Dr. James Hamilton, “Throughout Genesis God shows himself to be just to the seed of the Serpent and merciful to the seed of the woman.”[5]
Later God destroys the world with a great flood, but he saves Noah through the flood waters, and promises redemption through his son, Shem.
God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven. But, he delivers Lot.
On Mt. Moriah God judges the ram and spares Isaac.
All of this culminates at the cross. There God judges our sin even while he simultaneously works our glorious redemption. God saves by displaying and glorifying both his mercy and his justice.
2. He is A Gracious God
Genesis is filled with contrasts between God’s blessings and cursings. The word “bless” or “blessing” occurs 87 times in Genesis.
(Genesis 1:27–28) "27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply...”"
The opposite, cursing, appears in Genesis but only 12 times. After Adam’s sin God curses the devil and the ground, but he doesn’t curse Adam or Eve. Rather, he speaks a promise of redemption. Why doesn’t God curse Adam and Eve? God has already decided to send his Son to bear the cursing that Adam and Eve deserve.
(Genesis 3:15) "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
(Galatians 3:13–14) "13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. "
After the flood God blesses Noah.
He calls Abraham in order to bless him and through Abraham bless the world.
(Genesis 12:1–3) "1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” "
He blessed Abraham and promised that through him all the nations would be blessed. With this promise in mind, Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau. Jacob would not release the angel of the Lord until he blessed him.
Kent Hughes: “Gensis is about grace. The Apostle Paul’s aphorism, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20) sums up this major theme of Genesis. Genesis, far from being a faded page fallen from antiquity, breathes the grace of God.”[6]
God doesn’t bless because of merit. Rather, he blesses to produce merit. Abraham and his descendants were the original dysfunctional family. God blessed Abraham, but Abraham was a rascal. He used his wife, Sarah, to protect himself from Pharaoh. He yielded to Sarah’s unbelief and slept with Hagar. He took concubines for himself.
His son, Isaac, lied to Abimelech about his wife, Rebecca.
Isaac’s son, Jacob, with his mother’s help, conspired to deceive his father in order to steal the oldest son’s blessing. Jacob was a polygamist. He had two wives and two concubines. He showed favoritism to Rachel and rejected Leah. He showed favoritism to his sons, Joseph and Benjamin, and rejected the other ten. On top of all this was his unbelief. In spite of God’s repeated promises to bless him, Jacob lived in craven fear.
How about the twelve sons of Jacob? Reuben, the oldest, committed incest with one of his father’s wives. Levi and Simeon deceived the men of Shechem, and then murdered the entire village in cold blood. Judah regularly visited temple cult prostitutes. Because Joseph was obnoxiously cocky and arrogant, his brothers sold him into slavery. Then they lied to their father about it.
This is the family God chose to be the conduit of God’s salvation for the world. What will astound us as we read Genesis is God’s grace. Yes, these men reap what they sow. They suffer for their sin, yet at the same time, God continues to bless this family over and over, not because they deserve it, but despite the fact that they don’t. He blesses them not because they are good. He blesses them and lavishes grace upon them to make them good.
3. He is the Sovereign God
God’s Blessing is discriminate. He blesses the elect.
(Exodus 33:19) "19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. "
Adam has two sons, Cain and Abel. God accepts Abel’s offering but rejects Cain’s.
God chooses Abel’s replacement, Seth, but rejects Cain
Then, out of all the descendants of Seth, God chooses Abraham.
Before they are born God chooses Isaac and rejects his brother, Ishmael.
Before they are born God chooses Jacob, the younger brother, and rejects Esau, his older brother.
Out of the twelve sons of Jacob, God chooses Judah. Not because of his virtue, but despite it.
In addition, God’s sovereignty appears a second way. He constantly brings good out of evil. God uses Jacob’s deception of his father to confer the blessing upon Jacob. Yet Jacob reaps what he sows.