Genesis is the first book of the bible located in the old testament and forms part of the five book Pentateuch (meaning five) or the Torah ( Which means instruction ). The Jews believe this to be Gods instruction book to humanity. Genesis deals with two of the bibles central themes 'what has gone wrong with the world' and ‘how this is to be dealt with’, how sinful humanity can again be made whole and complete. The Hebrew title for this book is 'In the beginning' or in the Greek 'Origins' or 'beginnings'. This includes the beginnings of our universe, the sun moon, stars and our own planet Earth. Then living things Plants, Birds, Animals, Fish and Humans, then behaviours such as sex and marriage and the organisation of civilization through government and culture.
We see the introduction of sin resulting in death, murder and war, and the reality of human rebellion against Gods will and the first consequences of man’s actions. So Genesis tells us how the world began and how there is purpose and meaning in the universe, something which the Scientists philosophers and historians have not been able to conclusively tell us. Genesis explains why, that we are all part of Gods plan and the world is made perfect for us in its beauty and diversity, but became blemished when sin took hold, resulting in humanity and creation being damaged.
The rest of the bible would have no real context without the book of Genesis, it lays the foundations. Genesis tells us that there is one creator God in a world of multiple Gods and false idols. That God chooses a slave nation Israel to be a light for all other nations and to whom through Abraham Isaac and Jacob he promises a blessing. Genesis is thought to have been written by Moses drawing together those stories that had been handed down through the oral tradition and those events which happened in his own lifetime. The creation story is not meant to be read as a science text book but is rather presented in the style of an allegorical poetic story, in simplicity to be understood by everyone. It assumes that God exists, various titles for God translate as 'always' 'to be' or 'I am' and suggest his eternal nature. It does not offer us a proof but rather asks us to have faith in him as something unseen but also to seek and experience. It is more about the nature of the creator rather than the creation of nature.
In Genesis God is shown to be personal, he wants to communicate with us. He is creative yet uncreated. He wants to bring goodness and order out of bad and chaos. Although we are made in Gods image with thoughts feelings and spirituality we are dependent whereas he is independent. He alone can create out of nothing whilst we can only create by what he has provided. The word used to describe God 'Elohim' is plural which explains the concept of God as father Son and spirit in unity. Science particularly in areas such as biology and cosmology would take issue against such ideas but we note that many of the first scientists were Christians who wanted to reveal the wonders of God’s creation and many scientists still are today.
In Genesis 2 the viewpoint of creation shifts from God to mankind. Humans are to be stewards of the earth, it explains our relationship with animals who are to serve mankind and be a source of food. We are to have dominion over the land, it being a source of beauty, something for us to enjoy but we are also to cultivate the land for food.
The story of Adam and Eve is about choice, loss of innocence and the consequences of rebellion, the reality of spiritual life versus Spiritual death. Genesis also instructs us about our relationship with each other, Eve was made as a helper for Adam, equal in dignity, a relationship of cooperation rather than competition, two halves with different qualities to make a complete whole. The nature of marriage is also described, One of unity, honesty, openness and love.
When Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of good and evil they began a process of Mankind being separated from God and experienced the consequences of man thinking he knew best. Evil did not start with mankind but through a personal evil force that operates because of the free will we are given. The story shows Adam buck passing and not taking responsibility, the doubt and desire of Eve and the cunning and evil intent of the serpent. Because of their disobedience Adam and Eve are banished from Eden which had become a paradise lost and their relationship with God was tarnished.
Sin has now entered the world and in Genesis 4 we see the first murder as Cain kills the favoured Abel as a result of sibling envy because God had accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s. The next major story is that of Noah and the flood. We read that evil had become rampant in fact all were evil, that Gods heart was filled with pain and he wished that he had not created human beings. Humanity is all but wiped out by the flood despite the warnings of the prophet Enoch, except for Noah and his family who had found Gods favour. After the Flood God puts a rainbow in the sky and promises not to destroy the human race again. He would work through Patriarchs, Judges, Kings, Prophets and through his son Jesus instead to redeem his people.
It’s no surprise that people continued to sin and the next story in Genesis involves the Tower of Babel built to reach into the heavens to challenge God. Nimrod the King of Babylon wanted to express power and Grandeur as many rulers do. So to humble them God gave the people strange languages so that they could not understand one another, causing humanity to split and scatter into many peoples.
In all of these stories we see Gods patience, justice and mercy at work, his dislike of evil and love of Goodness. God then chooses Patriarchs to further covey his nature and most often through their relationship with others. Abraham with his nephew lot. Isaac and his step brother Ishmael and Jacob with his twin Esau. Abraham Isaac and Jacob were all blessed by God because of their faith though none were perfect. Each promised their sons an inheritance that they did not possess in good faith. Abraham leaves Ur in faith to face an uncertain future, he believed he would have a son even though his wife was 90 years old. He trusted God that he would not have to sacrifice his son Isaac. Isaac accepts Gods choice of wife and stays in Canaan despite a famine and Jacob had faith after his wrestle with God that his 12 sons would form the 12 tribes of Israel. God makes a covenant with Abraham in the style of a marriage, promising him a land, descendants and that he would use them as a blessing or curse to the nations because his descendants would eventually populate the world.
This theme of faith runs through the entire bible and is a central part of what it means to be Christian. The final part of Genesis concerns the story of Joseph and like with the previous stories of Isaac and Jacob the younger son receives God’s blessing counter to the culture of that time which required the eldest son to receive the inheritance. Joseph though does not receive the title of Patriarch, Angels do not appear to Joseph nor does God speak to him directly as he does the others but rather Joseph receives dreams and the ability to interpret them. The story of Joseph links the slavery of the Jews in Egypt with the later exodus and wanderings in the wilderness. He goes from being the favoured son to becoming a household slave and then a prisoner after being sold by his angry and envious brothers. He then rises up to hold high office with great influence. Joseph came to believe that God was working through him for his purposes, even in the low times showing no sign of resentment or complaint. He remained moral despite temptation and despite unjustly ending up in prison, all examples of his great faith. Joseph is all but perfect being unspoiled by hard times or honour. When Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers he forgives them but not until he is sure there is true repentance.
Joseph is thus seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus being rejected, humiliated and then raised up in glory. Jesus asked the Jews to “search the scriptures for they bear witness to me” and this story draws a good comparison. We note a trajectory in Scripture, in the four main stories reconciliation increases from the complete severance from God through Cain’s murder of Abel and his total lack of remorse to the story of Joseph which ends in forgiveness and reconciliation.
Many of the stories in Genesis seem harsh to us in advanced western cultures today but they really do reflect the customs and norms of those times. In these stories we see a creative and loving God we see the importance of faith and forgiveness and the unusual ways that God works to enhance our obedience and faith. We also see a God who administers justice and turns upside down the cultural norms of the day. We also see this often in the life of Jesus. The lessons may be hard but they all flow from the Love of God as does the beautiful creation he has put before us to enjoy.
Summary and References Unlocking the bible- David Pawson The bible book by book - Cris Rogers