Genesis
(Genesis 6-8)
The ark was a refuge from the Flood, even as God’s salvation
is a refuge from God’s wrath
against sin. The Flood was God’s visitation of righteous
judgment against the awful sinning of
mankind.
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually" (Genesis 6:5). But the
family of Noah was provided for within the ark. "Which
sometime were disobedient, when
once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by [through
water" (I Peter 3:20). God’s ark of
salvation, provided by Jesus through His death on the cross,
is a most remarkable refuge today
for sinners who look to Christ for salvation. "Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust
in him" (Psalm 2:12).
Even as Noah’s family found a place of safety inside the
ark, so believers today find security "in
Christ." Once the family of Noah was inside the ark, they
were safe from the flood waters. "And
the Lord shut him in" (Genesis 7:16). The Lord shut the door
against the storm waters. And
now all those who take refuge in Christ and abide in Him
find in Him a place of security and
shelter from life’s storms. "Your life is hid with Christ in
God" (Colossians 3:3).
The ark took the full force of the floods of rain, even as
God’s punishment for sinners fell upon
Jesus on the cross. "And the waters prevailed, and were
increased greatly upon the earth;
and the ark went upon the face of the waters" (Genesis
7:18). The ark rode upon the storm
waters, and they beat upon it with awful fury, but all
within were sheltered. And this is a type of
what Christ had to endure on our behalf on Calvary’s cross.
"For the transgression of my
people was he stricken" (Isaiah 53:8). Instead of the stroke
falling upon the sinners who
deserved it, it fell upon Jesus, the sinless One. All who
seek refuge in Him find shelter from
God’s righteous wrath against iniquity.
God invited Noah and his family into the ark, even as the
Lord invites sinners to enter His ark of
salvation today. "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and
all thy house into the ark"
(Genesis 7:1). Noah’s family in going into the ark accepted
God’s gracious invitation. And the
Lord invites men today to enter His ark of salvation.
Revelation 22:17 is the last invitation in the
Bible: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely." [Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Genesis 37-45)
Joseph was beloved of his father; and Jesus is God’s beloved
Son. "Now Israel loved Joseph
more than all his children, because he was the son of his
old age: and he made him a coat of
many colors" (Genesis 37:3). Joseph was his father’s
favorite son. God has many sons, because
every believer is a son of God. But Jesus is Son of God in a
unique sense, and therefore He is
God’s well-beloved Son. God spoke at the baptism of Jesus:
"And lo a voice from heaven,
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"
(Matthew 3:17).
Joseph was hated by his brothers; and Jesus was hated by the
Jewish leaders of His day. "And
when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than
all his brethren, they hated
him, and could not speak peaceably unto him" (Genesis 37:4).
It was jealousy that caused this
spirit of hate in Joseph’s brothers. In John 15:24, 25 Jesus
tells us the attitude of the Jewish
leaders toward Him: "If I had not done among them the works
which none other man did,
they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated
both me and my Father. But
this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that
is written in their law, They hated
me without a cause." These men were jealous of Jesus, even
as Joseph’s brothers were jealous
of him. And jealousy led to hate.
God promised Joseph a place of rulership; even as the Lord
promised Jesus as Messiah a place
of kingship. This promise to Joseph, of course, came to him
in the dreams which he had. "And
his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us?
or shalt thou indeed have
dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his
dreams, and for his words"
(Genesis 37:8). The great Messianic promise in Isaiah 9:6
contains these tremendous predictions:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and
the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace."
The statement, "The government shall be upon his shoulder,"
and the title, "Prince of Peace,"
both speak of rulership or kingship. At His first coming
Jesus was a spiritual King; and at His
second coming He will be a material Ruler over the nations.
Joseph was cast into a pit, but he was delivered out of it;
and Jesus descended into the pit of
Hades, the abode of the dead, but came forth triumphant over
death. "And I they took him, and
cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no
water in it" (Genesis 37:24). This pit
was probably a cistern where all the water had been used up.
Then in verse 28 we read: "And
they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit." Joseph spent
a time in this pit, but was not left
there indefinitely. This stay in the pit pictures Christ’s
visit to Hades. "Wherefore he saith,
When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave I gifts unto men. (Now
that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended
first into the lower parts of the
earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up
far above all heavens, that he
might fill all things)" (Ephesians 4:8-10). When Jesus died,
His body lay in the tomb, but His
spirit went to Hades. After He left Hades, He took the
spirits of the righteous dead from Sheol or
Hades up to Heaven. Now Hades is the abode of the
unrighteous dead only.
Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver; and Jesus was
sold by Judas for thirty pieces of
silver. "Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and
they drew and lifted up Joseph
out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for
twenty pieces of silver: and they
brought Joseph into Egypt" (Genesis 37:28). How similar this
was to what happened to Jesus!
"And said unto them, What will you give me, and I will
deliver him unto you? And they
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew
26:15).
Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned; and similarly
Jesus was arrested and condemned by
false testimony. "And it came to pass, when his master heard
the words of his wife, which
she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy
servant to me; that his wrath was
kindled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the
prison, a place where the
king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison"
(Genesis 39:19, 20). Joseph
was condemned on a false charge and had to suffer
imprisonment. The arrest and condemnation
of Jesus was on the same basis. "For many bare false witness
against him, but their witness
agreed not together" (Mark 14:56). False witnesses played a
large part in the trial of Jesus.
In prison Joseph was placed between two prisoners; he
foretold the release of the one and the
destruction of the other; and this is a type of Jesus dying
on the cross between two thieves,
promising the one entrance into paradise, while the other
one perished in his sins. Two of
Pharaoh’s officers were in prison with Joseph. Joseph
interpreted the dream which each one of
these men had. He foretold as a result of the dreams that
the chief butler would be restored to his
position with the king, and that the chief baker would be
executed. The story of what happened is
told in Genesis 40, and is a picture of a similar experience
of Jesus, although the two events were
not exactly alike.
John 19:18 says: "Where they crucified him, and two other
with him, on either side one, and
Jesus in the midst."
In Luke 23:39-43 is the account of these two thieves on
either side of the cross of Jesus. One of
them railed on Jesus, while the other one acknowledged his
own sin and the righteousness of
Jesus. Verse 42 tells us what he said to Jesus and Jesus’
answer: "And he said unto Jesus,
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I
say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Jesus announced the salvation of one
of these thieves, and the other perished without Christ.
Joseph dealt with his brethren in such a way as to bring
them to repentance for their sin against
him; and Christ will allow the Jews to go through great
trials in order that them may be brought
to repentance for their sin against Him. "And Joseph saw his
brethren and he knew them, but
made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them;
and he said unto them,
Whence come ye? And they said From the land of Canaan to buy
food" (Genesis 42:7).
Since their rejection of Christ, the Jews have been
scattered oven all the world. But when they
confess their sins and the sin of rejecting Messiah, then
the Lord will bring them back to
Palestine in blessing. "If they shall confess their
iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers,
with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and
that also they have walked
contrary unto me . . . Then will I remember my covenant with
Jacob, and also my covenant
with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I
remember; and I will remember the
land" (Leviticus 26:40, 42).
It was during the years of famine that Joseph revealed
himself to his brethren; and it will be
during the time of Jacob’s trouble that Christ will reveal
Himself to the Jewish remnant of that
day. His brothers came to Egypt for food in the time of
famine, and it was then that Joseph made
known his identity unto them. During the Great Tribulation
period preceding the millennial rule
of Christ, the Jews will in time of great persecution and
deep distress seek the Lord and find
Him, and Christ will be revealed unto them as their Messiah
and Saviour. "I will go and return
to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek
my face: in their affliction they
will seek me early" (Hosea 5:15). [Old Testament Types -
FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Genesis 28:10-22)
Jesus claimed to be Jacob’s ladder. "And he dreamed, and
behold a ladder set up on the
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the
angels of God ascending and
descending on it" (Genesis 28:12). Jesus made His claim in
relation to this incident in John
1:51: "And he saith unto him [i.e., Nathanael], Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye
shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of
man." Jesus was saying: "I am Jacob’s ladder; I am the link
between heaven and earth."
On another occasion He said: "I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
Jacob’s ladder was a ladder of grace, and thus is an
appropriate type of Christ and His
salvation. Jacob’s ladder reached all the way to Heaven from
where an unworthy man was lying
asleep. He was fleeing from his brother Esau after having
received the blessing from Isaac by
deception. Jacob might well have said: "I do not deserve
such a vision."
In a similar way every truly saved person feels like saying:
"I deserve to go to Hell, but I am
going to Heaven because Jesus died for me. I am only a
sinner saved by grace." "Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus" (Romans 3:24).
Jacob’s ladder reached down to a needy person, even as
Christ today has opened the way of help
for needy souls. The angels ascending the ladder represent
the taking up to Heaven requests for
things needed. The angels descending the ladder represent
the bringing down of Heaven’s help in
time of need to the one praying. Jesus is the ladder upon
which the angels ascend and descend.
All true prayer is in Jesus’ name. "Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"
(Hebrews 4:16).
Jacob’s ladder was like Christ because it brought down to
earth the promise of Heavens
blessings. A fitting climax to the vision was God’s voice
speaking to Jacob from the top of the
ladder, promising many blessings. This message ended thus:
"Behold, I am with thee, and will
keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring
thee again into this land; for I will
not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken
to thee of" (Genesis 28:15). God’s
promise included just what Jacob needed. And that is like
God’s promise to Christians in
Philippians 4:19: "My God shall supply all your need
according to his riches in glory by
Christ Jesus." [Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Genesis 21, 22, 24).
His birth was supernatural and so is a type of Christ’s
birth. "And the Lord visited Sarah as he
had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For
Sarah conceived, and bare
Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God
had spoken to him" (Genesis
21:1, 2). Sarah was ninety, and Abraham about one hundred.
Thus the birth of Isaac was indeed
supernatural. God performed a miracle to fulfill His promise
to Abraham and Sarah that they
should have a son. In this respect the birth of Isaac was a
type of the birth of Jesus. "And the
angel answered and said unto her. The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of
the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Actually,
Jesus was the Son of God and not
the son of Joseph. Jesus was virgin-born, thus His birth was
supernatural. Of course, we must be
careful to note that the birth of Isaac and that of Jesus
were not alike in every respect, but both
were supernatural births. The one was a type of the other in
this respect only.
Isaac’s being offered up by his father is a type of Christ’s
death on Calvary. He was considered
to be the only son of Abraham. "And said, By myself have I
sworn, saith the Lord, for
because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son" (Genesis
22:16). These were the words of the Lord Himself. Isaac gave
himself willingly. There is no
record of his refusing to be tied on the altar as a
sacrifice. In the same way Jesus gave Himself
willingly to die. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because
I lay down my life, that I may
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down
of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10:17, 18).
His being received back as it were from the dead is a type
of the resurrection of Christ. "By faith
Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that
had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That
in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the
dead; from whence also he
received him in a figure" (Hebrews 11:17-19). In God’s sight
Abraham offered up his son
Isaac, and then received him back as it were from the dead.
And this was a type of Christ rising
from the tomb triumphant over death.
The seeking of a wife for Isaac is a type of the divine
seeking for those who will be united to
Christ. Abraham’s servant who sought a wife for Isaac is a
type of the Holy Spirit who seeks
those who are to become the Church, Christ’s Bride. "And
Abraham said unto his eldest
servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put,
I pray thee, thy hand under my
thigh: and I will make thee swear by the Lord the God of
heaven and the God of the earth,
that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters
of the Canaanites, among
whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country, and my
kindred, and take a wife unto
my son Isaac" (Genesis 24:2-4).
The servant used the testimony concerning Isaac to win
Rebekah for his master, Isaac. "And he
said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my
master greatly; and he is
become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and
silver, and gold, and
menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And
Sarah my master’s wife bare a
son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he
given all that he hath" (Genesis
24:34-36). In order to win Rebekah, the servant talked about
how rich Isaac’s father was. And all
that wealth was to be inherited by Isaac, and this would be
shared by her if she married him.
Similarly, the Holy Spirit uses testimony concerning Christ
to win those who become a part of
the Bride of Christ. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he will not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me;
for he shall receive of mine, and
shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are
mine" (John 16:13-15). Christ’s
Father in Heaven is rich, and all that wealth is His, and
will be shared by those who make up the
Church, His Bride. Thus the Spirit paints a picture of
Christ to the one who is ready to receive
Christ as his Saviour.
From the time Rebekah consented to marry Isaac until the
wedding took place is a type of the life
of believers until the marriage supper of the Lamb is
celebrated in Heaven. The servant took the
things of Isaac and showed them unto Rebekah. "And the
servant brought forth jewels of
silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to
Rebekah" (Genesis 24:53). Thus
does the Holy Spirit take the things of Christ and show them
unto believers. "Therefore said I,
that he [i.e.], the Holy Spirit shall take of mine, and
shall show it unto you" (John 16:15). The
things of Christ are to be found in His Word.
Rebekah did not see Isaac until their marriage, but loved
him because of the testimony of the
servant. Thus we have not seen Jesus with our physical
sight, but we love Him because of the
testimony of the Holy Spirit. "Whom having not seen, ye
love; in whom, though now ye see
him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory" (I Peter 1:8).
As Isaac came out to meet Rebekah, so Christ will come down
from Heaven at the rapture to
meet His Bride in the air and escort her to Heaven. "And
Isaac went out to meditate in the
field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw,
and, behold, the camels were
coming" (Genesis 24:63). Thus Isaac met the caravan, and
escorted his bride to her new home.
And Christ will do this for His Church, the Bride, for whom
He is coming down from Heaven.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I
Thessalonians 4:16, 17). We shall
ride on the clouds of Heaven with Christ to our home in
Heaven.
The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah is a type of the future
marriage of Christ and His Bride, the
Church, at Christ’s return. "And Isaac brought her into his
mother Sarah’s tent, and took
Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her" (Genesis
24:67).
And this is a type of that happy event in the happy future
of true believers in Christ which John
describes for us in Revelation 19:7, 9: "Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honor to him: for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready. And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write,
Blessed are they which are called unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb." [Old Testament Types -
FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Genesis 14:18-20)
Who was Melchizedek? When Abraham returned from his
victorious battle with the five kings,
having rescued Lot, we find Melchizedek going out to meet
him.
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine:
and he was the priest of
the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be
Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:18, 19). This
strange character was called king of
Salem, meaning King of Peace. Doubtless he was king of the
city of Jerusalem of that day. He
also had the title of Priest of the Most High God.
Melchizedek was a type of Christ as King. The meaning of his
name is king of righteousness, and
he was called king of Salem which probably refers to the old
city of Jerusalem. At his second
coming, Christ will be a righteous king. "But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and
reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall
smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked" (Isaiah 11:4).
Melchizedek’s being King of Peace typifies Christ’s reign of
peace on earth at His return. Isaiah
9:6 calls Him "Prince of Peace." Wars shall cease when He
becomes earth’s King of kings.
Melchizedek was a type of Christ as Priest. "Without father,
without mother, without descent
[i.e.], pedigree as a priest], having neither beginning of
days, nor end of life; but made like
unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually" (Hebrews
7:3). Melchizedek can typify
Christ as Priest because as a priest he had no recorded
genealogy; he had no record of the
beginning of his life or of the end of his life. Thus he
fittingly pictures Christ our Priest, who had
no human father, and who was and still is eternal. "But this
man, because he continueth ever,
hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also
to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Hebrews
7:24, 25). Let us go to Christ as our ever-living Priest,
and trust Him to save us completely and
forever. [Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Genesis 5:21-24)
Enoch’s life pleased God because he walked with God in
faith. "And Enoch walked with God:
and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). "By faith
Enoch was translated that he
should not see death; and was not found, because God had
translated him: for before his
translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God"
(Hebrews 11:5). Enoch, the greatgrandfather
of Noah, walked with God by faith so that the Lord was
pleased.
Enoch was translated before the judgment of the Flood came
upon the world. The Hebrews’
account has the significant words: "And was not found." Men
of Enoch’s day searched for him
but found him not. The reason they could not find him was
because God had translated him
without his having to go through the experience of death. It
was not long until the great Flood
was to devastate the world, but Enoch was gone to Heaven
before this great event took place.
What happened to Enoch was a type of the translation of
believers at Christ’s coming. "For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians
4:16, 17). "Then shall two be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women
shall be grinding at the mill;
the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matthew 24:40,
41). Believers living when Christ
comes will be translated without their seeing death, like
Enoch was. Men shall look for them as
they did for Enoch but shall not find them. When believers
are caught up, then shall the
judgments of the Book of Revelation begin to be poured out
upon the earth. Thus true believers
shall escape these judgments. "Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be
accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the
Son of man" (Luke 21:36). [Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Genesis 4)
Abel’s offering was an expression of his faith in God’s
Word. "And Abel, he also brought of
the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" (Genesis
4:4). "By faith Abel offered unto
God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4).
Abel’s faith must have been based
upon a divine instruction given to Adam and Eve and their
family; namely, for sinful man to
approach a holy God, he must do so by offering an animal
sacrifice. A sinner today must
approach God by faith in the offering of Jesus on Calvary’s
cross as atonement for sin.
Abel’s offering was acceptable unto God. "The Lord had
respect unto Abel and to his
offering" (Genesis 4:4). The Lord regarded with favor Abel’s
approach to Him through an
offering because he came in the divinely appointed way. He
came bringing the divinely
acceptable offering for sinners. Any sinner coming to God in
penitence, and pleading only the
merits of Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary, will be
accepted by God.
The offering of Abel was not like that of Cain. "And in
process of time it came to pass, that
Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
Lord" (Genesis 4:3). Cain was
self-righteous, not thinking it was necessary to approach
God as a sinner needing a sacrifice, but
rather offered God the fruit of the ground, the result of
his own labors. His actions are typical of
many modern men who think God will accept them on the ground
of their good works, instead of
coming to God as lost sinners needing a Saviour.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:
not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
The offering of Abel was a blood sacrifice, and thus
prefigured Calvary. "And to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel"
(Hebrews 12:24). "That [blood of
Abel" here means the blood of his sacrifice, which was a
type of the better blood of Jesus shed
on the cross. It was this blood that was lacking in the
offering of Cain. "Without shedding of
blood is no remission [i.e.], of sin]" (Hebrews 9:22).
In my hand no price I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
Quick Survey of Genesis. – –1-2 – –The creation of the
universe, the world, all living things, and man. The
conditions of man in paradise. – –3 – –The original sin of
Adam and Eve, and God casting them out of paradise. – –4-5 –
– The history of Adam and his descendents all the way to the
time of Noah and the flood. – –6-7 – – The exceeding
wickedness of all mankind, the destruction of the world by
the flood, and Gods preservation of Noah and his family. – –
8-9 – – The restoration of the world, God's covenant to Noah
for all mankind and the rainbow, the prophecy of Noah. – –10
– – The repopulation of the world and the table of Nations
by the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth and their
descendents. – –11 – – The building of the Tower of Babel,
Nimrod, the confusion of tongues, and God scattering mankind
throughout the world. – –12-25 – – The history and migration
of Abraham and his family as pilgrims in the land of Canaan.
– –26-27 – – The history of Isaac and his family. – –28-36 –
– The history of Jacob and his family. – –37- 40 – – The
history of Joseph and his brothers. – –41-50– – The history
of Joseph's exaltation by God in the land of Egypt and God's
incredible plan for the Hebrews.
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
Genesis is the title given to the first book of the Pentateuch by its Greek translators. The word means "origin" or "beginning"; truly, Genesis is a book of beginnings. It describes the beginning of man and the universe which he inhabits, the beginning of sin, the consequent beginning of an effort at redemption, and the beginning of the Hebrew nation through whom this redemption was to come.
The book of Genesis, together with the early chapters of Exodus, describes the steps which led to the establishment of the theocracy. Two ideas are seen to be predominant in this book- the people of God and the promised land. Genesis has a character which is both special and universal. It embraces the entire world as it speaks of God as the Lord of the whole human race; yet, as an introduction to Jewish history, it makes the universal interest subordinate to the national. Its design is to show how God first revealed himself to the patriarchs of the Hebrew race in order to make of them a people who would serve as his witnesses on the earth. This is the inner principle of unity which pervades the entire book.
The contents of Genesis may be conveniently outlined in the following manner:
I. The Beginnings of History (1-11), II. The Story of Abraham (12-25), III. The Story of Isaac (25:19-26; 35), IV. The Story of Jacob and Esau (27:1-37:1), V. The Story of Joseph (37-50).
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
The Book of Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, "birth", "origin," from
Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית, Bereishit, "in the beginning")[1] is the
first book of the Hebrew Bible, the first of five books of
the Torah, which are called the Pentateuch in the Christian
Old Testament.
Genesis contains some of the best known biblical stories,
including the Hebrew account of the creation of the world,
Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel,
the Call of Abraham, Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac,
Esau and Jacob, the marriage of Jacob, Jacob and Laban,
Sarah and Pharaoh, Sarah and Abimelech, the battle of the
Vale of Siddim, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob's wrestling with
the angel at Peniel, Joseph and his coat of many colours,
Joseph and the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, Onan and
his sin, the seduction of Lot by his daughters, the Blessing
of Jacob, the purchase of the cave of Machpelah, and others.
Structurally, it consists of the "primeval history"
(chapters 1–11 ) and cycles of Patriarchal stories (chapters
12–50 )-Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (renamed, Israel), and
concluding with Joseph. Modern critical scholarship believes
that the Book of Genesis reached its final form in the 5th
century BC, with a previous history of composition reaching
back into the 6th and 7th centuries...
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ge...
The Hebrew name is Bereeshit, from its opening word "in the
beginning." Septuagint Genesis means generation, i.e.
creation and birth of the universe, man, and history. It is
a religious history, therefore it omits accounts in detail
of other nations, and concentrates attention on the origin
of that one from whom the promised Redeemer of man from the
deadly consequences of the fall (which is detailed at the
beginning) sprang. While a bare catalogue is given of whole
genealogies of nations, minute details are given of the
godly patriarchs in the line of the promised Savior, for
these details are of more everlasting moment to us than the
rise and fall of the mightiest empires. Again, the details
in the patriarchs' history selected for narration are not
the merely personal facts, but those illustrating religious
principles and furthering God's gracious purpose of
redemption.
Thus Adam's history before and in the fall is
minutely given, as affecting the whole race whom he
represented; but after the fall only a few brief notices,
but these of important bearing on mankind's spiritual
prospects (Genesis 3:20-24; Genesis 4:1; Genesis 5:1-5). So
the early development of the enmity between the serpent's
seed and the seed of the woman, and the separation of the
church from the world (Genesis 4:1-16; Genesis 4:25-26). The
divine prophetic germs in Genesis are the foundation of all
the subsequent prophecies throughout the Bible, and receive
their consummation in the restored tree of life, waters of
life, communion with God face to face in the world delivered
from the curse, at the close of Revelation. Astruc, a
Belgian physician (A.D. 1753), inferred from the varying use
of the names of God, Elohim (E) and Jehovah (J), the
existence of 12 documents or memoirs used by Moses in
compiling Genesis...
Link: https://bible-history.com/faussets/G/Gen...
The five books of Moses were collectively called the
Pentateuch,
a word of Greek origin meaning "the five-fold book."
The Jews
called them the Torah, i.e., "the law." It is
probable that the
division of the Torah into five books proceeded from
the Greek
translators of the Old Testament. The names by which
these
several books are generally known are Greek.
The first book of the Pentateuch (q.v.) is called by
the Jews
Bereshith, i.e., "in the beginning", because this is
the first
word of the book. It is generally known among
Christians by the
name of Genesis, i.e., "creation" or "generation,"
being the
name given to it in the LXX. as designating its
character,
because it gives an account of the origin of all
things. It
contains, according to the usual computation, the
history of
about two thousand three hundred and sixty-nine
years.
Genesis is divided into two principal parts. The
first part
(1-11) gives a general history of mankind down to
the time of
the Dispersion. The second part presents the early
history of
Israel down to the death and burial of Joseph (12-
50).
There are five principal persons brought in
succession under
our notice in this book, and around these persons
the history of
the successive periods is grouped, viz., Adam (1-3),
Noah (4-9),
Abraham (10-25:18), Isaac (25:19-35:29), and Jacob
(36-50).
In this book we have several prophecies concerning
Christ
(3:15; 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; 49:10). The
author of
this book was Moses. Under divine guidance he may
indeed have
been led to make use of materials already existing
in primeval
documents, or even of traditions in a trustworthy
form that had
come down to his time, purifying them from all that
was
unworthy; but the hand of Moses is clearly seen
throughout in
its composition.
Link: https://bible-history.com/eastons/G/Gene...
(origin), the first book of the law or Pentateuch, so
called from its title ia the Septuagint, that is, Creation.
Its author was Moses. The date of writing was probably
during the forty-years wanderings in the wilderness, B.C.
1491-1451. Time. --The book of Genesis covered 2369 years,--
from the creation of Adam, A.M 1, to the death of Joseph,
A.M. 2369, or B.C. 1635. Character and purpose. --The book
of Genesis (with the first chapters of Exodus) describes the
steps which led to the establishment of the theocracy. It is
a part of the writer's plan to tell us what the divine
preparation of the world was in order to show, first, the
significance of the call of Abraham, and next, the true
nature of the Jewish theocracy. He begins with the creation
of the world, because the God who created the world and the
God who revealed himself to the fathers is the same God. The
book of Genesis has thus a character at once special and
universal. Construction. --It is clear that Moses must have
derived his knowledge of the events which he records in
Genesis either from immediate divine revelation or from oral
tradition or written documents. The nature of many of the
facts related, and the minuteness of the narration, render
it extremely improbable that immediate revelation was the
source from whence they were drawn. That his knowledge
should have been derived from oral tradition appears morally
impossible when we consider the great number of names, ages,
dates and minute events which are recorded. The conclusion
then, seems fair that he must have obtained his information
from written documents coeval, or nearly so, with the events
which they recorded, and composed by persons intimately
acquainted with the subjects to which they relate. He may
have collected these, with additions from authentic
tradition or existing monuments under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, into a single book. Certain it is that several
of the first chapters of Genesis have the air of being made
up of selections from very ancient documents, written by
different authors at different periods. The variety which is
observable in the names and titles of the Supreme Being is
appealed to among the most striking proofs of this fact.
This is obvious in the English translation, but still more
so in the Hebrew original. In Gen 1 to 2:3, which is really
one piece of composition, as the title, v. 4, "These are the
generations," shows, the name of the Most High is uniformly
Elohim, God. In ch. Ge 2:4 to ch. 3, which may be considered
the second document, the title is uniformly Yehovah Elohim,
Lord God; and in the third, including ch. 4, it is Yehovah,
Lord, only; while in ch. 5 it is Elohim, God only, except in
v. 29, where a quotation is made, and Yehovah used. It is
hardly conceivable that all this should be the result of
mere accident. The changes of the name correspond exactly to
the changes in the narratives and the titles of the several
pieces." Now, do all these accurate quotations," says
Professor Stowe, "impair the credit of the Mosaic books, or
increase it? Is Marshall's Life of Washington to be regarded
as unworthy of credit because it contains copious extracts
from Washington's correspondence and literal quotations from
important public documents? Is not its value greatly
enhanced by this circumstance? The objection is altogether
futile. In the common editions of the Bible the Pentateuch
occupies about one hundred and fifty pages, of which perhaps
ten may be taken up with quotations. This surely is no very
large proportion for an historical work extending through so
long a period."--Bush. On the supposition that writing was
known to Adam, Gen. 1-4, containing the first two of these
documents, formed the Bible of Adam's descendants, or the
antediluvians. Gen 1 to 11:9, being the sum of these two and
the following three, constitutes the Bible of the
descendants of Noah. The whole of Genesis may be called the
Bible of the posterity of Jacob; and the five Books of the
Law were the first Bible of Israel as a nation.--Canon Cook.
Link: https://bible-history.com/smiths/G/Genes...
IV. The Historical Character.
1. History of the Patriarchs: (Genesis 12 through 50):
(1) Unfounded Attacks upon the History.
(a) From General Dogmatic Principles:
In order to disprove the historical character of the
patriarchs, the critics are accustomed to operate largely
with general dogmatic principles, such as this, that no
nation knows who its original founder was. In answer to this
it can be said that the history of Israel is and was from
the beginning to the end unique, and cannot be judged by the
average principles of historiography. But it is then claimed
that Abraham's entire life appears to be only one continuous
trial of faith, which was centered on the one promise of the
true heir, but that this is in reality a psychological
impossibility. Over against this claim we can in reply cite
contrary facts from the history of several thousands of
years; and that, too, in the experience of those very men
who were most prominent in religious development, such as
Paul and Luther.
(b) From Distance of Time:
Secondly, critics emphasize the long period of time that
elapsed between these events themselves and their first
records, especially if these records can be accredited to so
late a period as the 9th or the 8th century BC. In
consequence of this, it is claimed that much of the contents
of Genesis is myth or fable; and Gunkel even resolves the
whole book into a set of unconnected little myths and
fables. Over against this claim we can again appeal to the
universal feeling in this matter. I do not think that it can
be made plausible, that in any race fables and myths came in
the course of time more...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/G/GENESIS...
III. The Structure of the Individual Pericopes.
In this division of the article, there is always to be found
(under 1) a consideration of the unity of the Biblical text
and (under 2) the rejection of the customary division into
different sources.
The conviction of the unity of the text of Genesis and of
the impossibility of dividing it according to different
sources is strongly confirmed and strengthened by the
examination of the different pericopes. Here, too, we find
the division on the basis of the typical numbers 4,7,10,12.
It is true that in certain cases we should be able to divide
in a different way; but at times the intention of the author
to divide according to these numbers practically compels
acceptance on our part, so that it would be almost
impossible to ignore this matter without detriment,
especially since we were compelled to accept the same fact
in connection with the articles EXODUS (II); LEVITICUS (II,
2); DAY OF ATONEMENT (I, 2, 1), and aIso EZEKIEL (I, 2, 2).
But more important than these numbers, concerning the
importance or unimportance of which there could possibly be
some controversy, are the fundamental religious and ethical
ideas which run through and control the larger pericopes of
the [toledhoth] of Terah, Isaac and Jacob in such a way that
it is impossible to regard this as merely the work of a
redactor, and we are compelled to consider the book as the
product of a single writer.
1. The Structure of the Prooemium (Genesis 1 through 2:3):
The structure of the proemium (Gen 1:1 through 2:3) is
generally ascribed to P. Following the introduction (Gen
1:1,2; creation of chaos), we have the creation of the seven
days with the Sabbath as a conclusion. The first and the
second three days correspond to each other (1st day, the
light; 4th day, the lights; 2nd day, the air and water by
the separation of the waters above and the waters below; 5th
day, the animals of the air and of the water; 3rd day, the
dry land and the vegetation; 6th day, the land animals and
man; compare also in this connection that there are two
works on each day). We find Exodus also divided according to
the number seven (see EXODUS, II, 1; compare also Ex 24:18b
through 31:18; see EXODUS, II, 2, 5, where we have also the
sevenfold reference to the Sabbath idea in Ex, and that,
too, repeatedly at the close of different sections, just as
we find this here in Genesis); and in Lev compare chapters
23; 25; 27; see LEVITICUS, II, 2, 2; the VIII, IX, and
appendix; and in Gen 4:17 ff J; 5:1-24 P; 6:9 through 9:29;
36:1 through 37 I (see under 2, 1,2,3,1)...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/G/GENESIS...
LITERATURE
I. General Data.
1. The Name:
The first book of Moses is named by the Jews from the first
word, namely, bere'shith, i.e. "in the beginning" (compare
the Bresith of Origen]). In the Septuagint it is called
Genesis, because it recounts the beginnings of the world and
of mankind. This name has passed over into the Vulgate
(Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) (Liber Genesis). As a
matter of fact the name is based only on the beginning of
the book.
2. Survey of Contents:
The book reports to us the story of the creation of the
world and of the first human beings (Gen 1); of paradise and
the fall (Gen 2 f); of mankind down to the Deluge (Gen 4 f;
compare Gen 4, Cain and Abel); of the Deluge itself (Gen 6
through 9); of mankind down to the age of the Patriarchs
(Gen 10:1 through 11:26; compare 11:1 ff, the building of
the tower of Babel); of Abraham and his house (Gen 11:27
through 25:18); of Isaac and his house (Gen 25:19 through
37:2); of Jacob and of Joseph (Gen 37:2-50:26). In other
words, the Book of Genesis treats of the history of the
kingdom of God on earth from the time of the creation of the
world down to the beginning of Israel's sojourn in Egypt and
to the death of Joseph; and it treats of these subjects in
such a way that it narrates in the 1st part (Gen 1:1 through
11:26) the history of mankind; and in the 2nd part (Gen
11:27 through 50:26) the history of families; and this
latter part is at the same time the beginning of the history
of the chosen people, which history itself begins with Ex 1.
Though the introduction, Gen 1-11, with its universal
character, includes all mankind in the promise given at the
beginning of the history of Abraham (12:1-3), it is from the
outset distinctly declared that God, even if He did
originally set apart one man and his family (Gen 12 through
50), and after that a single nation (Ex 1 ff), nevertheless
intends that this particularistic development of the plan of
salvation is eventually to include all mankind. The manner
in which salvation is developed historically is
particularistic, but its purposes are universal...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/G/GENESIS...
(Genesis 1-3).
Scriptural warrant for Adam as a type of Christ. "Who is the
figure of him that was to come"
(Romans 5:14). In I Corinthians 15:45 Paul refers to Christ
as the Last Adam, and thus He is the
antitype of the First Adam. In some phases Adam is a type of
Christ by contrast rather than by
comparison.
Adam was the Son of God in a unique sense, and as such was a
type of the divine Son of God. ". .
. which was the son of Adam, which was the Son of God" (Luke
3:38). Because he was
created without sin, Adam was son of God in a sense no human
being could be. Adam is not a
perfect type of Christ, for Jesus was the eternal Son of
God, uncreated, whereas Adam was the
created son of God. But before his sin he was a fitting type
of the sinless Saviour.
Adam as the husband of Eve is a type of Christ as the
Husband of the Church. "For this cause
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined
unto his wife, and they two
shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak
concerning Christ and the church"
(Ephesians 5:31, 32). Paul is here quoting from Genesis from
the statement made about Adam
and Eve. Thus he is making them types, and Christ and the
Church the antitypes.
Adam was promised numerous posterity, as was Christ in a
spiritual sense. "Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Isaiah
prophesied of Messiah’s posterity
spiritually in Isaiah 53:10. "He shall see his seed." This
was to be a result of His suffering on the
cross. In Psalm 22:31 it is said that Messiah "shall declare
his righteousness unto a people
that shall be born." His death on Calvary’s tree made
possible the New Birth of millions of
people, who through the years have trusted in His atoning
death for the forgiveness of sins.
Even as Adam was federal head of the human race, so Christ
is the Head of the Church. Paul
speaks of Christ’s Headship of the Church in Colossians
1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church." As Adam
conveyed the guilt and consequences
of his sin to his descendants, so Christ conveys His
righteousness to those who accept Him: as
Saviour. "Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation;
even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon
all men unto justification of life"
(Romans 5:18).
The coats of skin God made for Adam and Eve after them
sinned are types of the garments of
salvation. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God
make coats of skins, and
clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). They had already made aprons
of fig leaves. This was the best
they could do to cover their nakedness. The Hebrew word
atonement means "to cover up."
God provided a skin covering after the death of one or more
animals. The death of the animal
made possible the covering. This is a type of Christ as our
Substitute for sin on the cross. Thus
the robe of righteousness is provided for us.
"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful
in my God; for he hath clothed
me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with
the robe of righteousness"
(Isaiah 61:10). [Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
