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Book
of Genesis - In the Beginning...
The Book of Genesis is the "Book of Beginnings"
in the Bible. Genesis, Greek for "Origins", recounts the Creation of all things in six literal 24-hour days, the
Fall of Mankind and the Curse, the Noah's Flood, the Dispersion at Babel, and finally the birth of the Jewish Nation.
Together, these events cover roughly 2,370 years of Earth's history. The Book of Genesis is divided into two principal sections: (i)
Chapters 1-11 covers the Creation to the Dispersion and (ii)
Chapters 12-50 covers the birth of Israel, from the calling of Abram (Abraham) until the death and burial of his
great grandson Joseph in Egypt.
The word genesis comes from a Greek word meaning “beginning.” And
this is a book about beginnings, and it moves from a universal view to a very specific one—the beginning of the world,
the beginning of humans, and the beginning of the people of Israel that comes from a call to an individual, Abraham. Genesis
is also a book of faith, which means that it is mainly concerned with who God is and how God has been involved in the lives
of people from the time of creation.
The earliest ancestors of the Israelites did not write down their family history, but they told stories. These
stories were passed on for generations. Eventually, they were written down so that the people of Israel would have a record
of how God created the world and how they became God’s people. The book also describes how the first human beings broke
the perfect relationship they had with God in the Garden of Eden. But God did not give up on human beings, and eventually
chose Abram and Sarai (later called Abraham and Sarah) to leave their home in Northern Mesopotamia and go to Canaan, a land
God promised to give to Abram and his descendants. God also promised Abram that his descendants would be a great people who
would bring God’s blessings to all the other nations of the world (12:1-3). Genesis includes a number of family lists (genealogies) to explain how the Israelite people are related to
each other and to other peoples and nations in the ancient Near East, Middle East, and northeastern Africa.
According to tradition, Moses
was considered the author and collector of the first five books of the Bible, including GENESIS. It is difficult to say for
certain when Moses lived, but the Bible (1 KINGS 6:1) and other ancient documents seem to point to some time between
1400 and 1250 B.C. That would make GENESIS over 3300 years old! However, in the past two centuries, some Bible scholars have
suggested that GENESIS actually reached its final form much later than the time of Moses, perhaps as late as the time of Israel’s
exile in Babylon (587538 B.C.). They noted that the two descriptions of God’s creation of the earth (GENESIS 1:1-2:4 and 2:4-25) differ slightly, and each uses a different name for God. They began
to wonder if the book may be a collection of the writings of different authors, each having important stories and history
to contribute to this “family album” of Israel’s earliest ancestors. But no matter who wrote the book, its
main message is clear: The God of Abraham, Sarah, and their descendants (the people of Israel) is the creator of the world
and acts in history to save all people.
AN OUTLINE
OF GENESIS The
beginning of human history (1:1—11:25) God creates the universe and all living things (1:1—2:25) The first generations of human beings (4:17—5:32)
The beginning of God’s people, Israel (11:26—50:26)
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 Author: Moses was the author of the Book of Exodus (Exodus 17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27).
Date of Writing: The Book of Exodus was written
between 1440 and 1400 B.C.
Purpose of Writing:
The word “exodus” means departure. In God's timing, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt marked the end of
a period of oppression for Abraham's descendants (Genesis 15:13), and the beginning of the fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham that his descendants would not only live in the
Promised Land, but would also multiply and become a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3, 7). The purpose of the book may be expressed as tracing the rapid growth of Jacob's descendants from Egypt to the establishment
of the theocratic nation in their Promised Land.
Key Verses:
Exodus 1:8, "Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt."
Exodus 2:24-25, "God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on
the Israelites and was concerned about them."
Exodus 12:27, "'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes
when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped."
Exodus 20:2-3, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before
me."
Brief Summary: Exodus
begins where Genesis leaves off as God deals with His chosen people, the Jews. It traces the events from the time Israel entered
Egypt as guests of Joseph, who was powerful in Egypt, until they were eventually delivered from the cruel bondage of slavery
into which they had been brought by "...a new king...which knew not Joseph" ( Exodus 1:8). Chapters 1-14 describe the conditions of oppression of the Jews under Pharaoh, the rise of Moses as their deliverer,
the plagues God brought upon Egypt for the refusal of their leader to submit to Him, and the departure from Egypt. God’s
sovereign and powerful hand is seen in the miracles of the plagues—ending with the plague of death of the firstborn
and the institution of the first Passover—the deliverance of the Israelites, the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction
of the Egyptian army. The middle portion of Exodus is dedicated to the wandering in the wilderness and the miraculous
provision by God for His people. But even though He gave them bread from heaven, sweet water from bitter, water from a rock,
victory over those who would destroy them, His Law written on tablets of stone by His own hand, and His presence in the form
of pillars of fire and cloud, the people continually grumbled and rebelled against Him.
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Leviticus receives its name from the LXX and means
relating to the Levites. The Levites were the priests chosen of God to minister to the nation.
This book contains many of the laws given by God to direct them in their work as priests for the worship of God. The Author—Moses. This is the third of the Five Books of Moses, the
Pentateuch. He wrote this as God gave it to him in the wilderness. Dates: 1491 BC The whole of Leviticus and the first ten chapters of Numbers
all take place between the first day of the first month and the twentieth day of the second month in the year following the
exodus.
Key Verse—11:45 For I am the LORD that brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: Ye shall therefore be holy for I am holy.
Theme—Holiness The
directives given in the book of Leviticus showed how Israel was to walk before God as a holy people. Israel
will learn how to: - Worship
- Walk with God
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Fulfill its calling as a nation of priests.
Other important verses: 17:11; 20:7, 8 Key Word—holy
Basic Outline of the Book The book easily divides
into two sections: SACRIFICE—the
Ground of Fellowship 1-17 The Laws of the Offerings (1-7) The Laws of the Priesthood (8-10) The Laws of the People (11-15) The Laws
of the Altar (16, 17) SANCTIFICATION—the
Walk of Fellowship 18-27 Regulations concerning God’s
People (18-20) Regulations
concerning God’s Priests (21, 22) Regulations
concerning Worship (23, 24) Regulations concerning the Land (25-27) Where Christ is seen in Leviticus: The Five Offerings: All
typify the person and work of Christ in His sinless life and submission to the Father that we might have fellowship with God.
The first three offerings are sweet and are voluntary. The sweetness
refers to Christ, the Perfect One.—God sees His Son in these offering. Our lives
are to be a sweet fragrance to God, thru Christ 2 Co 2:14, 15. They are voluntary on the part of the people, though in the case of the burnt offering, it is offered
daily by the priest Burnt: All is given to God.
It speaks of the fullness of Jesus’ devotion--He gave Himself fully at Calvary
Heb 10:14 Meat or Meal: The fruit of the field, of labor—It
refers to the fragrance of Jesus’ sinless life Heb
5:9 Peace: Through Christ we have fellowship with God Rom 5:1
The last two offerings are non-sweet and are
compulsory. Non-sweet refers to sin—God sees Christ as our
Sin-bearer. In these offerings we see the penalty of our sin.
The Purposes for these offerings: To burn into the conscious of man the seriousness of sin To present an age-long picture of the coming sacrifice of Christ
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