Beginning to Survey

     Now that I've read through the whole book from cover to cover, it's time to start trying to pick out some of the more major movements and/or subjects. A good first comparison to make is that of the first paragraph with the last paragraph. Genesis is a little different because the best observation is seen when Genesis 1:1-2:3 is compared with the last paragraph. When we do this we can see one of the most important purposes of this book. In Genesis ~1, man is  perfect and residing in an immaculate biosphere. In the last paragraph we see the contrast: death; our readings through the book reveal to us that this is due to the entrance of sin in the world. From this observation we can see traces of one of the greatest truths in Scripture: mankind is in desperate need of a Savior. Genesis shows us the start of God's Redemptive Work for His Elect.

     Another thing to look for is content change, in Genesis we see four major events: Creation (1-2), the Fall (3), the Flood (6-9), and the Tower of Babel (11). All four of these are contained in the first eleven chapters. Beginning in chapter 12 and continuing through the end of the book, we see four main people: Abraham (12-23) and his descendants Isaac (24-27), Jacob (or Israel, 28-45, 39), and Joseph (37, 39-48, 50). Together, these four men make up the Patriarchs of Israel. Although Joseph is not always included with the first three, he actually ties with Abraham for the largest number of chapters devoted to a single subject, so I've included him. There are two reasons that some people do not include Joseph: (1) Joseph is almost never mentioned with the first three elsewhere in the Bible, and (2) the reason for this is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel stood alone. Abraham was the only one chosen out of his family by God to enter into His covenant, Isaac was an only child, and Jacob was chosen over Esau by God. Joseph is different though because he is one of Jacob's twelve children, all of whom were chosen by God to form His nation Israel. So although Joseph is prominent (by him the nation of Israel was preserved), he is still one of the children of Israel, not a true patriarch (L. der. from patria - father).

     There is a second movement to be seen not from events to people, but from people group to people group. In chapters 1-11 we see all of the human race involved, its beginning, instruction, and preservation. Then in chapters 12-50 we can observe the beginning, instruction, and preservation of the people of Israel. This shift in subject matter is not really seen as prominently elsewhere in Scripture. This is because Genesis lays the foundation for what man is and where he came from as well as his relationship to God. After that is established, the majority of the Bible then focuses on God's relationship with not all of mankind, but with His elect; more specifically their salvation (beginnings), instruction, and preservation.

   If you take a close look at each of the four main events in Genesis 1-11, you will notice that all of them (minus creation) involve sin. First, in the Fall, Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Second, the Flood came because all of mankind had rejected God and given themselves over to all types of sin. Lastly, the Tower of Babel was built in direct opposition to God's command to fill the earth, their stated purpose was to not fill the earth.

     Genesis. The name means beginnings, here are all the significant firsts I found in the first eleven chapters. See if you can find their references: Heaven/Earth, Light, Day, Night, Dry Land, Vegetation, Planets/Stars, Animals, Man, Woman, Command, Sin, Pain, Prophesy, Curse, Blessing, Death, Clothing, Weapon, Offering, Murder, Child, City, Musical Instrument, Flood, Covenant, Rainbow, Altar, Vineyard, Drunk, Language, Tower, Barren Woman

Chapter Titles 39-50

Yahoo!! Finally done with the chapter titles :D

39. Joseph's Success
40. Cupbearer and Baker
41. Plenty of Famine
42. Joseph's Brother's Come
43. Benjamin Comes
44. Joseph's Cup
45. Joseph Revealed
46. Israel and Joseph
47. Egyptians Sold for Food
48. Israel Blesses Manasseh and Ephraim
49. The Twelve's Blessings
50. Israel Buried

Chapter Titles 36-38

Three again :)

36. Generations of Esau
37. Joseph Sold
38. Judah and Tamar

Chapter Titles 32-35

Three more today:

32. Jacob Fears Esau
33. Jacob Meets Esau
34. Dinah Defiled
35. Rebekah and Isaac's Death

Chapter Title 31

Just one today:

31. Jacob Fled

Chapter Titles 29-30

Finished up a couple more:

29. Leah!
30. Jacob's Sons and Sheep

Chapter Titles 21-28

Got a pretty good amount done today:

21. Hagar Departed
22. Offering of Isaac
23. Sarah Died
24. Rebekah
25. Abraham Died
26. The Lord Blessed Isaac
27. Jacob's Blessing
28. Jacob's Dream

Chapter Titles19-20

Here are the next two:

19. Sulfur and Fire
20. Sister/Wife

Chapter Title 18

Pretty busy today also, but managed to squeeze another one in:

18. Three Men

Chapter Title 17

Had a busy day today, but I still got one done :)

17. My Covenant

Chapter Titles 11-16

Here are the latest:

11. A Tower
12. To the Land
13. Separate Yourselves To Me
14. Captive Kinsman
15. Offspring
16. Hagar Bore Ishmael

Chapter Titles 7-10

Here are today's chapter titles:

7. Flood
8. God Remembered
9. Jacob's Blessing
10. Generations of Noah

Chapter Titles 1-6

As I begin to actually dig into the text of Scripture, in the study of an entire book, my first order of business is to read through the entire book and make a chapter title for each chapter. To do this I try to pick out what the key theme or subject of the chapter is (or the major one if there are many), sum it up in about three words -- the shorter the better, no more than five usually, exact biblical words or phrases preferred -- and then write the summary down as a reminder of what is going on in each of the chapters. Today I read through the first six chapters of Genesis.

1. So God Created
2. God Rested
3. Now the Serpent
4. Then Cain
5. Generations of Adam
6. Noah Found Favor

Where Is Genesis Located in the Old Testament?

***The bulk of this information was paraphrased from Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament.***

The book of Genesis is located in what is called the "Pentateuch", here's some information about what this "Pentateuch" is...

     It's Title - The word "Pentateuch" refers to the first five books of the OT, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. The early church theologian Origen (who lived from 185-254 A.D.) might have been the first person recorded as using "Pentateuch" in reference to these five books. The word literally means "fivefold vessel". The Jews referred to it as the Torah, or books of the Law.

- OT titles for the first five OT books: Book of the Law (Josh. 8:34), Book of the Law of God (Josh. 24:26), Law of the Lord (1 Chron. 16:40), Book of the Law of the Lord (2 Chron. 17:9), Book of Moses (Ez. 6:18), Book of the Law of Moses (Neh. 8:1), Book of the Law of the Lord their God (Neh 9:3), Law of God (Neh. 10:28), Law of Moses(Dan. 9:11).

- NT titles for the first five OT books: Law (Matt. 12:5), Book of Moses(Mk. 12:26), Law of Moses (Lk. 2:23).

These titles show that the main purpose of these five books is to convey God's laws, or ways, to His chosen people Israel. They also show that the method of communication was through writing; God's laws were written down leaving less room for error as the laws were passed down from generation to generation. Lastly, these are the books of GOD's laws transcribed by the man Moses.

     Their Unity and Authorship- These five books are commonly assumed to have been written by the man Moses (except for the narrative of his death and perhaps a few other areas that may have been copied from existing manuscripts). This is fairly easily justified by observing that all five demonstrate a common purpose and similar qualities and very often are referred to throughout the rest of Scripture (see above) as one unit.

     Their Theme - The theme is threefold: Historical (the beginning of mankind and specifically the beginning and early history of the nation Israel), Legislative (the laws of God), and Spiritual (D. A. Hubbard, "It is the record of God's revelation in history and His Lordship over history. It testifies both to Israel's response and to her failure to respond. It witnesses to God's holiness, which separates Him form men, and His gracious love, which binds Him to them on His terms."

What Are Some Key Points to Keep in Mind as We Study the Old Testament?

***The bulk of this information was paraphrased from Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament.*** 

 A. God always acts in conformity to His nature.

Many of God's character traits are to be found in the OT. Even though there are passages in the OT that seem to contradict God's innate personage, we must remember that His knowledge far surpasses ours. Also, we must remember that despite our inability to understand fully the reasons and logic behind certain actions that we see God take in the OT, He is still sovereign and unchanging.

B. All history is in God's control.

Every event that occurs in history, is allowed or caused to happen by God.

C. Israel was God's divinely called and favored nation.

God chose and called Abraham to be the father of the nation through which God would later bless the whole world. This was not an act of favoritism, this was simply an act of grace (unmerited favor) toward Abraham. There was no reason for God to not show favor toward Abraham, He wasn't being unfair by not doing the same for everyone else because none of them, including Abraham, deserved God's grace.

D. God wanted to use Israel as His channel of communication to the rest of the world.

Evangelism is the purpose for which believers are still on earth. God desires to use saved humans in order to witness to unsaved humans. Israel, to a very great extent, failed this objective during its existence in OT times, and so God was not able to use Israel to the extent that He otherwise probably would have had they been more in line with what He asked of them.

E. Redemption is the key subject of the OT revelation.

There are many important doctrines contained in the pages of the first two thirds of the Bible, but the most important of these is the redemption of mankind through the blood of Christ. One of the reasons for studying the OT is to learn a framework, a foundation, for study of the NT. The OT revelations regarding redemption (of animals, people, nations, etc.) are all building up to the completion of God's redemptive work in His Son. We are learning the roots, the beginning of the redemptive story when we study through the OT.

F. The OT constantly points forward to the coming Savior and King, who is Jesus Christ.

It follows that if Redemption is the hot topic of the OT, and Christ is the fulfillment and means of redemption, then Christ is also a major topic in the OT. Christ does not lead a physical life in the OT as He does in the NT, but there are many types or examples of Christ scattered throughout the OT the point forward to a perfected example in the person and deity of Jesus Christ.

G. Miracles in OT times were one of God's ways to reveal Himself.

Jesus used miracles in the NT to prove that He was the Son of God come to earth. In the OT, God used miracles in order to convince men and nations that He was the King of kings and Lord of lords; there was (and is) no other true God.

H. There is a progression of revelation in the Bible.

As we progress from Genesis through to Revelation, we see a distinct cycle of doctrine being revealed. Each book builds on the ones before itself. As we study through the OT, we must be careful not to squish OT stories into NT doctrine, or remain in an OT mindset as we study the NT. Yet we must also be careful to remember that it all agrees and that the doctrines are consistent in Scripture. We must just remember to neither write between the lines nor overlook a line.

I. The OT is God's voice to us today, ancient as the book is.

The OT was inspired by a God who does not change and is ever relevant, so also must His Word to us be. "[I]t is correct to say that all spiritual lessons derived from passages in the OT have something to say, directly or indirectly, about these two timeless, vital life truths: way to God, or walk with God."

How Did the Old Testament Arrive in Our Bibles?

 ***The bulk of this information was paraphrased from Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament.***


A. Revelation

There are two types of revelation, General Revelation and Specific Revelation. GR is God's communication with man through such things as conscience and creation. On the other hand, SR is God's verbal communication with various human beings. The Bible (comprised of both OT and NT) is the collection of written records of SR in addition to the writings of men carried along by the Spirit to pen the very words of God.

B. Inspiration

Scripture was written by men carried along or moved by the Holy Spirit. As such, all of Scripture (although recorded by men) is the word of God. Also, it is perfect and without error for a perfect God neither makes errors nor transmits them through His speech.

C. The original autographs

All of the original autographs of the Bible have been lost to such causes as fire, flooding, and/or deterioration.

D. Transmission

Though the original autographs have been lost, the extant copies we do have so closely resemble their more recent counterparts that it is safe to assume that they have always been preserved in such a way as to not lose their integrity. Also, if God were willing to make available His words to us in written form for the purpose of preservation and continuation, He will see to it that His Word is not lost to error. No other book in the world has been so fiercely pursued with attempts of annihilation; yet, in spite of all that, it remains the #1 most published book in all the world. Also, even though there are some discrepancies between the different manuscripts which have been preserved until the present day, none of them call into question a single doctrinal truth contained in the OT.

E. Canonization

Many of the details about why the books that now comprise the OT have been kept in the canon (list of books included in the OT) and why others were excluded have been lost to history. Nonetheless, God was at work and sovereignty ordained those which were truly of divine origin to become part of the OT that we now possess (goes for NT too, but not part of discussion). By the time of Christ, the canon of Scripture had been finalized because both He and His apostles referred to the OT collectively as the Scripture(s). The Hebrew Bible only includes 24 distinct books, whereas the majority of English translations acknowledge 39. This may seem like a discrepancy, but the Hebrew Bible actually contains the same texts as the English Bible (with the exclusion of the Apocrypha in the Roman Catholic Bible). The Hebrew Bible achieves a lower number by combining books, most noticeably the twelve lesser (shorter) prophetical books into one book by the name of The Twelve.

F. Translations

"The first translation of any portion of the OT was the Greek Septuagint (LXX)." The next major translation was the Latin Vulgate which "was the official Bible of Christendom on the Continent for a thousand years." The Reformation Era brought about several English translations: Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale, Great Bible, Bishops, and the King James to name the most prominent and widespread. The present day and age is considered the modern missions era. One of the highlights of this time is the before unsurpassed translation of the Bible into many, many languages, and their dispersion throughout the globe.

Why Should We Study the Old Testament?

 ***The bulk of this information was paraphrased from Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament.***


A. The Bible is incomplete without the OT

The NT complements the OT as well as completes it. The NT fulfils the OT prophesies of a coming Redeemer, it is "the sequel to the OT's origins, heir of its promises, fruit of its seed, the peak of its mountain."

B. The Ministry of Christ would be an enigma without the OT

The OT gives the background of Christ's purpose in coming to earth. Without a history of mankind which highlights the standards of a proven-holy God, the inability of fallen man to meet those standards, and the need of a Saviour to rescue the human race, Christ's time on earth would just be a western store front. Looks impressive, but doesn't serve a purpose. There has got to be a good reason for the Lord of all the universe and beyond to humble Himself in a frail man's body; the OT presents this reason.

C. The historical setting of Christianity is furnished by the OT

The OT was preparing the way for the initiation of the NT Church. The idea of a people chosen by God, for God, was brought about in the OT. God chose his people Israel out of the world to be His own; the NT correlation is the Church brought out of the world to be Christ's blameless bride. The OT recounts the creation, modification, and continuation of the "religious, social, geographical, and (partially) political setting of the NT." Also, the apostles and other authors of the NT as well as Jesus Himself all utilised OT references in many of their portions of the NT. The OT provides the scene and background, the NT provides the action and progression of God's redemptive work throughout mankind's history.

D. Key revelations of God are to be found in the OT

The OT "reveals especially how God moves in and through the lives of people and the courses of nations." Many themes and topics of the Bible find their roots in the OT. Some examples could be: "God is the sovereign Creator, Man is a sinner in need of salvation, God is holy, and He judges sin" and this is not an exhaustive list, there are many others.

E. The OT is spiritual food for the Christian

The God that exists now is the exact same God that existed in OT times. Sin always was and always will be an offence against and towards God and believers must still interact with the world just as the Israelites had to interact with the surrounding nations. Despite its age, the OT was divinely inspired by a God who never grows old; therefore, it must still be relevant to the modern-day Christian.