THOUGHTS ON GENESIS 001
Genesis opens by going back
to “the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). The
first eleven chapters deal with the history before the time of Abraham. Revelation
never is given in a vacuum. Scriptures
treat this account as history (Exodus 20:9-11; 31:17; Psalm 8; 104; Matthew
19:4-6; 2 Peter 3:5; Hebrews 4:4). It provides a background and history to
Genesis and the whole Bible. Like any history it is built on the principle of
selectivity.
No
historical narrative is a complete account of all that occurred in a given
event or series of events. The author must select those events that most
effectively relate not only what happened but also the meaning and significance
of what happened.[1]
There is a common world
view in Genesis and the ancient Near East. We have other writings and records
from the ancient Near East to better help us understand the period and the
worldviews that existed. The ancient ideas were at odds with the Biblical
account, but there are also areas of agreement. Wenham writes:
...Genesis
share a common outline of primeval history with its neighbors.... Both agreed
that an invisible supernatural world existed; that a God or gods existed; were
personal; could think, speak, and communicate with men; indeed, control human
affairs.[2]
However, these are
overshadowed by the great differences. The Genesis account is distinct and
unique among the ancient Near East. It is an inspired account (2 Timothy 3:16)
Moses made his careful
selection on the basis of ancestry leading to the nation Israel, tracing it back to the God of
creation and Adam. This is clearly indicated in his arrangement of the whole
book around the genealogies.
[1] Sailhamer, John
H., (Frank E. Gaebelein, Editor) “Genesis,” THE EXPOSITOR’S BIBLE COMMENTARY,
[Grand Rapids MI, Zondervan, 1990], 2:13.
[2] Wenham, Gordon J, WBC: GENESIS 1-15, (Dallas TX, Word,
1991), xlvii
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