The Book of Genesis - Beginnings

By Kenneth B. Alexander JD and Sherry Mobley

Genesis is the Book of beginnings. That God (YHWH common name Elohim) is the primary creator is apparent throughout the book. YHWH is the true name of God however the Jews were not permitted to say God's true name so they used Elohim as a substitute. He created the Heavens and the earth and all plant and animal life that was to populate the planet. He created man and created a special nation for Himself called. Israel. Israel means "struggle with God" named after Jacob wrestling with God all night at the river Jabbok. The nation continued to struggle with God throughout its existence as a nation. Eventually God became frustrated with their lack of obedience and had physical Israel conquered. Today the true Israel is a spiritual Israel composed of those who accept Christ as their Savior by faith.

In Genesis we see some of the most important developments in the foundation of the Israelite nation, which is the foundation for everything that was to come later. We have seen Christ and His role as the logos, the word of the Father. We have seen that He existed with the Father from the beginning as a principal part of the Great Trinity. It was no different when he appeared on earth as the Son of God. While here, He was the representation and mouthpiece of the Father. "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works" (John 14:9-10). Jesus was the exact representation of the Father and He only spoke and did what was revealed to Him by the Father. As John said: "All things came into being through Him, [Christ] and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:1-3). On earth it was the Father working through the Son.

The Father was the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but it was given Christ to speak it into existence by the word. Even now the Father has given the Son (Christ) all authority in heaven and earth. As Christ said in His parting words: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). The Father had this plan in mind from before the world was created. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed US with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will," (Ephesians 1:3-5). And: "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to BECOME CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified" (Romans 8:29-30). Finally: "Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM" (1 Corinthians 2:6-9; Isaiah 64:4).

The process of creation gave birth to the creative Word of God which would be used by prophets in creating what was to come in the process leading to Christ. Abraham laid the foundation for faith to be reckoned to us as righteousness, just as Christ proclaimed faith in Him as salvation. Isaac produced the twins of wh

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781456617585

Book preview

The Book of Genesis

Beginnings

Sunset With Open Bible

By: Kenneth B. Alexander, JD

Book One – Bible Book By Book Series

Table of Contents

Title Page – The Book of Genesis – Beginnings 

By: Kenneth B. Alexander, JD

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction to Series - Bible Book By Book

Introduction to Genesis

The Creation

The Fall

The First Murder

Line of Cain and Adam

Before the Flood

The Flood

After the Flood

Abraham

Melchizedek

The Sacrifice

The Promise

Isaac

Jacob

Joseph

Jacob’s/Israel’s Blessings to the Tribes

Comments On Genesis

Bibliography-End Notes

Preface

Thanks to John Robert Stevens, Pastor and My Mentor, deceased; Pastors Gary and Marilyn Hargrave; The Living Word, a World Wide Fellowship of Churches (thelivingword.org); Logos Bible Study System 5; Fellow Believers

©Author: Kenneth B. Alexander, JD

[e-mail]

Web: www.christianfreelance. vpweb.com

Scripture references: The New American Standard, 95 ed; The New American Standard, 1977 ed.; King James Authorized Version; Unless Otherwise Noted

Scripture References In Italics and quotation marks

Bold Emphasis Author’s Discretion

CAPS USED FROM  BIBLE SCRIPTURES or PER AUTHOR’S DISCRETION

Man or Men when used alone is gender negative and is meant to include: men, women, mankind, humanity etc.

Introduction to Series

Bible Book By Book

This Series of Books will treat the scriptures and the Bible as the full and complete Word of God compiled by God through the pens of men inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says this about itself: "All Scripture is inspired [God breathed] by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God left for us a record of all that is needed to be known to enable His people full access to His salvation and entrance to His glorious Kingdom. Each scripture, group of scriptures, each Book as a whole has a point; it is saying something from God that we can take away with us just as if God Himself descended and spoke to us in person. It speaks both to the beginner in Christ and to the most mature. Its meaning is ever expanding according to the spiritual growth of the individual.

Christ Himself quoted scripture on many occasions. In his very first public appearance He spoke scripture. "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,  AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,  TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD" (Lk 4:18–19). He quoted Old Testament scripture written down by Isaiah from the Book of Isaiah 61:1-2. Christ went on to say: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Amazingly enough Isaiah spoke this scripture a millennium before Christ and a millennium before Christ fulfilled the words. Many, many times you will read in the scriptures of Christ fulfilling a prophecy that was spoken millenniums before His birth.

The authenticity of the Bible is the subject of great dispute among men, mainly Biblical scholars and scientists. Many see the Bible as a book of myths or moralistic stories. Many hold that the named authors of the Books of the Bible were not their true authors. Others notice inconsistencies in the Bible and criticize the text of those grounds (for a full history of the Bible with criticisms see The Bible and history - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

The scriptures, Old Testament and New, speak exclusively of Christ. He said to the Pharisees: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is  these that testify about Me; (John 5:39). They had been deceived into thinking that life, peace and happiness could be found by following rigid rules and traditions, such as rituals of washings and Sabbath day rests. They studied the Torah endlessly trying to find its secrets when the real secret was its revealing of the Messiah to come. The purpose of the Scriptures was to point mankind to Christ wherein dwells life, but they were not willing to come to Jesus so that they might have this life. The direct topological references to Christ in the Old Testament are much too many to enumerate here (see References to Christ In the Old Testament Scriptures by this author at lulu.com).

The first thing to learn about the Bible is that it is incapable of human mental interpretation. It is unique in that respect out of all books written. John 1:1 makes that clear: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  The Word is just not a collection of literary works; it is and conveys the Spirit of God - it IS God.

The Word of God is recorded in the Bible. The operative Greek word is "Logos meaning The Word. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words partially defines Logos as: …the phrase The word of God i.e. the revealed Word of God is used as a direct revelation of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15) of the gospel…(citations)… in this respect it is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power…The personal word is a title of the Son of God…His distinct super-finite personality…His relation to the Godhead, His creative power… (Vine’s Page 1241-1242).

So the Word is God Himself as revealed by the Word (Jesus Christ) appearing on the earth. Human interpretation or mental understanding is not God; the Bible can only be understood spiritually by revelation from God. John 4:23-24 says that God is a Spirit and we can only know Him or relate to Him in the spirit. The Word is literally God’s power and authority going out from Him and made effective through the Word. Christ is the Word, God made manifest. All things were created in and through Him. God created the heavens and the earth through a creative Word (Genesis 1:3-let there be). [i]

In Christianity, and in fact in any search for the truth, one must look to the Word of God to gain an understanding of the truth. You must seek it and find it but God promises that if we seek and keep on seeking you will find. One thing we learn quickly is that truth is not special knowledge, wisdom or concepts separate from God. Truth is not a thing or a state of being—it is a person-Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John he quotes Jesus as saying: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (v. 14:6). In order to understand truth, we must keep this definition in mind. Nowhere else in the Bible is truth defined. It is not a moral concept; it is not doing good so you can "go to heaven; it is not a philosophy; it is not a set of church doctrines and it’s not found in your conscience. It is found in Jesus Christ, in His nature, His body and His blood.[ii]

The Bible is Divine revelation from the Father. In Matthew 16:13-19 Jesus asked His disciples Who do you say I am? (v.15). Simon Peter, the boldest of the disciples, spoke up and said "You are Christ [Messiah] the Son of the living God" (v.16). Jesus said to Peter: "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona [son of Jonah; a man]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven". Christ was saying that Peter the man was blessed because man, flesh and blood, had not revealed this to him but God the Father.

The word "reveal" is Apokalupto in Greek meaning: "to remove a veil or covering, exposing to open view what was before hidden" (see also Apokalupsis meaning revelation, one of three words in the NT referring to the second coming of Christ). Therefore Peter, a man of flesh, had spoken what was formerly concealed, exposing it to open view. He revealed what was in essence the coming of the Lord Jesus. This revelation did not come from man but was revealed by the Father in Heaven (from the spiritual realm).

Christ said further: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a stone], and upon this rock [large rock, bedrock] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven". (Verse 17). The word "Peter is in Greek Petros", a small stone. The rock referred to in the scripture (upon this rock) is Petra in Greek which means a large rock or bedrock. What was this bedrock? The BEDROCK is the REVELATION from the Father to human flesh (Petros the stone). Thus it was the revelation of Christ coming from the Father that would be the bedrock upon which Christ would build His church. God planned to build His church on the bedrock of divine revelation. Likewise the Bible is the source of this bedrock of revelation upon which we can build a walk with God.

The content of the Bible is not mere words but Spirit. Jesus said: "It is