Genesis 1 to 11 for You and Me

By John Iles

These early chapters of Genesis teach truths that are essential to biblical doctrine. God is the Creator of all things and sin “came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom.5:12).
However, for over one hundred years, these essential truths have seemed to be under threat from scientific discoveries and the theories that have been developed from them.
The threat is merely apparent. Believers can accept these chapters of the Bible with confidence. Scientific truth can never be in conflict with biblical truth, because this is God’s world and the Bible is God’s word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781446754665

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Published by Lulu.com

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Copyright © John Arthur Iles 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, published by HarperCollins Publishers © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

First published 2023

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover illustration by Becky Iles

ISBN: 978-1-4467-5466-5

Contents

Chapter      Reference

Genesis

1. Introduction

2. Creation of the Earth      1:1 to 2:3

3. Creation of Man and Woman 2:4-25

4. Sin and Death      3:1-24

5. Sin Transmitted      4:1-26

6. From Adam to Noah      5:1-32

7. Judgment and Grace       6:1-21

8. A New Beginning      7:1-8:19

9. Covenants      8:20-9:17

10. The Descendants of Noah       9:18-10:32

11. Babel      11:1-9

12. From Ur to Haran      11:10-32

1. Introduction

Authorship

In the New Testament, the Pentateuch as a whole is referred to as the law of Moses (Acts 13:39), or simply as Moses (John 5:46; Acts 15:21), but nowhere is the book of Genesis singled out as his work. Moses evidently played a part in the writing of the Law (Ex.24:3-7). His written record of Deuteronomy (Deut.31:24-26) was to be kept by the ark in the tabernacle, and subsequently in the temple. It must have been this book that was found during the restoration of the temple under Josiah (2 Kings 22:8). There are indications that Moses wrote Genesis, but there is no clear statement to that effect.

Seven Days

Are the seven days of creation to be taken literally? The problem is highlighted by the difference between the first and second chapters of Genesis in the order of the events recorded, and by the assertions of modern science. The generally accepted scientific view is that it took long ages for the world to become as we know it. On the other hand, some years ago, a group of Christian scientists published a work in support of seven literal days. Their argument was that there is no scientific reason for rejecting the Genesis account.

It has been suggested that these were days of divine instruction. Each day God revealed to His pupil, Moses perhaps, another part of the work that He had done. However, the significance must go beyond that because the sequence matches to a great extent the order indicated by modern science.

Contracting the long ages indicated by science into six twenty-four-hour days certainly emphasises that it was the work of God.

Human Origins

According to palaeontologists, different human species with different characteristics have existed on Earth over the course of time. Not all species of humans have survived, and many of them have become extinct. The only human species left is Homo sapiens.

At what point did God breathe into man’s nostrils the breath of life (Gen.2:7)? Was that what made him homo sapiens? Whatever the answers to those questions are, Adam was the first true man from whom the present human race descended.

Acts 17:26 God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.

That fact is foundational to the whole Bible story of God’s dealings with man and man’s relationship to God.

Rom.5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned – … 19 as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Truth

The Bible is not a scientific textbook. The creation story is not answering the questions of when and how, but those of who and why. When all truth is finally known it will be seen that there is no conflict between genuine scientific truths and those which the Bible reveals about God and Man and their relationship.

2. Creation of the Earth (Gen.1:1-2:3)

God in Focus

Gen.1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.1:2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Throughout the Biblical account of creation, the focus is on God. The actions of God are detailed thirty-five times in these two chapters. The account is not about how the world was made but about who did it.

It begins with a reminder that God existed before the world began. That reminds us that He is eternal, that He was and is and always will be, and that what He created, He still commands.

Isa.48:12-13 I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for create is always used for what God does. It is often used for something that He does instantly:

Isa.48:3 The former things I declared of old; they went out from my mouth, and I announced them; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.

It is also used at times of a process. This is the case when He speaks