Genesis: Meditations on Moses’ Mosaic By Pastor Mark Driscoll Mars Hill Sermon and Study Series www.marshillchurch.org Introduction to Genesis .............................................................................5 Answers to Common Questions about Genesis .................................7 How to Read Genesis .............................................................................27 Answers to Common Questions about Creation ..............................31 Key New Testament Connections to Genesis ...................................55 Commentary and Study Tips ..................................................................63 Bible Questions for children from Genesis ...................................... 181 Resources for further study .................................................................187 Acknowledgements Thanks to: The Mars Hill staff, for stressing me out with tight but needed deadlines. Roger Friend, for building my home study and enabling me to research and write efficiently. Jen Dwyer, for hours of tireless copyediting; my rough drafts can be really rough. Jill House, for designing and laying out this book so beautifully. Graham Stinson, for consulting and overseeing the aesthetic of our publications. Bill Nieman, for getting the book printed quickly and keeping costs low. Mars Hill, for someone to teach. The First Day of Creation God, (Genesis 1:1-5) for creation, covenant, and blessing 2 3 An Introduction to Genesis ur faith does not a very small Bible study in 1996 begin with the glori- and when our church was small ous truth that Jesus I often met with people to an- Christ died for our swer their questions. But, as our sins. Rather, it begins with the church has grown from a few declaration in Genesis 1:1 that, dozen to a few thousand people “In the beginning God created I am no longer able to meet with the heavens and the earth.” people as I once did, but I still Arguably, there is no book hope to answer their questions. which is more important to our Therefore, much of this book will faith than Genesis as in many simply be answers to the most ways it is itself a tree of life upon common questions that I receive which the rest of biblical fruit about the book of Genesis and I hangs. In its pages we encoun- hope they are beneficial to you. ter God our Creator, meet our Lastly, I would like to thank first parents, witness the fall of the elders of Mars Hill Church humanity into sin, hear the first for their great service to and promise of Jesus’ coming to partnership in the gospel of conquer the Serpent, behold Jesus Christ. I am very blessed the first death as consequence by them to have both the time for sin, see the judgment of sin and resources to study so that in the Flood, and see God’s I can preach, teach, and write grace in the calling to Abraham most effectively. Additionally, I and working through his family am grateful that they are willing to bring forth Jesus Christ as to fund the publication and dis- the blessing to all nations of the tribution of theological literature earth. to our church so that the gospel This book is my attempt to of Jesus Christ might advance in help our church study Genesis our city and beyond. most effectively. In it I hope to introduce you to the book of Genesis, including its great The Fourth Day of Creation themes and truths to better pre- (Genesis 1:14-19) pare you to study the book for yourself. Our church began as 4 5 Answers to Common Questions about Genesis tylistically, Genesis Pentateuch. The remaining four is one of the finest books of the Pentateuch, Exodus pieces of literature through Deuteronomy, focus on that has ever been written as the life of Moses and account for evidenced by the fact that its about 75% of the content of the stories, images, and metaphors Pentateuch. The men are an inter- remain perennially popular some esting juxtaposition as Abraham three and a half thousand years did not have the law but obeyed after they were penned. Practi- it by faith, while Moses did have cally, Genesis is one of the most the law but was punished for painfully honest accounts ever not obeying it in unbelief. Each written about the life of a single of the books in the Pentateuch family over many generations. was penned by Moses roughly Historically, Genesis provides 1400 years before the birth of for us the account of the origin Jesus Christ. To help you better of everything from Creation to understand the book of Genesis humanity, sin, sex, family, death, I will briefly answer some of the and Resurrection. Theologi- most common questions about cally, Genesis reveals God as the book. But, I would stress that personal through His intimate reading comments about Gen- involvement in the lives of His esis, mine included, are at best covenant people by loving them, a supplement to simply reading protecting them, leading them, Genesis repeatedly and prayer- forgiving them, protecting them, fully for oneself. and disciplining them. Genesis, the book of beginnings, What is Genesis? is the first book of the Pentateuch, The name of the Bible’s first which means five-part book that book, Genesis, is taken from also includes Exodus, Leviticus, its first words, “…In the begin- Numbers, and Deuteronomy which ning…” are often referred to in Scripture as Genesis is a book about God. one book (e.g. II. Chr. 25:4, 35:12; And, while this simple premise The Sixth Day of Creation Ezra 6:18; Ne. 13:1; Mk. 12:26). might seem self-evident, it re- (Genesis 1:24-28) Genesis accounts for about mains a fundamental truth that is 25% of the content of the often overlooked by its critics. In 6 7 Genesis God is revealed as our How is Genesis arranged? • Genesis 28:10-36:43 God ever, Genesis does not record Creator who judges human sin Genesis is brilliantly arranged ac- elects and protects what happened in eternity past as but sustains people and Creation cording to multiple compositional • Genesis 37-50 God is the Moses chose not to tell us about by His grace. Genesis is also forms. I will share a few of them Sovereign who accomplishes such things as the creation of clear that God is not responsible with you to assist you in getting His purposes despite human sin angels, fall of Satan, or what the for human sin because He is an understanding of the layout of eternal God was doing before perfect, holy, good and all that this great book. Is Genesis a myth? Creation. Therefore, it would be He originally created was made First, Genesis 1-11 records Some critics have postulated a mistake to view Genesis 1 as “good” including the man and God calling Creation into ex- that Genesis is not literal history the beginning of history as it is in- woman whom He declared to istence, and Genesis 12-50 but rather a myth, like a legend stead an explanation that creation have been made “very good”. records God calling people into or fairy tale, intended to com- comes from God and was made Two primary names for God ap- covenant relationship. municate ideals but not meant to habitable for human life. pear throughout Genesis which Second, both the major and be taken literally as fact. But, this But, before Creation and man- have lead some Bible critics to minor sections of Genesis are in- hypothesis has a number of flaws kind there was history indepen- conclude that multiple authors troduced by the refrain “This is the that I will briefly mention. dent of creation; before energy, penned the book which is inac- account of…” The major sections First, the concept of myth or time, space, or what we know of curate. Rather, when Genesis beginning with this refrain are legend is completely foreign to as the material world was brought uses the name Elohim it often found in 2:4, 6;9, 11:27, 25:19, Hebrew thought and life. Second, into existence, God existed. refers to God in general relation- 37:2. And, the minor sections Genesis is consistently orga- And, the rest of Scripture gives ship with all nations, including within the larger sections that nized around historical places, us some clues as to that part unbelievers. And, when Genesis begin with this refrain are found in events, and people (including of history in eternity past which uses the name Yahweh it often 5:1, 10:1, 11:10, 25:12, 36:1. many lengthy genealogies) which preceded human life. refers to God in His special Third, Genesis is arranged ac- is completely unlike the telling of In Genesis 1:26 we read, “Then covenant relationship with His cording to the revelation of God a myth. Third, when the rest of God said, “Let us make man in people. as is outlined below: Scripture, particularly the teach- our image, in our likeness…” Here Genesis is comprised of various ings of Jesus, speak of people, is a reference to the Trinity which types of literature, including nar- • Genesis 1-2 God is the Creator places, and events in Genesis is the one and only God who ex- rative, poetry, law, and genealogy. • Genesis 3:1-6:4 God is the just they are treated as straightforward ists equally as the three persons And, the events in Genesis span judge of sinners and savior of fact and not myth. Therefore, the of Father, Son, and Spirit. And, such a lengthy time period (rough- His people concept of Genesis being a myth it is this personal Trinitarian God ly 2000 years) that it may cover • Genesis 6:5-11:9 God is an imposition on the book by its who existed in eternity past be- more history than the entirety of punishes sin and rewards critics that is not warranted from fore the creation of the world or the rest of the Bible.