Key Themes in Genesis

October 23, 2021 Tom Creedy

With 'The Message of Genesis' (in 2 volumes) being published as the first of the updated Old Testament BST reissue, we thought we'd share a blog post digging into the shape and key themes of this foundational book.

Outline

The creation

1:1–2:25          The accounts of creation

3:1-24              The fall of humanity

4:1-26              Cain and Abel

5:1-32              From Adam to Noah

6:1–8:22          The flood

9:1-17              God’s covenant with Noah

9:18–10:32     The descendants of Noah

11:1-32            The tower of Babel

Abraham

12:1-20            The call of Abraham

13:1–14:24     Abraham and Lot

15:1-21            God’s covenant with Abraham

16:1–17:27     The birth of Ishmael and the circumcision of Abraham’s household

18:1–19:29     The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

19:30-38         Lot and his daughters

20:1–21:21     Abraham at Gerar and the birth of Isaac

21:22-34         The treaty at Beersheba

22:1-24            The testing of Abraham’s obedience

23:1–25:18     The later life and death of Abraham; marriage of Isaac and Rebekah

Isaac

25:19-26         The birth of Isaac’s sons Jacob and Esau

25:27-34         Esau sells his birthright

26:1-35            Isaac’s time with Abimelek

Jacob

27:1-40            Jacob receives his father’s blessing by deception

27:41–28:9     Jacob’s wanderings; Esau marries a daughter of Ishmael

28:10-22         Jacob’s dream

29:1–30:24     Jacob’s meeting with Laban; marriage to Leah and Rachel; birth of his children

30:25–31:55   Jacob and Laban; life in Paddan Aram

32:1–33:20     Jacob wrestles with God; meeting of Jacob and Esau

34:1-31            Dinah and the Shechemites

35:1-20            God’s promises to Jacob; death of Rachel

35:21-29         Jacob’s sons; death of Isaac

36:1-43            The descendants of Esau

Joseph

37:1-11            Joseph’s dreams

37:12-36         Joseph sold into slavery

38:1-30            Judah and Tamar

39:1-23            Joseph imprisoned

40:1-23            Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s servants

41:1-57            Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams; Joseph in charge of Egypt

42:1–45:15     Joseph’s brothers visit Egypt

45:16–47:12   Jacob and his family travel to Egypt

47:13–50:14   Jacob blesses his sons; Jacob’s death

50:15-26         Joseph forgives his brothers; Joseph’s death

Background and setting

Genesis (‘origin’) has been the subject of much debate concerning its origins and authorship. Since the nineteenth century many scholars have taken the view that Genesis contains several strands of literature, from different sources and different times, edited together. Yet even if it is agreed that Genesis uses many sources, it is hard to be clear where the boundaries lie. In recent years there has been a renewed emphasis on approaching the text as a literary whole. Whatever views we have about its sources and authorship, the fact remains that it is this text in its canonical form which Christian people have from the beginning received as the opening chapters of their Bibles.

During the last century archaeological evidence and the discovery of numerous cuneiform texts from the second millennium bc have made accessible for the first time a social and cultural milieu in which to set the patriarchs. This evidence has led some scholars to suggest placing the events of the patriarchal narratives within the twenty-first to nineteenth centuries bc, although these dates remain tentative. During this period it is clear that Canaan was no cultural backwater. Diplomats travelled the ancient routes from Mesopotamia to Egypt, letters were exchanged and products sold. Since these routes passed through Syria-Palestine, the people who lived there were well aware of international links, language differences and the part played by written documents. The world passed their doorsteps. The patriarchal narratives reflect this international world. From the Euphrates to the Nile frontiers were open, and free access was taken for granted.

Access to contemporary texts, especially when there is similarity of subject matter or style of writing, has been particularly valuable as an aid to putting the biblical writing into a wider context. To fully appreciate this book, modern readers must put themselves in the shoes of someone living 3,000 years ago in the Ancient Near East. For example, such a person would have been familiar with many stories of world origins from Babylon and Egypt – yet the stories of Genesis 1–11 would have surprised them. Although there are parallels with other ancient texts, the picture of the power and moral concern of the one almighty God who is revealed in Genesis would have astonished anyone brought up to believe in a multitude of petty and impotent gods and goddesses.

Themes and relevance

Genesis sets the scene for the whole of the Bible, and addresses the whole human race. It insists that the one and only God was responsible for bringing everything into being: ‘he spoke, and it came to be’ (Ps 33:9). Moreover, he had his good purpose in creating mankind, making humans in his own image (1:27), capable of loving him and one another. The God who meets us on the very first page of Scripture is one who speaks, and he speaks to many of the people who are mentioned in Genesis, from Noah and Abraham to Hagar and Pharaoh. Fellowship between God and the people he creates is part of God’s original intention.

Running through Genesis, from Adam and Eve to Joseph and his brothers, is the theme of grace, God’s mercy despite human sin. The first act of rebellion results in alienation from God and expulsion from the garden (3:22-24), but God in his wisdom and love does not break off relations with the people he has made, nor abandon them to their own devices. Worse and more widespread sin leads to the flood destroying all mankind. Yet God starts again with righteous Noah (6:9–9:17). Sin begins engulfing mankind again, culminating in the dispersal of the nations at Babel (11:1-9). Yet God starts again once more, making a covenant with Abraham, the ancestor of Israel.

Each time the impetus towards salvation comes not from mankind, but from God. The Lord spoke to Abraham when he sent him from Ur to Canaan and made far-reaching promises which mark the beginning of the history of salvation (12:1-3). At every stage this divine initiative has been maintained: though it may seem to us that we found God, the truth is that he found us (cf. Jn 15:16). And God is faithful to his promises, turning barrenness to joy (21:6; 25:21; 30:22), death to life (21:1-7; cf. Ro 4:19-20), and evil to good (50:20). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are the recipients of God’s blessing, though not merely for their own sake. The blessing of God is of such abundance that it overflows to others. Abraham’s family will be a blessing, not only locally, but universally. The worldwide scope of God’s love is very evident in Genesis.

Genesis shows that, when God is at work fulfilling his great plan for history, he begins with one individual family and continues on a very small scale, not with mighty nations and their accumulated wisdom. God begins with people who by no means always do his will, who are fearful like Abraham (12:12) or twisty like Jacob (25:26). This means  that there is hope for all; no one qualifies by natural gifts. God’s people are not to be judged by influence or numerical strength – if they are true to their God they will be in his hand an instrument of blessing out of all proportion to their size.

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This blog post was extracted from the BST NIV Study Bible, ahead of the publication of the new edition of the Message of Genesis (1-11, 12-50). Below you'll find some helpful resources for digging in to Genesis!