CHAPTER 6 The Genealogies in Genesis Most of the genealogies in the Bible are concentrated in the Book of Genesis. For this reason, Genesis is also called the book of genealogies or the story of lineages. It is the first of the 66 books of the Bible and reveals the origin of mankind as well as Gods sovereign work and providence over each godly offspring. The 50 chapters of Genesis covers a span of about 2,300 years of history, from the creation of Adam until the death of Joseph (see Excursus 1: The Chronology of the Patriarchs). Because it is impossible to record detailed accounts of Gods providence in just 50 chapters, God compressed 2,300 years of history into genealogies. The chief message of the genealogical accounts in Genesis is that God will accomplish His administration to save mankind through the godly offspring and that He will surely fulfill His promise. The Structure of Genesis The book of Genesis can be organized into two parts: chapters 1-11 (part I) and chapters 12-50 (part II). (1) Part 1 (chapters 1-11) The theological term for the history outlined in Genesis 1-11 is primeval history. These chapters cover a span of 2,023 years, which include the creation of heaven and earth, the creation and fall of Adam and Eve, the story of Cain and Abel, the great flood, the Tower of Babel, and the lives of Adam, Noah, and Abraham (see Excursus 1: The Chronology of the Patriarchs). God continued His work of salvation despite rebellion against His dominion-a rebellion that progressed and climaxed with the attempt to construct the Tower of Babel. In the last part of Genesis 11, Abraham departed from Ur of the Chaldeans and migrated to Haran. Gods work depicted in Genesis 1- 11 comes to an end with the singling out of Abraham from among all the descendants of Adam to set the stage for a new beginning. (2) Part 2 (chapters 12-50) Genesis 12-50 covers a span of only about 280 years, a seventh of the first part. However, the pages dedicated to writing the accounts of this span of time are five times longer. It includes the narrative of the birth of the chosen people of Israel and focuses on the lives of four patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. It is apparent, therefore, that even more generations were compressed into part I of Genesis through the genealogies (Gen 4- 5; 10-11).
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 04:56:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015