A Case for the Bible, The Bible Fast Forward: Session Seven – A Survey of Genesis, Where are the Covenants and Where is Jesus?

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In this week’s class presentation we are finishing the survey format for the book of Genesis with some “going deeper” questions about the Covenants, and questions about Jesus in Genesis. In this class we are working on ways that will encourage students to study the Bible on their own, and gain insight by reading and researching for themselves. This survey practice will also complement our video lectures from Greg Koukl’s “Bible Fast Forward” series that can be found at str.org. You will find the class presentation notes below as well.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

Presentation Notes

2024 A Case for the Bible: The Bible Fast Forward

Session Seven: A Survey of Genesis, Covenants, Jesus, Application and Shelf Questions

Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class this evening.

At your table groups, answer the following:

1.  What are the 5 elements of the systematic approach to the Bible? (Extra credit if you know the systematic theology titles!)

2.  What are the 12 major historical events of the Nation of Israel?

3.  Recite the Memory Verse:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NASB)

(ANSWERS FOR 1 AND 2 REVIEW)

Topical (systematic) approach—5 elements

1.God—God creates the world and is therefore the rightful sovereign over all. Everything else (including all humanity) is under His authority.

2.Man—Man is made noble in God’s image, but rebels against his sovereign. Guilty of sedition and disconnected from his only source of life, man falls deep into slavery to sin.

3.Jesus—God becomes a man in Jesus. Jesus lives the perfect life of submission that man was meant to live.

4.Cross—Jesus dies on a cross and rises from the dead. He lays down His life to rescue man from his guilt and bondage.

5.Resurrection—At the end of history there will be a final resurrection of all men. Those who received God’s pardon will live with Him in Heaven and enjoy the perfect life He intended for them at the first. Those who continued in rebellion will be banished to Hell—a place of misery, darkness, and eternal ruin—forever.

 These elements represent five key areas of systematic theology:

God (theology proper); Man (anthropology); Jesus (Christology); Cross (soteriology); Resurrection (eschatology)

HISTORICAL EVENTS OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL

1.  The call of Abraham

2.  The birth of Isaac

3.  Joseph in Egypt

4.  The Exodus

5.  Moses gets the Law

6.  Joshua conquers the land

7.  The three kings of the united kingdom: Saul, David, and Solomon 

8.  The kingdom splits: Israel and Judah

9.  The Assyrian dispersion (of Israel)

10. The Babylonian captivity (of Judah)

11. The return to the land

12. The coming of Messiah

THE BIBLE FAST FORWARD – VIDEO LECTURE

Review and Reflection: Discuss the presentation with your group, and go over any questions you might have on the topics Greg Koukl presented.

BIBLE STUDY

Survey of the Bible – Format

We are using the following format each week to survey the books of the Bible. We have completed #1, #2, #3 and #4 and will work on #5-8 today for Genesis.

Old Testament

Category: Torah

Book: Genesis

1. Author: Who wrote the book and when?
2. Audience: Who was it written to?
3. Purpose: Why was it written?
4. Content: Outline form – What are the major themes? (Chapter by chapter)
5. Going Deeper: What are the major Covenants found in this book?
6. Finding Jesus: Where is Jesus – appearances, foreshadows or prophecies?
7. Application: How can this book and its teachings apply to us today?
8. The Shelf: What questions or comments do you have about this book?

The following notes serve as an example of how you might answer #5-8 for a study in Genesis:

5.  Going Deeper: What are the major covenants?

Covenant seen in a chapter: (C) symbol can be placed next to chapters in #4 of the survey format where God makes, passes on or enforces one of His covenants in Genesis.

What is a Covenant?

  • Generally speaking, a covenant is a promise between two or more parties to perform certain actions. The word can also be used as a verb, for example in: “We covenant to work together on this project until it is finished.” A covenant is very similar to a promise, or a contract.
  • The concept of covenant is significant in the Scriptures. The word testament is another word for covenant. The Bible is comprised of two parts, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant (Old Testament and New Testament).
  • Covenant was a well-known concept in ancient times, and covenants could be made between two equal parties or between a king and a subject. The king would promise certain protections, and the subject would promise loyalty to the king.
  • A covenant might be conditional or unconditional. For example, the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional (the Mosaic Covenant will be conditional).
  • The Old Testament is more than a history of Israel, it is really a history of the covenant in which God revealed, little by little, His character, and His plan and purpose for mankind.

Most Bible scholars recognize several major covenants in Genesis in which God promises to do something…

I.  The ORIGINAL Covenant
Genesis 3:15-19

The Original Promise of Grace

Genesis 3:15 is often referred to as the “Proto-Gospel” (protoevangelium) or “First Gospel”

Speaking to Satan, God says:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, / And between your seed and her seed; / He shall bruise you on the head, / And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

The original Covenant can be thought of in two parts:

  • The Edenic Covenant (the Covenant of innocence, before the Fall), can be found in Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17 and the details of this covenant include the following:
    • Humankind (male and female) created in God’s image.
    • Humankind’s dominion (rule) over the animal kingdom.
    • Divine directive for humankind to reproduce and inhabit the entire Earth.
    • Humankind to be vegetarian (eating of meat established in the Noahic covenant – see Genesis 9:3).
    • Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil forbidden (with death as the stated penalty).
  • The Adamic Covenant (the Covenant of Grace after the Fall), God promises that one born of a woman would be wounded in the process of destroying the enemy, Satan. The “seed” of the woman who would crush the Serpent’s head is none other than Jesus Christ (see Galatians 4:4 and 1 John 3:8). Even in the midst of the curse, God’s gracious provision of salvation shines through.
    • As the result of Adam’s sin, the following consequences occurred:
      • They hid from God
      • They accused each other
      • They and their world became cursed
      • They were separated from God and cast out of the Garden
      • Satan received dominion over the world God had given to them
    • As the result of Adam’s sin, the following curses were pronounced:
      • Enmity between Satan and Eve and her descendants.
      • Painful childbirth for women.
      • Marital strife.
      • The soil cursed.
      • Introduction of thorns and thistles.
      • Survival to be a struggle.
      • Death introduced.
      • Death will be the inescapable fate of all living things.

II.  The Noahic Covenant
Genesis 9:8-17

  • God told Noah in Genesis 6:18, “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” Noah carried the Seed Promise through the Flood.
  • The Noahic Covenant is the promise that God made to Noah and his descendants after the flood which destroyed the world.

The Noahic Covenant has several distinguishing features:

  • First, it is an unconditional covenant.
  • Second, it was made to Noah and all his descendants as well as “every living creature” and the earth in general (Genesis 9:8-10).
  • Third, it was sealed with a sign, the rainbow.

III.  The Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis 12:1-3

  • The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant, found in Genesis 12:1–3 where God begins to unfold Genesis 3:15 by promising Abraham three things:  1) A Land   2) A Nation   3) A Blessing
  • God reiterates the Covenant to Abraham’s sons Isaac, and to his son Jacob whose name God changes to Israel. The promised great nation is eventually established in the land where Abraham had dwelled.
  • Later on in the history books, King David, one of Abraham’s many descendants, is given the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12–16), promising a “son of David” who would one day rule over the Jewish nation—and all nations—from Jerusalem.
  • Many other Old Testament prophecies point to the blessed, future fulfillment of that promise (e.g., Isaiah 11; Micah 4; Zechariah 8).
  • And then we get the promise of the New Covenant fulfilled in Jesus! ((Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Luke 22:20).

6.  Finding Jesus: Where is Jesus?

Appearances (J), Foreshadows (JF), or Prophecies (JP)

Appearances (J):

These are sometimes referred to as a Christophany

Christophany comes from two Greek words; Christos, which means Christ, and phaneroo, which means to be revealed or to manifest. Therefore, a Christophany is a visible manifestation or appearance of Christ before His human incarnation.

  • In the beginning was the Word = Jesus (Genesis 1 and John 1)
  • Appeared to Hagar: Genesis 16 and 21
  • Appeared to Abraham and Sarah: Genesis 18 and Abraham in Genesis 22
  • Appeared to Jacob: Genesis 31 and 32

Foreshadows (JF):

Foreshadows are pictures, or typologies, found in events or people of the Old Testament that mirror, in part, something that Jesus would fully fulfill in His life’s mission.

  • Isaac’s near sacrifice: Chapter 22
  • The bride of Isaac: Chapter 23
  • The person of Joseph: Chapters 37-50

Prophecies (JP):

There are different types of prophecies found in the Old Testament: 1) Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Old Testament times; 2) Messianic prophecies fulfilled in Jesus; 3) Apocalyptic prophecies – to be fulfilled in end times – here are a few examples:

Old Testament fulfillment within the Old Testament:

  • Slavery in Egypt prophesized (Genesis 15:13-14) fulfilled in Exodus.
  • Iniquity of the Amorite not yet complete (Genesis 15:16); fulfilled during the time of Moses-Joshua and entrance into the Promised Land.

Messianic:

  • In Genesis 3, God forewarned the Serpent that he would bruise the heel of the woman’s Seed (descendant), but that descendant would bruise the Serpent’s head, implying a death blow. The Virgin birth of Jesus fulfilled the part of the prophecy that mentioned the Seed of the woman. The serpent bruised the Lord Jesus’ heel when He suffered crucifixion for our sins. Revelation 20:10 glimpses the future time when the Lord Jesus will bruise the serpent’s head and destroy him.
  • Jacob prophesied, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah…until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Genesis 49), indicating that one of Judah’s descendants would become the long-awaited King of all. Jesus Christ, the King, was a descendant of Judah, just as Genesis prophesied.

Apocalyptic:

A Reference to Genesis…

Second Coming Foretold by Jesus…

22 And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. 24 For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.   Luke 17:22-30 (NASB)

In addition…

  • The apostle Paul explains how a prophecy God spoke to Abraham continues to be fulfilled, saying, “And the Scripture [Genesis 12:3], foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” (see Galatians 3:8)
  • Other passages reinforce the “all the nations” aspect of this Genesis prophecy, and even now the gospel is going out into all the world, blessing people and changing lives.

7.  Application: How can this book and its teachings apply to us today?

(You can include any special verses or passages)

Answers will vary, but might include…

  • The book of Genesis is foundational to the Christian faith because it gives us the reason (the back story) for Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection.
  • Genesis gives us answers to life’s most important questions:
    • Origin: Where did I come from?
    • Purpose: Why am I here?
    • Destiny: Where do I go after I die?
    • The Problem of Evil: Why is there evil and suffering in the world?
  • Genesis is authentic when it comes to claims about a worldwide flood and its affects upon the world’s geology, geography and topography vs. long evolutionary processes.
  • Genesis helps us understand the longsuffering and longstanding Nation of Israel under the protection and sovereignty of God.

In choosing favorite verses from the Bible, it is important to remember that the Old Testament, for the most part, was written to a specific group of people, for a specific time and purpose, and is mainly an historical narrative of an ancient time. In light of that we need to be careful not to claim verses for our own personal promise, but understand them in light of their context in the narrative. However, often there are New Testament verses that we can claim as promises that reflect something from the Old Testament, for example…

Special Old Testament narrative and its New Testament Imperative

Old Testament Narrative

  • “But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:19-21 (NASB)

Compare with…

New Testament Imperative

  • “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB)

8.  The Shelf: What questions or comments do you have about this book?

Answers will vary, but might include…

  • Creation vs. Evolution controversy?
  • Age of the earth?
  • Long life spans?
  • Who is Melchizedek?
  • The line of Pharaohs?
  • Timeline/chronology of events?
  • What about the dinosaurs?

To help answer questions like these and more… 

Resources for Genesis Study

  1. searchcreation.org – Search 1000’s of questions for answers on Genesis and creation topics
  2. creationtoday.org – A Community oriented group hosted by Eric Hovind with weekly interviews, podcasts and an online community
  3. answersingenesis.org – Books, articles and conferences geared for all ages, with excellent resources for children; designer and host of “the Ark Encounter” in Williamstown, KY
  4. genesisapologetics.com – Easy-to-understand web, video, and written products for pastors, parents, and students. The materials are “core” to the Creationist position
  5. isgenesishistory.com – Is Genesis History? – Documentary, video clips, lectures and more
  6. creation.com – (CMI) Creation Ministries International’s website: Speakers, videos, articles, tours and more (including topics on aliens and dinosaurs!)
  7. icr.org – Academic experts from all fields of science related to creation and Genesis; designer and host of the “Creation Museum” in Dallas, TX
  8. gotquestions.org – Concise answers in a short format that will help you with tough questions about the faith.
  9. biblegateway.com – Bibles, commentaries, articles and searches for content and questions from the Bible.
  10. henricksonrose.com – Charts, pamphlets, handouts, maps and easy to read resources on all topics for Biblical Christianity

Join us next week as we continue our “Case for…” Studies!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15

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