Walking with Jesus Through the Old Testament: Genesis 1-11

“The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.” – Saint Augustine 

• The Old Testament (OT) showed the desperate need for a Savior.
• The OT was the promise of a Savior, the New Testament (NT) was the promise fulfilled. 
• The Old and New are a unit, we need to read both to understand who God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit is, God’s will for His people, etc. 

The Bible has 66 books, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The OT makes up 75% of the whole Bible in lengthiness. So if you aren’t reading the OT, and working to dissect it and understand it, you are missing 75% of what God is trying to show you!

Read Ch. 1 and 2 about Creation

Here are my thoughts:

Many people, myself previously included, get caught up with the creation of the world and the existence of God. Many write it off as impossible and not scientific- but actually, everything in science points directly to what was written in Genesis. When Devin and I first started diving into our faith, we were asking a lot of questions, questions about Genesis included. One resource we came across was Hugh Ross. I encourage you to watch this video: https://youtu.be/lfPDfXCzowI?feature=shared 

Hugh Ross does not have all the answers, none of us ever will, just look at Job 37:5 “He does great things that we cannot comprehend”. We won’t have all the answers until we get to Heaven and ask the Creator Himself…, but the scientific discoveries and discussions that we have can further support what we already know. Looking into the research helped me early in my faith to bridge the disconnect between what I had heard, to the unshakable truth and facts of God’s word. 

I’m not going to lie, some of the scientific jargon and numbers get confusing, but if you are a science driven person, a lot of Ross’s videos help show that science does in fact point to God. 

One thing that is important to know is that Creation is also discussed in Proverbs 8, Psalm 104, Job 37-39. It is important to look at all of these chapters to really understand the 6 creation days. 

Day 1: Light (Genesis 1:3-5)

• The Hebrew word for “day” is often up for debate in these chapters
• Some believe it means the literal 24-hour period, or some believe that “day” makes the most sense as an expanse of time. There’s no specific distinction in the word for us to know for sure, but scientific evidence lends to the “expanse of time day” interpretation.
• This means that the Hebrew word for “day” in this context could mean 1 day, 10 days, or 10 eons. 
• We do this in English as well when we refer to historical periods of time. For example, when we say things such as, “in the day of Moses”, or when our grandparents begin a story with “back in my day.” 
• Old Earth believers, like Hugh Ross, believe that the sun was already created at this point and when God said “let there be light” He was not creating the sun, instead He was allowing the atmosphere to become more transparent thus enabling the sun to shine on earth more. Before this, the clouds had wrapped the earth in darkness (Job 38:8-9). 

Day 2: Atmosphere (Gen. 1:6-8)

• Separating the “waters from the waters”
• water above (in the troposphere where the water cycle mainly takes place) and water below (in the oceans and lakes)
• Job 37 & 38 also discuss Day 2 and different forms of water created by God

Day 3: Land, seas, plants (Gen. 1:9-13)

• Going off of the Old Earth theory that the sun was already established makes life for plants sustainable on day 3

Day 4: Lights in the sky (Gen. 1:14-19)

• God transforms our atmosphere yet again, moving from translucent to now allowing a break in the clouds – resulting in greater light, from the sun, being able to shine on earth for daytime and the lesser light (the sun’s reflection off the moon) illuminating the night. This also created seasons and years for humanity. 

Day 5: Sea creatures and birds (Gen. 1:20-23)

• God is now creating creatures and birds that can survive on earth by all that He created before them. His perfect plan of creation was sustainable for life to endure! He is very purposeful in His creation!

Day 6: Land creatures and humans (Gen. 1:24-31)

• Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”
  • In Hebrew it translates as Male= zah-chahr (זכר) and Female= neh-keh-vah (נקבה), our current translations didn’t get it wrong- there are only 2 sexes created precisely by God
  • In today’s society we often hear about the “fluidity” of gender and it’s “difference” from a person’s sex. Gender is a social construct which refers to the roles, behaviors, and identities of the two different sexes. The term gender wasn’t established until the 1950’s by John Money, and although men and women were given specific traits and strengths based on their specifically designed sex by God, modern society has ran with the term. 
  • As it was established early on in Genesis we see the 2 sexes created by God and we learn about the characteristics, or “gender roles” that these sexes are designed to fulfill throughout God’s word. I digress. 

Day 7: Rest (Gen. 2:1-3)

• God was not tired, He simply ceased from creating
• This set an example for us to follow still in our lives today to find rest on the seventh day

Also, I used to wonder where Dinosaurs fit into Genesis. When looking at the 6 creation days, dinosaurs would fall into day 5-6, before God created Adam and Eve. 

Psalm 104: 29-30 

When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.

When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

These verses discuss how life dies off, but His breath creates new life on earth. There were many different creations by God within the span of “day” 5-6. Evolution is debunked through this as well because the 3 periods of dinosaurs that were wiped out and then recreated were done so in a time span that would not be conducive to the evolution model. It shows God’s power and authority over all creation! Here are some videos I found interesting on this topic: 

Anyways, I digress from the rabbit hole of God’s creation days, but it is extremely fascinating and I really encourage you to check out Hugh Ross’s books and videos. 

Ultimately, within these 7 days, whether you believe it occurred over a period of 24-hour days or an expanse of time, God perfectly curated a world and everything on it. If you sit back and really let that sink in, it’s breath taking. The power and knowledge that God wields is not something we will ever comprehend, but I am forever grateful for all of His intentional creations. How fortunate are we to be apart of His creation. We each were meticulously and specifically designed by the Creator of the sun, moon, stars, etc. 

Whether you have faith without science, or faith with help from science, Genesis chapter 1 is true and scientifically backed, and all around magnificent. And we have a specific account of what happened before scientific technology started to advance! God’s word laid it out all along, and although it is unbelievable for us to fathom as humans, does not make it untrue. Although Genesis used to leave me stumped, now I am left amazed at who God is. 

So I encourage you to really take in Genesis chapter 1- this historical account of our earth’s creation and everything that was designed with intention and a purpose, including you! And give God the glory!

Read Chapters 3 and 4 about the Fall 

  In this chapter, we learn a lot about Satan. We learn that his goal is to pull you away from God and everything good from God. We see that he is the master of deception. He will always present himself as appealing. He will twist God’s words just like he did to Eve! What he did to Eve is what he wants to do to us! So these chapters are a history lesson, but also a warning of the devil’s temptations. 

How can we combat this? Don’t listen to or entertain the lies and deception that the world might present you with. Read God’s word and you will know the truth that is trustworthy and always more reliable than our own desires. God’s word is our only tool of combat when thinking about putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:17). 

Secondly, there is no hiding from God (Gen. 3:8). Don’t try to keep secrets from Him, or hide parts of yourself, because He already knows you fully. Every future, past, and present thought, action, and desire. Remember, He’s the one who intentionally knitted you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13)! Talk and pray with Him through it instead of trying to keep it from Him! We do NOT want this divide, it makes way for Satan and sin! 

Lastly, 

Genesis 3:9

‘But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you”’

We all fall short of the glory of God, and yet He still loves us and seeks us out. He wants us all to come to Him, no matter how far we have fallen. He is waiting with arms wide open- He sent His son to die for us for crying out loud! He has opened His arms, we just have to be willing to go to Him. 

And 

Genesis 3:21

‘And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.’

He covers us with grace and redeems us! This is the first account of God covering our sins in grace. He continued to do this throughout scripture and sent His son to earth to fulfill this act of love. He has redeemed sinners since day one, and hasn’t stopped since! Thank you Lord!

So, cast all of your burdens on Him, repent of your sins, and look to Him for guidance. The sins of this world are tempting, Satan wants to draw you away from God and His word, but we have to stay rooted in Him. We can’t flirt with the sins of society, we know that ultimately these things are not good for us. Appealing at first, but ultimately destructive- which is what we see from Adam and Eve in the garden. Thankfully, even when we do stumble, our God is there to cover us with His grace and love. 

Read Chapters 5-11 about the Flood

We all know the story of Noah and the Ark, but as an adult I have a lot more appreciation for this piece of history. I love how Noah is described- He found favor with the Lord (6:8), he was righteous, blameless, and walked with God (6:9). Noah is a wonderful example of obedience! Mankind left God, “deeply grieved” (3:6) and yet Noah was walking in line with God and His will. I can’t imagine the strength and faith it must have took Noah to go against the grain of civilization during this time. To be the only one who found favor with God? Sin was all around him and yet he remained steadfast for the Lord. I aim to have strength like this to not give into the sins of this world!

On top of this, when God calls- Noah answers! Noah ABIDES! 

Chapter 5 begins with the genealogy to Noah. Sometimes reading genealogies in the Bible is difficult with all the names that might seem strange or hard to pronounce and the various years, but the genealogy is actually very important! It highlights God’s plan and promise through the lineage of Seth, showcasing the continuity of creation despite the fall of man, and emphasizing the connection between the pre-flood world and the post-flood world through Noah as the chosen one to carry on humanity. 

The interpretation for chapter 5: 6 is up for debate, but in the end we know that in chapter 6 sin was prominent and it was not pleasing to the Lord. Thus, God needed to redirect us. He was gracious enough to continue humanity through Noah and those on the Ark. 

Thinking about the actual building of the ark (around 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high) is insane. Noah had to construct this without our technological advances, then he had to get two of each animal onto this boat. Imagine the realness of this, not just the story, but the real smells, hard work, difficulties, etc. that Noah endured. 

Many people also get hung up on the story of the flood as well. Hugh Ross has video discussions about this (“In the Days of Noah” video) and books such as “Navigating Genesis: A Scientist’s Journey Through Genesis 1-11” where he goes more in-depth on the scientific backing, timeline, and details of the flood. 

From Genesis 8:4 we learn that…

“in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” 

The Hebrew word “mountains” also means hills, which is where we can see the possible outline of the ark today!

Noah abided in the Lord and endured the flood, and God made a covenant with Noah- the rainbow! 

Chapter 9:11 

“I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

In chapter 10-11 we receive more genealogy descriptions, but this one is post-flood. This shows how God continued to sustain and care for His creation through Noah leading to Abram (aka Abraham)! Again, God’s meticulous plan for creation from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, and so on all the way to me and you is insane! 

Chapter 11 also shows us the beginnings of language and different nations across the earth- starting because of The Tower of Babel. Even though God had told mankind to fill the earth (Genesis 1:28), mankind’s pride and defiance led them to building the Tower of Babel. Once again, man is getting too big for their britches and needed to be reminded that we are not gods. They wanted to make “a name” for themselves (11:4) but God had better plans. Everything is better when it’s following God’s will and not our own! 

The Primeval History Conclusion

God orchestrated everything precisely leading towards Abraham which begins our Patriarchal History in chapter 12 (next week!). Genesis chapters 1-11 are our foundation, that literally all of humanity is built on! Dissecting it and understanding God’s creations, the fall, and the flood leads us to the rest of what God has laid out in the Bible. These first 11 chapters essentially set the stage for our creation and our relationship with God. We see very early on that humanity has fallen, we are not perfect! This immediately paves the way for our desperate need for Christ! God already had a plan, and we can see this early on from our history in Genesis! 

If you haven’t read these first 11 chapters yet, I encourage you to do so because it is the foundation for everything else to come in His word and plan! 

Here’s a doodle I made for my Bible notes! I’ll glue it right into my Bible on chapter 1!