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SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis • Glendale Baptist Church • Houston, Texas quicknotes.org • 2002. GENESIS 1 – 11. God’s Blessing and Cursing. Adam and Noah. • there are two parallel sections in Genesis 1 – 11: before the flood and after the flood.
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SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis • Glendale Baptist Church • Houston, Texas quicknotes.org • 2002
GENESIS 1–11 God’s Blessing and Cursing
Adam and Noah •there are two parallel sections in Genesis 1–11: before the flood and after the flood
• ten generations divide Adam from Noahand ten generations divide Noah from Abraham
• the world begins again with a fresh start in the second section
STRIKING SIMILARITIESIN THE TWO SECTIONS (1) water covers the earth, subsides, and dry land appears (Genesis 1:9–10; 8:1–13)
(2)the animal kingdom begins multiplying and filling the earth (Genesis 1:20–22, 24–25; 8:17–19)
(4)animals are commanded to “be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (Genesis 1:22; 8:17)
(5)man is commanded to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28; 9:1, 7)
(6)man is given dominion over the animal kingdom (Genesis 1:28; 9:2)
(8)man spreads out and builds cities (Genesis 4:16–17; 10:10–12)
Blessing and Cursing • God’s blessing and cursing are the main theological concepts in Genesis 1–11
Blessing •blessing brings children (“be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” Genesis 1:22, 28), fellowship with God (3:8; 5:22–24; 6:9), and life
• the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 10 are the fulfillment of this blessing
Cursing • cursing brings expulsion (Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:22–24; Cain, 4:11–14, 16; flood, 6:7; Babel, 11:8–9), separation from God (Adam, 3:8, 24; Cain, 4:14, 16), and death (flood, 7:4, 21–23)
Principles (1) life or death depends on whether man receives from God a blessing or a curse
(2)without God’s blessing men and animals are not able to flourish
(3)it is man who partially determines whether the world will receive a blessing or a curse
Human Failure •chapters 1–11 end in human failure: sin, judgment, expulsion, dispersion, homelessness, and death
Reversal • God’s promise to give land to Abraham is a reversal of the pattern of expulsion, dispersion, and homelessness in Genesis 1–11
Cursing to Blessing • God’s cursing (crime and punishment) is mentioned five times in Genesis 1–11 (3:14, 17; 4:11; 5:29; 9:25)
• God’s blessing is mentioned five times in Genesis 12:2–3(82 times in the patriarchal narratives)
Turning Point • Abraham’s obedience was a turning point in human history, when God turned from cursing the world for sin to blessing the world through faith
• the problem of cursing in Genesis 1–11 is solved by the blessing of 12:1–3
• chapters 1–11 show why all the families of the earth need to be blessed
Context of the Abrahamic Covenant • the blessings of Genesis 12 must be read in the light of the failure of mankind in Genesis 11 (the scattering at the Tower of Babel)
• a blessing is given after each judgment(ultimate victory over Satan, Genesis 3:15; rest and the Noahic Covenant after the flood, 5:29, 8:21, 9:8–17; a permanent homeland after a worldwide scattering, 13:15)
• everything the people of Babel tried to accomplish through rebellion was given to Abraham through faith and obedience:
(1)the people sought fame at Babel, but received none (“let us make for ourselves a name” Genesis 11:4);God promised to give Abraham a great name (“make your name great” Genesis 12:2)
(2)the people sought to make a great nation at Babel, but were scattered (Genesis 11:4, 6);God promised to make Abraham into a great nation (“I will make you a great nation” Genesis 12:2)
(3)the people sought to build a city at Babel (Genesis 11:4–5, 8);God built a city for Abraham(Hebrews 11:10, 16)
(4)the people sought to build a tower in the city “whose top will reach into heaven” to God (Genesis 11:4);Abraham will live in a city built in heaven by God (Hebrews 11:10, 16)
SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis • Glendale Baptist Church • Houston, Texas quicknotes.org • 2002