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GENESIS 2 (Background)
LESSON #07
GODS REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO MAN
v MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 111:9
v BACKGROUND:
Ø THE BIBLICAL HISTORY OF LIFE THROUGH TIME ISTHE STORY OF GOD’S ATTEMPT TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH MAN. HE DOES THAT BY GRADUALLYREVEALING WHO HE IS TO MAN. WE WILL SEE THIS REVELATION TO MAN OF WHO GOD IS IN THE BOOKOF GENESIS.
§ GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO MANBY THE FOLLOWING METHODS:
· GOD’S GENERAL REVELATION:
¨ GENERALLY IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES THROUGH HIS PROPHETS.(HEB 1:1)
¨ GENERALLY IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES THROUGH HISSON, JESUS CHRIST. (HEB 1:1-2)
· GOD’S SPECIFIC REVELATION:
¨ SPECIFICALLY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, GODREVEALED HIMSELF BY HIS NAME
Ø THE NAME USED FOR GOD IN GEN 1 WAS Elohim.
§ THIS IS A GENERAL TERM FORANY GOD. WHEN USED WITH THE GOD, JEHOVAH, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, IT WAS A PLURALNOUN INDICATING 3 PERSONS IN ONE. HOWEVER, IT WAS USED WITH A SINGULAR VERB.
Ø THE NAME WE SEE USED FOR GOD IN GENESIS 2 ISDIFFERENT.
§ READ GEN 2:4
· IT IS Jehovah Elohim (LORD GOD). Jehovah MEANS = THE SELF-EXISTENT ONE WHO REVEALSHIMSELF AS ALIVE.
¨ IT IS A NAME USED FOR GOD INDICATING ONE WHOMAKES A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN.
¨ THE HEBREW WORD WAS WITHOUT WRITTEN VOWELS.(YHWH). BECAUSE THE NAME OF GOD WAS SACRED, THE NAME WAS NEVER SPOKEN SO WE DON’T KNOW FORSURE WHAT VOWEL SOUNDS WERE USED. THE NAME, Jehovah,IS A MORE MODERN RENDITION OF “YHWH”.
¨ THE TWO NAMES ARE USED TOGETHER IN GEN 2 TOSHOW MAN THAT THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE MAKES A PERSONAL COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN.
¨ SPECIFICALLY IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS,GOD REVEALED HIMSELF THROUGH COVENANTS IN DISPENSATIONS OF TIME.
Ø WHAT IS A DISPENSATION OF TIME?
§ A DISPENSATION IS A PERIODOF TIME WHERE GOD DETERMINES TO DISPENSE PUNISHMENT ACCORDING TO CERTAIN SPECIFIC RULES.
· SPECIFICALLY, THE WORD,DISPENSATION, MEANS = RULES OF THE HOUSE.
Ø WE CAN DIVIDE BIBLE TIME INTO 7 ERAS ORDISPENSATIONS OF TIME. THESE 7 ERAS OR DISPENSATIONS ALTERNATE BETWEEN ERAS OF GRACE ANDERAS OF LAW.
§ IN EACH DISPENSATION WEHAVE THE SAME GOD. HIS NATURE AND CHARACTER DOES NOT CHANGE.
§ HOWEVER, GOD DEALS WITH MANIN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MANNER IN EACH DISPENSATION OF TIME.
· IT IS MUCH LIKE YOU, A PARENT,WOULD DEAL WITH A GROWING CHILD. THE RULES YOU ESTABLISH FOR A PRE-SCHOOLER WILL BEDIFFERENT THAN THOSE YOU ESTABLISH FOR A TEENAGER, THOUGH YOUR BASIC UNDERLYING PRINCIPLESWOULD REMAIN THE SAME.
THE SEVENDISPENSATIONS OF TIME AND THEIR COVENANTS
| TYPE | AGE | COVENANT DISPENSATION | INCLUSIVE SCRIPTURE |
| LAW | #1 THE AGE OF SIMPLICITY | THE EDENIC COVENANT GEN 1:28-29 GEN 2:15-19 |
GEN 1:28-GEN 3:23 |
| GRACE | #2 THE AGE OF CONSCIENCE | THE ADAMIC COVENANT GEN 3:14-21 |
GEN 3:24-GEN 8:19 |
| LAW | #3 THE AGE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT | THE NOAHIC COVENANT GEN 8:21-22 GEN 9:1-17 |
GEN 8:26-GEN 11:9 |
| GRACE | #4 THE AGE OF PROMISE | THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT GEN 12:2-3,7 GEN 13:15-17 GEN 15:1, 5-6, 18 GEN 17:1-11 GEN 22:17-18 |
GEN 12:1-EXO 14:31 |
| LAW | #5 THE AGE OF LAW | THE MOSAIC COVENANT EXO 19-31 THE PALESTINIAN COVENANT DEU 30:1-9 THE DAVIDIC COVENANT 2SAM 7:13-16 |
EXO 19:1-JOH 19:30 |
| GRACE | #6 THE AGE OF GRACE | THE NEW COVENANT HEB 8:7-10 |
ACT 2:1-REV 3:22 |
| LAW | #7 THE AGE OF MESSIAH | THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT MAT 5-7 |
REV 20:4-5 |
¨ WHAT IS A COVENANT?
Ø THE WORD, COVENANT, MEANS = TO BIND TOGETHER(TO OBLIGATE).
§ A COVENANT IS AN AGREEMENTMADE BETWEEN TWO OR MORE PARTIES THAT IS LEGALLY BINDING.
§ IT ESTABLISHES THECONDITIONS OF CONDUCT OF EACH SIGNING PARTY. (SUCH AS A LAST WILL, A MARRIAGE AGREEMENT, ASALES CONTRACT, ETC.)
§ IN OUR ILLUSTRATION OF APARENT DEALING WITH A GROWING CHILD, THE COVENANT IS THE RULES OF THE HOUSEHOLD.
· IN THE BIBLE, GOD INITIATES ALLCOVENANT RELATIONSHIPS WITH MAN. THEN GOD TESTS MAN AS TO HIS OBEDIENCE IN SOME SPECIFICREVELATION OF HIS WILL.
Ø GOD REVEALS HIS WILL AND CHARACTER THROUGHHIS COVENANTS
Ø MAN HAS A RESPONSIBILITY OF OBEDIENCE TO THATREVELATION.
Ø BIBLE COVENANTS ARE UNCONDITIONAL FROM GOD’SSTANDPOINT. THEY OBLIGATE ONLY GOD TO ACCOMPLISH CERTAIN STATED PURPOSES DESPITE MAN’SFAILURES.
§ MAN’S FAILURE IN THE AREAOF FAITH DOES NOT RELIEVE GOD FROM PERFORMING HIS PART OF THE COVENANT.
§ IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TOREMEMBER THAT MAN’S OBEDIENCE TO THE COVENANT DID NOT GIVE HIM ETERNAL LIFE (SALVATION).
· OBEDIENCE WAS ONLY AN INDICATIONTO GOD OF THE DEGREE OF BLESSING OR DISCIPLINE THAT GOD WOULD DISPENSE TO MAN.
· IF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WERE NOTSAVED BY OBEDIENCE TO THE COVENANT, HOW WERE THEY SAVED?
¨ THROUGH ALL HISTORY, MAN WAS SAVED IN THESAME WAY THAT MAN IS SAVED TODAY: FAITH INTHE MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD. OLD TESTAMENT PEOPLE LOOKED FORWARD TO THEPROMISED MESSIAH. WE LOOK BACK AT THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH.
§ HOW WAS AN OLD TESTAMENTMAN TO RECOGNIZE THE MESSIAH?
· MAN WOULD KNOW THE MESSIAH BY THEACCUMULATION OF EVIDENCE THAT GOD GAVE SINCE THE BEGINNING, STARTING IN GENESIS.
§ GOD SPECIFICALLY REVEALEDHIMSELF IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES THROUGH TYPES AND PREFIGURES
· WHAT IS A TYPE OR A PREFIGURE?
¨ A TYPE IS A THING OR EVENT IN THE OLDTESTAMENT THAT ILLUSTRATES, BY EXAMPLE, SOMETHING OR SOMEONE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
Ø EXAMPLE: THE ROCK IN THE WILDERNESS WASCHRIST. (1COR 10:1,4,6)
· A PREFIGURE IS A PERSON IN THEOLD TESTAMENT THAT ILLUSTRATES BY EXAMPLE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
¨ EXAMPLE: ADAM IS A PREFIGURE OF JESUS CHRIST. (ROM 5:14 1COR15:45)
v SUMMARY:
Ø WE WILL SEE MANY DIFFERENT NAMES FOR GOD INGENESIS.
Ø WE WILL SEE SEVERAL DISPENSATIONS OF TIME INGENESIS (4 OF THE 7).
Ø WE WILL SEE SEVERAL COVENANTS IN GENESIS.
Ø WE WILL SEE MANY TYPES AND PREFIGURESIN GENESIS.
HOMEWORK
GENESIS 2
v THIS IS ASELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION
v APPLICATION FOR GENESIS 2 (Background)
Ø REVIEW YOUR NOTES FROM THIS LESSON AND MAKESURE YOU KNOW WHAT IS MEANT BY THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
§ DISPENSATIONS
§ COVENANTS
§ TYPES
§ PREFIGURES
Ø WRITE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE HERE:
v PREPARATION FOR GENESIS 2
Ø READ GEN 2:1-25
§ IDENTIFY THE 2 SPECIALTREES IN THE GARDEN?
§ WHAT WAS THE RESTRICTIONGOD PLACED ON ADAM? WHY?
§ WHY WAS IT SO BAD TO BREAKTHE RESTRICTION?
§ WHAT WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OFBREAKING THE RESTRICTION?
§ WHAT WAS ADAM’S ENVIRONMENTLACKING?
§ WHAT SIGNIFICANCE IS ITTHAT EVE WAS MADE FROM ADAM’S RIB INSTEAD OF ANY OTHER BONE IN ADAM’S BODY?
¨ WHAT WERE MALE / FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS TO BELIKE BEFORE THE FALL INTO SIN?
v MEMORY VERSE: GEN 2:24
