A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
GENESIS 2 (Background)
Lesson #07
GOD’S REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO MAN
- Memory verse: Psalms 111:9
- Background:
- The Biblical history of life through time is the story of God’s attempt to have fellowship with man. He does that by gradually revealing who He is to man.
- We will see this revelation to man of who God is in the book of Genesis. God revealed himself to man by the following methods:
- God’s general revelation:
- Generally in Old Testament times through his prophets. (Heb 1:1)
- Generally in New Testament times through his Son, Jesus Christ. (Heb 1:1-2)
- God’s specific revelation:
- Specifically in the Old Testament, God revealed himself by His name
- The name used for God in Gen 1 was Elohim.
- This is a general term for any god. When used with the God, Jehovah, the creator of the universe, it was a plural noun indicating 3 persons in one.
- However, it was used with a singular verb.
- The name we see used for God in Genesis 2 is different.
- Read Gen 2:4
- It is Jehovah Elohim (Lord God). Jehovah means = the self-existent one who reveals himself as alive.
- It is a name used for God indicating one who makes 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 for sure what vowel sounds were used. The name, Jehovah, is a more modern rendition of “yhwh”.
- The two names are used together in Gen 2 to show 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.
- What is a dispensation of time?
- A dispensation is a period of time where God determines to dispense punishment according to certain specific rules.
- Specifically, the word, dispensation, means = rules of the house.
- We can divide Bible time into 7 eras or dispensations of time. These 7 eras or dispensations alternate between eras of grace and eras of law.
- In each dispensation we have the same God. His nature and character does not change.
- However, God deals with man in 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 be different than those you establish for a teenager, though your basic underlying principles would remain the same.
- Specifically in the Old Testament, God revealed himself by His name
- God’s general revelation:
The Seven Dispensations of Time and Their Covenants
| Type of Dispen-sation | Age | Covenant | 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 |
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- What is a covenant?
- The word, covenant, means = to bind together (to obligate).
- A covenant is an agreement made between two or more parties that is legally binding.
- It establishes the conditions of conduct of each signing party. (Such as a last will, a marriage agreement, a sales contract, etc.)
- In our illustration of a parent dealing with a growing child, the covenant is the rules of the household.
- In the Bible, God initiates all covenant relationships with man.
- Then God tests man as to his obedience in some specific revelation of his will.
- God reveals his will and character through his covenants
- Man has a responsibility of obedience to that revelation.
- Bible covenants are unconditional from God’s standpoint. They obligate only God to accomplish certain stated purposes despite man’s failures.
- Man’s failure in the area of faith does not relieve God from performing his part of the covenant.
- It is very important to remember that man’s obedience to the covenant did not give him eternal life (salvation).
- Obedience was only an indication to God of the degree of blessing or discipline that God would dispense to man.
- If Old Testament saints were not saved by obedience to the covenant, how were they saved?
- Through all history, man was saved in the same way that man is saved today: faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- Old Testament people looked forward to the promised Messiah.
- We look back at the coming of the Messiah.
- How was an Old Testament man to recognize the Messiah?
- Man would know the Messiah by the accumulation of evidence that God gave since the beginning, starting in Genesis.
- This was the purpose of prophecy.
- God specifically revealed himself in Old Testament times through types and prefigures
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- What is a type or a prefigure?
- A type is a thing or event in the Old Testament that illustrates, by example, something or someone in the New Testament.
- Example: The rock in the wilderness was Christ. (1Cor 10:1,4,6)
- A prefigure is a person in the Old 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)
- Summary:
- We will see many different names for God in Genesis.
- We will see several dispensations of time in Genesis (4 of the 7).
- We will see several covenants in Genesis.
- We will see many types and prefigures in Genesis.
Homework
Genesis 2
- Application for Genesis 2 (background)
- Review your notes from this lesson and make sure you know what is meant by the following words:
- Dispensations
- Covenants
- Types
- Prefigures
- Write any questions you may have here:
- Review your notes from this lesson and make sure you know what is meant by the following words:
- Preparation for Genesis 2
- Read Gen 2:1-25
- Identify the 2 special trees in the garden?
- What was the restriction God placed on Adam? Why?
- Why was it so bad to break the restriction?
- What was the consequence of breaking the restriction?
- What was Adam’s environment lacking?
- What significance is it that Eve was made from Adam’s rib instead of any other bone in Adam’s body?
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- What were male / female relationships to be like before the fall into sin?
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- Read Gen 2:1-25
- Memory verse: Gen 2:24
