Course:
Old Testament History
Genesis (1-11) From Adam to Nimrod and the
Text:
‘All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:’ (2 Timothy
These
notes are given to help develop Bible study groups and to encourage group
participation through discussion.
It
is intended to be a road through the Old Testament and not a detailed study.
Introduction to the book of Genesis
Part One (Genesis 1-11)
The Book
of Genesis begins with creation.
It
explains how mankind fell and sin entered into the world.
It shows
the godless line of Cain and the godly line of Seth.
The
influence of the godless line even corrupts the godly line of Seth until just
one family is godly, Noah and his family.
How the
world was destroyed by a flood and the nations developed from the Sons of Noah.
Rise of
Part Two (Genesis 12-50)
Focuses
on one family.
Abraham
and Sarah
Isaac and
Rebecca
Jacob and
his family
Joseph
Main events
God calls
Abram and leads him to
God makes
a covenant with Abram
The birth
of Ishmael
The
promise and birth of Isaac
Abraham
offers up Isaac
Isaac and
Rebecca
Jacob and
Esau
Jacob in
Jacob’s
family in
Joseph in
Part One (Genesis 1-11)
Lesson Outline
1. Creation
a)
The days of creation
b) The names of God used in
creation - Elohim and Jehovah
2. Noah
a) The Flood
b) Spread of Nations
3. Nimrod
a) Empire building - idolatry
b)
4. Abram
Text: ‘In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth…’ Genesis 1:1
1.
Creation of the heavens and the earth
Day 1 Light and Darkness – Day 4 Sun, Moon and Stars
Day 2 Sea and Sky – Day 5 Birds and fishes
Day 3 Dry Land, Trees – Day 6 Animals and Man
Light and the sun
Discussion
There could not be light on Day 1 without the sun.
Genesis 1:16
The Hebrew word for created in Genesis 1:1 is bara.
On Day 4 God did not create (bara)the sun
The Hebrew word that is used is different – the word used here is ‘asah’. This word means made in the sense of operation not in the sense of creation.
Day 4 – The sun was not created (bara) on Day 4 it was made to function (asah)
The difference in the Hebrew word is that the Sun began to operate (made to function) from Day 4 so that life on earth could benefit from it.
2.
Creation of Man – Male and Female.
Adam was created (bara) with the ability to
reproduce (
Male and female were created from the beginning (1:27-28 and 5:2).
God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. (2:7)
The Hebrew word used for formed is ‘yatsar’ – as a potter
God took from the rib (tsela) of Adam (
The Hebrew word translated rib ‘tsela’ means side chamber. (2:21-22)
God took ‘one of his side chambers’.
Eve was built (banar) from the side of Adam (2:22).
The two were one flesh in the beginning. (
The two come together in marriage.
3.
The Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:4 –
Location:
River
flowed from
(
(
(2:14a)
River Hiddekel (Gesenius: rapid
(2:14b)
River
Pison and
Gihon no longer exist but they were probably located near the north end of the
4.
Protoevangelium – First promise of salvation
The Seed
of the woman – bruised heel
The devil – bruised (crushed) head
Genesis
3:15
‘And I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed;
it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’
Enmity
between the devil and the woman – the woman will be reconciled with God.
The Seed
of the woman – Christ
The seed
of the devil – the children of the devil.
Jesus spoke to the religious leaders and said ‘You are of your father the devil’. (John 8:44)
5.
The Names of God
Elohim Myhla
The Creator (Genesis 1:1)
Elohim - created mankind in His own image for fellowship with Himself.
Elohim – rules, judges – over His works
Judges – called Elohim
Angels – called Elohim
Jehovah hwhy
The nature and character of God (Genesis 2:4)
The One who is.
The existing God.
He is who He is
The Line of Cain and the Line of Seth
Jehovah hwhy
Name used in Genesis 4
Cain and his descendants
Jehovah – holy, righteous God
Elohim Myhla
Name used in Genesis 5
Seth and his descendants
Relationship
Descendants of Cain (Genesis
Cain – Enoch - Irad – Mehujael –
Methushael – Lamech
Enoch – Cain named city after his son Enoch
Lamech
Polygamy – 2 wives (Adah and Zillah)
Jabal (son of Adah) – father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock
Jubal (son of Adah) – father of those who play harp and flute.
Tubal-Cain (son of Zillah) – instructor of craftsmen in bronze and iron.
Sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
Lamech murders a young man
Lamech has no fear of God. Proud of his sin. (4:23-24)
Genealogy
Adam – Noah
According to Ussher’s calculation
Date of creation 4004
Date of the flood 2348-9 BC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date BC |
|
|
|
|
Adam |
4004 |
|
Adam |
|
|
Seth born |
3874 |
130 |
130 |
Genesis 5:3 |
|
Adam died |
3074 |
930 |
800 |
Genesis 5:4-5 |
|
|
|
|
Seth |
|
|
Enosh born |
3769 |
235 |
105 |
Genesis 5:6 |
|
Seth died |
2962 |
1042 |
807 |
Genesis 5:7-8 |
|
|
|
|
Enosh |
|
|
Cainan born |
3679 |
325 |
90 |
Genesis 5:9 |
|
Enosh died |
2864 |
1140 |
815 |
Genesis 5:10-11 |
|
|
|
|
Cainan |
|
|
Mahalaleel born |
3609 |
395 |
70 |
Genesis 5:12 |
|
Cainan died |
2769 |
1235 |
840 |
Genesis 5:13-14 |
|
|
|
|
Mahalaleel |
|
|
Jared born |
3544 |
460 |
65 |
Genesis 5:15 |
|
Mahalaleel died |
2714 |
1290 |
830 |
Genesis 5:16-17 |
|
|
|
|
Jared |
|
|
Enoch born |
3382 |
622 |
162 |
Genesis 5:18 |
|
Jared died |
2582 |
1422 |
800 |
Genesis 5:19-20 |
|
|
|
|
Enoch |
|
|
Methuselah born |
3317 |
687 |
65 |
Genesis 5:21 |
|
Enoch departs |
3017 |
987 |
300 |
Genesis 5:22-23 |
|
|
|
|
Methuselah |
|
|
Lamech born |
3130 |
874 |
187 |
Genesis 5:25 |
|
Methuselah died |
2348 |
1656 |
782 |
Genesis 5:26-27 |
|
|
|
|
Lamech |
|
|
Noah born |
2948 |
1056 |
182 |
Genesis 5:28 |
|
Lamech died |
2353 |
1651 |
595 |
Genesis 5:30-31 |
|
|
|
|
Noah |
|
|
Ham Shem Japheth |
2448 |
1556 |
500 |
Genesis 5:32 |
|
Date of the Flood |
2348 |
1656 |
600 |
Genesis 7:11 |
|
Noah died |
1998 |
2006 |
950 |
Genesis 9:28-29 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.
Noah’s
Gen 6:14
Gopherwood
Compartments
Cover with pitch
Gen 6:15
300 cubits length
50 cubits wide
30 cubits high
Gen 6:16
Window cubit from top. Door on side. Lower, second and third floors.
Noah's
Speculation over a satellite picture that
appears to show a man made object on
7.
Noah’s drunkenness (Genesis
First mention of strong drink
Noah planted a vineyard.
Drank of the wine and became drunk.
Noah’s drunkenness appears almost accidental.
Unaware of the dangers.
What did Ham do?
Ham looked upon his fathers nakedness – but it was more than just looking.
His father knew what his younger son had done to him (Gen 9:24).
Shem and Japheth walked backwards and placed a blanket on their father.
Covered his nakedness without looking.
8.
The Sons of Noah – the spread of the nations.
Ham (burning heat) – the races
of
Shem (splendour or glory) – Semite nations. Israelites
Japheth (enlargement) – European nations
Cursed be Canaan – servitude
Blessed be the God of Shem (praise)
God will enlarge Japheth (promise)
Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem.
The tents of Shem bring blessing to Japheth
who will be enlarged and
Genealogy
The Flood - Abram
|
|
Date BC |
|
Shem |
|
|
Date of the Flood |
2348 |
1656 |
100 |
Genesis 11:10 |
|
Arphaxad born |
2346 |
1658 |
102 |
Genesis 11:10 |
|
Shem died |
1846 |
2158 |
500 |
Genesis 11:11 |
|
|
|
|
Arphaxad |
|
|
Salah born |
2311 |
1693 |
35 |
Genesis 11:12 |
|
Arphaxad died |
1998 |
2006 |
403 |
Genesis 11:13 |
|
|
|
|
Salah |
|
|
Eber born |
2281 |
1723 |
30 |
Genesis 11:14 |
|
Salah died |
1878 |
2126 |
403 |
Genesis 11:15 |
|
|
|
|
Eber |
|
|
Peleg born |
2247 |
1757 |
34 |
Genesis 11:16 |
|
Eber died |
1817 |
2187 |
430 |
Genesis 11:17 |
|
|
|
|
Peleg |
|
|
Reu born |
2217 |
1787 |
30 |
Genesis 11:18 |
|
Peleg died |
2008 |
1996 |
209 |
Genesis 11:19 |
|
|
|
|
Reu |
|
|
Serug born |
2185 |
1819 |
32 |
Genesis 11:20 |
|
Reu died |
1978 |
2026 |
207 |
Genesis 11:21 |
|
|
|
|
Serug |
|
|
Nahor born |
2155 |
1849 |
30 |
Genesis 11:22 |
|
Serug died |
1955 |
2049 |
200 |
Genesis 11:23 |
|
|
|
|
Nahor |
|
|
Terah born |
2126 |
1878 |
29 |
Genesis 11:24 |
|
Nahor died |
2007 |
1997 |
119 |
Genesis 11:25 |
|
|
|
|
Terah |
|
|
Abram, Nahor, |
2056 |
1948 |
70 |
Genesis 11:26 |
|
Alternative
date |
1996 |
2008 |
130 |
|
|
Sarai born |
2046 |
1958 |
|
|
|
Alternative
date |
1986 |
2018 |
|
|
|
Terah died in Haran |
1921 |
2083 |
205 |
Genesis 11:32 |
9.
Nimrod and the founding of
Genesis 10:8-9
'And
Nimrod’s kingdom – King over the people.
Idolatry was central to the building of his kingdom.
Proverb ‘Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD’.
'…before the LORD’ Hebrew: Mynp 'paniym'
Means in this context 'in opposition to the Lord’
His kingdom was established in rebellion against the LORD.
He introduced an idolatrous counterfeit. Cf. Rev 17:5.
Nimrod
Genesis 10:8-10 ‘And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a
mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty
hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter
before the LORD. And the beginning of
his kingdom was
Erech - Uruk (Warka)
Calneh – possibly
Cities dedicated to particular deity.
Uruk dedicated to Inanna (Mother goddess).
Warka – Uruk
(Erech Gen
Slides on powerpoint:
Found at Warka – Uruk (Erech Gen
Dedicated to Ishtar (Inanna)
1. Face of a woman from Uruk
Made of Marble.
Size 20.3cm
Date c. 3000 BC
2. Religious Votive Cone ´(freewill offering cone made on behalf of the King)
Made by priests.
Pilgrims bought the cones to place them in the wall of the temple to the goddess Ishtar (Inanna). It was on offering for the welfare of the King.
'For Sin-ga-shid, the mighty hero, King of Erech, King of Amanu, in the temple of the goddess Ishtar which he built in the royal residence of his kingdom.'
Date: 2100 BC
Flourished under Sargon c.2334 BC.
Who established an Akkadian Empire.
Daughter of Sargon made priestess of moon
god in
She took the name Enheduanna – wrote hymns
to the gods of
She was succeeded by Enmenanna, a daughter of Naram-Sin.
Naram-Sin the grandson of Sargon
Slide
on powerpoint:
Found
at
1.
Stele of Naram-Sin King of
The Akkadian King leads his troops under the protection of the gods. His horned helmet denotes his deity, and he tramples his enemies under his feet.
Kept in the Louvre,
Akkadian
language
The
Akkadian language became the language of diplomacy in the Ancient Near East.
Cunieform
tablets have been found at
Calneh (location unknown possibly
Slide on Powerpoint
The ziggurat of the
More
cities built
Genesis 10
11
Out of that land he went forth into
12
and Resen between
Nineveh - Kuyunjik
Rehoboth-Ir (Not known)
Calah - Nimrud
Resen (Not known)
Founded by Ninus (Nimrod)
Situated by the Tigris
Known for worship to the goddess Ishtar (also known as Inanna)
Slide on Powerpoint
Image of Inanna from c. 2254-2193 BC
The Libraries of
Kuyunjik (
Two libraries of cunieform clay tablets were discovered in Nineveh.
• In the Palace of Sennacherib, and
• In the Palace of Ashurbanipal. Ashurbanipal reigned Assyria between 669-633 BC.
Over 20,000 clay tablets were found in the ruins.
They are all damaged so they probably form about 10,000 texts.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
It was in the library of Ashurbanipal that the Epic of Gilgamesh was found.
The tablets are now in the
The author of the epic was a person called Shin-eqi-unninni.
Gilgamesh is thought to have reigned over
Uruk in
The Epic consists of 12 stone tablets written in the Akkadian language
Tablet XI contains the Babylonian record of the flood.
Epic of Gilgamesh - King of Uruk (c.2700
BC)
Poem telling the story of Gilgamesh's journey to find the spring of youth.
The futile search for immortality.
The Babylonian record of the flood is contained within the epic of Gilgamesh.
Babylonian record of the flood
Slide on Powerpoint
Tablet XI
Gilgamesh Epic
The flood to destroy the world. Utnapishtim built an ark to preserve living things. When the flood ended birds were sent out to see if they found dry land.
Kept in the
30km South East of
Assyrian palace found here by Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894).
The Black Obelisk (Jehu) was found here in 1845
Genesis 11:1-9
One language – sound
•
One speech -
words
• Refusing to obey the word of the Lord.
• God scattered the nations by confusing the languages
Character of the builders of
Man's independence of God, exaltation of himself, rebellion against God's word.
• Self Dependence – man made materials (means to glorify themselves)
• Self Exaltation – let us build to the heavens (a city and a tower)
• Self Adoration – let us make us a name (to be worshipped)
It was built by Nimrod in opposition to worship of the true God.
The
See Revelation 17:5
The worship of the Mother and child began with Babylonian religion through Nimrod’s wife, Semiramis.
Nebuchadnezzar’s hanging gardens were named after her.
Slide on Powerpoint
Painting:
Museum Boymans-van Beuningen in
Ziggurat means 'rise high'.
It had different stages.
The Ziggurat was associated with temple worship.
Josephus Book 1 Chapter IV
2. (113) Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah—a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness.
(114)
He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of
turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence
on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a
mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the
waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for killing
their forefathers!
3. (115) Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work; and by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone could expect;
(116) but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners;
(117)
but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them various languages, and
causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able
to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called
Babylonian religion - Mystery Religion
Anu – the father of the Anunnaki.
Anunnaki – the High Council of the Sumerian gods
Triad
Anu (the sky god) – the Head.
Enlil –the inheritor of the throne and
Enki (Ea) – regarded as the creator
Annuna – fifty great gods
Igigi – minor gods
Understanding the mysteriums
The son of Enlil and Ninlil is Nanna (Ninlil was raped)
En was the chief priest - 'lil' means 'air'
Nin means lady
This could be based on Genesis 3 where Satan deceived Eve
Nanna means illuminator
The son of Nanna – Shamash (Sun)
The consort of Shamash – Aya (Dawn)
Nanna the moon god was greater than Shamash the sun god. Nanna is the interpreter of the mystery. Shamash receives light from Nanna, Aya the dawn arises from the revelation given to Shamash.
Epic of Gilgamesh - Inanna daughter of Anu.
Inanna also known as Ishtar- Mother goddess.
Abram left Ur with his father and his
wife, Sarai, and His nephew Lot for
Abram’s family worshipped the Babylonian
gods
Joshua 24:2-3
'And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the
other side of the river, and led him throughout all the
Nanna (Sin) – god of the moon
Worshipped primarily in
Nanna was one of the three sky deities
Nanna – the moon god
Shamash – the sun god
Ishtar (Inanna) – the queen of the heavens (goddess of love and war).
Nanna was the father of Shamash who was the escort of Aya (Dawn)
Slide on Powerpoint
Ziggurat in
The
.
The City of
The course of the
Population: estimated at up to 65,000.
Language: Sumerian till about c. 2000BC then Akkadian
Law: Had its own law code Zur-Nammu of
This was almost three centuries before the famous Law Code of Hammurabi (1780 BC).
Slide on Powerpoint
c. 2600 – 2400BC – Thought to have been carried on a pole as a Standard from Ur of Chaldees.
One side depicts War and one side depicts Peace.
Kept in the
The Code of Hammurabi (1780 BC)
This is
one of the earliest codes of law.
Hammurabi
(1792-1750 BC). King of
Carving
at the top shows Hammurabi being given the symbols of authority from the god
Marduk.
Inscribed
with 282 laws concerning business, property, work, family, injury.
Slide on Powerpoint
Found:
Now kept
in the Louvre, Paris
Height:
2.25m Width: 0.65m
Mari
If Abram
followed the
Modern
city at time of Abraham – city destroyed by Hammarabi (1759 BC)
City
known for hair styles and clothes
Major
trade centre
Worshipped
Sumerian gods and goddesses
Expansion
of trade from Mari meant that knowledge of Sumerian gods taken to cities such
as
Slide on Powerpoint
1. Image of Intendant Ebih II from the
2. Tablet of King Zimri-Lin (c.1780 BC) from the
Kept:
Louvre, Paris
25,000
cunieform tablets were found in the
The
tablets give details concerning matters of state.
Haran
Centre for
the worship of the Moon god Sin (Babylonian)
Slide on Powerpoint
Bee-houses
in Haran.
Made
without wood.
This
style of house was used in
Abram’s
father, Terah, died in
Abram was
75 years old when he left