The Inspiration of the Book of Genesis

There has been much attention paid in recent times to the historical and archaeological aspects of the first book of the Bible, which has been called the seed-bed of every major theme. Besides these aspects, there is its prophetic character of which two instances are quoted in this paper as demonstrating the divine inspiration of the book. There are of course many others.

In Genesis 8. 4 we read, “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat”. We see in the ark a prophetic type of the Lord Jesus Christ, subjected to the waters of God’s judgment that in Him we may find safety. In Exodus 13. 4 we learn that it was in the same month, Abib, that the Israelites came out of Egypt and from 12. 6 that the passover was killed on the fourteenth day. The Lord Jesus was crucified as our Passover Lamb on that day, but rose three days later–on the seven-teenth day of the seventh month I Our attention is directed, therefore, to the Lord in resurrection, for ever resting from His work of redemption. The Scriptures do not call attention to this coincidence, but surely these facts are there for those whose eyes are opened by the Holy Spirit to dis-cern the wonder of God’s Word.

More than one quarter of the book of Genesis is devoted to the history of one man, Joseph, the book covering thousands of years, and describing the origin of the nations. Why? Surely one can see here again a won-derful demonstration of the divine inspiration of the book, as we discern in Joseph a prophetic type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are some parallels, which merit close attention. (Please note, these parallels run across the page).

Joseph

Gen. 37. 3, “Israel loved Joseph more than all his children".

Gen. 37. 5-10, His exaltation foretold.

Gen. 37. 4, “his brethren … hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him".

Gen. 37. 11, “his brethren envied him".

Gen. 37. 13, “I will send thee unto them. And he said to him. Here am I".

Gen. 37. 18, “they conspired against him, to slay him".

Gen. 37. 26-27, “What profit is it if we slay our brother… let us sell him".

The Lord Jesus Christ

John 17.24, “thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world”. Matt. 3. 17, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".

John 5. 39, “the scriptures … they are they which testify of me”. Luke 24. 27, “he expounded unto them in all the scrip-tures the things concerning himself”. See Luke 22. 69.

John 15. 25. “They hated me without a cause".

Luke 11. 53-54, “the scribes and Phar-isees began to urge him vehemently, to provoke Him to speak of many things: laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him".

Matt. 27.18, Pilate “knew that for envy they had delivered him".

John 5. 36, “the father hath sent me".

John 8. 29, “I do always those things which please him”. Heb. 10. 7.

Matt. 26. 4, the chief priests and scribes “consulted that they might take Jesus”; 27. 1, “all the chief priests and elders … took counsel against Jesus to put him to death".

John 18. 31, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death".

Gen. 37. 21, Reuben tried to deliver him, “Let us not kill him".

Gen. 37. 27, Judah said, “let us sell him to the Ishmaelites".

Gen. 37. 28, “they sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver".

Gen. 37. 23, “they stript Joseph of his coat".

Gen. 39.10, “Joseph … hearkened not unto her".

Gen. 39. 17, Joseph falsely accused.

Gen. 40.1 -5, Joseph was in prison with two others, one of whom was restored to favour, the other hanged.

Gen. 41. 25, Joseph foretold the future.

Gen. 41. 38, “a man in whom the Spirit of God is".

Gen. 41. 14, “they brought him hastily out of the dungeon".

Gen. 41. 40, Pharaoh said, “thou shall be over my house, and according to thy word shall my people be ruled".

Gen. 41. 46, “Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt".

Gen. 41. 46, “Joseph went … through-out all the land of Egypt".

Gen. 41. 55, “the people cried … for bread : and Pharaoh said. Go unto Joseph".

Gen. 41. 57, “all countries came to Joseph for to buy corn".

Gen. 42. 8, “Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him".

John 18. 10, “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear".

Matt. 26. 14-15, Judas went unto the chief priests and said, “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?”

Luke 6. 16, “Judas … the traitor”; Matt. 26. 1 5, “And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver".

Matt. 27. 28, “And they stripped him",

John 14. 30, “the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me".

Mark 14. 57, “And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him".

Luke 23. 39-43, the Lord was crucified between two robbers one of whom was saved the other not as far as recorded.

Mark 13. 23, “behold, I have foretold you all things".

Acts 10. 38, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power".

Acts 2. 30, God raised Him from the dead.

Acts 5. 31, “Him hath God exalted … to be a Prince and a Saviour”. Rev. 19. 15, “out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron".

Luke 3. 23, Jesus “began to be about thirty years of age".

Mark 16. 15, “Go ye into all the world”; Matt. 28. 19-20, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations … and lo, I am with you always".

John 6. 35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger".

Acts 4. 12, “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved".

Acts 13. 27, “they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets”; Rom. 11. 25, “blindness in part is happened to Israel".

Gen. chs. 42 to 45, Joseph brought his brothers into straits in order to prove their repentance towards him.

Gen. 45.1, “there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren".

Zech. 12. 10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications : and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him".

Rev. 1. 7, “Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him".