Genesis: Questions and Answers
Question 1
Demonstrate how the prophecy stated in Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled in the New Testament.
Answer
The Bible states in Genesis 3:15 that “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
This prophecy is very true today as there is constant enmity between man and Satan. Man is the seed of the woman referred to and Satan is personified by the serpent. We see an unprovoked, continuing and potentially destructive battle between Satan and us, the seed of the woman. You do not personally have to do anything to provoke Satan's enmity or for Satan to bruise your heel - attack you, want to hurt, poison your health or emotions, or attempt to make you fall physically and spiritually. This was rightly stated and fulfilled in the New Testament.
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, verses 1-11, Jesus, the second Adam, was tempted by Satan, an attempt to bruise his heel to make Him to fall. Jesus did not fall.
Similarly, Satan is after the sons of man, the seed of the woman as the devil is constantly on the prowl seeking to bite or bruise our heels as stated in 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
According to Romans 8:7 - Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be; Satan attempts to keep us in the carnal mind sphere to continue 'biting our heels' so as to accentuate the work of enmity against God and man using man as his agent. However, just as Jesus did not fall, we can stand and not fall.
Question 2
Compare the New Testament parallels of Cain's statement that my punishment is too much for me to bear.
Answer
Cain, the firstborn of Adam, murdered his younger brother Abel because he was envious that God rejected his offering but accepted the offering of Abel.
Cain rightly expressed the implications of his punishment. This included being driven away from the face of the Earth (inability to obtain the earth’s fruitfulness or yield and lack of God's backing), being hid from God's face (separation from God) and being a fugitive and a wanderer (aimless, lack of achievement, not fulfilling one's original purpose).
This was expressed in Genesis 4:12-14 “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”
Similarly, sinners will be ‘hid from the face of God’ as stated in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 where the Bible states: “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power”
In Matthew 25:41, our Lord Jesus Christ stated unequivocally that the disobedient will be separated from him:
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
Similar to Cain's predicament, the punishment of sinners is greater than what they can bear. In Mark 9:48, the Bible states that in hell "'the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Further it is a place of torment as expressed in Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
However, we do not have to bear the unbearable consequences of sin by avoiding sin and its consequences.
Question 3
From Genesis Chapter 6, are there any qualifications for grace? Does grace need to be sustained?
Answer
Grace is sometimes referred to as unmerited favor, favor that you do not have to do anything to qualify for. Sometimes the doctrine of grace is stretched to breaking point when it is preached that Christians can live anyhow, even in sin and still qualify for grace. This needs to be examined in the light of scripture.
In Genesis Chapter 6 where grace was first mentioned in the Bible, God was dissatisfied with the sinful manner in which men were living and wanted to destroy the whole earth including everyone in it. However, one man (and his family) found grace in God's sight. The Bible tells us in Genesis 6:8 that: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
The man was just (Christians are made just, righteous by accepting Christ as Lord). Secondly, Noah was also perfect (sinless, walking in obedience to God, similar to being led by the Holy Spirit in the manner in which Jesus commanded us in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect). Thirdly, Noah walked with God. The manner of walking with God requires continuing fellowship with, listening to and obeying God and walking in the righteousness that Christ has secured for us. This is why we are admonished in 1 John 2:29 that:
“If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him”.
Further, complete obedience, not disobedience is required to sustain grace as we saw demonstrated in the life of Noah, which we can be careful to follow after.
“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (Genesis 6:22).
Current believers need to appreciate that holiness and sustained obedience is required to sustain grace. Paul was unequivocal about this when he stated “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)”.
Question 4
From Genesis chapters 16 -18, explain what Christians can learn from how Abraham and Sarah moved from a crisis in faith to productive faith that delivered their long awaited miracle.
Answer
In Genesis 16, Sarai like most of us, was getting tired of waiting for the miracle of a child. She subsequently attributed her not having a child to God. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. (Genesis 16:2 NLT)”
This crisis of faith by believing that God was preventing her from having her good desire led her to seek for an alternative. We often seek for alternatives when we consciously or unconsciously believe and accept that God has failed us, will not help us or is the One responsible for our predicament.
The Sarah alternative led to problems in the family as the maid she favoured to sleep with her husband was now despising her. She later had to jettison the 'Sarah alternative’ by sending both Hagar and Ishmael away.
When God told Abraham that his wife Sarah would give birth to a child, he laughed in unbelief in Genesis 17:17 “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” Sarah also laughed in disbelief when she heard from God that she would give birth to Abraham's son in Genesis 18:12 “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?”
However, the couple moved from unbelief and disbelief to strong faith, from doubts to strong persuasion and from distrust of God's spoken Word to an unshakable assurance that whatever God stated He was more than able to perform. This is enunciated in Romans 4:18-21 as follows:
“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Current day believers can always move from a crisis of faith to productive faith by following Abraham and Sarah's example.
Question 5
State how was the prophecy in Genesis 28:15 fulfilled?
Answer
The Bible states in Genesis 28:15 that:
“And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of.”
This promise was given to Jacob at Bethel (previously named Luz), when he was on his was to Padanaram (Syria) to his Uncle Laban's family. He had a dream when he saw a ladder going from heaven to earth, with angels ascending and descending on the ladder. During that dream God gave him this promise.
After serving Laban for twenty years God instructed him in Genesis 31:3 to leave Syria and go to the place where he had the dream:
“I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow to me: now arise, get you out from this land, and return to the land of your kindred.”
The scripture above was fulfilled when Jacob moved with his family, and came to Luz (Bethel) as stated in Genesis 35:6-7.
“6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.”
Question 6
A viewpoint that has been expressed and questioned is “Christians should not be closed minded but should be open to other points of view and accepting of other faiths by marrying people from different faiths and beliefs.”
From Genesis chapters 24 and 34, is it okay for a Christian to marry an unbeliever?
Answer
The statement is asking whether it is alright for a Christian - a child of God, who is born again, has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to marry a non-Christian (someone who does not believe in God, is not saved, does not have Jesus as Lord and savior, and believes in other gods or religions - an unbeliever).
The Christian and non-christian belong to different kingdoms. One belongs to the kingdom of God, a kingdom of light, while the other belongs to the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13). God is the Father of Christians, while Satan is the father of the non-christian (John 8:44). Marrying an unbeliever would invariably make Satan a father-in-law in the marriage with its attendant consequences as he tries to steal, kill and destroy in the home.
From the story in Genesis 34, it is dangerous to ask the unbeliever to become circumcised (born again) just because of marriage. Shechem and his father said shall not all their flocks and wealth become ours? (Genesis 34:23). Meanwhile, the sweet, enticing offer presented to Jacob's family was entirely the opposite - traffic in the land, trade and become prosperous here (Genesis 34:9-10).
From the unbelievers view, it is based on what they can take over, obtain or benefit and not what they can contribute. They are willing to lie like their father the devil (John 8:44). Further, Apostle Paul cautions that what fellowship does light have with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). It is safer to marry a believer who is a member of God’s family based on God's leading as demonstrated in the story in Genesis 24.
Question 7
From Genesis 43 and 44, compare the appeals of Reuben and Judah to Jacob from a willing sacrifice standpoint.
Answer
There was famine in Canaan. The ten sons of Jacob had visited Egypt to buy food for their family. They had encountered Joseph - not knowing he was Joseph their brother - who demanded that they must bring their younger brother with them on their next trip to Egypt.
While trying to persuade Jacob their father to release Benjamin their younger brother to go with him on the next trip to Egypt, Reuben offered his two sons in exchange for Benjamin's life, in case he was unable to bring Benjamin back to Jacob. Judah on the other hand offered himself, that he would be the surety for the young boy.
Judah took ownership, applied personal commitment and was willing to lay down his own life for his brother Benjamin and his family. His willingness to yield his life to his father showed a Christ Like example. Jesus Christ came from the lineage of Judah and not from Reuben's lineage even though Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Question 8
Where was it expressed that the sins of Joseph's brothers found them out?
Answer
Firstly in Genesis 42:21-22:
“21 And they said one to another, we are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.”
Secondly in Genesis 44:16:
“16 And Judah said, what shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.”
Also in Genesis 50:15-21, after Jacob's death, the guilt was still heavy in the minds of Joseph's ten brothers that they sent a message of plea to Joseph, asking for his forgiveness and laid before Joseph, offering to be his servants.
This happened as stated in Numbers 32:23
“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
