The Book of Genesis – The Beginning of the
Plan of Salvation
The Book of Genesis, more frequently attacked
by critics, is far more than an authentic, historical account of the beginnings
of the universe and of this earth. Although we believe the brief, unapologetic
account of the creation of the universe, the earth and its inhabitants to be a
literal, inspired, infallible revelation from God, it is far more than a
scientific explanation of things, or a historical account of earth’s
beginnings. These are merely incidental and secondary to the one plan and
purpose of the entire book, as well as the rest of the Bible. It is the
progressive revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of man,
Redeemer, and Savior of men.
I. The important question for man is not, “Where did I come from?” but “Where
am I going?”
A. For this very
reason a minimum of attention is devoted in Genesis with the origin of things.
B. One verse
describes the beginning of creation.
C. Two chapters
are devoted to the populating of this earth.
D. One chapter is
devoted to man’s fall and his eternal ruin,
E. then all the
rest of the Book of Genesis, as well as the rest of the Bible, looks to the
future and the coming of the Redeemer to restore man into fellowship again.
II. Foolish man has completely ignored the
lesson.
A. He is intensely
occupied with finding out where he came from,
B. He digs into
the earth,
C. He goes to the
bottom of the sea
D. He soars out
into space,
E. According to
NASA, in an effort to find out how it all began, and where we came from.
1. Billions of dollars are being poured into our space program for that purpose
2. It could be found out in less than a minute by reading Genesis 1
3. No better answer to the question of origin than that of Genesis 1:1.
3. The Bible does not waste its time and spend countless billions of dollars on investigating or explaining our origin
4. It wraps it all up in a few chapters
5. The rest of its contents is on the future, the eternal future, and not the non-consequential past.
6. Before we show the slightest interest in the space
program, the moon shot, the trip to Mars to Venus, one question needs to be
settled, “Where am I going? Where will I end up when finally this brief life is
over? Because of the importance of this question, the Book of Genesis is not
primarily a book of the beginning of the universe, but a book of the beginning of the plan of salvation.
II. The Study of Types - The progressive revelation of salvation
A. It begins with the opening verse of Genesis.
1. In direct
prophesy and promise
2. In type
3. In symbol and
figure
B. The Holy Ghost reveals step by step the
setting for the coming of the One to whom the entire Old Testament points.
1. Inexhaustible
types foreshadowing the coming One.
2. We have seen
Adam as a clear type
3. Abel
4. The ark as a
figure of the Redeemer
5. Lately we have
seen Jesus Christ the sacrifice for sinners in
a. The birth of
Isaac
b. The death of
Isaac
c. The resurrection of Isaac.
d. The gathering
of the bride
Two more men are mentioned at length in the book of Genesis: Jacob and Joseph, both of them also figures of the One who was to come.
A. There are a number of shepherds in the Old Testament, which the Holy Ghost uses as types of the coming Good Shepherd. Among others, there are these:
1. Abel, the sacrificing shepherd giving his life and
shedding his blood at the
hands of his own
brother.
2. Jacob, the laboring shepherd, who left his father’s
house to dwell in a far
country, fleeing the wrath of his brother.
3. Joseph, the exalted shepherd who, rejected by his
brethren, became the
savior of men.
4. Moses, the delivering shepherd.
5. David, the royal, reigning shepherd.
B. Before we go into detail with Jacob, the
laboring shepherd, let’s point out the lessons taught by all these shepherds.
1. Abel was
rejected by his brother and put to death.
a. The result was,
his brother Cain was banished from the land and became a wanderer among the
nations.
b. But God in
grace supernaturally preserved him against his enemies by putting His mark upon
Cain.
c. In all this, we
see the story of the rejection of the antitype of Abel, the Lord Jesus,
1. His death at
the hands of His brethren, who were scattered to the four corners of the earth,
2. but
supernaturally preserved from extinction for these past centuries
3. because God has
marked this nation as the one which shall exhibit His grace in the future
restoration.
2. We see the same thing in the story of Jacob.
a. Hated by his
brother,
b. He was driven
into exile where he married a bride,
c. He then
returned to claim his possession.
3. Joseph, the
son of Jacob
a. Was also hated
by his brethren,
b. Potentially put
to death,
c. Banished into a
far country where he was exalted to the throne,
d. Obtained a
Gentile bride,
e. After that he
returned to redeem his brethren who had sold him.
4. The same story is related about Moses.
a. He too, was
rejected the first time by his brethren
b. Banished into a
far country where he received a Gentile bride,
c. After that
returned and was accepted by his own at his second coming.
5. David, the
royal shepherd,
a. He was anointed
king,
b. But was
rejected by his own
c. He was forced
to flee into the land of the Philistines
d. He there
received a Gentile bride
e. He returned
after the death of Saul
f. He was then
accepted and acclaimed by his own nation, Israel.
1. Who was
rejected by His own the first time He came
2. While in
rejection He is gathering out a Gentile bride
3. After this
He will return to be accepted by His own
4. And set up
the glorious millennial Kingdom.
A. As we take up the different figures of Christ, we find that each succeeding one adds some details, which were not evident in the previous ones.
C. We will find in Jacob some precious revelations, made clear only after we reach the New Testament.
D. Jacob was, first of all, God’s chosen one.
1. God chose him to receive the birthright, which naturally had belonged to his brother, Esau.
2. But Esau
forfeited his claim and passed it along to Jacob.
E. Adam, the first man, also had the natural
claim to the dominion of the earth (Genesis 1:26).
1. But the first
man forfeited his right to this dominion
2. God sent the
Second Man, the last Adam, who is to receive the birthright of the firstborn
Son of God.
F. Notice
further that Jacob was
1. Hated by
his brother Esau
2. Was caused to
flee to a far country in Haran
3. Where he
labored as a servant
4. Was taken
advantage of
5. He was shamefully treated
1. Left His
Father’s house
2. Went into a far
country to visit His brethren
3. Here He became
a servant and took on Him the form of a man.
4. We read
concerning Him in Philippians
Philippians 2:6,7
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of men.”
V. A Beautiful Dispensational Picture.
A. In this house of Laban, in the far country, were two daughters
1. Leah
2. Rachel
B. These two were to become the wives of Jacob.
1. By agreement
he was to have Rachel only as his wife
2. Jacob
labored seven long years to receive Rachel
3. But at the
end of the seven years he did not receive Rachel
a. He received
Leah, her sister
b. Leah became his
first wife because she was the oldest
4. He served
seven additional years for Rachel.
a. Leah became
fruitful and gave birth to a family of children
b. Rachel remained
barren and childless.
5. Finally,
Rachel in her distress and agony began to cry unto the Lord
a. God heard her
prayer
b. Rachel too
became the mother of children
6. Jacob had chosen Rachel, but she was set aside
and Leah took her place
a. Leah represents
the Church in this dispensation
b. Rachel, the
Nation of Israel, set aside for a season.
C. The Event Foreshadowed
1. Leah represents the
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ;
2. Rachel, the Nation
of Israel.
3. He desired her
first, but when He came to present Himself to her 2,000 years ago,
a. He did not receive her
b. She rejected Him
4. Rachel, the Nation
of Israel
a. Barren
b. Despised
c. An empty vine
5. Leah, the Church
a. Bearing fruit
b. Millions of the redeemed that are being brought in during the present dispensation.
c. The Church is fulfilling the purposes of God.
6. But Israel, like
Rachel, according to Scripture, shall bear fruit.
a. There is a time coming when she too shall become fruitful and bring forth Josephs and Benjamins, the beloved ones and the sons of the Lord’s own right hand.
b. It is of this future restoration of the Nation of Israel, her fruitfulness, and her dominion over the earth that Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 54:
Isaiah 54:1 “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into
singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are
the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
And a little
farther on we hear the Lord speaking in this strain:
Isaiah 54; 5-8 “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is
his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth
shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and
grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather
thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with
everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
a. The time is
coming when Leah, the Church, will be taken up
b. God will
again begin to deal with Israel;
1. They will look
on Him Whom they have pierced and accept Him.
2. He will turn
their captivity and gather them from all nations whither they have been driven
3. They will be in
their own land
a. They will
become the great and wonderful heritage of the Lord
b. They will be
the instrument by which millions will be turned to their Lord and their God.
E. Jacob returned to his father’s house he brought both wives home in triumph.
1. On the way home
he received a new name.
2. His name was
changed from Jacob to Israel,
3. The name
“Israel” means “the prince of God.”
F. When Jesus Christ comes back again with His
Bride to bless Israel and all the earth
1. He has a Name, which
no man knows but Himself.
2. This is
God’s program for the Good Shepherd of Israel and the Church.
a. He came once
and was rejected by the ones He came to save
b. He set them
aside for a time.
c. He is now
calling out a bride, the Church of His love.
d. After she is
called out, He will return again to Israel who rejected Him
e. He will be
their
1. Deliverer
2. Savior
3. Lord.
Then shall He establish His Kingdom on earth and every knee shall bow to Him, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Jacob A Type of Christ |
|
The Laboring Shepherd |
The Loving Shepherd |
|
Esau,
the older brother, had the natural claim and birthright, but Esau forfeited his claim and passed the
birthright along to Jacob, God’s
chosen heir |
Adam,
the first man, had the natural claim to the dominion of the earth. He forfeited his right. God sent
the Second Man, the last Adam, to receive the birthright of the firstborn Son
of God. |
|
Hated by his brother Esau |
Rejected by His own the first time He came |
|
Caused to flee
from his father’s house to a far country in Haran, his uncle’s house |
Left His
Father’s house to a far country to visit His brethren. |
|
In Haran he
labored as a servant, laboring for his bride |
Here He became
a servant and took on Him the form of a man. |
|
He was shamefully treated by his kin and taken
advantage of |
He
was rejected and put to death by His Brethren |
|
Jacob had chosen Rachel, but she was set aside and Leah
took her place |
Jesus
called Israel first, but she was blinded and the church took her place |
|
He served seven
additional years for Rachel. |
He has set
seven years to bring Israel back to Himself |
|
Rachel was barren |
The first time
He came, He was rejected by the ones He came to save |
|
Leah gave him children |
The
church is being gathered |
|
Rachel sought God because she was barren, and God
answered |
Israel will seek God during the Tribulation, and He
will answer |
|
Jacob returned to his father’s house he brought both
wives home in triumph. |
Jesus Christ comes back again with His Bride to bless
Israel and all the earth |
|
On the return
he received a new name – Israel – Prince of God |
On His Return He Has A New Name known only to Himself –
|
|
Shepherds of the Bible – Types of Christ |
|
1. Abel, the
sacrificing shepherd, was rejected by his brother and put to death a. The result
was, his brother Cain was banished from the land and became a wanderer among
the nations. b. But God in
grace supernaturally preserved him against his enemies by putting His mark
upon Cain. c. In all this,
we see the story of the rejection of the antitype of Abel, the Lord Jesus, 1. His death at
the hands of His brethren, who were scattered to the four corners of the
earth, 2. but
supernaturally preserved from extinction for these past centuries 3. because God has marked this nation as the one which shall exhibit
His grace in the future restoration. |
|
2. We see the same thing in the story of Jacob,
the laboring shepherd a. Hated by his
brother, b. He was driven
into exile where he married a bride, c. He then
returned to claim his possession. |
|
3. Joseph,
the son of Jacob, the exalted shepherd a. Was also
hated by his brethren, b. Potentially
put to death, c. Banished into
a far country where he was exalted to the throne, d. Obtained a
Gentile bride, e. After that he
returned to redeem his brethren who had sold him. |
|
4. The same story is related about Moses, the
delivering shepherd a. He too was
rejected the first time by his brethren, b. Banished into
a far country where he received a Gentile bride, c. After that
returned and was accepted by his own at his second coming. |
|
5. David, the
royal shepherd a. He was
anointed king, b. But was
rejected by his own, c. He was forced
to flee into the land of the Philistines d. He there
received a Gentile bride e. He returned
after the death of Saul f. He was then
accepted and acclaimed by his own nation, Israel. |
I am sure that in all this we plainly see the Shepherd, King1. Who was
rejected by His own the first time He came 2. While in
rejection He is gathering out a Gentile bride 3. After this
He will return to be accepted by His own 4. And set up
the glorious millennial Kingdom. |