Over the next few weeks, we will be serialising a paper by Bro B.Burt (Cov West) for those who did not see it when it was first published.

We will reproduce this in short ‘snippets’ to make it easier to digest and comment upon should you wish to do so.

A RELIABLE RECORD

Thus the book of Genesis is no different from all other parts of the Word of God.  It was written by men, inspired of God, who lived at the time of the events which they recorded.  These things were indeed written for our learning, but they were also written for the spiritual benefit of those who lived through those times (Rom.4v23-24), who had witness born to them in contemporary Scriptures concerning the purpose of God with them and in their lives.

This view of the book of Genesis is highly significant in the context of current discussions on the origins of the heavens, the earth and life upon it.  It argues that the Genesis record is a factual account, written by contemporary prophets of the events which happened in their times.  Thus, for example, the record of the Flood in the Bible is the original account, written down at the time by those who were in the ark.  The Babylonian account (The Gilgamish Epic) came later, it borrowed details from the Genesis account and its author invented others.  Thus the ark of Gen.6 is 300 cubits long, 50 wide & 30 high.  These figures have been demonstrated to be the correct proportions for a very stable vessel.  The ark of Uta-Napishtim (the Babylonian Noah) is a cube of side 120 cubits – unlikely to give its occupants a smooth voyage in a rough sea!

It is not without significance that the Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles take the Genesis record very literally in their references to it and quotations from it[1].  There is a great weight of confirmatory quotations in the New Testament from the first three chapters of Genesis and a similar number of quotations from chapters 4-11 – in fact two thirds of the NT quotes are from the first eleven chapters of Genesis.

We can rely on this record, we can trust this record, it is the Word of the living creator God, written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Bernard Burt

[1] See “A book in which Jesus and his apostles believed”, The Testimony May-June 2013 p.236

[1] There is one detail in Genesis which the author is aware of which does not fit with the concept of Moses being the final ‘editor’ of the Genesis manuscript – Gen.14v14 refers to Abram reaching “Dan”.  This must have been an even later inspired geographical update – possibly by Samuel?

[1] See “A book in which Jesus and his apostles believed”, The Testimony May-June 2013 p.236