Study Your Bible

8/12/2019 Study Your Bible

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STUDY YOUR BI BL EA Self Study Course

forBIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIANS

BYEDWARD J. YOUNG

WM. 6. E E RDM A NS PUBLISHING CO.Grand Rapids, Michigan

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COPYRIQHT 1934. BYW M . B. EERDMANS PUBLISHINQ COMPANYALL RIQHTS RESERVED.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERIOA


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F O R E W O R DHERE is no need for me to say anything about thequahneations of Mr. Young. That th e work is written'n a.Hcholarly and able manner m u s t be apparent toa n y one v h o looks into it.Any individual or any group of individuals studying

thc Bible wit.h the help of Mr. Young's work will naturallybecome convinced of the absolute t r u t h of the Word ofGod. U n d ~r l y i n g nd permeating the book is the Re-formed conception of Apologeties, which holds that we canwithout fear even in our day hold to an absolute God, anabsolute Christ, and an absolute Bible. There is no com-promise o r crouching fear . With full acquaintance withthe work of negative criticism and modurn philosophy,Mr. Young holrls that unless we may take the Bible astruc , human lifc is meaningless. Surely young people ofChristian homes need the help of such a study.With a true conception of Apologetics goes a true con-ception of history, espeeially of sacred history. The t ruthof the creation story is maintained in opposition to thedogma of evolution. The fa ll of man not merely a s psy-chologically truc," but as an historical event, is shown tobe a t the root of all the sin in this world. The far-reach-ing significance of the doctrine of total depravity as wellas its Scriptural foundation is made clear.I wish I could ~ v eomething like an adequate expres-

to no other nation; the ;ev&tion to Israel is unique.The similarity of form of this revelation to other "reve-lations" does not det rac t from i ts uniqueness. Nowherebut in Scripture does an absolute God speak. Nowherebut in Scripture is redemption by pure grace alone. No-where but in Scripture is there a program of the de-struction of all sin in evil. Nowhere but in Scriptureis there the picture of absolute victory a t last.Thus sacred history becomes terrible and beautiful. Itgrips one in the,inmos t depths of his existence, There isno epic so sweeping, no drama so dramatic as the story of


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s;iered history when told after the Reformed conceptionof it as has been done by M r . Young.Naturally RIr. Young does not tell t he whole story. Hishooks covers Gcncsis only. But the story of sacred historyhas its beginnings in Genesis. To tell the story of Genesiswell is to help us on the rig ht track. I n Amcrican historythe revolutionary period is uf basic importnncc. In sacredhistory the period of Genesis is of basic irnpurtance.The principle of God's sovereinn grace is the constitu-tional principle of the people of God. Mr. Young hasbrought this ou t in admirabls fashion. He helps us toread o u r Bibles aright. W e see o n e people u f Gud , withm c consti tution, governed by one King, namely JesusChrist.Thcrc is carcful attention to detail but never a t t hccrpense of insight into plan of the whole story. Th e divi-sion of the book into convenient lessons, with suggestionsf o r further study in the Biblc and the Catechism, withrcfercnces to the best literature on each topic under dis-cussion, makc thc hook eminently useful f o r c I ~ s s - w o r l ~swell as for private study.If Sunday scI~ouIcaehers and other teachers of the Biblcw o u l d master the method af Biblc study and the prineiplcof sacred history as these appear i n the short hook of hl r .Y o u n g , I a m pcrsuaded t ha t they w o u l d be bctter fittedto study and t a c h the Biblc than they would be if theyshould read hundreds of pages of the ordinary materiali i u w available to them. CORNELIUS VAN TIL, Ph.D.Professor of A p o l o g e t i c s .

Westminster Theological Seminary,Philadelphia, July, 1934.


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INTRODUCTIONH O W T O USE THIS COURSE

HIS COURSE is the result af a conviction that thereT are many people who would study their Bible, butwho, from a lack of knowledge of how to do this, permitthe Bible to remain a closed Book to them. There are Bibleschools and theological seminaries and available commen-taries, but not all can attend school, nor do all have thetime or ability to study the commentaries.This work is designed f o r every-day people who are Will-ing t o spend ten o r fifteen minutes daily in Bible study.But while this work is primarily intended for individualstudy, it may also be used to good advantage by Bibleclasses, study groups, and for prayer meetings. In thiscourse WF cover only the book of Genesis, which servesas an introduction to the Bible, hut the student who worksthrough these lessons faithfully will discover that he is ina position to carry on his Bible studies intelligently. Hewill also have acquired a panoramic view of the Bible andits message, which Will greatly aid him in further study.The student will note that there are thirty lessons.Each lesson consists of comments upon the Bible text, fol-lowed by exercises. If the student will spend from ten tofifteen minutes daily upon each lesson, he will complete onelesson in a weeks time. At this rate, it will take thirtyweeks, o r a little over seven months to complete the wholecourse. In studying the lesson, the student should readthe Bible text and compare it with the notes and com-ments given in each lesson. The heart of each lesson con-sists in the exercises, the answers to which are ALWAYSto be WRITTEN. In writing these exercises, the studentmay use both the Bible and the lesson notes freely, but heshould be sure that he always writes the answers to theexercises. At the end of some lessons, O P T I O N A L EXER-CISES are inserted, which consist, for the most part ofselections for memory. These optional exercises are in-tended only for those students who have extra time at


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thei r disposal; the average student may omit them. Fol-lowing the exercises of each lesson, hymns are insertedfor study with which the studcnt is earnestly advised tobecome acquainted.The point of view adopted in these lessons is t h a t ofth e historic Reformed faith. Most of the material hereinpresented is from notcs taken in the classrooms of tha tgroat school of theological learning, Westminster Theo-logical Seminary af Philadelphia. The author counts itm e a f the great hlcssings of his life to have hcen privi-leged to stndy i n this stronghold of the Rcfvrmcd Faith.Hc would extmd a general acknowledgement to Rev. Os-wald T. Allis, Professor of Old Testament i n WestminsterSeminary, f rom whose classroom lecturcs much of thematerial of this course wa s obtained. Yct, th e authorassumes the responsihility for each statement made inthese pages. H e is also exceedingly gratcful to Rev. Cor-nelius Van Til, Professor of Apologetics, Rev. R. B. Kuiper,Professor of Practical Theology, Rev. J u l m Murray, In-structor in Systematic Theology, all of Westminster Theo-logical Seminary, and Rev. J ames Moore, of Baltimorc, fortheir kindness in reading thc manuscript and in offeringsuggestions.If this little work will in any way aid i n the spread ofthe Reformed Faith. a nd 's 0 in the exaltation of our Lord~~~ ~Jesus Christ, it wili then have accomplished the purposefor which it was written.


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IXSSON ONES WE TURN to the first chapter of the Bible, let usA ask Gad to prepare our hearts and minds for receiv-ing the message which He ha s caused to bc written therein.We cannot stress too strongly the need of genuine prayerfo r understanding the Bible. The Bible is Gods Word:

He is its Author, and He is the final Interpreter. Let thestudent, then, make it a habit to begin his study of theBible with prayer. * * * * * * .Read the fi rst chapter of Genesis. O u r purpose in thisfirst lesson is not to study the chapter in detail, but ra ther ,to obtain a panoramic view of it s teachings. The grea t,primary emphasis here is upon the fact that God is the

Creator of all things. How could Moses, who wrote thesewords,* know that God was the Creator of al l? He couldknow it, only because God had revealed the fact to him.Have you ever stopped to think tha t Christianity is theonly religion which consistent ly teaches that God is Al-mighty and th at He is the Creator of all? Other religionssometimes call the ir god a creator, but they also say thatthei r god was created or tha t he was dependent upon someother god or force.It is precisely a t this first verse th at Christianity partscompany f r o m all other religions and philosophies. Notehow Moses stresses the fact that God is the Creator Heuses the word God thirty-two times in this chapter, andthere a re only five verses in which the word does no t ockur.Note, too, how the creative activity of God is stressed; itis said tha t God cr ea t ed , s a i d , saw div ided , ca ll ed , mad e ,s e t , and blessed. Finally , we are told t ha t God made every-th ing good. The Divine approval rested upon the finishedwork of creation.As you read this chapter, you will discover that we arenot told how God created. The stress, ra ther , lies upon


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8 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L Eth e fa ct tha t it is God Who created. There are, however,somc things which we shall do well to note. The creat ingactivity of God is divided into six periods of time, calleddays. I n each one of thesc days, God speaks o r commands,a n d by r c n s o n of th is command, somcthing is produced.Thus, in th e first day, God gives th e command, Let ther ebe light, and t.his cumm:md is fulfilled, And there waslight. Thesc commands of God a re called fiats. Thecrcation slory is told in terms of a fiat and its fulfill-ment. The inspired commcntnry upon the method of cre-ation is Psalm 33:9 which says, H E sgake, and it wasd m c ; H e commanded, and i t stood fast.I t would be well to keep in mind th e fac t t hat this chap-ter is in harmony with true science. There NEVER hasbeen discovered :knything which has disproved the state-ments of the first. chapter of Genesis. W c may wcll askhow Moses could have writtcn with such perfect accuracyif he had not been inspired of God.There a r e Enbylonian creation storics which were oncebelieved to be thc sourcc from which this chapter wasderived. But very f e w hold to such a view today. TheBabylonian myths arc grotesquely polythcistic,l) and pre-sent a strikinr: contras t to thc supremc and stately sim-plicity of the Divine account of creation in Genesis one.This simplicity is not marred by the introduction of anymyths,) nor is the re the fain tes t tracc of the deificationof the sun. moon, v r stars. One is tempted t o ask, Howcould Moses, who lived in the midst of superstit ious andidolatrous people, have kept this cha pter so cornpletcly fr eefro m any ta in t of polytheism? There can be but oneanswer, Moses was inspired of God.

EXERCISES1. Upon what fast does this chapter place its primaryemphasis?2. H o w many times is the word God usad in thechapter?What are some of the activities which are ascribed toGod in this ehaDter?3.

1. Polytheism is tho belief in many Qoda.2. Dy the word myth WD meen a legend or trsditional stomw h i c h ha8 no foundation in faat.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 94. Does this chapter tell in great detail HOW God

crested?5. Into how many periods of time is the creating activi-ty of God divided, and what are these period. called?6. What is meant by fiat?I. How many fiats appear in Genesis one?8. Is th e fulfillmcnt of sash of those fiats rda tad?9. I s there any phrase in this chapter which would sug-geet that God was satisfied with what H e hadcn.ted?

10. Divide a sheet of paper into six sections, each ofwhich is to represent one of the day. mentioned inGenesis one. L h s l these sections, 1st day, 2nd day,etc. In the b s t day write those things which theBible says occurred in the first day. Do the -mewith each of the remaining five days.11 Using the chart which you have just made, do younotice any resemblance or similarity hetween dayone and day four? Between day t w o and day hra?Between day three and day six?

OPT IONAL EXERCI S ES1. Memorize Psalm 33:9.2. Memorize Genesis 1:l-5.3. Memorize Psalm 90.4. Study carefully (and, if possible,) commit to memoryquestion (and answer) number four of the Shorter

Catechism, or question (and answer) number twenty-six of the Heidelberg Catechism. If the student willpurchase both of these Catechisms, each of which maybe obtained for a very small sum, e will find in themand excellent help to studying the Bible. They willalso prove to be excellent devotional works.The student will find that one of the best means ofgrowing in grace is a study of the great hymns of the

Christian Church. A t the end of each lesson, therefore.we shall list two hymns with which he will do well to be-come acquainted. Study carefully the words of thesehymns, read them aloud and learn to sing them. Havethe family gather about the piano and let all sing thesehymns together. The Church today is being cursed with


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10 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L Ea deluge of jazz which offends the sensibilities of any cul-turcd pcrson. Asidc from being cxtremcly poor in qualityof music, this cheap type of thing is vcry often not evenScriptural. The best antidote to thi s modern oiislaughtof jam in the Church is a return to thc great hcritage ofhymns which w e possess. Thc student is carnestly re-quested to study the hymns which arc given after eachl esson. In time of doubt, worry, and tribulztion thcy willhe a cumfort to his soul; in time of joy they will be fittinginstrumcnts for giving thanks and rendering praise to Himconcerning Whoni t$cy speak.

Although these h$mns m ay be found in most of thestandard Church Hymnals, yet we would call the studentsattcntion t o a popular book which contains cvcry one ofthcsc hymns, T h e X e w CliiYsliniL H y m n a l . The numbersof the hymns hcre given rcfer to this book. Thc cditorsaf th is book h a r e sought first of all t o keep th e book t ru eto thc Bible. They have made a special cffort to providehymns which glorify Gods grace in Jesus Christ as thes d c cause of mans salvation , and t o excludc those whichascribc some power o r virtue t o man arid so fail to dojustice to thc sovercign character of t ha t rracc. Thebook is also a practical one, in that it provides a widevnricty of various typcs of hymns. If thc student has noHymnal bcforc him, he cannot do bett er than to buy thisbook.

HYMNS FOR STUDYKO. 412No. 27 Holy, Holy, Holy. O u r God, O u r Help In Ages Past.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 11

LESSON TWOH E central lesson of Genesis one is so clear t ha t evenT .little child can understand it. God made every-thing, and God made me. The chapter does not tell u swho God is, nor does it try to prove the existence of God;rather , i t assumes His existence. It stresses the t rue rela-

tionship of God, man, and the universe. It is God Whocreated man, and it is God Who created the universe. Itis highly significant that the very first chapter of the Bibleteaches such a clear-cut, robust theism. This centralteaching of th e chapter is clear, bu t when we examine thedetails of the chapter, we encounter difficulty. In thislesson it will be o u r purpose to consider the chapter indetail.VERSE ONE. In the Beginnixg. Let the student com-pare th is phrase with the firat verse of Johns Gospel.These words do not mean tha t there was a time when Godwas not. God has existed from all eternity, hu t man an dthe universe have not always s o existed. God createdthem out of nothing. The word beginning simply refersto the time when God began to create.In the Hebrew language, in which the Old Testa-

ment was probably originally written, this word God is aplural noun, Gods. It is pranaunccd Elohim in theHebrew. But in nearly every place where i t refers to theone tr ue God, i t is treated as a singular noun. Thus, inthis first verse, it is treated as though it were a singularnoun. The word created is singular, and we mightrender the whole verse in English th us: In the beginningG O D S (He) created the heavens and the earth. We mayask why the word GODS is plural instead of singular.Various reasons have been suggested. Some unbelievingscholars say th at here ar e found the remains of an originalpolytheism. This opinion, however, is without foundationin fact. We ar e probably not f a r wrong if we say th atthe word is simply a plural of majesty, which helps to

God.


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12 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L Eindicate the majesty of God and His almighty power increation. It is possible th at there is a n indication of theTrin ity to bc found in the word, but this we cannot asse rtdogmatically. The word ELOIIIM occurs more than 2,600times in the Old Testament, and more than 200 times inthe book of Genesis alone. What i t s original meaning wasand wha t i t s correct etymology is, we cannot say definitely.However, we do know th at i t expresses the majesty, ful-ness, and richness of Gods power, and is the appropriateword to be used in this chapter. It is arare, exceptional word, and the form of the verb whichoccurs here is only uscd in speaking of the activity of God.The material which God used to create is never stated.I n verse one the word is used of the primal creation, inverse twcnty-seven o f the creation of man.

T h e H e o v e i l s a d ho Earth. This phrase simply meansthe univcrse. Here, in th is firs t verse of Genesis one,we find the true relationship between God and the uni-verse. Each one is distinct, but both have not alwayscxisted togcther. It is God Who is the Creator of theUniverse.

Let us examine the relat ionship between verse one andverses two and three.I. Thc traditional view of the Christian Church (and,

as we believe, the correct one) , is th at verse onc is entirelyindependent of the remainder of thc chapter. I t is a sum-mary of this chapter. It is a COMPREHENSIVE state-ment, and is followed by a detailed statement of creationin the rest of t he chaptcr. T h a t this is the Old lesta-ment method of narrativc will be made clear irom thefollowing examples. Let the student compare:I Kings 18:30. And he repaired the altar of the Lordthat was broken down. This is a general CODIPRE-HE NS IV E statement. The detailed account of the repair-ing is contained in the following verses, 31-36.student can easily see, verse 90 is a general summary ofthe rcpairing of the altar, and is independent of the verseswhich follow. .

C ro e f c r l . The usc of this word is interesting.

As the ,


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 13Here, verse 18 is a general COMPRE-

HENSIVE summary, whereas the verses which followrelate the account in detail.EXODUS 40:16. Here again, verse sixteen is an inde-pendent general summary, whereas the verses which fol-low relate the account of the building of the tabernacle indetail.These examples might be multiplied, but enough hasbeen given to show the student that this is a commonHebrew method of narrat ion. Thus, Genesis one, verseone, is a general comprehensive summary of creation,independent of what follows; whereas the remainder ofthe chapter relates the creation of the heavcns and theearth in detail.Now let us note this point. The general account (verseone) and the detailed account are connected by the wordand. If the student will refer again to the above givenreferences, he will see th a t in each case the general accountand the detailed account a re connected hy the word and.Thus, for example, in I Kings 18:30, he general account(verse thi rty) i s connected to the detailed account (verses31-35) by the word and. Let the student thoroughlyunderstand this subject before proceeding farther.

A second view of the relationship of these verses,and one which we believe to be quite erroneous, is preva-lent today. This theory teaches tha t between verses oneand two a catastrophe or cataclysm took place, perhapsthrough the agency of Sa tan or of the fallen angels. I nfavor of this opinion the following verses are usuallycited: Isaiah 2 4 : l ; 45:18; and Jeremiah 4:23-26. Theadvocates of this theory feel that it allows ample timebetween verse one and two to account for all the geologicages. However, we feel that the view is untenable, for:a. If such a great catastrophe had really occurred, it is

extremely unlikely that the Bible would pass over itin silence, when so much space is devoted to a lessercatastrophe, the Flood; cf. Genesis 6:9--8:22.6. This view, which is called the RESTITUTIONtheory, teaches that the catastrophe was probablybrought about by the agency of Satan or the angels.

Genesis 18:l.

11.


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14 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L EHowever, Genesis one is characterized by the factth a t it mentions n o HIGHER C R E A T E D beings thanman. This theory runs counter to t he remainder ofthe chapter.

c. This theory really wrests the vcrses of Isaiah andJeremiah from their context. Th at they do not refe rto the ear th which was ruined is clear from Jeremiah4:26, 21. Note hem the mention of cities and theactivity of thc Lord.

. dues viulcnce t o thc Hebrew language.:cii how thesc wrscs are connectcd, butthis theory docs violcnec t o their propcr relationship.e . The restitution thcary would makc Genesis o n e to bethe account uf a recreation, rnthcr than, as i t ap-

pears to be, the account of crcntion.There is ;inut,her view of the relationship of thcsevcrscs which hss :ippeared in variaus forms in some ofthc rcccnt translations of the Ol d Tcstament. There a revariat ions in th is v iew, but ~c~ieral lypeakinp, it wouldt.ranslate these verses as fol1ow:i: When Cod hcgan tocreate th e heavens and thc e ar th , thcii the earth W:LSwith-out form, etc. The studcnt should beware of such lrans-latiuns, for they imply that God and the universe haveexisted side by sidc ctcrnally. This is thoroughly contraryt o the whole teaching of the Bible. Such a translation is

grammatically possible, bu t i t is compll:tely out of har-mony with thc rcmaintlcr of Scripturc, and therefore is tobc avoided. Probably thc reason why such a translationis so popular with modern men is because it does awaywith the st rong emphasis upon God as Creator which thischapter contains. W c bclieve th a t the tradit ional view ofthc Church regnrtiing thcse open ing verses uf Genesis isthe t rue and correct one, and we earnestly bcscech t hestudent prayerfully to master it.E X E R C I S E S

111.

1. Are the details of chapter one as easy to understandas the great. central teachine of the chamter?2. Does chapter o m ell W h o Cod is, o r does i t t r y toprove His existence?


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 163. What do you think the phrase in the beginning

means?4. Write all that you.know ahout the word for GODthat is used in Genesis 1 : l .5. Write all that you can about the word createdwhich appears in Genesis 1:l .6. What does th e phrase th e heavens an d the earthm e a n ?7 . What is the traditional Christian view of the rela-tionship of verses one to verses t w o and three?6. Support this view by reference to at least one otherBible passage.9. What is the Restitution theory?

suggested?10. What other translation of these venes has beenWhy is this translation dangerous?OPTIONAL EXERCISES1. Commit t o memow Psalm 100.

2. Study carefully and commit to memory question num-ber five of the Shorter Catechism, or question numbertwenty-fivc of the Heidelberg Catechism.HYMNS FOR STUDYNo. 448 0 Bless Our God With One Accord.

No. 445 All G lo r y Bc To God On High.


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IF S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E

LESSON THREEE TURN now from the general, comprehensivestatement of creation to the detailed account whichis presented by the remainder of the chapter. Here th edetails are difficult. It would be impossible to present allthe views that have been held as to just how God created

the heavens and the earth. It is well that we do not knowjust H O W He creatcd, or that is relatively unimportant.Here, as elsewhere, the Bible stresses the important fact,namely, G O D is the CREATOR of the heavens and theearth.As we have seen before, the first chapter of Genesisdivides the account of creation into six days of activityand a swenth day of rest . This creative work of God,with six days of labor and a scventh of rcst, is n normand pattern for mans life here upon earth. The studentwill do well a t this point to read Exodus 20: 9 , 10, 11. Wemust now ask the qucstion, What docs the Bible meanwhen it spcaks of day? Haw long a period of time ismeant? This is a qucstion concerning which Christianscholars havc widely differed. At least five views havebeen held in the Christian Church.1. Some believe that the days here spoken of are days

of twenty-four hours each. They think that this ismost in -harmony with the T;n Commandments.Exodus 20:s-11.2. A second view is that the word day means a periodof light as dist inyished from darkness. Cf. Gene-sis 1:6.3. Others believc that an indefinite period of time ismeant. The word is thus used, e.g. , Isaiah 2:11 , 11.

This usage is quite frequent in English, as for ex-ample, we speak of the day of George Washington.4. This view is somewhat similar t o the third view,save that it considers a day to be as a thousandyears. Compare I1 Peter 3:8 and also Psalm 90:4.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 17It is interesting to note tha t Moses, who wrote Gene-sis one, also wrote thi s Psalm.

5 , Some believe that the word day does mean a dayof twenty-four hours, hut that bctween each daythere were long intervals or periods of time, andthat the work of God, which was begun in one ofthe days, was carried on into these intervals of time.Which one of these five views, then, is the student to

hold? We answer tha t we cannot dogmatically say t ha tany one view is the only correct one. Let the studentconsider each one carcfully and prayerfully, and let himchoose that which seems to him to he the one most inaccord with Scripture teaching. But let him rememberthat we simply cannot say definitely and dogmatically jus twhat the word day here does mean. The author isinclined to believe that the word should be taken in thefirs t sense, that is, a day of twenty-four hours.VERSESIX. The word firmament means an expanse.VERSES OURTEENND FIFTEEN.From the human andpractical point of view, these are the two main serviceswhich the sun and moon render for us.V m s ~ IXTEEN.Note the extreme simplicity of thisstatement. It would be impossible to refer to the heavenlybodies in a more simple manner.The phrase, and the stars, is extremely interesting.Astronomers say that the stars which are separatelyvisible to the naked eye at any one time do not exceed twothousand. The telescope, however, has shown u s th at theyare innumerable. It is said that if the diameter of theearths orbit - 86,000,000 miles - e taken as a baseline, then astronomers have been able to obtain a hint ast o the distance of some forty or fifty stars from theearth. The nearest of these is Alpha Centauri, which issome twenty-five millions of millions of miles distant.On an average, the brighter stars are about ten times asf a r away as is Alpha Centauri, but we have no means oftelling the distance from the earth of the untold millionsof stars which a re beyond these brighter stars. TheBible tells us : He made the stars also. He telleth


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18 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L Ethe number of the stars, He calleth them all by theirnames. Great is our Lord, and of grea t power; Hisunderstanding is infinite.

VERSE TWENTY-SIX. Let u s make. Some say thatthese words indicate polytheism, but we have already seenthat the word for God, which is plural, is used with asingular verb. The plural noun is treated a s designatingonly ONE being.Others say that God consulted with the angels beforecreating, and still others believe that here is a directreference to the Trinity. In the light of John 1 : 2 , Colos-sians 1:16, 17, and Hcbrews 1:2, it is quite probable thatthese words do refer to the Trinity, although we cannotassert this dogmatically.VERSE TWENTY-SEVEN.This verse does not mean thatGod bas a body and that man looks like God. We shallstudy la ter what is meant by the phrase, image of God.

The word replenish does notmean ta repeople. In the Hebrew the word i s simply tofill, i. e., to people the earth . Note how clearly God indi-cates His satisfaction with everything He had made.And God saw everything that He had made, and behold,it was very good.

Psalm 147:4, 6.

VERSE TWENTY-EIGHT.

. . .NOTES O N EVOLUTIONAs you read the first chapter of Genesis, note the fre-quently-recurring phrase, after its kind. There is veryprevalent today a theory, known as the theory of evo-lution, which opposes and contradicts the Genesis accountof creation. The word evolution means merely thedevelopment or unfolding of something which alreadyexists. There a re three principal types of the evolu-

tionary theory:1. ATHEISTIC evolution rules God out and says thatthings as they are now developed by their own powerfrom one o r more Drimordial Perm cells. It is very

,

obvious that this type of evzution contradicts thkBible a t it s rod s.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 192. DEISTIC evolution says that in the beginning God

created everything, cndawed the world with forcesand laws and then left the world to its own course.The student will perceive at once that here againthe Bible is contradicted. A man cannot be a con-sistent Christian and helieve in deistic evolution.3. THEISTIC evolution, when it is consistent, saysthat God created the universe and that He has con-tinuously kept the world, but this type of evolution

as a rule denies miracles. When we examine thewritings of men who profess to believe in theisticevolution, we find that the God in whom these menbelieve is really not the all-powerful Creator of theBible. Theistic evolution cannot possibly be broughtinto harmony with the Bible.We cannot too strongly stress the fact that Genesis oneand evolution contradict one another. Genesis teaches

separate acts of creation by God Almighty. I t says thatGod created the different species after it s kind. Lastly,i t says that God created man in His own image andlikeness.There are those who seek to believe in the Bible and inevolution a t the same time, but this cannot consistentlybe done. The two are mutually exclusive. The studentshould note that evolution fails miserably as a philosophyof life. It cannot possibly explain the origin of matter, oflife, or of mans moral and religious na ture . Evolutionis one of the greatest foes of the Christian religion today,and we Christians should oppose it with all the powerthat we have, The theory has been ably refuted by schol-ars. We recommend the following book as a popular andyet masterful refutation of the evolutionary hypothesis:

Th? Basis of Evolutionary Faith,by Floyd E. Hamilton.Finally, let u s note that the words of the Lord JesusChrist in Matthew 1 9 : 4 and Mark 10:6 amply confirm theaccount of creation as given in Genesis.


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20 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L EE X E R C I S E S

1. What five suggestions regardin g the interpretationof the word day have been made ? Can we holdanyone of these dogmatically?2. What is atheistic evolution?3. What is deistic evolution?4. What ia theistic evolution?5. Do evolution and Genesis one agree, o r do theycontradict one another?6. To what does the phrase let us make in Generia1:26 possibly refer?7. What does the word replenish in Genesis 1:28mean?

OPTIONAL E X E R C I S E S1. Study carefully and commit to memory questions num-ber m e and nine of the Shorter Catechism, or ques-tions number one, twenty-seven, and twenty-sight of

Ihc Heidelbcrg Catechism.Commit to memory Hebrews 11:13, John 1:1-5, Colos-sians 1:12-17, and Hebrews 1 : 1 3 .2.HYMNS FOR STUDYNo. 41Nu. 11 The Spacious Firmament On High.0, Worship The King.


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22 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L ETHE GENERATIONS OF THE HEAVENS ANDTHE EARTHThe phrase, These are the generations of the heavensand the earth, is to be particularly noted. It divides thebook of Genesis into eleven great sections. The wordgenerations means &spring. Thus, th is section whichextends from Genesis 2 : 4 4 : 2 6 is an account of the off-spring which the heavens an d th e ea rth produced. We

d o well here to listen to Dr . William Henry Green, whosays, These titles (i. e., thesc a re the gcnerations of) aredesigned to emphasize and render more prominent andpalpable a n important fea tu re of the bank (i. e., Genesis)the GENEALOGICAL character of its history. This re-sults from its main rlesien~which is TO TRACE THE~~ ~~ ~~~~~~ ~.~~~~~~~~ - ~ ~~~~~~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~LINE OF DESCENT OF T H E CHOSEN RACE FROMTHE BEGINNING TO THE POINT WHERE IT WASREADY TO EXPAND TO A GREAT NATION, whosefuture organization was already foreshadowed, its tribesbeing represented in the twelve sons of Jacob, and itstribal divisions in thei r children.) Thus, we see tha tGenesis two is not a summary of Genesis one, nor is itmerely a parallel account of creation. In Genesis one th eemphasis was upon God as the CREATOR of the heavensand the earth. In Genesis two we find a PARTICULAR-ISTIC account; that is, the emphasis is not upon thecreation of the universe i n general, but upon the creationof man in particular. The attention is here focused uponman and the preparation of the earth for man. Thischaptcr does not profess to be an account of creation.Rather, it is concerned with the earth which God hadalready created.

VERSE F O U R . In the day of. This is really equiva-lent to saying after. We might render it : after theLord God had made the earth and the heavens.LORD. This is the first occurrence of the wordLORD in the Old Testament. The word LORD (trans-lated Jehovah in the Revised Version) is thc sacred, cove-nant name of God. What its exact meaning is we cannot1. Qu o te d by pemisaion of Charles Seribners Sons from millismA e n n Qreen. The Unity of the Book of Genesis. 1910. I). 2.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 23definitely assert. It is quite probable that it has somerelation to the word to he but this is by no means defi-nite. In the Hebrew language th is word consists of fourletters, and is called the Tetregranunafon,which meansfour letters. I t was such a sacred name that the oldJews never dared to pronounce i t fo r fe ar of breaking thethird commandment. Consequently we have lost it s pro-nunciation. In the Hebrew, thc four lelters which com-pose this word are consonants, and thcy now have thevowels of another word, A d o m i . which means master.Whenever the Jews saw the sacrcd namc, instead of pro-nouncing it , they pronouneed the word A d m a i . It is fromthis mixture of the two words that thc word Jehovahcomes, but this is an incorrect pronunciation. W e simplydo not know how this word LORD was originally pro-nounced nor what its original significance was.

Note the tender, loving care ofGod in preparing the ea rth for man. God did not putman upon a waste desert without water. But He gaveto the earth a mist or vapor which watered the wholeground so tha t plants might grow. This was done beforeman was created. God knew what needs man would have,and one of these needs is water, one of the most preciousof all Gods gifts. These two verses well illustrate thefact t ha t God was preparing the earth for man.

VERSESFIVE N D SIX.

EXERCISES1. What does the word thud in Genesis 2:1 mean?2. Which day of the creative week did God set apartas a day of rest?5. Why is the first day of the week the ChristianSabbath?4. Is there any Scripture evidence to show that theseventh day was observed before the giving of the

Ten Commandments?5. What is the chief characteristic of tho Babyloniantraditions of the creation?6.7.

What phrase is used to divide the hook of Gen-isinto sections?Into how many sections d q e s this phrase divide thebook?


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2 4 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E0.9.

10.11.12.IS.14.15.

What does the wo r d generation mean?Wh at is th e purpose of the titles these are theWhat is thc main design of the hook of Genesis?Let the student thoroughly master this answer.Is Genesis two a summary of Genesis one, or is i t aUpon what is the emphasis placed in Genesis two?What phrase in Genesis 2:4 shows that the heavensand the earth had already been created?Write all tha t you can about the word LORD.How does Genesis 2 5 , 6 ahow the loving care of Codfo r m a n ?

generations o f ?

parallel account of creation?

Wha t g reat g if t does God here give?OPTIONAL EXERCISES

1. S t u d y carefully a n d commit t o memory questons fifty-B ~ V C R o sixty-two of t h e Short.er Catechism, or ques-t i o n m e h u n d r e d and thrcc of the IIcidelberg Cate-c h i s m .2. C o m m i t 1.0 memory I sa iah 58:13 , 1 4 ; M a t t h e w 12:11, 12.

HYMNS FOR STUDYNo. 16 O D a y O f e s t A n d Gladness.No. I G S a f e l y Through A n o th c r Week .


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LESSON FIVEG E N E S I S T W O

VERSE SEVEN. G o d fo r me d . T h e w o r d formedoccurs nowhere e l se in the Pen ta teuch ( the f i r s t f ivebooks of the Old Te s tam ent ) . Th is ver se teaches the truecon st i tu t ion of man. M a n h a s a body which was fo rmedfrom t h e d u s t of t h e g r o u nd , a n d m a n h a s a so u l w h ichGod ga ve to h im. Thu s , mans sou l i s a su b s tan ce d i s t in c tf ro m h is body. T he re a re , there fo re , TW O essen t ia l ele-m en t s in th e co n s t i tu t io n of m an . Le t t h e s tu d en t ex-amine Eccles ias tes 1 2 : 7 w h er e h e w i l l s ee that t h e w o r dsp i r i t i s used as a synonym for the word soul . Examine a l so Dan ie l 7:15, I s a i a h 10:18 , M a t t h e w 6 : 2 5 , a n d10:28 . It i s i n co rr ec t t o s a y t h a t m a n h a s a soul , sp ir i t ,an d body, an d th a t f o r t h e f ol lo w in g r easo n s :Genesis 2:7 men t io n s o n ly t h e c r ea t io n of t h e b o d y a n dsoul.Th e w o r d s sp ir i t an d sou l a r e u sed . t h ro u g h o u t th eB ib le t o d es ig n a te d i f fe r en t a sp ec t s of t h e i m m a t e r i a lpor t ion of man s p e r so n a l i ty , an d th ey a r e u sed b o th o fmen a n d of an ima l s . H a w -e v e r , t h i s v e r s e d oe s n o t t ea c h t h a t m a n h a s a soul , sp ir i t ,and body. It i s used m erely t o descr ibe the w holc of man.Pau l mig h t h av e s a id y o u r b e in g an d so u l an d b o d y .L u k e 1 0 ~ 2 7 s s i m i l a r i n t h a t it a l s o refers t o t h e w h olebeing of m an . Th e same i s t r u e of H eb r ew s 4:12 w h e r ethe d i f f e ren t words used a rc mere ly t o p r esen t d i f f e r en tasp ec ts of the sou l an d body . T he un i fo rm teac h in g an da s s u m p t io n of t h e S c r i p t u r e i s t h a t m a n h a s o nly a SOULan d a B O D Y .

These vcr ses descr ihe theg a r d e n w hic li G od p r e p a r e d f o r m a n . T h e t r e e of l i f er e p r e s e n t s or symbolizes l i fe in its v e r y h i g h e s t a n dg r e a t e s t p bw e r. W e h a v e n o me ans of kn owin g w h a t k indof t r e e i t was . A s Ezekiel 28:13 say s , Ed en i s t h e g a r d e n

I Th essa lo n ian s 5:23 a p p e ar s t o be a n exception.

VERSES I G H TTO F O U R T E E N .


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2G S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L Eof God. It belongs t o God, and in it God receives maninto fellowship with Himself. Primari ly, thcn, th e Gar-den was Gods. Secondarily, i t was a dwelling o r abodefor man which God had permitted man t o enjoy an d inwhich God received man into fellowship with Himself.The tree of thc knowing of goad and evil was also inthe midst of the garden. The name of this tr ee i s notevil, nor is th c tree in itself able t o give the knowledgeof good and evil ( i . c., of good as opposed to cvil o r of evilas opposed t o good). As mnii was created by God, heprobably did not know goad as distinguished from evilnor cvil as distinguished from good, hut only Gods will.It WDS the act of disobeying God which gam to Adam aknowledge of good and evil t h a t hi did not possess before.

Man is put into thegarden to dress it : rnd t u keep it. This implies t h a t ma nis to work the garden to the utmost, t o develop i t in everyway that it might rcdound to the glory of the Creator.W c are not to think of Eden as a modern garden, nor asa foncml-in cnclosurc. Doubt lcsa it was merely opencountry, and all its resourecs m d possibilities were forthe benefit of man. Thus, we see that genuine labor is apar t of Gods will fo r man. M a n is responsible far thecondition of thc garden.

GotE,s Cont?,in,rri. The tr ee of the knowledge of goadand cvil WBS appointed by God as an instrument to leadman by means of probation into a s ta te of religious andmoral maturity wherein he w o u l d be most highly and com-pletsly blessed. I f man abstains from partaking of thetrec, his period of testing wil l cause him to grow, ju st aspcrioils of testing cause us to grow in our Christian life.And as we grow by testing, we roceive highcr and higherblcssing. God put this tree in thegarden for a testing , and this testing was designed by Godfor mans benefit and growth.Note thc phrasc in the day that thou eatest thereof.This does not necessarily mean a day of twenty-fourhours. Perhaps this phras e is merely equivalent t owhen. When thou ea t& thereof, thou shalt die.Tho result of disobedience thcn is death. It is not the

VERSES FIFTEEN TO TWENTY-FIVE.

So it was with Adam.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 27frui t of the tree that imparts the knowledge of good asdistinguished from evil o r of evil a s distinguished f r o mgood, but it is the a c t of disobeying Gal that impartsthis knowledge.

EXERCISES1 Wh at two essential elements constitute man ? Givereasons fo r your answer and corroborate i t withScri ptur e proof.2. Are the re thr ee different elements to mans na tu re ?What does I Thessalonians 5:23 mean? Study thenotes carefully before answering this question.3. What does the tree of li fe symbolize?4. To Whom does the garden of Eden belong?5. As man was created, did he know good in distinctionfrom evi l?6. Was the tre e (of the knowledge of good and evil)evil in itself, or ab le in itself to give th e knowledge

of good an d evil? Wha t was able to give thisknowledge?7 . Why was man put into the garden?8. What are the names of the fo ur heads of th e riversin the garden?9. According to Genesis 2 1 8 why did God make ahelpmeet for man?

10. Wh o n amed t he living crea tures which God created?11. How did God create woman?12. Does the N e w Testament corroborate the account ofthe creat ion of woman? Cf. Matthew 19:4, 5 ;I Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:31.13. What was the original state of man and woman?Cf. Genesis 2:35.

OPTIONAL EXERCISES1. Commit t o memory Genesis 2:15-25.

H Y M N S FOR S T U D YThee W c Adore, Eternal Lord.No. 1 Praise To The L a d , The Almighty.No. 19


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28 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E

LESSOX SIXTHE ORIGINAL STATIC O F MAN

(Before studying this xctiun, thc student should readagain the d u c o n d chapter uf Genesis.)originally created by God, inan mas niature; t h a t

I S , he was not created as a child, but as a full-grownman. This is criilcnt from such xrsLis as Genesis 2:15,16, 17, 8 t o 25.M a n was also crcated perfect; t h a t is, he was perfectlyadaptcd t o the place i n which Gad put him. 111- was thor-oughly in harmairy with Cud's wi l l and had n o thought ofdisobeying it, IIe was dcclared to be G O O D , indecdVERY GOOD (Genesis 1 : : j I ) . As man ma s originallycreatcd, there w a s I I U cause of death WITHIN himself.H e would h a w lived on fo r eve r , without incurring death.Lct it be noted, however, that them was the pvssibiilty ofhis incurring death by disobeying God; but ill man him-self, as he was first creatod, there was no c u u s c of death.1f:m was created in the image and likcncss of God(Gcncsis 1 : 2 7 ) . These words, image and likoncss, arcpractically synonyms. Wc might pnraphrasc thus, animagc like God. There arc t w o ways i n which i n a n is theimage of God:

Man is a spirit asGod is a spirit. M a n has the ability to think andwill as G o d also has, and man is an intellijicnt being:IS is Gad Thus man bears the Diyinc impressu p o n himsdf.

2. As t o his MOIIAI. nature . Adam was created intruc knawlcdge, righteousness, and holiness. H e wasclcelared t u bi, very good. Let the studcnt studycarefully Colossians 3:lO and Ephesians 4 :24.TlIE COVENANT O F WORKS

As

1. As to his RATIONAL nature.

By reading verses IF a n d I: of Genesis 2 me see thatG o d entered into a covenant with Adam. A covenant is a


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 29bind ing agre em ent be tween two par t i es . By th i s covenan tGod to ld Adam that i f h e a t e of t h e f r u i t of t h e t r e e ofth e knowledge of good an d evil, he would su re ly die.Hence , we may r igh t fu l ly i n fe r t ha t i f Adam d id no t ea tof th e f r u i t of th i s t re e he would no t d ie ; in o th er words,he would live. T h e outcome of th e co ve na nt dependedupon wha t Adam DID; i t w a s , t h e r e fo r e , a c o v e n a n t ofworks . T he pe na l ty of d isobeying or of b r e a k i n g t h ecovenan t w as dea th . Adam w a s the r ep resen ta t i ve of t hew h a l e h u m a n ram, and when h e broke th e covenan t, hebrough t dea th no t on ly upon h imse l f , bu t upon allmankind.

E X E R C I S E S1 . H a v e w e Scriptural evidence for sayinp that manwas created full grown and not as a child? Whatis this evidence?2. What is meant when we m y that man was created

perfect?3. As man was originally created, was there any causeo f death WITHIN him?4. How could Adam die?5. Paraphrase the two words, imapc and likeness.6. How s man created in the image of God?carefully and fully.7. With whom did God enter into a covenant?8. What is a covenant?

9

Explain

What was Adam forbidden to do. and what would hethe result of his disobedience?10. Is it correct to say that if Adam did not disobeyCod, he would live? W hy ?11. Upon what did the outcome of the covenant depend?12. W a s t a covenant of work.? Why?

OPTIONAL E X E R C I S E S1. Study carefu l ly and commit to memory ques t ions

twelve and th i r t ee n of the Sh or te r Catech ism, o r ques -t ions s ix , seven, an d twenty-seven of th e HeidelbergCatechism.H Y M N S F O R S T U D YNo. 106 Majes t ic Sweetness S i t s En th roned .KO, 6 Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing.


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LESSON SEVENGENESIS THREE

q I the student note how chapter two of Genesis pre-LEares f o r the events of chapter three. The lastverse of ehsptcr t w o sets thc s tage f or the irilroduction ofa new character, the serpent.VERSEONE. The ward translated serpent is the com-mon word in Hebrew f o r snake, and that i s what itmcans here. From the New Testamcnt we learn thatSa tan had talien possession of the serpent f o r his ownevil uses; ef. I1 Corinthians 1 1 : 3 , 14. John 8:44 ehnrae-terizes Satan, 8s do also Revelation 1Z:9; 2 0 : 2 .In the Hebrew the words translated more subtil arenaked from, every living creature of the field which theLord God had created. W c thus note that God createdthe serpcnt.

THE TEMPTATIONGod had u s ~ d hc tree of the knowledge of good andevil as a means for testing man. This testing was de-signed by God to he for mans own good. Satan now

changes the testing into a TEMPTATION. He uses thesame tree as the mmns of temptation and he uses it forthe harm of man. In ordcr to bring this about, he doesnot hesitate t a tell a lie, fo r he is a l iar and the fathe r ofi t ; there is no truth in him. He wishes to fill the womansmind with doubt as to two things.1. Satan would have thc woman doubt whether Godreally did give such a command. She answers tha t

He did give such a command, hu t the studen t shouldnote tha t she misquotcs th e words o i God. Eve addsth e phrase (verse 8) : neither shall ye touch of it,and God had merely said (chapter 2, verse l i ) ,thoushalt not eat of it. Thus w e see th a t even listeningto the devil causes us to misinterpret God.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 312. Satan would also fill the womans mind with doubtas to the truthfulness of what God had said. Hedenies Gods statement in a most vehement form. .In the Hebrcw, this is most vivid. NOT shall yedie. He implies that the reason why God had toldthem that they would die is a selfish one. He wouldhave the woman think that God is jealous of herpower to become like Him. He represents God as aliar. Thus, the two things which Satan desires the

woman to doubt are Gods goodness and His truth-fulness.VERSEFIVE. The phrase in the day that ye eat th e r e

of means, whenever ye eat thereof, or, as surely as yeea t thereof. Note then how Satan suggests that the veryeating of the fruit itself has the power to bestow thisknowledge of good and evil. Satan makes this out BPsomething to be desired.

. -

EXERCISES1. Is it correct to ray th at Satan had taken pouassion

of th e serpent fo r his own uses?2. What is the literal meaning of more subtil?3. Did God create the serpent?4. How had God used the tree of the knowledge of

good and evil?5. Haw did Satan use the t ree? Study the notes can-fully.6. What were the two things which Satan desired tohave the woman doubt?7. H o w did Eve, in answering Satans first question,misrepresent Gods statement?8. Did Satan point out to her that she had misquoted

God?9. How does Satan deny what God had said? Cf. ,Genesis 2:17 with Genesis 3:4. Brinn out the vividform of his denial.To what source does Satan attrihute the knowledgeof good and evil?10. Cf. Genesis 3:5.


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32 S T U D Y Y O U R B B L EO P T I O N A L EXERCISES

1. Commit to mer;lory Genesis 3 : l - I .2. Study carefully and commit to memory question num-ber thirteen of the Shorter Catechism, or questionseven of the Heidelberg Catechism.H Y M N S FOR S T U D YNo. 2452 Jesus, Lover Of M y Soul.No. 28 All Glory Be To Thee Mo st High.


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LESSON EIGHTGENESIS 3:6

GENESIS :6. This verse describes the fall of man.Gods command was very clear to Adam and Eve. Theyknew what they were forbidden to do, and yet, notwith-standing, they deliberately disobeyed God. This terribleact of disobedience is called the fall, because by itman fell from the estate wherein he was created into anestate of sin and misery. Adams act of disobedience wassinful. Probably one of the best definitions of sin isthat of the Westminster Shor ter Catechism: Sin is anywant of conformity unto, o r transgression of , the law ofGod. It is inno sense merely a n illusion; i t is a definite, positive thing.Cf., for example, James 2:lO; James 4 : 1 7 ; Romans 3:23;I John 3:4 .Furthermore, sin is a specific evil. There are otherevils, such as sickness and death, which are the fruits ofsin, but sin is to he distinguished from these. Cf.Romans 5:12.

Sin is also a moral evil, in that it violates the law ofGod.Sin, then, is here in the world, and its presence raisesthree problems which we human beings cannot answer.Yet, w e do well to consider these problems.1. Genesis 3:6 tells u s that man sinned by disobeyingGod. Why did man do this? What is the ultimatecause of moral evil? Sin is irrational, and there isno sufficient cause to explain why man should sin.

Why, then, did he do it?2. Why did God decree evil? Why did God choose thisway of showing for th the glory of His being and ofHis character? There are some who say that Goddid not decree evil, but that it already existed o r

It has well been said that sin is a real evil.

We simply do not how.


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came from some other sourcc. But this contradictsthe Bible as wu sec from Romans 11:X and Ephe-sians 1:ll . Wt: urge thc student to rcad carefullyIsaiah 4 6 : 5 - 9 . (Note especially verse scven.) Godid ordain evil; it is within His plan. At the sametimc thc Bible teaches us t h a t God is not the Authorof sin, nor is Hi s na tu re sinful. He is the Holy andthe J u s t ; H e is Light and in, Him is n o darknessat all. We do notknow. Although wc do not unders tand why God hasordaincd evil, yet we know t h a t this fa ct has shownus Gods great lave i n saving sinners.

3. As Adam was created, he was good (Genesis 1 :3 1 ) ,holy and upright in nature, with immaculate moralcharacter and inclination. How could such a beingbecome sinful and depraved? How could a sinlessbeing hucome sinful?In order that these questions may not discourare us,let us simply trust God, Who knoweth the cnd from thebeginning. Our reason cannot answer these questions,hecause o u r reason is finite and darkened by sin. Yet,Shall not the Judge of all the ea rt h do right? Judgenothing before the time, until the Lord comc, Who willbring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will

make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shallevery man have pra isc of God. I Corinthians 4:5 . Ohth e dcpth of the richcs, both of the wisdom and knowledgeof God how unsearchable a r e His judpncnt s, and Hisways past finding out. For of Him, and th rough Him,and to Kim, are all things; to Whom he glory forever.Amen. Romans 11:33-36.

Yet, why did He decree evil?

W e do n o t know.

EXERCISES1. Commit to memory the Shortfr Catechiam definitionof sin.2. What i s the first insoluble problem raised by theprtaenee of sin?3. What i s the second insoluble problem raised by thepresence of sin?


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 354. What i. the third insoluble problem raised by the5. In the face of these problems, what is the bastpresence of sin?attitude for us to take?

O P T I O N A L EXERCISES1. Study carefnlly mid commit to memory question sevenof the Shorter Catechism, or question twenty-seven ofthe Heidelberg Catechism.

H Y M N S FOR S T U D YNo. 414 God Moves In A Mysterious Way.No. 140 There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood.


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36 S T U D Y Y O U F L B I B L E

LESSOX XIXETHE IMMEDIATE R E S U L T S O F SIN

rcsult of Adam's sin, f o u r things immediatelyASappaned :1. SHAME. This is seen in vc r sc seven. ImmediatelyAdam and I,:ve rc;ilize that. they arc naked. Cf. Genesis2:25 and note th e contrast. They make a feeble effort toc o v o r up thci? s in , but this is later rejected by God, just

as all man s efforts a t covcring UII sin arc rejcctcd.2. A DESIItE 'TO HIDI': F R O M GOD'S PRESENCE.This is seen i n verse eight. Man realizes tha t hc 113s losthis state of rightcausncrs with GMI. He knows that God

will n u longcr. derlarc him rightcous, and so he desires tohidc himself ' from God 's prcsence.:1. A L M I G H T Y G O D IRIMEDIATELY DENOUNCESS I N AND IGXECUTISS JUDGMENT.\ h:ns~s N m n TO T H I R T B E N . Note how tenderly and

lovingly God causes man to confess his sin. God docs notns l i these questions for information. I t is mercly Hisg r a c i w s way of dcnling with sinners. There is not atracc of S ~ ~ C L L S I I In these questions of Gad, but we sce tha tboth the man a n d the woman attempt to shift the blamenpon s u m e o n o else.

Man is now help-less before Go& and can do absduiely nothing, so Godtakes the initiative in thc matter of redemption. Versefifteen teachcs us several things.n. It is God, and not man, who takes the initiative inthe mat te r of redeeming man.h . Man's attitude toward Gad and toward the serpent

is t o bc completely reversed, and in this reversal ofattitude the cssence of deliverance from sin reallyconsists. When a man is saved from sin, he under-stands that God does not deceive him. but that Satan

V E R S E SFOURTEEXO TWENTY-TWO.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 31is truly his enemy. Before a man is saved, however,he is a t enmity with God and a servant of sin.e . The enmity is not only to be between the woman andthe serpent, but i t extends even t o the seed of thewoman and to the seed of the serpent. It is, there-fore, a continuous enmity.

4 The issue of the enmity is foretold by God. Thes e d of the woman will give the fa tal blow. Notethat these words of verse fifteen are spoken to theserpent.

The phrase the seed of the woman refers t o thewomans children and na tu ra l descendants. The Seedwhich was to deliver the f a tal blow was Christ.The phrase the seed of the serpent perhaps meansthe evil kingdom over which Satan rules.From this verse alone, we see that from the seed of the

woman, somehow, and a t some time, a f ata l blow will begivcn which will completely destroy not only the seed ofthe serpent, but the serpent himself. Perhaps there ishere a suggestion that the blow will be given by one defi-nite individual. A t any rate, while this fa tal blow isbeing given, the Seed of the woman, who gives the blow,will Himself be wounded as to His heel. He will receivea lesser wound, but will not be completely conquered.Hebrews 2:14 shows us tha t Christ destroyed ( that is,brought to naught) the devil by means of DEATH. Andin this death which Christ died, He Himself suffered ter-ribly. But this we are told in the New Testament; fromthis verse alone we merely learn tha t from the seed of thewoman will come the blow that will overcome the serpent.

Verse sixteen shows that even though man has sinned,he will still be able to propagate himself. The race isnot doomed to extinction. However, because of sin, thewoman is condemned to suffer in childbirth.

Verses seventeen to nineteen do not teach that toil andlabor were imposed as a curse or because of sin, becauseunfallen man had already been given work to do. Cf.Genesis 2:15. But the result of lahor now is tha t i t i schanged from a blessing into something that merely leads


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38 S T U D Y Y O U % B I B L Eto death. Because of sin, the body of man returns to thedust from which it was taken. This is physical death,which came upon man as a resu lt of sin. However, thework th a t man does will enable him to live. He will beable to eat brcad until physical death ovcrtakes him, whenhis body will return to the ground. Remember t ha t thesewords (vcrsc nineteen) occur in a curse. Verse seven-teen states that the ground was cursed because of man.(Cf. also Romans 8:22.) It is unto this eurscd groundthat mans body returns at death.In verse twenty the word Eve probably meansliving.

Vcrse twenty-one shows that the garments which Adama n d Eve made were not sufficient. The Lord provided acovering of the skins of animals. In order tha t Adam andEve might bc clothcd with skins, the lives of animals hadto bc taken. Perhaps in this thereis an illustration of the fact that without shedding ofblood, there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9 : 2 2 ) .However, the New Tcstament does not refer to this inci-dent as an illustration of atanemcnt by the shedding ofblood.Verse twenty-two makcs it clear that man now knowsgood as dist.inguished from evil and evil as distinguishedfrom good. He has disobeyed Gad. The Scr ipture sta testhat eating of the tree of life would have caused man tol i v e forever; it does not say that it would havc removedsin o r the curse. We must simply trust that Gad did theright thing in removing man from the garden.

4 . G O D D R I V E S M A N O U T O F T H E G AR DE NO FEDEN . This is th e fo ur th immediate result of sin. Itis spiritual death. The very root of death consists inbeing separated from God. Man is now set loose in theearth, SEPARATED from God. N o longer does he enjoyth e beautiful fellowship which wa s his in the garden.Hc now has the root and principle of death within him.He has to die. These two verses (Genesis 3:23, 24) areperhaps the saddest in the Bible.

Blood hnd to be shed.


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1.2.3.4.5 .6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.

S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 39EXERCISES

What are the four immediate results of mans dis-obedience?H o w s shame manifested? Do the man and womanseek to hide from each other or merely, from God?Why does man desire to hide himself fro m God?H o w do verses 9-13 indicate God tender method ofdealing with sinners?What four facts are brought out by verse fifteen?Why did God have to take the initiative in thematter of redemption?I n what docs the es.ence of deliverance consist?To whom does the enmity extend?Wha t is th e issue of the enmi ty?What does the phrase the seed of the womanmean?What is your interpretation of verse fifteen andwhy?Is tho race doomed to extinction because of s in?Show from verses seventeen t o nineteen how toil n o wlead. to death.Why did God drive man ou t of Eden?In what does spiritual death consist?

OPTIONAL EXERCISES1. Study carefully and commit to memory question nineof the Shorter Catechism, o r question twenty-six ofthe Heidelberg Catechism.

w m N s FOR STUDYNo. 219 My Sins, My Sins, My Saviour.No. 214 With Broken Heart And Contrite Sigh.


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LESSON T E NE H A V E just studied the Genesis account of thefall of man. In order to understand ar ig ht th efull meaning of this fal l, it will be necessary f o r us t oturn to the New Tcstament. Our Shorter Catcchism

sa ys : The fall brought mankind into an cstate of sinand misery. In what way did th edisobedience of Adoin affect you and me? Why am I inany way nffeeted by or responsible for what Adam did?Thc nnswcr to these qucstions l i es in the fac t tha t Adamwas o u r rcpresentativc. If he had abstained from the for-hiddcn tree, hc and his descendants would have lived for-ever. But since he disobeyed G o d , he, by his own act,brought n o t on ly himself, but also all his sced (i.e. hisdesceml;ints) into ;L state of sin a n d misery. I n otherwords, G o d imputes Adams disobedience to you and to me.To impute means to attr ibute to, to reckon to, to lay toones account. Thercfurc, God attrihute s Adams sin to us.God lays thi s sin to our account. W e are held accountablefor what Adam d i d The very fact, then, that we arehumnn beings, IN ITSELF is cnaugh to condemn us.If thc student fecls that this is unjust o r unfair of God,wc must simply answer, Nay, but, 0 man, who art thouthat. rcplicst against God? Shall the thing formed say toH i m t h a t f o m c d it, Why hast Thou made me thus?That this is the clear teaching of Scripture, wvc shall nowdemonstrate. I t will be necessary to study carefullyRomans 5:12-19.

ROMANS 6:12-19When this verse says that sin enteredinto the world, it docs not merely refer t o the first caseof s in; it mcans th a t sin entered into th e world and is inthe world now. It is stated th a t this happened throughth e agcncy of one man (Ad am) . Death also came in bymeans of sin. The force of the words passed upon ispermeated. Thus, we may read, death permeated all

B u t why is this so?

VERSETWELVE.


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 41men, because all have sinned. This phrase, Because allhave sinned, means th a t all have sinned in Adam, theirrepresentative. That is, all sinned when Adam partookof the forbidden fruit . That this is the correct Inter-pretation of these words is showna By the fact that it is in harmony and completeaccord with what Paul says in the next few verses.Since Paul is trying to prove that all sinned inAdam, he would certainly he inconsistcnt to contra-

dict this fact in the midst of his argument.b. This view of the passage i s the one assumed by thegrea t commentators of the Church.VERSES THIRTEENAND FOURTEEN.hese verses a re dif-ficult, but their general meaning seems to be as follaws.They refer only to the time between Adam and Moses, be-fore the Ten Commandments were given. As we read

these verses, we ar e not to understand that God had givenno law upon earth before the Mosaic law. Of course, thebasic principles of morality expressed in the Ten Com-mandments were operative from Adam to Moses, and if aman violated these principles, he was suhjeet to condem-nation. But during this time there was no law ADE-QUATE t o explain the universality of death. If there isno law for man to break, then God cannot treat a man asa sinner. Now, hetween the time of Adam and Moses, theTen Commandments had not yet been given. But eventhough this was so, yet sin was present. God did reckonmen as sinners. He treated them just as though they hadbroken law. How do we know that God treated men assinners before the Mosaic Law was given? We know thisbecause God punished men with death. Now, not everyman had sinned jus t as Adam did. Adam had deliber-ately disobeyed a revealed command of God. But somehad not sinned in this manncr a t all. Nevertheless, theydied. Death reigned. How are we to explain this unCvemal, unrestmined r e i g r ~ f death? How are we to ac-count for the fact that those died who had not sinned ashad, Adam? There is only one way to account for thisfact. They died, because they sinned in Adam, thei rrepresentative. God imputed to them the sin of Adam.


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42 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L EH e hcld them to account f o r what Adam had done, fo r allmankind fell in Adam.The interpretation of these verses which we have givenmay be disputed, by some, f o r they are difficult as to de-tails. Thei r design, however, does seem t o be to provetha t the last phrase of verse twelve (for th at all havesinncd) means that all have sinned in Adam, thcir repre-sentative.

VERSEFIFTEEN.Here it i s definitely stated tha t by thetransgression of one man (Adam) many died. The thinxthat Adam did is imputed to us. God holds us to accountfor his sin, The gift of grace here mentioned is the sal-vation which Jesus procured fo r us by His death upon theeross.VERSESIXTEEN.Here is the same thing. The ac t ofone man, Adam, brought a b u t the judgment of God whichcondemns all men. Because of Adam, we are condemnedfor one sin, but through Christ, we are frecd from thecondemnation of many sins.VERSE EVEXTEEN. ords cannot be plainer than these.Because of the one transgression, death, which is the pen-al ty of sin, reigned through one man.VERSEEIGATEEN. The original is very vivid here."Wherefore, a s by the transgression of one, unto all men,unto condemnation." We a r e condemncd because ofAdam's transgression. The one deed of his pulled usdown so that our nature is sinful, death reigns over usand there awaits only condemnation. But while the trans-gression of one plunged us all into a state of condem-nation, the righteous act of Another saved us from con-demnation.VERSENINETEEN.Again we find the same teaching. Itis by the disobedience of one man tha t many men wereestablished as sinners.I.& us also look briefly a t I Corinthians 15:21, 22, wherewe find the very same thing taught. The very fa ct th atwe are human bcings c a u s e s us to die. This is the ter-rible result of Adam's sin. He plunged the whole humanrace into a s ta te of misery and despair, leading only to


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 43judgment and condemnation. The student is most earn-estly urged to master this teaching of the Bible. Thereare those who rebel against it, in spite of the clear methodwith which the Bible presents it. And, i t is a hard thingto understand. But while the act of the first man, Adam,plunged us all into a state of misery leading to condem-nation, the first man, Adam, is only a type of Him Whowas t o come. In the fulness of time, God sent forth asecond MAN, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, being the eter-nal Son of God, became man, and now is both GOD andMAN, Who kept the law to the very letter, and Who per-formed a righteous act which causes us t o be declaredjust and righteous by God. For thc Lord, Jesus Christ,seeing us ruined and lost and eternally damned by the falland under the terrible curse of the law, came to this ear thand offered Himself a Sacrifice, pure and spotless andperfect, so that He might completely satisfy the Divinejustice and might wholly reconcile us to God. By Hisdeath He completely paid the full penalty of our sin. Hisatoning death satisfied the justice of a holy God, so thatGod will now declare just every man that believes onJesus.The Lord Jesus was our Substitute upon the cross. Wedezerved the terrible death which He died. But He tookthe full penalty of our sin upon Himself and wholly de-livered us from the accusing finger of Gads law. He wasmade sin for us, He Who knew no sin, that we, lost, un-done, condemned sinners, might be made the righteousnessof God in Him.It is because Christ was our Substitute upon the crossthat we are aaved. W e lay hold upon this salvation byfaith, and faith is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The onlyhope of the world today is Christ . Man is a fallen crea-ture and cannot save himself. But there is a Saviour,even Jesus Christ the Lord, Who loved us and gave Him-self for us.

E X E R C I S E S1. Verse 12. What does the phrase sin entered theworld m e a n ?a. Through whose agency did this happen?


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44 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E3. What does the phrase for all have sinned mean?Prose it.4. Verses IS, 14. I f a man dies, d w s i t show t ha t hebas sinned?5. Did men die between the time of Adam end Moses?6. Did men die during this time because they hadbroken the Ten Commandments?7 W h y did man die between the time of Adam andMoses?8. Wh at does imputation mean79. Show how each verse of Romans 5:15-19 teachesthat it was the sin of Adam which plunged each oneof US into condemnation.

Docs God lay t o our accotmt the sin of Adam?OPTIONAL EXERCISES

1. Commit t o memory Romans 6:12-19.10.

2. S tu dy enreful ly an d conimit to memory question six-tceii of the Shor te r Catech ism, or question seven ofthe Heidelberg Catechism.HYMNS FOR STUDYNo. 137 Rock Of Ages, Clef t For Me.No. 30 Round The Lord I n Glory Seated.


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LESSON ELEVENE HAVE seen in our study how the whole worldfell into sin through Adams transgression. Thecorruption of mans whole nature which he derives fromAdam is called original sin. It means that each one of usis horn with a sinful nature. By this fall, we lost com-

munion with God, we are under His just wrath and curse,and so, as the Catechism says, we are liable to all themiseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains ofhell forever. That th is is the plain teaching of Scrip-ture will now be demonstrated.a. Men who are born into this world do not have com-munion with God because of the sinful nature withwhich they arc born. Cf. Psalm 143:2; Romans 3:

23; I John 5:lO; Psalm 58:3; Psalm 52:3, 4; Psalm53:1, 2 ; Isaiah G:5; Exodus 3:G; I Kings 19:3; Ec-clesiastes 7 :2 0 ; Judges 13:20 , 21, 2 2 ; Judges 6:22,23; Exodus 33:20; Deuteronomy 5 : 2 6 ; I Corinthians2:14; Ephesians 2:12, 13; Romans 3:ll-18.b. Men who are horn into this world are under the jus twrath of a holy God and stand under the curse ofHis law. Because of our original sin and because of

the sins which we daily commit, we are guilty beforeGod. Galatians 3:10, 11, 13, 22; Ephesians 2: l -22 ;Ephesians 4:17, 18; Colossians 1:13, 21; Colossians2:13, 14; Colossians 3:6, 7 .C. Men who are tarn into this world are liable to themiseries of this life. The reason far this is tha tthey are born with a sinful nature. Psalm 39:4, 5;Psalm 90:5-10; Psalm 1 0 2 : P l l ; Psalm 103:14-16;

Nehemiah 5:5: Isaiah 40:6, 7 ; Romans 6:19; I1 Cor-inthians 12:7.d . Men who are horn into this life are subject to deathand to hell. Ezekiel 18:4, 2 0 ; Jeremiah 31:20; Ga-latians 3:lO. We shall now examine the meaning ofthe word death in Romans 6:12. The w o r d does


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4F S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L Enot refer only to physical death, for not all havedied, as e. g. Enoch and Elijah. Paul did doubtlesshave physical death in mind as he wrote. All mendie, fo r all have sinned. But physical death is thesign or manifestation of a death that separates manfrom God. The reference here, then, is not only toplrysical death, bu t to deadness in trespasses andsins, and, above all, to eternal death; final, unendingsepara tion from God: hell. This is substantiated,far example, by Romans 5:18. The statements ofthe Lard Jesus show th a t He knew the awful realityof hell and they show how eager He was fo r men toflee from thc wrath t u come. Let the student studycarefully these statements of Jesus: Matthew 6:22;11: 23 , 2 4 ; 1 3 : 4 2 ; 23:15; 25:41-46; Luke 16:23-31.

e . Man, as born into this world with his sinful nature,is utterly unable to do anything for his salvation orto please God in any way. Study carefully th e tcr -rible description of tho natural man ( i . c., man a s heis born into the world atid before Christ saves him)which Paul gives in R o m a n s 3:9-20.

EXERCISES1. What is meant by original sin?2. Is every man born with original sin?3. Give Scripture references to show that men by

na tu re d o not have communion with God. (N ot ehow some of these YCTI)ES stress the fear that manha . of dying should he see God.)4. Give Scripture references to show that men byare under the just wrath of God and thecur ie of the law.5. Give Scripture references to show that men bynature are subject to the miseries of this life.6 . Give Scripture reference s to show tha t men bynature are subject to death.7 . What is the meaning of he word death in Romans5:12?8. How do you know th at this word death meansmore than physical death?9. Is there a hell? Give Scri ptur e references.Is man by nat ure in a position to eain his salvation?0


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 4 1OPTIONAL E X E R C I S E S

12 .Commit to memory Romans 3:9-20.Commit to memory questions scventeen and nineteenof the Shorter Catechism, or questions eight and tenof the Heidelberg Catechism.

HY MN S FOR STUDYNo. 136No. 771

Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound.When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.


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LESSON TWELVEN THE first chapter of Genesis, we noted that GodAt this point, itmay be well for us to inquire whether the fall of maninjured or cffaced this image.created man in His own image.

THE IMAGE O F G O DAS T O M O R A L NATURE.I1 Corinthians 4 : 4 ; and Romans, chapters one and two.Romans 3 : Z O ; Galatians 3 : l l ; Ephesians 2:5.Romans 3:9-18.man is a sinner.to moral nature.AS TO RATIONAL ATURE.As to his rational nature, man has not completely lostthe image of G o d , for, even though man is a sinner, hecan still reason and think, u s e his will, and make choices,But his reason and will have become blinded by sin,clouded and affected, so that they are not what they werebefore th e fall. Note I1 Corinthians 4 : 4 and the otherpassages given above. Also review thc lesson upon theImage of God (Lesson Six).

Fur thermore, the $in of man affected creation itself,God cursed the ground because of man, the whole ere-ation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now,Romans 8 : 2 2 .This sad condition into which the fall plunged man hasso completely enslaved him that he cannot understandGods ways. In vain does he endeavor to throw off theyoke of bondage, but cannot. He tries one remedy af te ranother, seeking ever for happiness and relief, yet neverfinding them. It was into this sin-cursed world that aSINLESS ONE came, Himself a MAN, tempted in all

Man no longer ha s t rue knowledge. Cf. Romans 3 : l l ;Man no longer has true righteousness. Cf. Isaiah G : G ;Man no longer ha s t ru e holiness. Cf. Psalm 61:l-5;The whole teaching of the Bible is tha tM a n has, therefore, complctely lost the image of God as


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 49points like as we, and yet completely without sin. Heknew how utterly unable we were to do anything to saveourselves, so He Himself did something to save us. Heoffered up Himself as a sacrifice to God; He shed Hisprecious blood on the Cross of Calvary in order that H emight completely sntisy the righteous wra th of God,and by His death He stilled forever the accusing finger ofGods law. And He has told us tha t if we simply believeon Him, if we simply trust Him to pay the whale debt ofour sin, He will accept us.

Even the best of men,if they are honest, must recognize how morally rottenthey are. But, notwithstanding all we have done, He willaccrpt us, for His death has completely satisfied Godswrath, and no longer can any faul t be found in us. Wearc clothed with Christs righteousness. The reason whyChrist was able to save us lies in the fact that He is God.Yet, since wc who sinned are human beings, Christ alsobecamc a human bcing in order to save us. (Hebiiews 2:1 4 ff.) Christ, Who is God, became man (John 1:14) and,n o w that His redreming work is done, continues in twonatures, Divine and human, yet one Person, forever.

But we have fallcn f a r into sin.

E X E R C I S E SI . Does man have true knowledge since the f a l l ?2. How did man loie t r u e knowledge?3. Does man n o w have true righteousness?4. Does man now have true holiness?5. Has man completely last the image of God as far ashir moral nature is concerned?6. Has man completely lost the image of God as t o hisrational nature?7. What has happened to mans reason and w i l l by thef a l l ?

OPTIONAL E X E R C I S E S1.2.

Commit to memory Psalm 51.Commit to memory question eighteen of the ShorterCatechism, or questions three, five, and eight of theHeidelherg Catechism.

HYMNS FOR STUDYNo. 742 Alas, And Did My Saviour Bleed?No. 39 The Heavens Declare Thy Glory.


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LESSON THIRTEENGENESIS F O U R

VERSE ONE. Mankind is now outside of the garden.W e might translate this verse: I have gotten u manwith the help of the Lord. Perhaps even here Eve re-members the promise of Gad that her seed would bruisethe head of the serpent. Notc the prominence of theword LORD in this chapter. I n Chapter one the empha-sis was upon the word GOD; in Chapters two and threeupon th e words L O R D GOD, and here it is upon the wordLORD. W e shall speak more of this later.

VERSESTwo TO FIFTEEN.Abel was a righteous man. Cf. Matthew Xi: ; I John

3:12; Hebrews 11:4.Cains attitude wa s wrong. Cf. I John 3:12; Jude:14;Hebrews 11:4. Study Hebrews 11:4 a s a commentaryupon the sacrifice of Cain and Abel. Compare the sin ofCain with th a t of Adam, and note how far sin had alreadyprogressed. A rapid progress had occurred in the cor-ruption of the human heart. However, evcn Cain stillfeels the need of help f rom the Lord.VERSES SIXTEENTO TWENTY-FIVE. Thc genealogy of theCainites, which comes to a head in Lamech. The namesin this Chapter are not the names of the s a m e people asap pear in Chaptcr five. As to th e meaning of theseproper names, we are simply at a loss. W e do not knowthe exact meaning of one of them positivcly. The line ofCain comes to a head in Lameeh, an d in his son of hate wesee how f a r sin had ru n its course. Cain a t least felt the

need of help from the Lard, but Lamech depends entirelyupon his own strength. This is th e last th a t we hearabout the Cainites.Perhaps in thedeath of Abel we see the beginning of the death strugglebetween the seed of the woman and the serpent. A t any

The First Murde?.

VERSES TWENTY-FIVBND TWENTY-SIX.


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5 2 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E

LESSON FOURTEENTHE GENERATIONS O F ADAM

HIS TITLE introduces the third great division of thebook o f Gmcsis. Note how the subject-matter iscontinually being narrowed. Fi rs t , the book speaks ofthe gencrations of thc heavens and th e ea rt h, now of t hegencrations of Adam. Chapter five presents the genealogyof Seth. It is quite probable that these genealogies arenot intended t o be complete, but only representative. No-where in tha Scripture a r e thcy made the basis of ehron-ology. It is common in the Old Testament to omit namesin gcnealogies. Thus, far example, i n I Chronicles 9:12thrw names are omitted which are given i n Nehemiah11:12. As in Chapter four, so here; we cannot definitelytell what the meaning of each of these proper names is.In rcsding this Chapter, note the phrase, and he died.In Genesis thrce Satan had said, NOT hall ye die. Itis said of caeh man except E m c h th at he died.Enoch w a l k e d with God, a n d he was not, for God tookhim. This phrase, to walk with God, means more thanto l e n d an upright l i f c . It occurs only three times: here,in describins Noah, and in Malachi 2:6. I t probablyn i e n n s that ICnoch had supernatural intercourse with God.Tho translation of Enoch is an illustration of the fac tthat when true communion with God has bccn restored,then deliverance from death follows. Study Hebrews11:s in this light and compare Ju de 14.

V E R S E TWENTY-NINE.Contrast this with the words o fthe Lameeh in Chapt,er four. This Lnmech frcls the ter-rible effects of the curse and the burden undcr which thewhole world lieth.CHAPTER SIX

VERSETwo. We are not certain just what the phrase,sons of God, means. Some sa y t h a t it means theangels, and others that it means noble and distinguished


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 53men. It i s qu i t e p robab le t h a t i t r e f e r s t o t he l i ne of S e th ,the chosen l ine ; poss ib ly the phrase , the daughte rs o fmen, means the Ca in it e s. T h us the re would he a n in te r -m ix tu re of t h e Ca in it es and t he S e th i t e s by mar r i age . B u tw h ile t h i s i s poss ib ly t h e m ean ing , w e canno t a s s e r t i ttoo dogmatical ly.

VERSE TH REE. Th i s ve r s e i s pe r hap s be s t t r ans l a t ed ,M y s p i r i t s ha l l no t a lw ays ab ide o r rule over man.VERSEF IV E. Co n t r a s t t h i s ve r s e w i th G enesis 1: 31 , a n dn o te t h e a w f u l h av oc t h a t s i n w r o u g h t .VERSE SIX. Thi s ve r s e i s s imp ly s t a t ed f rom man spoint of view. O f course, God does not do s ome th ing , an dt h e n r e p e n t a n d c h a n g e H i s m i n d. S in i n n o w i se f r u s -t r a t e d o r changed t he p l ans of God. B ut th i s ve rse showshow much o u r s in gr ieved God, for He i s a loving God,Who does no t w an t H i s c r ea tu re s t o pe r i s h .

Gods p lan of redempt ion isn o t t h w a r t e d , for H e p re s e rves N oah , t h rough w hom Hew i ll c a r ry ou t H i s p lan. N o te t h a t t he flood i s sent he-caus e of t he s i n fu lne s s of m an . Th e re is he re a n ethi ca lemphas i s th a t i s l ack ing in the po ly the i st ic Babylonianacc ou nts of th e flood. T h e pu rpo se of th e flwd i s t o de-s t roy mank ind . B u t no t e also tha t God dec ides to save are m na nt . These fa c t s wi l l he diseussed in de ta i l la t er ,

VmSEs SEVEN A N D EIGHT.

EXERCISES1 . Are the genealogies of Genesis four and five neces-sarily intended to he complete?2. Arc these genealogies ever made the hasis of achronology in Scripture?3. Can w e definitely say what the meaning of theseproper names is?4. What does the phrase to walk with God mean?5. Did Enoch p1ea.e God ? Cf. Hebrews 11:5.6. Write down every statement that is made ahoutEnosh in Genesis four; next write down everythingthat is said about the Enoch in Genesis five. Fromwhat the Scripture says, do you think t hat the se twoEnoshs are intended to be the same person?


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54 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E7. Do the same thing with the Lamech of each chapter.Do you think tha t there is any warrant for sayingthat these are the same man?

W hat d o n the phrase s o n s of Cod in Genesis 6:1probably mean?10. From whose point of view is verse six written?11. Does God really f e e l sorry for what He has donaand repent? Cf. 1 Samuel 15:29.12. Did a remnant find grace in the eyes of the Lord.through whom God would carry out His promise ofredemption?

8.9. How is Genesis 6:3 best translated?

HYMNS FOR STUDYNo. 309No. 75 Beneath The Cross Of Jesus.A Mighty Fortress Is O u r God.


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LESSON FIFTEENTHE GENERATIONS OF NOAH

N O U R STUDY of the flood, three things must bea. The purpose of the Rood was to destroy all flesh.Cf. Genesis 6:1, 3 , 1 7 ; 7:4, 21-23; also I Peter 3 :2 0 .b. The cause of the flood was the sinfulness of man.Cf. Genesis 6 : 5 , 11, 12, 13.e. A thoroughly representative remnant was saved.Cf. Genesis 6 : 8 ; 7 : 1 , I 9 .Note also the cxtent and the duration of the flood.The language which is used to describe the flood is the

same comprehensive language which is used to describecreation in Genesis one.

stressed :I

GENESIS SIXVERSE NINE. Again note the phrase, walked withGod. Enough is said to show that, although Noah wasa sinner, yet God could declare him just.VERSE ELEVEN. Note the constant repetition of this

terrible fact.VERSEFIFTEEN. cubit is about eighteen inches. Notethe proportions of the dimensions.VERSE SEVENTEEN. The sense of the original is: Iam a b u t to bring the destroyer (and the nature of thisdestroyer is) waters upon the earth. The word watersexplains the kind of destruction which God is bringing.Note again the purpose of the destruction.CHAPTER SEVEN, VERSES EIGHTEENTO TWENTY.Note the repetition of the word prevailed. Let thestudent read Chapters six to ten without interruption,noting the graphic vividness with which the account istold. Let him note how the repetition makes the narrativemore vivid.


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56 S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L EVERSESTWENTY-ONEO TWENTY-FOUR.Read I1 Peter

2 : 5 as a coninicnt upon these verses.C H A P T E R I


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S T U D Y Y O U R B I B L E 67may be that Canaan was most like his father Ham inrespect to his sensual nature. But of this we cannot besure. Verse twenty-nine brings the history of the ante-diluvians t o a close.

EXERCISES1. What three things must he stressed in studying theflood? Give Scripture references.2. Is there any indication that the flood was of wide

extent?3. What is the exact sense of Genesis I714. In Genesis 8:21, what

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