7/28/2019 The Bible the History of God 75LGL

1/2

od is omnipotent, but apart from the Bible there is no record

about Him in the whole universe. It is even hard to find a

record concerning some of the false gods. But we do have a record

about God, that is, the Bible. The most wonderful thing on this

earth among the human race is this record.

The Pentateuch, which the Jews call the Torah, was written by

Moses. Moses was not very early; rather, he was at least four

hundred years later than Abraham and at least twenty-five

centuries later than Adam. Here then is a marvelous question:

Where did Moses get all his facts

for the writing of the Pentateuch?

Genesis is a record written by

Moses, but you cannot find Moses

support for his record. Therefore,

people wonder where Moses got

the material for Genesis, the

account of Adam to Joseph. Sometimes Moses gives us a very

detailed record, as in Genesis 3. Moses tells of mans fall through

the serpent and even gives us the conversation between the serpent

and Eve in much detail. But where did Moses get this material?

THE HISTORY OF GOD REVEALED

THROUGH HUMAN STORIES

The best Bible teachers say that Genesis is a book of history.

But Genesis is also a book of stories. If Genesis were just a book

of history, the record concerning Joseph, for instance, would not

need to be as long as it is. It is strange that only three pages ofGenesis are about Gods creation, while many pages are about this

one man Joseph. Of the fifty chapters of Genesis, thirteen are

about Joseph.

Why is the record of Gods creation so short and the record of

this youth named Joseph so long? You must realize that the history

of God is not a history related much to the creation. If Genesis

were a full record of Gods creation, fifty chapters would not be

sufficient. Scientists today spend not pages but books to tell us

about the existence of the universe. But the Bible is not that kind of

history. The Bible is a history of God in union not with the stars

and the heavenly host nor with the beasts. The Bible is a history of

God in union with man. Joseph occupies such a long portion of the

record because God wants to show us how much He is there in

Josephs situation. In the creation God only said, Let there be light,and there was light. There is no more detail than that. But when the

same writer comes to Joseph, the record is in much detail. Because

of the detail, you cannot read the story of Joseph without your

affections being touched. Therefore, from reading these details we

see that our God in His history is very much related to humanity.

Acts 7 says that when Abraham was still in Chaldea, the God

of glory appeared to him (v. 2). Do you know in what way God

appeared to Abraham? Genesis 18 gives us a clear record of this.

One day Abraham sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

Then suddenly three men came. Of these three, one was Christ,

who is called Jehovah in this chapter (vv. 1, 13). When the two

angels who came with Christ left, Christ remained with Abraham,

and Abraham talked to Jehovah face to face as he would to another

person. This chapter is clear, but it presents a big problem. Christ

was there in the human form, with a human body. He even ate

Sarahs cooking, and Abraham brought Him water so that He

might wash His feet. This seems to contradict John 1:14, which

says that at the time of the incarnation God became flesh. How

could Christ already be in the flesh long before John 1:14? This is

Gods history. Moses writing is very human, yet in this human

record you can see God. God lived in this record. We may think

that only Gods creation of the heavens and the earth is worth

recording and that there is no need to have a long record about a

youth like Joseph. But do you like to read Genesis chapters one

and two more than chapters thirty-seven through fifty? Even if you

read chapters thirty-seven through fifty ten times, you will not get

tired of them. These chapters are humanly very interesting, but you

can see God there. This is Gods history in a human story.

Based upon this principle, the story about Jacob is even more

interesting. His name means one who grasps the heel, and he was

surely a grasper. When his uncle charged him to shepherd the

flock, he took the opportunity to grasp his uncles cattle (Gen.

30:25-43). Here you can see that although one of Gods chosen

people was so cunning, God was working on him to change him

from being a grasper into being a prince. Formerly, he was Jacob,

but eventually his God made him Israel, which means a prince

(32:28). In his youth this Jacob seemingly robbed everybody in his

contact with them his father Isaac (27:1-29), his brother Esau

(25:29-34), and his uncle Laban. But when he was old and

matured, he blessed others everywhere he went. What seemed to

be stealing hands became blessing hands. When he met Pharaoh,

the top king on the earth, he blessed him (47:7). In the Bible there

is the principle that the one who blesses is greater than the one who

is blessed (Heb. 7:7); hence, Jacob was greater than Pharaoh.

Genesis 5:22 says that Enoch walked with God for three

hundred years. This also means that God walked with Enoch, a

man, for three hundred years. These two friends never changed.

After three hundred years God took His

the earth and away from

death. Is this the story of

Enoch or the history of

God?

In Genesis 3 we read

that after man fell,

Adam and Eve were

afraid. Then God came

and called out to Adam,

asking, Where are you?

(v. 9). This seems very

human. The righteous

God talked to a sinner in a very intima

such a story, how could you know God?

and Eve? Apparently it is, but actually i

Gods history. It shows us more about G

Eve.

If you pick up this principle and ap

you can see God on every page. The Bi

of men but a record of God. Furthermor

in creation; rather, it is a history of God

who is on His heart. In His dealings with

and we can see what kind of God He is.

You need to read Genesis again acc

see what kind of God is there. Genesis

history. By reading Genesis in this wa

manifested and shown to us through al

man. When you add all these stories tog

Without Genesis you cannot know God

say that the New Testament is more im

some would even say that we do not need

But I must tell you that without the O

know God so well. Without the story

believe that God wrestled with the man

able to prevail against a man (v. 25)? In

way to put Jacob down, but He exerci

omnipotent strength and touched his

crippled, and from then on he limped

such a story how could you know that

with His people? Perhaps you think th

God with Jacob and that today He would

But you are wrong. He may have even

this morning, but perhaps you were no

G

The BibleA

Record ofGods

When I see

of You

The moo

You h

What is mo

remem

And the

visit h

7/28/2019 The Bible the History of God 75LGL

2/2