T. A. Pruett's Commentary on the Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

By T. A. Pruett

Having led an online Bible Study for many years, I began compiling my notes initially as a legacy to leave to my children. As I have continued to refine my notes through the research, it is my desire and prayer that the thoughts compiled help each person deepen their understanding of God’s Love Letter we call the Bible and enrich their individual relationship with our Creator - God the Father.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973684602

T. A. Pruett

When Tom was 6 years old, he went fishing with his grandfather at a nearby catfish pond. While fishing, holding onto his cane pole, a fish hooked on the line, as Tom wrestled to keep the fish while his grandfather came to help, he was pulled in. Not wanting to lose the fish, he held on. His Grandfather had a choice, jump in after his grandson or be creative. His grandfather used his own pole to hook Tom's pant leg and pulled both Tom and the fish onshore. When they got home, Tom's grandfather used the account to tell him the Matthew 4:19 account when Jesus is calling Peter and Andrew to be disciples "...Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." This began Tom on a path that later in his life led to the composition of this commentary that he hopes will enrich lives and set others on the path to be "Fishers of Men."

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T. A. PRUETT’S

COMMENTARY ON

THE BOOKS OF MOSES

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GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS,

NUMBERS, DEUTERONOMY

T. A. PRUETT

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Copyright © 2020 T. A. Pruett.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Unless otherwise cited, scripture quoted from the King James Version of the Bible

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8461-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8460-2 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date:  02/21/2020

CONTENTS

Survey Of Genesis

Genesis Outline

Genesis 1

Genesis 2

Genesis 3

Genesis 4

Genesis 5

Genesis 6

Genesis 7

Genesis 8

Genesis 9

Genesis 10

Genesis 11

Genesis 12

Genesis 13

Genesis 14

Genesis 15

Genesis 16

Genesis 17

Genesis 18

Genesis 19

Genesis 20

Genesis 21

Genesis 22

Genesis 23

Genesis 24

Genesis 25

Genesis 26

Genesis 27

Genesis 28

Genesis 29

Genesis 30

Genesis 31

Genesis 32

Genesis 33

Genesis 34

Genesis 35

Genesis 36

Genesis 37

Genesis 38

Genesis 39

Genesis 40

Genesis 41

Genesis 42

Genesis 43

Genesis 44

Genesis 45

Genesis 46

Genesis 47

Genesis 48

Genesis 49

Genesis 50

Survey On Exodus

Exodus 1

Exodus 2

Exodus 3

Exodus 4

Exodus 5

Exodus 6

Exodus 7

Exodus 8

Exodus 9

Exodus 10

Exodus 11

Exodus 12

Exodus 13

Exodus 14

Exodus 15

Exodus 16

Exodus 17

Exodus 18

Exodus 19

Exodus 20

Exodus 21

Exodus 22

Exodus 23

Exodus 24

Exodus 25

Exodus 26

Exodus 27

Exodus 28

Exodus 29

Exodus 30

Exodus 31

Exodus 32

Exodus 33

Exodus 34

Exodus 35

Exodus 36

Exodus 37

Exodus 38

Exodus 39

Exodus 40

Survey On Leviticus

Leviticus 1

Leviticus 2

Leviticus 3

Leviticus 4

Leviticus 5

Leviticus 6

Leviticus 7

Leviticus 8

Leviticus 9

Leviticus 10

Leviticus 11

Leviticus 12

Leviticus 13

Leviticus 14

Leviticus 15

Leviticus 16

Leviticus 17

Leviticus 18

Leviticus 19

Leviticus 20

Leviticus 21

Leviticus 22

Leviticus 23

Leviticus 24

Leviticus 25

Leviticus 26

Leviticus 27

Survey On Numbers

Numbers 1

Numbers 2

Numbers 3

Numbers 4

Numbers 5

Numbers 6

Numbers 7

Numbers 8

Numbers 9

Numbers 10

Numbers 11

Numbers 12

Numbers 13

Numbers 14

Numbers 15

Numbers 16

Numbers 17

Numbers 18

Numbers 19

Numbers 20

Numbers 21

Numbers 22

Numbers 23

Numbers 24

Numbers 25

Numbers 26

Numbers 27

Numbers 28

Numbers 29

Numbers 30

Numbers 31

Numbers 32

Numbers 33

Numbers 34

Numbers 35

Numbers 36

Survey On Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1

Deuteronomy 2

Deuteronomy 3

Deuteronomy 4

Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 7

Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 9

Deuteronomy 10

Deuteronomy 11

Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 13

Deuteronomy 14

Deuteronomy 15

Deuteronomy 16

Deuteronomy 17

Deuteronomy 18

Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy 20

Deuteronomy 21

Deuteronomy 22

Deuteronomy 23

Deuteronomy 24

Deuteronomy 25

Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 27

Deuteronomy 28

Deuteronomy 29

Deuteronomy 30

Deuteronomy 31

Deuteronomy 32

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 34

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SURVEY OF GENESIS

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In today’s environment, I cannot help but feel that people work hard to rationalize their own perspective or worldview and then square it with Scripture. This compromise often leads to God’s inspired Word suffering.

I believe the first 11 chapters of Genesis are so foundational, that depending on how an individual holds dear God’s Word, it will shape how they read, internalize, and view the Inspired and inerrant Word of the Creator.

In Genesis, in essence, people fall into two camps:

1 – We are the result of a Designer and Creator – God!

2 – We are the result of a cosmic accident – and as such are beholding to no one

If we are the result of an accident, then morality, faith, responsibility, and personal accountability mean nothing.

If we are the result of a Creator, then morality, faith, responsibility, and personal accountability have not only great meaning – it shapes all that we are through the influence and governance of our Creator, God the Father.

Questions like the following all become easy to answer: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going when I die?

Regarding the Word of God, Genesis literally means in the beginning and lays the foundation. As we read this inspired Word more and more of God’s Will for us as His creation is revealed to us. I really think this quote sums it up accurately:

The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. — Augustine

The OT (Old Testament) is an account of a nation. The NT (New Testament) is the account of a man. Jesus’ appearance on earth is alluded to in the very first sentence of Genesis as part of the Triune nature of God! This Man died, rose again, to purchase each of us for our sin. This love letter we call the Bible is not only a privilege it is His effort for us to get to know Him in an intimate way!

Another foundational principal that begins in Genesis is its authorship. Genesis and the following four books are ascribed to Moses known as the Torah (or Pentateuch). If you trust Jesus and hold the recorded Words of Jesus seriously, then the Mosaic authorship is a moot point for you. However, people whom for whatever their reason, have triggered doubt in many about the authorship of the Torah. I will tell you that if people can truly undermine the authorship, then the very foundations of the Bible begin to erode and with it the faith of many individuals. I have witnessed this first hand.

In my view one of the most heinous arguments of the authorship is called the Documentary Hypothesis (Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) says that the Torah was compiled by later editors:

➢ J (Jehovahist, Yahwist);

➢ E (Elohist);

➢ D (Deuteronomic source); and,

➢ P (Priestly source).

This hypothesis was submitted without compelling historical, linguistic or textual evidence.

Many have refuted this hypothesis but the works of the following men are excellent resources on this topic: Oswalt T. Allis, R.N. Whybray, E.J. Young, Umbertos Cassuto, R.K. Harrison, & Kenneth A. Kitchen.

In addition to the works above, just citing God’s Word, I feel is more than enough to establish the integrity of the Books of Moses:

• Emmaus Road Account – Luke 24: 13-32

• Authentication of Moses: Mt 8:4; 19:7,8; 23:2; Mk 1:44; 10:3,4; 7:10; Lk 5:14; 16:19, 31; 20:37; 24:27,44; Jn 3:14; 5:39,45,46; 6:32; 7:19, 22,23.

• All Scriptures are Christ Centered: Jn 5:39; Ps 40:7; Mt 5:17,18.

• Old Testament Quotes:

– Adam: Deut, Job, 1 Chr.

– Noah: 1 Chr, Isa, Ezek.

– Abraham: 15X in OT; 11X in NT.

– Jacob: 20X in OT; 17X NT.

• New Testament Quotes of Genesis:

– 165 direct quotes; ~200 allusions;

• ~100 of the first 11 chapters.

Additionally here are New Testament References to the Book of Genesis

• The Creator and the Creation: Mt 13:35; Mk 13:19; Jn 1:3; Acts 4:24; Acts 14:15; Rom 1:20; 2 Cor 4:6; Col 1:16; Heb 1:10; 11:3.

• Allusions to the Creation: Rom 1:25; 16:25; Eph 3:9; 1 Tim 4:4; Heb 2:10; 4:10; 9:26; Jas 3:9; Rev 3:14; 4:11; 10:6; 14:7.

• Creation of Man and Woman: Mt 19:4-6, 8; Mk 10:6; Acts 17:26; 1 Cor 6:16; 11:8,9; Eph 5:31; 1 Tim 2:13, 14; Rev 2:7; 22:2, 14.

• The Fall: Rom 5:11, 14, 17, 19; 8:19-20; 1 Cor 15:21-22; 2 Cor 11:3; Rev 20:2.

• The Flood: Mt 24:37; Lk 17:26; 1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 2:5; 3:5-6.

• The Patriarchs: Mt 23:35; Lk 3:34-38; 11:52; Heb 11:4-7, 23; 12:24; 1 Jn 3:12; Jude 11, 14.

Every New Testament writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis: portions of Chapters 1 – 11 (except 8) is referred to in New Testament. Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. - John 5: 39

Additionally I submit to you that the book of Genesis anticipates all false philosophies:

• Atheism (Genesis says the world was created by God)

• Pantheism (Genesis says God is transcendent and distinguishable)

• Polytheism (Genesis says there is One God)

• Materialism (Genesis says that matter had a beginning)

• Humanism (Genesis says that God, not man, is the ultimate reality)

• Evolutionism (Genesis says God created)

• Uniformism (Genesis says God intervenes in His creation)

All major doctrines have their roots in Genesis:

• Sovereign election

• Salvation

• Justification by faith

• Believer’s

• Security

• Separation

• Disciplinary chastisement

• Divine Incarnation

• Rapture of the Church

• Death and Resurrection

• Priesthoods (Aaronic and Melchizedek)

• The Antichrist

• Palestinian Covenant

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GENESIS OUTLINE

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Part 1: (Pre History)

Genesis 1, 2 Creation

Genesis 3 Fall of Man

Genesis 4 Cain & Abel

Genesis 5 Genealogy of Noah

Genesis 6-9 Flood of Noah

Genesis 10-11 Tower of Babel

Part 2:

Genesis 12-20 Abraham

Genesis 21-26 Isaac

Genesis 27-36 Jacob

Genesis 37-50 Joseph

Creation Week:

Day One: Let Light Be

2nd Day: Stretching of Space

3rd Day: Land and vegetation

4th Day: Sun, Moon, Stars

5th Day: Sea Animals & Birds

6th Day: Land Animals & Man

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GENESIS 1

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In verse 1 the Hebrew reads: 56219.png 56221.png 56223.png 56225.png . The English approximation for saying verse 1 is: Beresheet Bara Elohim et ha-Shamayim et ha-Eretz.

Which is to say:

Beresheet - in the beginning

Bara = Create out of nothing Note that this is created out of nothing not to make from other materials (Hebrew word is Asa) or reform like a sculpture (Hebrew word is Yatsa) as some scholars suggest.

Elohim = God; plural noun, used as a singular. (which I believe is a hint from the start of the Trinity!)

I would also point out if you look at the Hebrew above and reading from right to left (the way Hebrew is read) the 4th word is two letters. They are the Hebrew alphabet letters Aleph and Tau. In Greek you might say Alpha and Omega. In English you might say A and Z. These two letters are untranslated. So you could read this in English as: In the beginning God, the Alpha and Omega, created the Heavens and the Earth. You also might pick up on this if you use a Hebrew-English interlinear Bible.

As we look at verses 2 – 5 we are going to come into some verses that causes some debate among scholars. Questions come up like when did Satan fall? Was there a gap between verse 1 and verse 2? The gap theory was introduced in 1814 by Thomas Chalmers. His view gained support from GH Pember, DG Barnhouse, G Campbell Morgan, and others. Interestingly there is some support for this by looking at other passages in the Bible. It would seem from Job 38:4-7 that the Angels (listed as sons of God in English and Bar HaElohim in Hebrew) were witness to the formation of the Earth. Also Ezekiel 28:12 – 19 and Isaiah 14:12 – 17 provide some insight to Lucifer’s origin, agenda, and destiny.

As to verse 2 the words used to state the earth was empty and had no form are: 56112.png tohu v’bohu = "without form, and void"

The New Century translation states that God’s Spirit moved over the waters. The word used in Hebrew is 56086.png = Merahefet: to hover above, flutter, brood, vibrate, as a bird with young (Deut 32:11). The English pronunciation is something like: Ruach Elohim. This is the only time used in Genesis. A similar application is used in 1 Pet 1:21, moved by the Holy Spirit and in. 2 Pet 1:21: men spake as moved by Holy Spirit…

In verse 3 we have the first recorded quote of God. Let there be light! Now based on verse 2 there had to be some light in order to measure the darkness mentioned in verse 2. So this begs the question what was that light. From what I have read many Rabbi’s attribute this to the Shekinah Glory of God – Where God Himself is the light. This makes a lot of sense to me and we will likely build on this in the verses to come.

If we look at verses 1 – 5 together we see that from the Biblical account, God created the earth, brooded over it for a time (my belief is either a few minutes or hours it really does not matter), spoke light into existence, called the light day and the darkness night, and then called it the day. I should point out from verse 5 it says the evening and morning were day one. This is the basis for why the Jewish day ends and begins the next day at sundown as opposed to midnight on the Gregorian system.

There are also a couple of other words used here that warrant some attention. The words used for evening, morning, and day one are:

56059.png , erev, Which means chaos, disorder (later, evening). The application is that as darkness approaches the ability to perceive forms and identities are obscured.

56031.png , boker, orderly, discernable (later, morning). The application here is that with light the ability to perceive forms and identities is made possible.

54927.png yom echad, Day One, This is an Absolute; time created. (The rest of the days are marked in a relative manner: Second day, Third day, etc.)

Looking at verses 6 – 8 we enter the creation week. So Day 2 is Monday. This is perhaps the most difficult of all the 6 days. Some theologians speculate that the creations described in the days could not possibly occur in 24 hour periods. To that end some liberal theologians have attributed these days to eons and lean on 2 Peter 3:8 (a day is like a thousand years to the Lord" or Psalms 90:4. But again I point you to Exodus 20 where the Lord makes the declarative statement about how long it took him an not some colorful language in the other verses that are within a different context.

The firmament described here has different applications. From verse 6 it is the waters, verse 7 describes how he divided the waters, and verse 8 applies to the air (in which birds fly). The Hebrew word is: 55979.png raqia: meaning extended surface (solid / tangible) or expanse.

One other thing worth pointing out. Verse 7 mentions that God separated the waters so that some were one the earth and some were above the earth. Many creationist scientists believe, I believe leveraging this verse, that there was a canopy of water that encompassed the earth. It’s called the canopy theory. Now just to highlight a couple of what-if’s on this: if it were true then the sun’s light would be filtered to the point that it could explain the longevity of human life as described pre-flood. It would also increase barometric pressure on earth sufficiently so that pterodactyl’s could fly (because they could not fly in today’s atmosphere as I understand it from scientists). The atmosphere is also likely to have not required the cycle of rain back then that we rely on today for life…which I should also mention that prior to the flood many scientists (both secular and non-secular) that support the canopy theory believe that it likely never rained prior to the Flood. So when the rains came down and flooded the earth, it is likely that in the rain, God allowed the canopy to be punctured and thoroughly drowned the earth. So at the end of verse 8 we have concluded for us the second day of creation.

The 3rd day of creation God creates the land, the sea, and vegetation. In verse 9 God formed the seas. If we look back to Job 38 we see that God alludes to the rotation of the earth (verses 12 -15), the pathways of the sea (verse 16), the sources of rain and ice (verse 28-30), and the division of light (verse 24). All these teachings, and others I did not mention, are based on the accuracy of the creation story we are studying right here. There are some important insights here on the third day. First notice in verse 10 and 12 God says separately that this was good. Because of this, to the Jewish mind, Tuesday is the day of double blessing and it is why most Hebrew marriages traditionally occur on Tuesday…the day of double blessing.

Next I would point out that God created vegetation prior to creating the sun. So how do the plants get nourishment without photosynthesis? As I stated before, aside from the plants being able to survive 24 hours without sunlight, I suspect God Himself was the light the plants needed (verse 3’s statement let there be light.. This is one of those areas where skeptics will point to in the Bible and state that this is an obvious error and hence we cannot trust its contents. I believe this is more than what some scholars will point to as a potential scribal error. I believe this account is correct as is. Again besides God Himself being the light for the plants I suspect there is a fair amount of symbolism here for us to believe much like for the Jews to believe when they were following the Shekinah Glory in the desert. There is a lot of detail provided here as to how the vegetation would reproduce and populate the earth. I would also point out that the Bible says the seed bearing plant life would reproduce after its own kind. This will be more important as we get into animal reproduction but for now I would simply point out that when you plant an Orange tree you do not get a apple or cherry. You get an Orange. So evening and morning passed and this was day three.

In day 4 God creates the celestial bodies: The Sun, the Moon, and the other stars and planets that make up the universe. Now it’s interesting to think back to when people believed the earth was the center of the universe and everything revolved around it. According to the Creation account this is not too far off. We may not be at the center of the celestial planets but I do think from the Biblical account that the earth was created first. I would also point out that a literal creation debunks the stellar evolutionists’ theories as well.

Another point to mention regarding stellar evolution is that if you look at the swirls of the galaxies and try to square them with the stellar evolutionists you will find that this cannot be done. For example, the prevailing theory, which just about all the evolutionists buy into in one form or another, basically state that there was nothing and then, BANG, here we are. According to the law of physics and the theorist dense matter was rotating in some directional spin and then exploded. If true then all objects and matter being flung from its point of origin would be sent off in that same direction and rotation. The problem is as we look at the universe there are galaxies that have the galactic swirl going both clockwise and counter clock wise. This cannot be explained and correlate with the Big Bang theorists.

Another interesting consideration regarding the stellar evolutionists is that all celestials would likewise have the same rotation cycle. That is not only inaccurate throughout the cosmos but even within our own solar system. Mars is the 4th planet from our sun. It is also the Roman god of war. Terrified by the people of the time. It is interesting that in Jonathan Swift’s 1726 book Gulliver’s Travels it mentions 2 moons of Mars where he details their size, revolutions, and orbits. 151 years later astronomers discovered these 2 moons and they were precisely as Mr. Swift detailed. How did he know? I understand he pulled this bit of detail from ancient Egyptian texts. So how did they know? There is some speculation, so take this with a grain of salt, which the earth and Mars used to be on near-pass by rotations around the sun every 108 years. The last pass by was 701 BC. It is interesting to note that prior to 701 all ancient calendars were on a 360 day year. After 701 BC this changed. If they were indeed in a near pass by 108 year rotation this does happen coincide with many of the catastrophic events recorded in ancient history. So the question is: What happened to change this pass by schedule? It is possible that the Joshua 10 Long Day had something to do with this. It’s something we will get into more in the Joshua study. For now, it’s something for you to mull over and research. Also – I forgot to mention it but with regard to the rotation cycle of these 2 moons, one is clock wise and the other counter clockwise. There is also other moons around Saturn and Jupiter (I believe) that also have satellites rotating counter clockwise.

The other point worth mentioning is the speed of light aging of the planets. Many scientists will point to that and state that the cosmos must be ancient in order for light to be getting here now. I will spare you the technical details here but I would refer you to a scientists named Barry Setterfield whom has done some ground breaking research regarding the speed of light and how it seems to be slowing down. If true, this means that the speed of light was faster in the past. Many scientists scoffed at him as they did Kepler and others that challenged accepted scientific thoughts of the day but now Satterfield’s work is starting to receive acceptance as others examine his work. One such paper can be found here: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/c-decay.html. Go to www.google.com and do a search for Barry Setterfield and speed of light and you will find plenty of other articles for your consideration.

The details of the creation story and other pre-flood history accounts are cornerstone principals that pervade throughout the Bible. They are confirmed in the New Testament and by Christ Himself. God does not deceive or lie. These are fundamental issues that I believe are worth our serious study and consideration. They also, I believe, play a part in authenticating the redemption plan for man as portrayed in the Bible.

In verses 20 – 23 we have the 5th day where land and sea animals were created. I find it ironic that I will concede this one point to the evolutionists…animals did precede man…by one day however.

The difficulty I have on commenting on the 5th and 6th day is the balance of thoroughness without writing a novel. I have referenced lots of material on this subject but in the interest of brevity I will highlight on a couple of points and refer to you http://creationtoday.org or http://www.answersingenesis.org for more detailed information.

The biggest thing I would point out is that God tells the animals to reproduce after their own kind. This does not mean that a species of animal will give birth to a completely new type of species. It means that they will be able to reproduce offspring within their species type. So cats produce cats, dogs produce dogs, fish produce fish, etc. I will concede microevolution does occur though this is a misleading term as a dog and a wolf could mate and have offspring which would produce a slightly different type of canine animal but it is still of that type. Some breeds of frogs are able to cross mate but not all. What does not happen is a dinosaur reproducing and the offspring becoming some type of semi-mammal or semi-reptile. Many will try to hold up the archaeopteryx as a dinosaur to bird because of its clawed foot and teeth. I would point out that there at least 6 breeds of birds with the raptor type claw and 19 breeds of birds with teeth. So this is not unique to the archaeopteryx. I would also point out that there is not one transitional fossil to support the evolutionist view – and they have been searching hard for over 140 years. Every transitional fossil offered up has been debunked as a fraud to date.

I would also point out that by definition, evolution is the gain of information in order to a species to adapt or become superior. In the case of a transitioning species, say the archaeopteryx, there is a loss of information and not a gain. For example, for archaeopteryx to evolve from dinosaur to bird there would come a point where it would not be able to fly or walk. At that point it could not obtain sustenance. If it cannot eat how can it live or reproduce further.

Another point comes to mind. If we evolved from rocks to primordial soup to sentient beings, as many evolutionists suggest. Then given the statistical probabilities that demonstrate that evolution to be absurdly unlikely, what are the chances that it could not only occur in parallel for a species but that it could happen so that a male and female would develop at the same time in order to reproduce later? There is nothing in our genetic make up to suggest we could ever reproduce asexually! I have yet to see a plausible refutation to this question by evolutionists.

From a scientific perspective:

• Evolution violates the Law of Entropy (the 2nd law of thermodynamics) since complex systems (such as a human or animal body organs) must work in a self-organized and harmonious manner to survive.

• The primordial soup theory was debunked in 1953 by Stanley Miller whom cultivated some amino acids in a controlled environment. It was in water, ammonia, methane environment as evolutionist believe the earth was back millions of years ago. Nothing ever lived or developed and when oxygen was introduced it destroyed the organic compounds. In the 40 years since, all attempts to prove the Oarin-Haldane-Miller hypotheses have failed.

• Our DNA is a 3 out of 4 error correcting code that can mass reproduce itself within a matter of minutes and if you were to string it out linearly it would stretch over 5 football fields. Tell me that just happened by accident.

In verses 24 – 28 we have the 6th day of creation discussed. Here God makes a few more animals, small, tame, and wild animal. He also makes man after His own image. I would also point out that though the New Century Translation does not translate this accurately, the KJV comes closer when it states, Let US make man in OUR own image. This again is a reference to the plurality of God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I would also point out that Grandpa is not a rock (as evolutionist would teach) but a designer and Creator is grandpa. Here is a short list of some the famous Monkey to Man frauds that ironically are still in many of the textbooks that educate" our children today:

• Heidelberg Man, 1907 – Built from a jawbone.

• Nebraska Man, 1922 – Henry Osborn: from just one tooth. Later: discovered to be an extinct pig.

• Piltdown Man, 1912 – Charles Dawson: from jawbone of modern ape. In 1953 it was proven to be a deliberate fraud; filed, treated with iron salts.

• Peking Man, 1921 – Evidence disappeared; outright fraud.

• Neanderthal Man – Found in a cave in the Neander Valley near Düsseldorf. Int’l Congress of Zoology in 1958 showed that it was of an old man suffering from arthritis.

• Java Man, 1922 – 1891 skull cap; 50 ft. femur (thigh) bone. Concealed evidence; teeth were of an orangutan.

• In 120 years: no intermediate stages found.

To sum this point up, statistically it is more likely for a tornado to go through a junk yard and assemble from parts a fully functional airplane that it is for evolution to occur and produce the human species.

In verses 29 – 31 God provides some basic survival instructions to Adam by telling him how to eat to survive. In the beginning up to Genesis 9, man was a vegetarian (Ugh!).

So evening and morning passes and this concludes day six.

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GENESIS 2

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As we look at chapter 2, the main topics here are the Sabbath, the creation recap (from day 6) of Adam and Eve, a rabbinical observation about the 7th day, and the institution of marriage.

As we look at the first 3 verses I would note from the text that God rested on the 7th day. The word used for rested would not be used if the day was an eon. It would be the Hebrew equivalent of is resting. This is another clue that this is a literal 24 hour day.

Here is what Maimonides (12th Century Rabbi) states in his The Guide for the Perplexed:

The Creator caused a repose to encompass the universe that had been made during the first six days. The laws of nature standardized? The flow of time begins? The first Sabbath starts the post-Adam calendar.

I would point out that Evolutionists and Scientists that hold science so dear constantly violate the laws of science just to offer up an explanation of existence without God as the origin.

• The First Law of Thermodynamics states: Matter or energy cannot be created or destroyed. This has never been observed to occur. All observed processes show that matter and energy are conserved.

• The Second Law of Thermodynamics states: As time passes, the universe goes from a state of order to disorder (entropy). It also states that energy available to do work steadily decreases. In essence the universe is running downhill. Eventually it will come to a heat death because there is no energy.

• The Third Law of Thermodynamics states: Every substance has a finite positive entropy which may become zero at a temperature of zero.

From the scriptures we see these laws of science reaffirmed as follows:

1. Conservation of matter/energy:––Genesis2:2-3, Hebrews 4:3-4, Nehemiah 9:6

2. Entropy:–––—Psalms 102:25-26, Isaiah 51:6, Matthew 24:35

3. Entropy being repealed:––-Romans 8:21

Scientific observational points:

• Heat always goes from hot to cold

• If the universe were infinitely old, then its temperature would be uniform. It is not uniform so we can conclude it is not infinitely old

• The universe had a beginning…and hence it will have an end.

To close this thought on the Sabbath, it is the scriptural view to literally hold these days to be 24 hour days. This is reaffirmed in Exodus 20:11 as well at Genesis 2:3. As we will study later on in the Torah the Sabbath becomes a major identity for the Jews and its cornerstone institution. It is interesting looking back at our studies on the prophets, that Hosea (2:11) predicted that God would make Israel’s Sabbath’s cease due to her unfaithful observance of the it and Him. Nehemiah was shocked at the widespread desecration of the Sabbath’s (kind of like how our nation just sees Sunday as a day off of work now).

Looking at verses 4 – 6 we get a recap of the creation account where God created the earth, sky, and celestial bodies that we observe in the evening. This recap occurs prior to Day 3 when plants were created. Also mentioned here is that it had not rained yet. This is, I believe, partly why many believe that it had never rained on the earth until the Flood occurs. So how did God get away with this…the mist that would rise up from the earth and water the ground…Dew.

We see from verses 7 – 17 that this recap fast forwards to day 6 where God formed Adam. We are given the Big Picture of how he formed him and breathed him into existence. I would point out that if you were to break down the human body you would find the same 17 elements in the body that are found composing the earth. So God created Adam. Which to be technical - aside from Adam only Angels are identified as Sons of God. We are in a sense grandchildren of God.)

So after Adam was breathed into existence, God places him in the Garden of Eden. Prominently mentioned here is the Tree of Life and the Tree of Good and Evil. There is also mention of the 4 great rivers: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. People have tried to take the description given here as clues for their search for the Garden of Eden – here is an article I found regarding their efforts: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/0125eden_found.asp. So God placed Adam here and told him to eat freely from any tree but the Tree of Good and Evil. This was the only edict. God even tells Adam the repercussions of violating that edict. He was forewarned.

In verses 18 – 25 we have the naming of animals and the creation of Eve. Skeptics have pointed to verses 18 – 20 and flatly state that it is not possible for Adam to have named all the animals of the day as recounted for us here. First of all, the Bible does not state that Adam named every single animal but he does identify every type of animal. This is entirely possible. I imagine that the animals came to Adam in the same fashion as they approached Noah prior to the flood (which we will examine as we get to the flood account just how possible it is for all the animal {2 of the unclean and 7 of the clean} to actually fit in the Ark).

In verses 21 – 23, God then puts Adam into a deep sleep – much like Abram was in Genesis 15 – and takes from Adam the lower rib and forms Eve from it. Did you know that the only human bone that will regrow is the lower rib? Another consistency from science and the Bible. So as we see in verse 23 Adam names his helper woman and why he named her so.

Side note (silly Adam/Eve Jokes):

Do you know what Adam said to Eve after their first argument? There is another rib where you came from.

Do you know what God said to Adam after creating Eve? Wooooooooe-man!

Concluding this chapter with verses 24 and 25 where we have the foundation for the institution of Marriage. I would point out that it is established from the beginning as being between a man and woman. Not as some of our courts might try to redefine it today.

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GENESIS 3

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As we get into Genesis 3, we begin to see the seed plot of the Bible unfold.

As we look at the first 6 verses of this chapter, notice how Lucifer begins his deception of Eve. He does not outright lie but in that disingenuous manner I hear so often in kids, Lucifer asks, "Did God REALLY say that? Eve, it would seem in a naive way answers him. So after a deceptively rhetorically question, Lucifer follows up with another dangerous method of deceit, by making a half-truthful statement when he says, you will not die." When Eve ate she did not die right away but was surely made mortal that day. She did also gain more insight but it was not the equivalent knowledge of God.

So after sowing the seeds of doubt and the deceit of being made more like the Creator, Eve takes the bite. Then she proceeds to give it to Adam as well. Now we know from 1 Timothy 2:14 ("… Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression") that Adam took this bite with full knowledge of what he was doing. I suspect he did this out of an act of sincere love for his wife. I also believe that the depths of this act of love is equivalent to that described n Ephesians 5:22-31 regarding Christ and the Church.

There is a lot of specific detail given hear that makes me believe this is not an allegorical story, as some speculate, but an actual encounter.

In verses 7 – 10, we see that both of them did receive some additional knowledge and the realization of their nakedness was evident to them. The question I have is did Eve know this prior to Adam’s partaking of the fruit or did it hit them at the same time after both ingested? I suspect the latter but it does not really matter. The deed was done and man was on the path to mortality.

Their first act was to make themselves clothes out of leaves. I have heard it stated that this might well be the first act of religion. I would also point out that they not only realized that they were naked but they discovered the art of deception and lying.

If there is a universal certainty about our existence it is that our sin always separates us from God. Fortunately He is a pretty forgiving Father.

As we look at verses 10 – 15 we see the dialog on between God and Adam and Eve. This dialog was not for God’s benefit but to get Adam and Eve to confess their sin and realize for themselves what they had done.

Not too long ago my wife and I were talking after one of her women’s Bible studies and she asked me what was the earliest prophesy of Christ. I thought for a moment and said probably Genesis 5. She then asked me about Genesis 3:15. As I have studied this more since then I am convinced that this is probably the earliest prophesy of Christ recorded. Here God not only makes a declaration of war but a promise that there will be constant strife and struggles between the followers of the two seeds but ultimately the seed of the woman’s followers would prevail. Now the seed of the woman is an interesting term as the seed is typically considered from the man. So this mentioning of the seed of the woman, I believe, is alluding to the Virgin Birth of Christ.

Here is a quick highlight of some of the battle’s through the ages between the followers of the Two Seeds:

The Battle of the Seeds

• Of Human Race? (Cain & Abel; Gen 4); fallen angels corrupt mankind (Gen 6).

• Of Abraham’s descendants?

• Of David’s Dynasty?

The Stratagems of Satan

• Corruption of Adam’s line (Gen 6)

• Abraham’s seed (Gen 12, 20)

• Famine (Gen 50)

• Destruction of male line (Ex 1)

• Pharaoh’s pursuit (Ex 14)

• The populating of Canaan (Gen 12:6)

• Against David’s line (2 Sam 7)

Attacks on David’s Line

• Jehoram kills his brothers (2 Chr 21)

• Arabians slew all (but Ahazariah)

• Athaliah kills all (but Joash) (2 Chr 22)

• Hezekiah assaulted, etc. (Isa 36, 38)

• Haman’s attempts (Est 3)

New Testament Strategems

• Joseph’s fears (Mt 1; Deut 24:1)

• Herod’s attempts (Mt 2)

• Attempts at Nazareth (Lk 4)

• Two storms on the Sea (Mk 4; Lk 8)

• The Cross: Bruised for our iniquities (Isa 53)

• Summary (Rev 12) …and he’s not through…

In verses 16 – 19 we have the establishment of the family structure as God would have it. This causes some grief for some people but I would point out that there are checks and balances in the Husband/Wife relationship and one is not to lord over the other as a dictator. This is to be a true partnership based on love and respect. Such a relationship is demonstrated in 1 Timothy 2:14 and Ephesians 5: 22-31 and how Christ loves His Bride…the Church.

Aside from this family structuring there are also some repercussions to their actions. For Eve’s part herself and all other mothers would feel the pain of labor. For Adam and the rest of his kind would struggle with nature in order to provide for the family. Also Adam and Eve and their descendants would return to the ground from whence Adam was formed when their time was done on earth. In other words, at that moment humans became mortal.

In verses 20 – 21 gave Adam and Eve clothes made from animals. For years I just thought OK and never really thought about this much. Then I came across a rabbinical commentary and from that I learned a very important insight. Adam and Eve made clothes from figs but the fact that the Holy Spirit details for us that God gave them clothes from animal skins He was teaching them, and us, that only through the shedding of innocent blood would we be covered. Leviticus 17:11 also makes a similar point.

We close this chapter with verses 22 – 24 with God ushering them out of the Garden and then posting a sentry, some form of Super Angel, to guard the entrance to the Garden. Now why would God post a Cherub for Guard duty? I surmise because Lucifer was once the Captain of the Cherubim (Ezekiel 28:14) that it takes one to deal with one. This is a speculative guess but it makes sense to me.

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GENESIS 4

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Looking at the first 2 verses of this chapter we see the first two sons of man being born. Cain, Qayin in Hebrew, means to acquire or to beget. Abel, Hebel, means a keeper or a feeder. As they grew up Cain becomes a farmer and Abel a Sheppard.

There is obviously a lot that goes on between their birth and their professions. Likewise there is some time that passes between what Cain and Abel do professionally and the offering incident detailed verses 3 – 7. What can be implied here that is not explicitly stated is that God obviously in some manner communicated to Adam and his descendants that there is a proper method to offering up a sacrifice. We will not learn of it until later in the Torah but for now it seems apparent that they had knowledge of how to do this and Cain sought to do it his own way. This in itself is a microcosm of how we as people separate ourselves from God…when we decide to do things our own way.

As we look at the sacrifices offered, on the surface one might ask, what was wrong with Cain’s offering? He was a farmer so he offered the best from his own labor. Abel likewise brought the best from his labors. The insight here is apparently God had instructed them this was to be a blood sacrifice. This is consistent with God covering Adam and Eve with animal skins…recall that through the shedding of innocent blood only then will man be covered that we discussed in Chapter 3. This thought is also conveyed in Hebrews 9:22. We get a little more instruction on this in Leviticus 3:16, but for now it does seem apparent that Can and Able full well knew what was expected of them as God makes this point in the rhetorical questions he poses to Cain in verses 6 and 7.

Another question I have seen openly posed is how did Cain know his offering had been rejected? We are not told specifically but on conjecture that makes sense is that the offering was consumed by fire from heaven (Lev 9:24, Judges 6:21 & 13:20, 1 Kings 18:38). This conjecture is supported by Jewish tradition so I offer it for informational purposes. I would also point out that God is dealing with Cain as a father should with a rebellious son…trying to reason with him in a loving manner.

In verses 8 – 15 we have the account of the second murder. I say that because though Adam and Eve have not died, Lucifer killed them by deceiving them into mortality. Here is the first human on human murder. It is sad to note that the ultimate ugliness of humanity only took 1 generation to manifest itself. Brother killing brother out of jealousy. Cain shows plotting, cunning, deceit, contempt, anger, envy, jealousy, and cruelty as he premeditatedly killed Abel. It’s interesting that as part of Cain’s punishment that his chosen profession would not bear fruit for him. I guess he was forced to live off of the generosity of others. Also, instead of the eye for an eye capital punishment – this is condoned in the Torah – God puts a mark on Cain to let others know that they will be cursed 7 times over if they kill him. What this mark is no one knows and it really does not matter.

In verses 16 – 18 we see that Cain is exiled to Nod. From the text we see that Cain eventually marries and has children. We are not entirely sure where he got his wife but from Genesis 5:4 we know that after Seth other sons and daughters were born. I have read from scholars that speculate the population of the earth, based on the long lives and reproductive prowess of the human race that there were anywhere from 200,000 to many millions of people by the time the Flood came.

So again we come back to why would we have detailed for us this genealogy? Why was Cain spared? Note in the names of Cain’s progeny those that have el – the name of God – in their names. I suspect that Cain was spared in order to repent. After some time, he realized the error of his ways and perhaps he did repent. The names of his grandchildren possibly reflect this. I know this is completely speculative but it is an interesting consideration.

In verses 19 – 24 we are given some more genealogy data. I suspect that there is a lot more here than I have been able to track down. Of the people mentioned I know a little bit about Tubal-Cain and Naamah. Tubal-Cain, as is mentioned here, was a blacksmith. There are some legends, and rabbinical traditions that hint that he was a blacksmith of extraordinary skill. This is alluded to in Tim LaHaye’s fictional book Secret on Ararat. Naamah is believed to be the wife of Noah. I have not tracked down all extensive sources but I have determined that a basis for Tubal-Cain and Naamah mentioning here stems from the Book of Jasher - a Midrash text.

Side Note: sources for a little more study - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sefer_haYashar_(midrash) & http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Book_of_Jasher (Jasher 5:15 comments on Naamah)

Concluding the chapter with verses 25 and 26 with the birth of Seth and then his son Enosh. Seth, who’s name means is appointed, was the 3rd son of Adam and Eve. From the text we see that Eve saw him as a replacement for the son that Cain murdered. Enosh, translated as Enos in some English Bibles, is Adam’s grandson. Our translation states at the end that "at that time people began to pray to the Lord. Other translations state that men began to call on the name of the Lord. This is not what the Hebrew states. It roughly translates men began to profane the name of the Lord". Other texts like the Targum of Onkelos, Targum of Jonathan, the Mishna, Jerome, Kimchi, Rashi, and Maimonides all attribute the introduction of idolatrous worship to Enosh. Keep this in mind when we study Genesis 6.

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GENESIS 5

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Genesis 5 is perhaps one of the most insightful chapter in prophesy that is rarely examined. I bet most people skim this chapter because it is a genealogy of so and so lived and had such and such and then lived a little longer and died. That is how I have typically read genealogical chapters in the past. I submit to you that every detail is put before us for a purpose. Remember the promise of Proverbs 25:2 and it being the glory of kings to search a matter out. So as we look at these 10 men from Adam to Noah let’s examine what we know of them first.

Adam – Man

55947.png adomah, means man

• The 17 elements found in the dust of the earth are also found in our bodies

• From Genesis 3:1-7, we know there is more to the story that Eve being deceived by Lucifer and consequently bringing Adam with her.

Genesis 3 - The Beginning of Sin

¹Now the snake was the most clever of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?

²The woman answered the snake, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. ³But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch it, or you will die.’

⁴But the snake said to the woman, You will not die. ⁵God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree, you will learn about good and evil and you will be like God!

⁶The woman saw that the tree was beautiful, that its fruit was good to eat, and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also