The World, Genesis, and Theology of the Pentateuch

By John M. Powell

The World, Genesis, and Theology of the Pentateuch sets its focus on God’s redemption of the entire human race following the entrance of sin into the physical time–space (i.e., the physical universe, physical realm of creation). Redemption didn’t begin in the New Testament, but in the first book of the Bible called Genesis. As such, God has been reaching out to people through various means, methods, and ways to rebuild the divine and human relationship that became broken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan understood God’s plan to save humanity and never set idly by to watch his purposes unfold in the lives of people. He countered by introducing a false narrative of the origin of people and the universe to all of those willing to believe him, and surrender faith in place of what can be explained away or sounds good. The counter–narrative to God’s inspired message of creation is evolution. It purports teachings by people who reject the creation account in Genesis chapter one. Evolution is therefore populism. It floods the education systems and many other worldly institutions under the disguise of being scientific, which is not scientific at all. Other counter–narratives extending out of evolution includes the evolution of the species and the big bang theory, which two systems that stand in opposition to the Bible.

Additional points of emphasis include:

Redemption began with the fall of humanity in Genesis and was completed in Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It uncovers how redemption began and took shape in beginning stages of human history, and how God’s plan of redemption became clearer with the personal calling of Abraham through Israel and Moses. The 5 books of Moses called the Pentateuch embodies one–third of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) prior to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Genesis leads the way in God’s message to the human race. The ancient Gentile nations that vowed allegiance to other exalted deities apart from God manufactured their own religions, beliefs, literature, and teachings they tied to the deities they revered as divine. Such writings became the nucleus through which the nations viewed the world from the concept of religion, their gods, and the afterlife; and thereby competed with the knowledge of Israel’s concepts in the way they viewed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Redemption is not and cannot be found in other forms of worldly wisdom, knowledge, and teaching. But God’s concept of people accepting him on the basis of faith in his word mirrors the example of Abraham’s faith in the one true God that created all things that exist.

John M. Powell, PhD (ABD)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638851271

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Abbreviations

Exordium

Prolegomenon

Modus Operandi

1: Redemption

The Need for Redemption

End of Chapter Review

2: Hermeneutics and Interpretation

Finding Purpose: So, What's the Big Deal Anyway

Fulfilling Life's Purpose

End of Chapter Review

3: Theology in Critical Study

Philosophical Argument for the Existence of God

Understanding God

Understanding God and His Word in Redemption

End of Chapter Review

4: Before the Beginning

The Doctrine of Lucifer

The Basis for Evil

Consequence of Evolution

End of Chapter Review

5: Genesis Argument, Narration, and Explication

Establishing the Call from Adam to Moses

Adamic Dispensationalism

Noah's Great Flood and Destruction of the First World Order

Following Abraham to Israel

End of Chapter Review

6: Third Covenant

Mosaic Dispensationalism and Judaism: The Old Religion

Ancient Judaism

Later Judaism

Contemporary Judaism

End of Chapter Review

7: Cognitive Environment Criticism

Comparative Methodology

Cognitive Environment Criticism of Genesis 1–2 and 6–7

Additional Parallels

Fallacies

Comparative Analysis

The Ancient World and the Hebrew Scriptures

End of Chapter Review

8: The Pentateuch

Analyzing Its Purpose, Background, and Meaning

Torah and Pentateuch

Compositional Analysis and Approach to the Pentateuch

Internal Organizational Structure and Design of the Pentateuch

Old Testament Law Function within the Event Space of Ancient Israel

Old Testament Approach to the Pentateuch

Religious and Theological Approaches to the Pentateuch

Old Testament Law Function in the Current Theological and Experiential Life of the Church

New Testament Approach to the Pentateuch

Interpreting the Pentateuch within the New Testament Time–Space

Determining Meaning of the Pentateuch in the Canon of Scripture

Documentary Hypothesis

Canonical Approach to the Pentateuch

End of Chapter Review

9: Exegesis of Justification by Faith According to Genesis 15:6

Background and Analysis of Genesis 15:6

Analysis of אמן

Analysis of צדקה

English Words Derived from צדקה

The Prognostication of Righteousness in the NT Based on Genesis 15:6

End of Chapter Review

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

cover.jpg

The World, Genesis, and Theology of the Pentateuch

John M. Powell

ISBN 978-1-63885-126-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63885-127-1 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 John M. Powell

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Acknowledgments

To my wife TaMara, and my children Chloe and Evan. Thank you for being there always, and for your constant and consistent support in life and ministry. And to my youngest brother, N. Dion Powell for your many years of support and friendship, and for the financial support reallocated toward this project. I like to acknowledge my paternal grandmother Nonnie Mae, my paternal aunts Virginia and Janice, and my dad's only brother J. K. Powell, all who've made a huge difference in my life during childhood. I received lots of encouragement throughout graduate school from my professors who are all scholars and theologians that all took part in grooming me into a competent Bible scholar and theologian. Such brilliant minds helped prepared me for the journey as they also placed me under their tutorledge and assured me as a Ph.D. candidate that they also viewed me as their peer. Such encouragement and inclusivism carried me distances throughout my doctoral program. Finally, it would be amiss to not mention Mr. Al Cambric of whom he and I had countless discussions about the Bible, the state of the Church, and the pastoral ministry. Al labored tirelessly to assist me in editing of the manuscript and asked nothing in return.

Foreword

I've known Brother Powell for many years and know of his love for God and his compassion to teach others. John is my friend and a serious student of the Scriptures, Church and Biblical History. I have always appreciated and respected his quest to help others become knowledgeable through his own personal dedication to learning. In his new book, The World, Genesis and the Theology of the Pentateuch John has carefully written an informative study—of how—from the very beginning of the creation in time, God had a plan of Restoration and Redemption for the World. The author skillfully establishes the foundation of God's plan through His love for Humankind in need of Redemption. This book explains how the world became disconnected from God by Sin thereby severing the Creation from the Creator. The book covers Creationism, Evolution, the Big Bang Theory, the Doctrine of Lucifer, ancient world history within the prism of Old Testament Biblical history in relation to Redemption and Justification by Faith. If you have ever wondered about the world's condition in relation to God's purpose then you must read this book. Finally, I like the way the author keeps it simple and easy to read with a wealth of insight and knowledge. This book was written for all levels of learning and understanding and will benefit readers to know how we got here and where God wants us to be. If this is your curiosity, then this book is for you.

Kevin T. Patton Sr.

BS, MTS (Maters of Theological Studies)

The day is the darkest before the dawn.

—Thomas Fuller

Abbreviations

Exordium

I grew up in a middle–class home alongside five other siblings. Part of my dad's strict regimen was conducting weekly bible studies with all of us at least once a week and usually at night. My sister, Sheryl LaFay, remembers the knack I had for asking the difficult and unanswerable questions. I'd ask questions like, Where did God come from? Or, How's it possible for God to not have a beginning? Or, How can he be everywhere all at once without limitations and boundaries? I didn't realize at the time how his bible–study sessions were setting in motion spiritual dynamics God would later use to direct my life in the future.

However, the biblical teachings I took keen interest in while sitting at the feet of my dad and first biblical mentor was just one aspect of my early education. I remember the joy I had for learning during my elementary school years too. In fact, between the first and second grades, I displayed such an advanced comprehension of presented material that the school's leadership determined I should be advanced one grade. And that's exactly what happened for at least one school semester.

Unfortunately, however, my joy for learning would come to a screeching halt in the fifth grade. It folded under the Nor'easter like conditions my teacher often created in her classroom. She segregated our class into three distinct tier groups. Tier one consisted of students she deemed smartest. Tier two, the middle tier, consisted of the so–called next smartest. And the last group, tier three, consisted of the so–called slowest students in the class. And even though my academic record suggested otherwise, she placed me in tier two.

On one occasion, she gave our class a math homework assignment. I usually always completed all my assignments. However, due to uncontrollable circumstances at home, I was unable to complete the assignment. In class the next day she called on me to answer a question from the homework assignment. After revealing to her that I didn't complete the assignment, she refused to allow me to offer a valid explanation. She immediately demoted me to the slow learners' group and that's where I stayed the remainder of the school year.

All this severely affected me. I knew I belonged with the top performers from the beginning. But now, I was at the extreme opposite of where I knew I belonged. This experience singlehandedly threw me into an unmitigated funk. And the terrible tragedy that resulted from my 5th grade teacher's mishandling of me that school year was me failing fifth grade. Unfortunately, nearly one–third of her entire class failed, which only consisted of all the slow learners.

At the time, I found it difficult to cope with what seemed like an insurmountable wrong and injustice. This line of thinking, at such a tender age, eventually led to me having bouts of depression. And these initial attacks on the young tender confidence, hopes and dreams I had as a youth became the breeding ground for a stronger depression that at times I still wrestle with today. I feel part of my initial bout with depression was rooted in the fact that I felt there was no one I could talk to about my situation or that could rescue me from it. I felt my only option was to accept it and deal with it the best way I thought possible. I remained in this oppressed state from that point in my life until the time my dad's teachings about Jesus caught root in my heart. It was only then that I felt the sharp talons of silent depression weaken and release the vice–like grip it had on my heart and soul.

When I look back over many of my past experiences, I can easily see that I'd done nothing worthy of the mistreatment I received at the hands of people like my fifth–grade teacher. And the only logical reason that I muster to explain it is God's will. Perhaps God allowed the mistreatment to keep me from becoming involved with those that would've had a dampening effect on my life…thus preserving me. It's certainly not uncommon for some to have an uncanny weakness for building friendships. However, there are times when God's design prevents us from establishing relationships that detracts from his will and that will ultimately hurt us. And it's not uncommon for Satan to counter by making us feel left out. Conversely, it's quite natural to want to fit in with the in-crowd and with the popular types. But, when God has his crosshairs on our lives, trying to fit in might feel more like putting a square peg in a round hole than anything else.

Satan would love to thwart God's purpose in our lives by involving us with people that don't mean us any good. It can be challenging to find people we can be around that contribute to our spiritual walk with God in a meaningful way. And though we can't see it at the time, many that we'd like to engage and associate with are harmful agents of Satan assigned to cripple God's purpose for our lives.

Jesus had a far greater purpose in life than all of us, and yet, he was despised and rejected by people (Isa. 53:2). Contrary to Hollywood's glorious portrayal of him, he didn't own the glowing aesthetics or physical features that naturally attracted or endeared people to him. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And as one from whom people hid their faces, he was despised and less esteemed by others. While growing up in Nazareth, he wasn't the popular kid on the block. He was not cherished by the masses. During his earthly ministry, he was able to draw people to himself because of the anointing that was on his life (see Acts 10:38). Ultimately it was necessary for him to draw people to himself. And by doing so in the process, he was bringing them/us back to God. (see 2 Cor. 5:19).

Even though my dad's teachings about Jesus were yielding huge dividends in my life, I wasn't a churchgoer yet. As I matured both in age and knowledge of God, one of my primary goals was joining a church and getting baptized. These two things weighed heavily on my mind, and I wanted to accomplish them. There was a nightclub down the street from where I lived. And, instead of going there to hang out with other kids in the neighborhood, there were several evenings I walked past it and went to a church near my grandmother's house. I didn't realize it then, but my church experiences coupled with my childhood experiences was setting things in motion for my future.

Now that my church life was catching up to my spiritual life, the one thing I always wanted was a three–piece suit. This was a luxury a financially strapped family just couldn't afford. Fortunately, one was passed down to me from a distant relative. Unfortunately, however, along with the suit was the transfer of troubling spirits. After receiving the suit, I begin having nightmares on a nightly basis. I would even at times sleep-walk, where I would wake up from sleep while standing outside in the street in front of my parent's house. I would later discover that a person living in the house the suit came from was plagued by troubling spirits or demons. As I began wearing the suit, I started seeing spirits (or demons) attached to the suit in visions as clear as I could see people. And along with these visions, I could hear footsteps following me when I walked down the road between my parents' and my grandmother's house. I was terribly frightened by those experiences, mainly because I was incapable of understanding them at that time. Often at night, I would fight going to sleep to prevent the nightmares from reoccurring.

Realizing I couldn't fight this on my own, I began seeking the Lord in prayer. At the tender age of thirteen, I began praying and petitioning God for my purpose in life. When I look back on that time, it is so clear to me now how he had been calling me even during my teenaged years. And it was these experiences that eventually led to my complete surrender and submission of my life and will to the Lord Jesus Christ. I was twenty–one when I repented of all my sins, and sincerely invited Jesus into my life. At twenty–three, I was introduced to a group of believers that explained the ways of God to me more perfectly. It is under such guidance that I received the Holy Ghost, spoke in tongues, and was baptized in water in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of my sins. From that point on, the Lord started revealing spiritual realties to me which continue to this day.

He told me that he is the Almighty God that manifested himself in human flesh, and that his Name is Jesus. He, being God, emptied himself, taking the form of a bond–servant and was made in the likeness of a human being (Phil. 2:7 NASB). Though a man, God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil because God was with him (Acts 10:38 NASB). I thought it was odd to hear God quoting scriptures, but it is how he communicated with me. I would like to simply ask the Lord how is the weather, but he never had a conversation with me in this manner. My experiences with him have always been about what was written in the Bible. This is where I first began to understand the importance of reading the Bible. Starting with the Gospel of John, I immersed myself into the Bible and began reading through the entire Bible (Genesis–Revelation) once every year. One of the stories that caught my attention was the story of Jesus and John the Baptist.

After Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, he was led into the wilderness where he was tempted of the devil. Following a triumph of feats over Satan, he returned to Nazareth, Galilee in the power of the Spirit. And on a certain Sabbath day, he stood up in a synagogue before all that were present and read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. After he completed the reading of Isaiah 61:1–3, he closed the scroll and gave it back to the minister of the synagogue. He then said to all that were present, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

The fivefold anointing that rested on Jesus to perform his earthly ministry was identified as the Spirit of the Lord upon me. He was God but also a real genuine human being anointed by the Holy Spirit. And it was the Holy Spirit's power that enabled him to perform his work and ministry. He came out of the wilderness of testing and temptation in the power of the Spirit. This fivefold anointing empowered him to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:14–19 NASB). In Isaiah 61:2, he didn't announce the day of judgment, because he simply came as Isaiah's suffering servant to surrender his life for the sins of mankind and to die on a cross for everyone's sins. He could have chosen to announce judgment on all humanity, but instead, he chose to give up his life for all people so that we wouldn't have to die in our sins.

Hindsight being 20/20, I clearly see now how during all the difficult aspects of my childhood experiences that Jesus was concerned and deeply involved in every aspect of my life. Even when he allowed me to fall into the throes of depression or suffer at the hands of other's hatred of me, he was involved. I clearly understand how he carefully watched over me until his appointed time to bring me into his promises and will for my life. I must speak from experience to how the Lord reveals his plan to a person, and by moving him or her into his purpose at the time of their acceptance of his redemptive purpose that he's made possible for them.

Prolegomenon

One day after leaving a particular meeting, some who were in attendance walked out behind me. As they trailed me, my laptop suddenly fell out of my backpack onto the concrete. After the unfortunate crash, one of them acknowledged he saw my backpack unzipped and my laptop hanging out of it. I responded, Why didn't you warn me? He was silent. The moral to the story is it's better to warn others before they fall into a ditch rather than after they've fallen into it. If he'd only warned me about the precarious nature of my situation ahead of time, it would've saved me a lot of heartache.

We face all kinds of situations in life where the concern for others doesn't appear genuine or that we simply don't care enough about others to keep them from getting hurt. In another perspective, God warns us to warn others when they are walking in error and practicing wrongdoing (Ezek. 3:18).¹ The Old Testament book Genesis is true to its name. It is indeed the book of beginnings. It helps prevent us from falling into a ditch by revealing to us, early on, the origin of all things, perhaps for those who are willing to believe that God is the Creator of everything that exists. It doesn't provide us with every little detail; the inspired message of Genesis gives us enough information for us to be able to believe and understand that God is indeed the creator of all things that exist.

From there, we have the mental capacity to do research and to search these things out (Prov. 25:2). Another point on its canonical importance is its relation of God to humanity. From a divine perspective, the Lord created the first humans (Adam and Eve) and had personal fellowships with them. He gave them everything they needed but forbade one thing. That one thing was forbidden access to the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17). Upon failure to obey God, it allowed the entrance of sin into the natural realm of creation (Rom. 5:12). It explains the reason humanity is in chaos today. Genesis helps us understand the reason sickness, evil, and death are in the world today. It is not the end result, however, because from the beginning, God foretold that he would come into the world as a human being and restore the fellowship between his creation and himself. But that was lost when through Adam sin entered into the world and led to the separation of the spiritual bond that once existed between mankind and God (Gen. 3:15).

The Lord told Adam, For in the day you eat of it, you will die for sure (Gen. 2:17). And immediately after eating the fruit they both died spiritually. They were immediately cut off from the Creator with no hope in sight. But as God always does in demonstrating his grace, he provided an array of hope. He introduced the coming of a Messiah that would restore things back to normal (Gen 3:15). As a result of Adam's disobedience, all human descendants after them are born into the world alive naturally and dead spiritually. Whereas true fellowship with God now requires a born–again experience in order to bring us back into a right relationship with him (John 3:5–7).

When Adam and all human descendants after him and Eve were alive in the world, the infiltration of sin into the human realm of creation spiritually cut everyone off from God. The solution to this problem required that God clothe himself in human flesh, defy the often demanding and sinister nature of human flesh and die in the place of all humans (i.e., die for all of our sins) in order to redeem us all back to himself. It is significant for us to first be able to understand the problem. If we can't see and understand what's wrong, it becomes impossible for us to recognize what needs fixing. This is Genesis' intent and the message it wants to relay to us. The first Adam ruined humanity, but the last Adam restored humanity (see 1 Cor. 15:45–47). This truly is the message of redemption the Bible teaches through Jesus Christ.

Modus Operandi

In this book, we will deal with issues of creation, ancient studies, and the five books of Moses identified as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis will be the primary text and is where we will give most of our focus. The books of the Pentateuch, from the Hebrew Torah, are the Greek version of the books of Moses. A study of the composition of the Pentateuch will be examined in chapter eight. One of the dangers when it comes to interpreting the Bible is an attempt by many to impose uninspired paleography on it. If we believe in the Bible and wish to stay true to it, we will need to consider two New Testament passages to help guide our understanding prior to our interpretation of it. Second Timothy 3:16 (NASB) states, All scripture is inspired [God–breathed] by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness. Moreover, 2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) states, For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Finally, when examining world history, it should be seen as a record by others in the past and not inherent or infallible. In the case of the Bible, we make witness to it as more unique than any other book in the world. In that case, we would argue for its inherency and infallibility, which are subjects of much debate in the scholarly world of biblical studies and theology. Both inherency and infallibility are theological terms based on the way people of faith view the scriptures. According to Comfort, inherency connotes that the Bible contains neither errors of act (material errors) nor internal contradictions (formal errors). Infallibility defines the scriptures as reliable and trustworthy to those who turn to it in search of God's truth.²

Chapter 1 is where redemption is reviewed including the human need for it. The concept of redemption needs to be understood from the perspective of both parties: the one doing the redeeming and the ones in need of being redeemed. Therefore, conceptualization around redemption is not for sake of the redeemer. It is for the benefit of those in need of being redeemed. The reason redemption is discussed first is because it shows why God gave the Torah to Israel.³ In fact, the Torah is God's first act of redemption, and his idea of redemption progressively unfolds throughout the pages of scripture. The scriptures are called special revelation, because they disclose God's plan for mankind. Upon each instance of the special revelation, more was given, and the revelation built upon itself as it continually looked forward to an ultimate and unprecedented redeemer.

Chapter 2 is intended to tie in redemption using a biblical interpretive method associating the human perspective to the divine nature of existence. It intends to show how all of our individual reasons and purposes for existing is tied directly to God's existence and not only us but everything. Nothing can exist apart from God, because God is the creator of everything that exists. It includes things seen or unseen. According to Colossians 1:16 (GNT), God created all things by Jesus Christ. It says: For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. In terms of redemption, purpose, and the existence of God, it is also important to understand God and to understand his word through the redemption process of mankind. As such, we will discuss how the creation veered from God's original design and purpose of it.

Chapter 3 explains the goal of theology and how it expresses God in the world through the Bible and creation. It examines how God is revealed to us through the Bible and creation, through divine revelation and natural causes. The way God is revealed to us in the Bible is biblical theology. A personal theology develops in the way a person understands both God and the Bible. In other words, we attempt to understand the Bible and proceed to make person assessments based on our understanding of the biblical world. Biblical theology is more accurate than personal theology. The goal of chapter 3 is not to prove God exists. A person's belief in God has to be accepted on the basis of their own personal faith in what the Bible teaches about him. Such faith becomes an objective (outwardly) expression of what he or she professes to believe subjectively (inwardly). This chapter however attempts to outline some evidences of God's existence based on human rationale, the Bible, and basic common sense. After we achieve the conquering of our personal faith to believe in God, we can then come to understand him and his word, and how it fits into his purpose of redemption which is the reason we have the Bible.

Chapter 4 opens the discussion on a time before the written account of Genesis. Whereas Genesis is the book of beginnings, it tells us of the beginning of the creation of the physical universe. It would be a mistake to assume it was created at the time Genesis was written. The creation account happened long before Genesis was written. However, there was a time the natural realm wasn't affected by corruption from the fallen angels. This discussion leads into our discussion on the doctrine of Lucifer, the basis for evil and the consequence of evolution. As such, it is an apologetic for creationism. Lucifer was a rebellious angel that led away one–third of the angelic hosts from God. They were cast out of God's presence into the earth,