BSN: Roots in Genesis

  • The first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – have historically been called the Law of Moses. This is perfectly valid given Moses’ authorship. However, speaking in more precise terms, everything in the book of Genesis happened before Moses’ time and the Law of Moses per se is therefore found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The reason this distinction is worth making is that while Genesis, while not technically a part of the Law Moses gave Israel, does contain the seeds from which many provisions of that law came. We could say that much of the Law of Moses finds its genesis in Genesis. For example:
    • The requirement to circumcise a male (Gen 17:10-11), and to circumcise a male infant on the eighth day (Gen 17:12; 21:4) came with Abraham. Moses’ law regarding circumcision was just following suit with regard to Abraham’s descendants. Jesus made a point of this in Jn 7:22-23 when He reminded His critics that Moses’ law concerning circumcision had its roots in patriarchal practice.
    • The distinction between clean and unclean which is so prevalent, and which is defined so thoroughly, in the book of Leviticus is found in three verses of Genesis: Gen 7:2, 8; 8:20.
    • The role of priests, which is so significant in the Law of Moses, and which was inaugurated with the consecration of Moses’ brother Aaron and Aaron’s four sons, was preceded by a ever-so-brief mention of a priest of God in Genesis: Gen 14:18-20 (Melchizedek). Then there was equally brief mentions of Joseph’s father-in-law the priest of On (Gen 41:45, 50; 46:20) and the priests of Egypt (47:22, 26). We could also mention Moses’ father-in-law the priest of Median who comes before the Law (Ex 18:1) but then that takes us out of Genesis.
    • The Feast of Booths (see Feasts) is first mentioned in Lev 23:34, but its genesis can be traced to Gen 33:17 when Jacob, after diffusing the tension between himself and Esau, “journeyed to Succoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth.” The Hebrew term for “booth” is “sukkah,” so the connection is obvious. In fact, Jews refer to the feast as the feast of “Succoth” or “Sukkot.”
    • The prohibition against consuming blood in Lev 17:10-16 has precedent in God’s instruction to Noah and his sons in Gen 9:4.

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