The Bible Vindicated! - 11

We have seen how the Higher Critic, De Wette claimed that Moses could not possibly have written some statements in the book of Genesis, because they could only make sense if written long after Moses’ time. We continue looking at the sections of the book for a common theme, which can help the reader of Genesis to understand how Moses could in fact have written these.

Following the section which concerns the rejected line of Esau, is the LAST SECTION, from Genesis 37:2 which is about “the generations of Jacob”. God gave the name Israel to Jacob - Genesis 32:28, a progenitor of the nation of Israel.

The promises of God to Abraham were also extended to Jacob, who was, like his grandfather and father, a “stranger and pilgrim on the earth,” awaiting the time when those selected by God will “inherit the earth.”

The book of Genesis shows that mankind, being sinful, was cursed with mortality, and therefore “of few days” - Job 14:1. But God’s long range plan is to BLESS all nations through Jacob’s offspring - Genesis 22:18 - “who is Christ” - Galatians 3:16.

“Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son [descendant] of Abraham” - Matthew 1:1, “has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” - 2 Timothy 1:10. The promised offspring came through the selected line of descent, following through Seth, Shem, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

These believed God’s promises and conducted their lives according to His instructions. They looked for neither fame nor fortune in this life. They rather heard and espoused “the exceedingly great and precious promises of God”. In hope of being found worthy be “partakers of the divine nature,” they made every effort to have nothing to do with the corrupt practices occurring in the places where they lived - 2 Peter 1:4.

The narratives of Genesis show how the people who were chosen by God considered themselves visitors or guests in the land which God had promised to them, but which was then occupied and controlled by those who were the rejected of God. They therefore were content to wait for God to fulfil His promises.

We learn in the New Testament how Stephen, who had been arrested in Jerusalem because of his preaching, gave a speech in defence of what he was doing - “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia... 3 and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you’.”

“...when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell . 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But...He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him” - Acts 7:2-5.

Genesis 12:6 reported that entry - “Abram passed through the land ...and THE CANAANITE WAS THEN IN THE LAND.” De Wette, the Higher Critic, insisted that Moses could not have written this, and that these words would come from someone living after Israel occupied it.

But Genesis 10:6 had already shown that the Canaanites, the descendants of Canaan, one of Noah’s grandsons, settled in the lands which were later conquered and settled by Israel - see v.19 and book of Joshua. And so in fact, Moses is commenting on the theme which we have noted, that the rejected people (the idolatrous Canaanites) were then enjoying their occupation of the land, while those whom God had chosen to promise that land were at the start of their presence there as mere visitors.