Genesis Bible Commentary: Overview

by Rod Martin, Jr.

This is an introduction to a series on the first six chapters of Genesis—the first book of the Bible.

From a logical standpoint, there may be two main ways to look at the Bible. One is that of a work of literature compiled from several sources, some of them borrowed, but all in an attempt to make some sense of the universe around us from a metaphysical perspective. This is a strictly secular viewpoint—one based on the continuity of "cause-and-effect" physical reality.

The other main way is that of divine guidance. Scientists, as a whole, typically don't like this approach, but like it or not it is just as valid. The Bible purports to be a work of divine guidance or inspiration. What if it is? If we ignore this, then we have to throw out a great many clues based on a prejudice. Such a biased approach is not at all scientific, though such divinity reaches outside of the purview of science. One can easily explore both approaches. And in fact, some of both may be true.

When I was researching for my Atlantis novel, "Edge of Remembrance," I made a number of discoveries about the geology of the region which support the past possible reality of Atlantis.

I also discovered a couple of items about Genesis that intrigued me enough to investigate further. I wanted to look into every good lead on human prehistory that I could find. I considered Genesis an "unknown quantity" in this regard, but full of potential. I wanted to fund my novel with as many reality-based facts as possible.

I started with the hypothesis that not everything in the Bible is to be taken literally and that perhaps the timeline was one of those things which was not to be taken at face value.

I also found a striking similarity between a pattern I discovered in Genesis and the Kabbalah's (Jewish mysticism's) "Tree of Life."

Biblical literalism is an abomination. These are words a biblical literalist does not want to hear. That's understandable. Anything that seems to attack their beliefs, they may feel is also attacking the Bible. But let's look at that thought for a moment. Do beliefs about the Bible equal the Bible? Are beliefs and the Bible equivalent? Some might think so, but they are not equivalent. Is a photo of an apple equivalent to an apple? Of course not! You can't eat the photo.

The problem with biblical interpretation is that, all too frequently, ego becomes attached. When ego gets involved, then any amount of discussion tends to threaten or bruise the ego.

True biblical interpretation is humble and hungry for answers. Without that humility, one can never receive the answers to their questions. Without the hunger, you are likely never to ask new questions.

There are thousands of different interpretations of the Bible. Only one can be right on any topic; one or none. What if all interpretations are wrong? What if they all fall short of the Truth of God's Word? Shouldn't we remain humble and hungry for answers? Shouldn't we not crave the lazy and easy of the literal?

In 2 Corinthians 3:6, we are warned not to clamor for the letter (literal), for that only leads to death. Only the spirit will lead to life. The literal is only a starting point -- the place to dig for the spirit. Most people don't want to do the work of digging.

In this series, I have documented some of my own digging. This only scratches the surface. Let love guide you to help me in digging for more spiritual gold.

The following links will take you to the various parts of the series.