John Walton on Understanding Genesis

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In this video, Old Testament scholar and author John Walton offers some important reminders with regard to how we should approach a reading of the book of Genesis. First and foremost, says Walton, we have to approach Genesis for what it is, which is an ancient text.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• science
• religion
• Genesis
• interpretation
• Bible
• Scripture
• creation
• culture
• Israel
• meaning
• Christianity
• literature
• evolution
• creationism
• theology

[Chiangmai007]

Its been a continuing relief to have my beliefs about the bible broken and then redeemed in such a way as to find even deeper satisfaction in the scriptures, science and God. This is a wonderful channel. Thank you for making it available to the world.

[NarrowWayMedia]

An ancient text, yes, but an ancient inspired text. Abraham was called out of the heathen nations to establish a peculiar people, not so that we would look at the pagan nations to determine how we should interpret the Bible.

[EGMAG]

@ScottyDavid1964

Just give us some PROOF PLEASE?

[EGMAG]

@NarrowWayMedia

PROOF??

[EGMAG]

How does this dude accept the bible as from God. How does anyone know it was "God's word"?

Temple"? Scrpts say earth was the center of the cosmos not the other way around. Give us some PROOF PLEEZE?

[ScottyDavid1964]

Moses goes ALONE onto a mountain,takes down 2 tablets of stone with laws on them supposedly written by a stone-age diety,no camcorder filming or even eye witnesses were around to verify this story;would you be content to be convicted on this kind of evidence lol.Instead of writing inhumane laws concerning punishment and sacrifice;why didn't this 'omniscient/omnipotent' diety give mankind something useful?Cure for cancer,unified field theory,relativity,enviromental science etc.It's all bs!!!

[Surfxeo]

This idea that God starts working on the 7th day is wrong when you read the previous texts when God is actually working on creation. There is a clear day and night phases where we see Gods work in sustaining the natural laws of nature.

John 5:16-17

"And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. "

[Strefanasha]

how often are appeals to ancient cultures but weasel words to justify not believing what the Bible says plainly.

If they dont believe it let them be plain and relatively honest atheists and reject the whole thing, but no, they lack the honour or the consistency

[ObjectiveBob]

@NarrowWayMedia

There are many aspects of Judaism that were not only different, but that went against pagan traditions (Walton points out many of these aspects in his book). As far as the similarities between Judaism and pagan religions go, it makes sense that God would have communicated his work in the universe and himself in overaching, familiar religious terms that the Jews would've understood.

[RuinSonic]

@Chiangmai007 I agree with most of what he said but doesn't it mean innerency has to go out the window? I've seen one Christian argue that it doesn't. But it doesn't matter what the purpose or intent of a myth is, or if it's conveying a true underlining message. So far as the story is supposed to give an account of creation and believed by the people of that time it is significant to the reliability of the Bible. For instance Jesus saying Jonah and the flood is true has theological significance.

[NarrowWayMedia]

(cont.) I don't have to assume the Sabbath is for mankind. Jesus made that clear. "[Jesus] said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." (Mark 2:27)

I have a video entitled "A Sign Between Me and You" (Part 1 and 2) on my Youtube channel about the Sabbath. Much more could be said, but the Bible is filled with instruction about the Sabbath. That is where we are to turn. We need not turn to heathen nations to learn about about the day God Himself set apart for us.

[NarrowWayMedia]

(cont.) After six days of creative work, God finished His work. He sanctified the seventh day for the benefit of mankind to reflect upon the work of God every seventh day Sabbath, or every seventh day of ceasing from our works as God ceased from His. It is a resting in the awesome, creative power of God; that His word upholds all things. Hebrews chapter four places this also in the context of redemption. Ceasing from the works of the flesh and resting in the word of God by faith to recreate us.