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Though the Bible is clear that “in the beginning God made the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) none of us knows the year of history he did it. A century ago, a Bible scholar named James Ussher thought he figured it out. Adding up all the ages and lifespans of key Bible characters he came to the conclusion that the earth was created on October 23, 4004 BC. Included in his assumption was the traditional view that each of the six days of creation lasted 24 hours. While many Bible teachers still hold to that view, very few would agree with his dating method, let alone his conclusion.
But this need not distract us from the extraordinary events described especially in the opening chapters of Genesis 1-3, culminating as these chapters do in the story of Adam and Eve and their banishment from the Garden of Eden. That story is the bedrock and foundation for understanding the rest of the Bible. It also marks the beginning of what I call the Historical Period of His Story.
In Book Two of His Story we will examine the slice of history from the creation to events after the judgment of Israel. Before we do it is vital that I emphasize the historicity of these events. For a hundred years skeptics and scholars called that into question—especially the first eleven chapters of Genesis. We may disagree about how God did what he did but we cannot dispute that the events indeed took place. To quote Theologian Francis Schaefer,
"Give up creation as space-time, historic reality, and all that is left is what Simone Weil called 'uncreatedness.' It is not that something does not exist, but that it just stands there, autonomous to itself, without solutions and without answers" (Francis Schaefer, Genesis in Space and Time).
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Considering that this section of Scripture was written over a thousand year period (approximately 1500 to 500 BC) and includes hundreds of historical events, it is challenging to summarize it. However, I believe this is another way the ancient covenant structural framework can guide us. Earlier I suggested that the individual details and stories are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Until we begin fitting them together correctly, they will be like a confusing mess on the table! However, when we learn to fit them together the individual stories take on new meaning and purpose as we see the “big picture.” God’s covenant is the big picture.
His Story Review
In Book One I argued that the best place to see the “big picture” of Bible history is the Book of Revelation. Revelation was given to God’s people to tell the entire story of history in a few chapters, giving us two vantage points: from heaven and from earth. I also suggested in that lesson that the Book of Revelation, like the entire Bible, uses the ancient covenant structure to tell the story. If you need to remember what that meant in the Book of Revelation please go back and review the previous lesson particularly the five sections: Preamble, History, Requirements, Sanctions and Continuity. In this series of lessons I will show how that covenant structure can be used to understand the larger purpose of the historical books of the Bible.
The Divine Covenants in Creation
Covenant structure is one thing, covenant purpose is another and we cannot appreciate one without the other. Therefore, let me take a moment to describe the content of the divine covenants in creation as we prepare to look at the historical events themselves. Theologians typically describe three:
Covenant of Redemption - Described in Ephesians 1:3-14 as the plan of salvation in which each person of the trinity had a responsibility. God the Father decreed it, God the Son promised to fulfill it, and the Holy Spirit would equip God’s creatures in their obedience. This covenant was made before creation itself.
Covenant of Creation (or Works) - When God created Adam he made a covenant with him to be fruitful and multiply, tend the garden, and avoid eating the forbidden fruit. This covenant was made with Adam in his unfallen innocence. In the broad scope of history, the covenant of creation marked the path to eternal peace and life.
As I will show in a few moments, Adam was the first covenant mediator. As God’s representative he was required to perfectly obey the covenant. Of course, Genesis describes his failure and the death sanction he brought upon himself but eventually on all creation (Romans 5:12).
Covenant of Grace - Even in the darkest hour, God’s prehistoric covenant of redemption would continue. God was not taken by surprise. How much did Adam and his immediate descendants understand what the New Testament describes as the covenant of grace? Theologians say it was a “progressive revelation” that would unfold over thousands and thousands of years. The first piece of the puzzle of this grace covenant revealed that the woman would have a son who would crush the head of the serpent (3:15). Our first parents had no idea how long it would take for the chosen seed to arrive and complete what Adam failed to do. We know it would be thousands of years.
The Covenant Mediators of Grace
In our summary of the Historical Period I will limit our study of the thousands of events and people to five. This is not a random selection on my part! God uniquely called these five men to reveal the covenant of grace. We know they had a special role in the revelation because God chose to give them new information–new pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of grace. Remember, there is only one covenant of grace. There has always been but one way of “salvation.” However, God did not reveal all the details at once. These five men are what we call covenant mediators. It is their stories we will now consider learning about the historical period of His Story.
