Comparing and Contrasting Genesis 1 And Exodus 20 of the Old Testament

¶ … Genesis 1 (in the Old Testament) and the pronouncement of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 (of the Old Testament). Be sure to include the purpose of Exodus 20 and how it is related to Genesis 1.

Comparing and contrasting Genesis 1 and Exodus 20 of the Old Testament

The story of creation [Primeval story] in the Book of Genesis is one of the most read stories of all times. It has changed in presentation and style in the years to some but its original version remains the most validated one regardless of other interpretations.

The Book of Genesis [Old Testament] is considered the basis of all stories. It begins with the creation of everything for consider the words, "In the beginning God created..." [Genesis I]. This denotes the creation of creating if there is such a term. The basic tenets of the chapter are that God is one and He is the creator. He created everything in the world while he was. There was no creator for God as He was the origin of all creation and thus, all that he created was to be considered sacred. Genesis 1:1 states, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through the Word, and without the Word not one thing came into being." Then the sacredness of His creation emerges through verse 26 of this first chapter: Then God said, "Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness...So God created humans in God's image; in the image of God they were created; male and female God created them."

Here the implication is that since God is sacred and he created man then man has to be considered sacred as well for it is in man that there is a reflection of God. Genesis I then becomes the principle guiding force for the beliefs of Hebrews. As we read the story in the Genesis we learn that God created life on earth and the universe in six days while the seventh day was considered the day of rest for we read, 'on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done' (Genesis 1).

As the story continues we find that the first couple were created in Eden and personified sin by eating the forbidden fruit falling to earth taking their sin with them. As the sin came to earth it ran rampant with the first sin on earth being the murder of Abel. As sin continued from that day onwards Noah was shown the true path and through the story of Noah and the flood waters earth was cleansed of sin. These two stories are seen to run parallel to one another as one tells of the creation of the world in its divine form while the other states the creation of sin in the world and its all evading form.

Exodus 20 of the Old Testament is again one of the most well-known verses of this book. It presents the Ten Commandments that most Hebrews and Christians are familiar with. The story of creation in Genesis I was a base for the concept of religious life. It presented the concepts of faith, monotheism, obligation, duty, crime and sin for the people through symbolic and metaphoric conceptions. Similarly, Exodus 20 outlined the basis of faith in God and yet, was more specific in its presentations.

Consider these words in Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me." This clearly suggests that God was guiding the Hebrews to create a monotheist religion. Then we see that the story of creation is further verified here when we read Exodus 20:9 which states, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God" relating this to the story in Genesis I we realize that the two have the same parallel and are similar in their conceptions.

As we read of the murder of Abel in Genesis I we read here in Exodus 20:13 its condemnation, "You shall not murder." There are no exceptions to the rule provided. It's a simple statement of fact that shows that the act of Cain's violence was condemned by God.

Reading the Exodus 20 and Genesis I we realize that while the two stories are comparable it was Genesis I that set the base for Exodus 20. Genesis means the beginning it is the initial stage for any action. The written words of the Old Testament in Genesis I seem hopeful and full of divination. The concepts are built on faith alone. It's a testament to the belief in God for setting aside physical evidence God states that men believe that He created whatever exists in this world and beyond. The language is strong and yet the statements not harsh, they are more revolutionary in nature. They show creation and the magic in terms associated with the whole scenario. The language in the Exodus on the other hand is harsher as the realization implicit in the words. Sin is a way of the world and when humans ignore Gods words they ignore Him and will be punished. There is a direct force in the verses of the Exodus.

Thus, in a way we could state that Exodus 20 of the Old Testament is a reaction to Genesis I in the same book. Consider for example the passage of Exodus (20:11) which is a reference to the subjects of the creation week of Genesis - it refers to all that God made (asah), not what God created (bara - Genesis 1:1)

Genesis I told the story of creation while Exodus 20 proves it. Herein, lies the true purpose of the latter verse. In Genesis I God created man and all other creatures and gave them power through his own presence. He created and no other living creature was given the power to do the same. Throughout Exodus 20 we read the limits of human power. God is setting the guidelines of human life referring to the moral actions which are right and wrong. Through the actions of man there has been a realization that the word of God is not enough, there must be an analysis of a reward and punishment system. The system created would then ensure that the word of God is taken seriously and actions are performed accordingly.