THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Genesis |ˈjenəsəs| the first book of the Bible, which includes the stories of the creation of the world, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Genesis is the first book in the Bible and means “beginning” in Greek. Moses is actually known as the author of Genesis, tracing the earliest writings all the way back to the 5th and 6th centuries BC.
The book of Genesis starts out with the creation of the whole world...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 (NLT)
God is a creator. We see this attribute throughout the Bible, all the way from the book of Genesis to Revelation. He spoke everything into existence with a single word—He speaks light into darkness and forms beautiful things from dust.
After creating the whole world in just five days, on the sixth day He makes mankind. Adam (meaning “humanity” in Hebrew) and Eve (meaning “life” in Hebrew) were created in the image of God and given a moral choice about how they would go about building the world. God commanded them, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)
This tree represents choice and our free-will. Adam and Eve were offered the choice to either trust God’s definition of good and evil, or the choice to define good and evil for themselves. They chose the latter—and now, we all have the same choice to make for ourselves. We all have an inward desire to call our own shots, to do what we want, and to have our own way. But that desire is rooted in selfishness—not in trusting in God. If we allow our flesh to chose, rather than trust, WE become the “gods” of our “truth”—making up our own way as we go.
As we continue reading through Genesis—we see how choosing our own way always leads to destruction. Eventually, the problem with sin ended up getting so bad that out of God’s sadness and grief with the state of the world, He chooses to wash it clean with a flood. You might remember reading this story as a child, but it’s important to take note of Noah’s obedience to God and God’s promise to mankind…
“I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.” Genesis 9:12-15
After the flood, we see how God begins to fulfill His promise to the world with a man named Abraham. God told Abraham (once called Abram), “Leave your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
And we see the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, 400 years later when his decedents (Isaac, Jacob, Joseph…) become the nation of Israel. We still see His covenant promise today—now extended to all mankind through the salvation we receive through faith in Jesus. What a beautiful, beautiful story that continues to unfold…
“I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:17-18 (NLT)
XO-
Sabrina