Week 1 Study Page - Genesis 1-23
Week #1 Study Page
Genesis 1-23
Monday: Genesis 1-4
Tuesday: 5-8
Wednesday: 9-11
Thursday: 12-15
Friday: 16-19
Saturday 20-23
Degree of difficulty 8 out of 10 (Explanation:) Genesis has long chapters, and so much happens in this reading that it is easy to get bogged down and read slow.
About the Book
Genesis is the 2nd longest book in the bible (by word-count) - can you guess which is first? Genesis is the first book in a series of 5 books called the Pentateuch and known in the Jewish tradition as the "Torah". All Five of these books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) are traditionally believed to have been written by Moses. Genesis divides neatly into two different sections. Chapters 1-11 record the history of the origen of the world and the human race, and include a selection of historical accounts that explain how God relates to mankind. Begining in Chapter 12 of Genesis, we follow Abraham, a man chosen by God to become the progenitor of his people (Israel) and the blessing that he would show to all mankind, and his family
Date of Authorship: 15th-13th century BC (depending on how you date the Exodus - more on that later)
Occasion: Genesis and the other books of the Pentateuch were likely written by Moses during the 40-year period of wandering in the desert in between their exodus from Egypt and their crossing of the Jordan river into the promised land in the book of Joshua. God communicated with Moses in a way that is unique in all of Scripture. The Bible tells us that Moses met with God regularly and spoke to him "face to face" (see Exodus 33:7-11). It was these special encounters with God that allowed Moses to pen these first 5 books of the Bible and know the truth of the matter to the greatest questions of life - namely: Where did we come from? and how do we relate to God?
Purpose: The words of Genesis were given to the Israelite people so that they would know who they are, where they came from, and how they relate to God. Thankfully the words of Genesis accomplish the same for us. Did you know that the bible teaches us that - through faith, though most of us are not genetically Jewish - we become children of Abraham? Israel's origen story is also our own.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. (Romans 4:16-17)
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)
As you read Notes
Genesis 1: creation
some of the descriptions of nature in the creation story sound odd to us. that is because we do not think of the world the same way that the ancient people who were the first to read this account. the description of Creation in Genesis 1 is given in such a way as to describe the world as they understood it. one of the best examples of this is Genesis 1:6 "and God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water."" what could this "vault" be? a survey of literature from the cultures and societies in the Ancient Near East reveal an understanding of the universe that believed there were waters both below the earth, and above the "sky" or the "firmament" this picture illustrates how these ancient people understood the universe. This image is incredibly helpful for understanding the creation account in Genesis
Ages
As you're reading through Genesis you will notice some people living a REALLY long time; like Methuselah who is said to have lived 969 years! These incredibly long lifespans can be taken literally, and reasons theorized as to how these people were able to live for so long. Martin Luther theorizes in his commentary on these passages that these patriarchs had a better diet, more sound bodies, and experienced a less developed impact of sin on the physical creation, all of which allowed them to reach these incredible ages. These long lifespans can also be taken figuratively, as many have pointed to certain numerological meanings associated with certain numbers in the ancient world to try to explain how the author of Genesis was using these numbers to assign greatness to the characters he decided to include in his account. Others have tried to apply the Sumerian base-60 numbering system (sexagesimal - $5 word) and parallel Sumerian accounts to explain why these characters' ages are listed as being so long. if you want to really get into the weeds on how to understand the ages listed in Genesis there is a good article here:
https://bible.org/article/ages-antediluvian-patriarchs-genesis-5
Genesis 12
The promises made to Abram (who will later be called Abraham) in Genesis 12 mark a major turning point in the book of Genesis. They are crucially important to the whole rest of the Bible. Pay careful attention to what God promises to do with and through Abraham's descendants. Here is a helpful map to show the travels of Abraham in Genesis:
Extra Reading From Genesis 14 and 15
There are 2 excellent opportunities for extra reading in this week's assignment
after reading about Abram's encounter with Melchizedek in Genesis 14 - read Hebrews 6:13 - 7:28 to learn how Jesus is like Melchizedek in that he is both priest and king.
after reading Genesis 15:6 ("Abram believe the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness") - read Romans 3:21 - 4:25 to learn how faith has always been how God justifies us
Lot and His Daughters; Genesis 19:30-38
this is one of the strangest and most yucky stories in the bible. it begs the question: why does this need to be in the Bible? the answer comes at the very end of the story. Look at the 2 nations that are literally birthed in this story; the Moabites and the Ammonites. Now remember that Genesis is written by Moses to the Israelites as they are preparing to enter the promised land. two of the peoples that currently occupied the promised land, who they would have to defeat and kick out, were the Moabites and the Ammonites. What was God telling Israel about these two peoples?
Questions for reflection
In Genesis chapter 3, the serpent tempts eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. How does the serpent tempt eve? what does he (the serpent) want her to believe/think? are there any temptations what we face today which are similar?
In Genesis 6:7, God says "i regret that i have made them(mankind)" did God change his mind about this? can he even do that? Why was god so disappointed?
In Genesis 11, the descendants of Noah build the Tower of Babel. What was the problem with what they did? What would be a similar transgression today to what they did at the Tower of Babel?
In Genesis 12, God tells Abram to leave his family and settle in a new land? has God ever asked you to do something challenging? would you be ready and willing to respond like Abram?
in Genesis 17:20, God tells Abraham "as for Ishmael I have heard you i will surely bless him" do you have anyone in your life that you praying to God for, like Abraham was for Ishmael? do you trust God to hear you?
In Genesis 20, Abraham, for the second time, deceivingly tells others that his wife Sarah is actually his sister. why does he keep doing this? is he in the wrong?