Genesis
Book Introduction
The book of Genesis is an exciting book unlike any other in the Bible. It covers a time span greater than the rest of Scripture combined and presents its readers – and hearers – with an understanding of the origins of our world, humankind, and God’s relationship with humanity. The lost paradise illustrates the need for redemption, and the plan for this redemption starts with Abraham and his descendants.
Interestingly, while reading through Genesis we find that God’s people were not perfect. We may think that with all the laws and God’s miracles and prophecy, the Jews were a very obedient, ‘good’ and ‘well-behaved’ people. At times this was reasonably true; however, they were all still people and had pressures, temptations, struggles, needs, desires, ambitions, etc. Genesis shows that the limitations and desires of humanity + existence and temptation of sin = disaster. This equation is a recurring theme in the book, highlighting the inherent human struggle with sin and the need for divine intervention. The exception comes with our heart on God and our hope in the Creator, and we see illustrations of this through the likes of Abraham and Joseph.
As you read through this book, I hope you will enjoy the narrative and think about what the various stories and testimonies illustrate.
Outline
A basic outline of the book of Genesis would be:
The Primeval History: Creation, sin, the flood, and the early history of the nations (1:1–11:32)
The Patriarchal Narratives (12:1-36:43)
a) The life of Abraham (12:1–25:18)
b) The lives of Isaac and Jacob (25:19–36:43)
The lives of Joseph and his brothers (37:1–50:26)
A more comprehensive one would be:
Part One: Primeval History (1:1–11:9)
The Creation (1:1–2:25)
a) Creation of the World (1:1–2:3)
b) Creation of Man (2:4–25)The Fall (3:1–5:32)
a) The Fall of Man (3:1–24)
b) After the Fall: Conflicting Family Lines (4:1–5:32)The Judgment of the Flood (6:1–9:29)
a) Causes of the Flood (6:1–5)
b) Judgment of the Flood (6:6–22)
c) The Flood (7:1–8:19)
d) Results of the Flood (8:20–9:17)
e) After the Flood: The Sin of the Godly Line (9:18–29)The Judgment on the Tower of Babel (10:1–11:9)
a) Family Lines After the Flood (10:1–32)
b) Judgment on All the Family Lines (11:1–9)
Part Two: Patriarchal History (11:10–50:26)
The Life of Abraham (11:10–25:18)
a) Introduction of Abram (11:10–32)
b) The Covenant of God with Abram (12:1–25:18)The Life of Isaac (25:19–26:35)
a) The Family of Isaac (25:19–34)
b) The Failure of Isaac (26:1–33)
c) The Failure of Esau (26:34, 35)The Life of Jacob (27:1–36:43)
a)Jacob Gains Esau’s Blessing (27:1–28:9)
b)Jacob’s Life at Haran (28:10–32:32)
c) Jacob’s Return (32:1–33:20)
d) Jacob’s Residence in Canaan (34:1–36:43)
e) The History of Esau (36:1–43)The Life of Joseph (37:1–50:26)
a) The Corruption of Joseph’s Family (37:1–38:30)
b) The Exaltation of Joseph (39:1–41:57)
c) The Salvation of Jacob’s Family (42:1–50:26)
(Nelson’s, 1996)
Background
The book of Genesis gained its name from the Greek word génesis, which means “origin,” and highlights the book’s content in its stories of beginnings. The book of Genesis sets a platform for the rest of the Pentateuch, which is the literary unit consisting of the first five books of the Bible (the Jewish refer to this as the Torah).
While the entire Pentateuch is traditionally attributed to Mosaic authorship, it is evident that at least some basic editing occurred, as there are records such as this death (Deut. 34:5). Nonetheless, Mosaic authorship was clearly taught and accepted throughout the entirety of Scripture (cf. Josh 1:7-8; 8:32-35; 22:5; 23:6; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 21:8; 2 Chron. 34:14; Ezra 6:18; Dan 9:11-13; Mal. 4:4; Matt. 19:7-8; Mark 10:3; 12:26; John 1:17; 5:46; 7:19, 23; Acts 3:22; 7:22, 37; Rom. 10:5; etc.).
The date of Moses’ original works is still debated, but the Exodus is typically thought to have occurred in either the fifteenth or thirteenth century B.C. (Chevalas, 2003; Hoffmeier, 1979-1988). Some scholars have dated the Exodus as early as 1446 B.C., while others place it later, around 1290 B.C. (Youngblood et al., 1995).
Hoffmeier rightly venerates Moses as “the liberator and lawgiver of Israel, the most important person in the O.T.” He states that “while Abraham may be regarded as the founder of Israel’s faith, Moses is the founder of Israel’s religion” (p. 415).
Maps
Some initial and helpful maps to introduce the geography and genealogy discussed in Genesis are visible in the following maps from Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps & Charts. The first refers to Genesis 10 and is called the “Table of Nations.” This is structured in terms of the descendants of the three sons of Noah: Japheth (vv. 2–5), Ham (vv. 6–20), and Shem (vv. 21–31). Many names mentioned in chapter 10 are identifiable with nations of ancient times, some of which have continued to the present age. The second refers specifically to the travels of the Patriarchs.
The Nations of Genesis 10
Travels of the Patriarchs
(Further maps will be shared throughout the blogs to assist with visualizing how and where the travels and events occurred.)
Reflective Questions
What is the motivation behind your life story? How are you going to contribute to the storyline of humanity?
Where do you fit in the story? Do you empathise with any particular biblical characters?
What do you learn about God in His actions throughout Genesis?
What connections are there between Jesus and the book of Genesis?
Who or what do you find inspirational in the stories of Genesis?
If you were some of the characters, what would you have done differently, and why? In reflection, try empathising and slipping into their place in history and culture. Would your initial answers to the questions remain the same?
Reference List
Chavalas, M. W. (2003). Moses. In T. D. Alexander & D. W. Baker (Eds.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (pp. 570-579). InterVarsity Press.
Hoffmeier, J. K. (1979–1988). Moses. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 3, pp. 415-425). Wm. B. Eerdmans.
Nelson’s complete book of Bible maps & charts: Old and New Testaments (Rev. and updated ed.). (1996). Thomas Nelson.
Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., eds. (1995). “Exodus, the”. In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Logos Bible Software.
