Genesis: It All Starts Here
Here we go! The origin story of origin stories. Genesis isn't just a book about how the world began...it's about how EVERYTHING began. From the start of the cosmos to the start of marriage; from the first sin to the first sacrifice. Genesis has it all! So join us as we celebrate this book! We gen-insist. *insert cringe face here*
Who wrote Genesis? Moses
What genre? History/Law
Who was it written to? The wandering, recently freed Israelites
Where is Genesis located in the Bible? The very first book in the first section (the Torah)
Why was the book written?
The Israelites had just been freed from slavery and were relearning who they were as a nation and what God’s purpose was for them. Moses, through God’s inspiration, wrote down their history from Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden up until Jacob’s death.
Why read Genesis?
Who doesn’t wanna read a book about the beginning of the world? The imagery and how God formed the earth is wild and cool! But Genesis doesn’t only encourage us with the BIGNESS of God but also shows us that God is in the DETAILS of our lives. We see God’s detailed care over and over again in the story of Joseph’s life. Through abandonment in prison to being 2nd in command, God clearly directed every step for Joseph despite his faults. Genesis is so unique in how it shows us the big-ness and small-ness of God!
Genesis covers a wide range of topics such as marriage and divorce, gender/sexuality, sanctity of life, the Trinity, angels and demons… Anything you want to study is covered in this ancient book!
Personally impactful passages:
Jimmy - Genesis 1 - Our mentor asked me to underline every time the word “God” appears in the first chapter. I did and it was in there a ton! Then my mentor asked me “Who is the Bible written about?” It clicked. The Bible is about God. He gave us His Word so that we can know HIM!
Kelly - Genesis 25:19-26 - I love noticing the dates and ages of people in the Bible. When we were going through a season of multiple miscarriages, I was paying attention to pregnancy-related events. When Isaac married his wife Rebekah, he was 40 years old. The passage goes on to talk about God’s promise of making Isaac’s offspring into a great nation and Rebekah giving birth to their twins, Jacob and Esau. But at the end, it shares this startling fact: Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born! Twenty years of infertility had gone by! I can’t imagine being promised such a legacy and to also have 20 years of infertility struggles! What a challenge of faith.
Are there tricky parts or passages we don’t understand?
Of course! There’s a lot of passages in Genesis that are hard to comprehend what’s going on or are hard to accept! Tough things like the judgment of Sodom and Gomora. And tough questions like who are nephilim in Genesis 6:4? Did God create the world in six literal days? What about what we know of science? (psst… check out next week’s episode for a deep dive into the age of the earth!)
Whew. Take a deep breath.
Some of these questions can be better understood when we remember why the book was written. Genesis wasn’t written to answer all of our modern-day questions. It was written so that Israel would remember their purpose and identity. It’s also good to remember some passages are descriptive and some are prescriptive. This book is a historical account, meaning we are observing what happened (descriptive). We can use commands in other books of the Bible to discern how to view some of these startling events and sinful choices.
What can we learn from Genesis? God is the hero of the story.
If Genesis wasn’t in the Bible, what would we be missing?
We would lose the beginning of the story - and that would impact everything! Why are we sinners? Why do we need a savior? Why did God create us? Genesis sets up the rest of the Bible!
This book is awesome because it answers all the important worldview questions: How'd this start? What went wrong? How's it get better? Where's it going?
Application questions:
When was the last time you read Genesis?
If God was there for every step of Joseph’s messy and crazy life, what could possibly keep Him from directing your life as well? How does this perspective impact your view of your current circumstances?
Stop and consider: Are you reading your Bible to learn more about yourself? Or about God?
Can you answer the four worldview questions: How'd this start? What went wrong? How's it get better? Where's it going?
Love these application questions? You gotta check out the Clearly One-Pager!
Want to ask us a question? Email question@clearlypodcast.com.
Wish you could ask questions in real time? Our Patreon partners join us live for every recording! PLUS you get the Genesis Clearly One-Pager for free!