1 – The Book of Genesis
Author
Not written but known to be Moses the prophet
Date
Written around 1400 B.C.
Purpose
To describe God’s role in the creation, and the origin of where we are and how we ended up where we are.
Summary of content (Main Ideas)
This first book in the Bible describes how everything started: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (1:1).
Chapters 1 & 2: present two stories of creation, one can be viewed as the large summary and the other one is focused on the creation of Man. Same sequence as modern science states.
Chapter 3: describes the fall and the consequences of fall. It also provides the first promise of salvation: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (3:5)
Chapter 4: describes the impact of sin and how Cain killed Able.
Chapter 5: descendents of Adam. Summary of our lives “begat children, lived so many years and he died”
Chapters 6-9: The story of the flood and Noah. (Chp 6 Sons of God are the descendent of Seth and the Sons of Men are the descendent of Cain).
Chapter 10: The descendant of Ham, Sam, and Japeth.
Chapter 11: Man continues his defiance to God. The building of the Tower of Babel and God confuses the languages. Ancestors of Abram.
Chapters 12-17: The story of Abram and Sarai who became Abraham and Sarah (God’s covenant with Abraham.
Chp 12: Abram being called of his home. Abram goes to Egypt
Chp 13: Lot departs from Abram
Chp 14: Story of Abram and the 318 Men defeating the 5 kings to free Lot.
Meeting Melchizedeck and being blessed by him.
Chp 15: God’s covenant with Abram. God is the one who makes the covenant not Abram
Chp 16: Story of Hagar and Ishmael
Chp 17: Covenant of circumcision
Chapters 18-19: The story of the Lord visiting Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot.
Chapter 20: Story of Abraham with Abimelech king of Gerar
Chapter 21: Isaac is born. Hagar and Ishmael leave Abraham and Sarah
Chapter 22: Abraham offers Isaac as a sacrifice
Chapter 23- 24: Sarah dies, Eleizer of Damascus brings Rebecca as a bride to Isaac.
Chapter 25: Other descendants of Abraham. Abraham dies and is buried. Birth of Jacob and Esau. Esau sells his birthright.
Chapter 26: Isaac moves to Palestine because of the famine. Difficulties with the locals over the wells.
Chapters 27-31: Jacob is blessed, flees to his uncle, sees the ladder from heaven, marries Leah and Rachel. Jacob begets 12 children. Sees a vision and leaves Laban back to his home.
Chapter 32: Jacob prepares to meet Esau. Jacob wrestles with the Angel of the Lord.
Chapter 33-35: Jacob settles. Dina is defiled, her brothers revenge. Rachel die and Isaac die.
Chapter 36: Descendants of Ishmael.
Chapter 37-50: The story of Joseph. His visions. Being sold to the Ishmeelites for 20 pieces of silver . Sold to Potiphar in Egypt. Joseph was accused by his master’s wife. Spends time in prison. Interprets visions. Become second to Pharaoh. Receives his brothers. Jacob moves to Egypt. Jacob departs. Joseph departs
Those who are examples of new Testament characters
| Who represents Christ | What he did | How to apply |
| Adam | Being the first of creation | Christ is the first of the new creation |
| Eve | The mother of all creation | Saint Mary, the new Eve, the mother of Christ and all who become the new creation |
| Able | Righteous died because of sin | Christ the righteous died on our behalf |
| Noah | Saved humanity in the Ark | Christ Saved humanity through the cross |
| Abraham | The Father who offered his son as a sacrifice | Represents the Father |
| Melchizedeck | A priest and king who offered a sacrifice of bread and wine | – Christ who is the king and priest who established the Holy Communion represented by bread and wine |
| Isaac | – The son who accepted to be offered as a sacrifice
– The bride groom who is waiting as the well |
– Christ who accepted to be offered as a sacrifice and came alive after death
– Our bridge groom who is waiting for us next to the well of the Holy Spirit |
| Eleizer of Damascus | Brought Rebecca to Isaac | The Holy Sprint that brings the Soul to its Bride groom (Christ) |
| Rebecca | The bride that left her family to join her husband whom she only heard of | The Human soul that leaves the earthly work to join her Bridge groom (Christ) |
| Jacob | Married two sisters | Christ took for himself the Church of the Old Testament and the Church of the New Testament |
| Joseph | Provided food to humanity where there was famine.
His name is the bread of life. Betrayed by his brethren. Sold for 20 pieces of silver |
Christ saved people from starvation.
He is the bread of life. Betrayed by both Jews and Romans. Sold for 30 pieces of silver |
How to benefit
Here we find the beginning of creation, marriage, sin, promise of salvation, and a lot more.
We see God’s plan through humanity despite our own inequity and weakness. God uses the best that there is even if it was not up to standard. We learn of how great was Abraham’s faith and see how Jacob changed to become the Man of God. The story zooms in on one man (Abram) and from whom a nation is formed to receive the savior.
We also see here that a lot the commandments that was given to Moses was known during the time of the patriarchs
- Judah giving his children in marriage to Tamar. (38)
- Joseph refuses to commit adultery (39)
God’s role
God is the creator and He is the beginning of everything.
Verses to memorize
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen 1:1)
And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Gen 1:31)
But Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah. (Gen 6:8)
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Gen 12:3)
And he believed in Jehovah. And He counted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 15:6)
And he said, I will not let You go except You bless me. (Gen 32:26)
And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. (Gen 39:2)
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