Lesson 1 - Genesis

Firm Foundation Christian Academy

Jr. High School, 2021-2022

1 SUMMARY

1.1 WHAT’S INSIDE

 The story of the creation of the world and all living things
 God creates humans, and a special group of humans to be His people
 Human disobedience
 God’s

1.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

 Author - Moses
 Place – Ancient Mesopotamia
 Time – 4000 – 1600BC

1.3 THEMES
 Creation (Nature and Humanity)
 Disobedience
 Redemption
 Covenants

2 OUTLINE
1. Prologue/Creation (1.1 - 2.3)
2. Account of Human Beginnings (2.4 - 4.26)
a. Beginning of the Human Race
b. The Fall and Punishment
c. Cain and Abel
3. Adam’s Family Line (5.1 - 6.8)
4. Account of Noah (6.9 - 9.29)
a. Mankind is corrupt
b. God tells Noah to build an ark, for He will
destroy the earth with a flood.
5. Account of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (10.1 - 11.9)
a. Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, Japeth
b. Ham = father of Canaan and Mizraim
(Egypt)
c. Japeth = son, Javan, is said to be father to
Greek and Mediterranean peoples
(Europe)
d. Tower of Babel

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 6. Account of Shem (11.10 - 26)
a. Shem = father of the Israelites (Semitic)
b. Abraham is a descendant of Shem
7. Account of Abraham (11.27 - 25.11)
a. God tells Abram to leave his country and promises the land of
Canaan
b. God promises Abram a great many descendants
c. God changes Abram’s name to Abraham
d. God makes a covenant with Abram
e. God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah
f. Ishmael is born (Abraham-Hagar)
g. Isaac is born (Abraham-Sarah)
8. Account of Ishmael (25.12 - 18)
a. Hagar and Ishmael are sent off into the wilderness.
b. God still promises a great many descendants through Ishmael
9. Account of Isaac (25.19 - 35.29)
a. Offer Isaac as a sacrifice
b. Esau and Jacob are born (Isaac-Rebekah)
c. Jacob steals birthright and blessing from Esau
d. Jacob leaves home and has 12 children
e. Jacob wrestles with God, renamed “Israel”
10. Account of Esau (36.1 - 37.1)
11. Account of Jacob (37.2 - 50.26)
a. Israel and his sons live in Canaan
b. Joseph has dreams indicating his brothers will serve him
c. Joseph is sold to slavery, but has success in Egypt, interprets
Pharoah’s dreams
d. Joseph is powerful in Egypt, rescues brothers from famine
e. Israelites reside in Egypt (Goshen)

3 CLOSE ATTENTION

3.1 CREATION
The book of Genesis has instances of creation. First, the creation of the universe
tells how all of nature came to being. God called all that he created “good”.
“Good” does not always mean fun or pleasurable, but that it fulfills God’s purpose
perfectly.

Second, it tells how God created humans, and also a group of humans to be his
special people (Israelites).

God also uses His creation (nature) in meaningful ways for His purposes:

 Grain Offerings
 Rainbow
 Covenant elements

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  Memorial Stones

Nature is more than useless stuff lying or floating around. Nature is covered with
the fingerprints of God and is therefore meaningful and a useful connection to
God and the things of God.

3.2 THE PEOPLE OF GOD

God selects certain people to begin to be His special people.

 Noah saves all of humanity from extinction

 Abraham is promised a family blessed by God
 Covenant with Abraham is repeated to his son Isaac (Gen. 26.3-5)
 Jacob dreams of a ladder from heaven reaching earth, God promises to
bless Jacob’s family; he becomes Israel (Gen. 28.10-18)
 Joseph saves his family from famine
 God promises to bless Judah (everlasting scepter/staff) (Gen. 49.10)

“Israel” is God’s special people in the Old Testament. God changed Jacob’s name
to “Israel” because it means “struggles with God”, after Jacob wrestled with God.

God’s work with the nation of Israel is much like with Jacob:

 God’s people wrestle with disobedience and faithfulness

 God chooses imperfect people to be His and used for His purposes
 God chooses not the firstborn to be special
 God chooses the weak (Abraham was not great, Jacob was sinful, etc.)

3.3 COVENANTS
God makes covenants with people. Covenants are strong agreements made
between two parties. In the Bible, covenants have some common characteristics:

 Covenants imply a bonding relationship

 Covenants require each party to keep promises
 Covenants extend to families and bloodlines
 Covenant participants trust God to hold them accountable
 Covenants are not easily broken

The book of Genesis mentions several covenants:

Noah/Humans and God (Genesis 9.1-17)

After God floods the earth, he makes a covenant with all living creatures:

 Humans are to be fruitful and multiply (have children)

 Humans are not shed human blood
 God will never destroy the earth with a flood
 Rainbow is a sign of the covenant

Abraham/Family and God (Genesis 17.1-14)

After Abram leaves his home to follow God’s command, God makes a covenant:

 Abram is to “walk before (God), and be blameless”

 God will multiply Abraham’s family

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  God will make Abraham fruitful

3.4 HOLY WAR

Genesis depicts several instances where Holy War is taking place. Holy War is the
universal and eternal struggle between God and His enemies.

 Serpent vs. Adam/Eve

 Sibling vs. Sibling (Cain/Abel, Esau/Jacob, Joseph/brothers)
 Abraham vs. Birds
 Man vs. God (Sodom and Gomorrah, entire Earth in Noah’s days, people
of Babel)

All of these are instances where people (or animals) attempt to go against God
and thwart His plans and His purposes.

3.5 EGYPT
Lastly, the book of Genesis ends with Jacob and his family (the beginning of the
nation of Israel) having dealt with and now living in Egypt through Joseph’s resuce
from the famine. Isaac was told not to go to Egypt during an earlier famine (Gen.
26.1-5), yet they all end up in Egypt ready for the next part of the story (Exodus).