Genesis: Where It All Begins

Genesis is where our story begins. Yes, our story. We live in God’s universe, inside His plan, and in His hand. People sometimes talk about God coming into their lives when in reality—we came into His. He who lives outside of time, created the world and put us in it. All that we know of life exists because He welcomes us into His world.

When you think of Genesis, think: beginnings.  Whatever begins, begins here. 

The beginning of time. The beginning of matter. 

The beginning of purpose and direction in history. 

Whatever will someday end, had its start here. However we messed up with God, happened here. Even our story, began here. Yes, it’s true.

The beginning of life as we know it today, begins in Genesis. 

The beginning of the family. The beginning of marriage—started here.

The beginning of the Jews. The beginning of God’s plan to redeem us, and the beautiful promise He would make things right again. 

All this and more begins in this first book of the Bible.

Now, think of your genesis with God. Your true story begins when you believe God and what He says about your heart.  The history in the book of Genesis begins the same way.

The first eleven chapters describe four major events in human history on earth and covers more time than all the other books in the Bible combined. It describes how the world was created, what went wrong in the Garden, how that led to a great flood, and then repeat. Then, from Genesis 12 through 50, God’s attention focuses on one family living near modern-day Iraq. This was Abraham, living around 2000 b.c. God gets personal with him and his son Isaac, and his son, Jacob, and his son, Joseph—which eventually takes us down to ancient Egypt where the Genesis part of the story finishes up. Each of these generations tell the story of faith—the blessings of trusting God or the consequences of not.

It all comes down to that simple faith in a God who steps into His creation so we can know Him. Will we connect with Him? Believe Him? Trust Him? It’s been this same question from the beginning and it’s the same choice we make every day.

Next: a front row seat to the battle of the gods

Fast Facts about Genesis

In a word: Beginnings

In a sentence: Genesis answers the questions, where did we come from? what does God want from us? And what’s our origin story?

Who/Where/When did it take place: Moses wrote the story of our beginnings in Genesis 1-11 (spanning 2,000 years b.c.), and the story of God’s people in Genesis 12-50 (spanning 350 years) that took place mostly in the ancient Near East.

Key verse: 

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Genesis 12:1-3

Key people: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Read Genesis like a family history.

Glimpses of Jesus: 

He is the Creator of the world and everything in it (Colossians 3:15),

He is the seed of the woman that will crush Satan (3:15),

He is the Lamb that God will provide in our place (22:8).

8 important things that happened in Genesis: 

·       4 events:

How the world began (Genesis 1-2)

What happened in the Garden (Genesis 3)

Noah’s flood (Genesis 5-8)

How we got nations (Genesis 10-11)

·       4 people:

The biographies of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph