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FOCUS
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FOUR KEY CREATION EVENTS |
FOUR KEY COVENANTAL PEOPLE |
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Chapters |
1 2 |
3 5 |
6 9 |
10 11 |
12 24 |
25 26 |
27 36 |
37 50 |
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Topics |
Creation |
Fall |
Flood |
Nations |
Abraham |
Isaac |
Jacob |
Joseph |
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Foundation of the Human Race |
Foundation of the Hebrew People |
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Primeval History |
Patriarchal History |
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Location |
Eden to Ur to Haran |
Haran to Canaan to Egypt |
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Time |
Unknown Past to about 1600 BC |
From about 1600 BC to about 1300 BC |
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Genesis is the first of the Five Books of Moses known as the TORAH, the Law. The word "torah" has overtones of "guidance" or "direction." While it is mostly law, it also contains the story of the beginning of God’s plan of redemption using the people of Israel as the launch pad. The other books of the law are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Key concepts in Genesis
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Creation: God is the Creator of all. His creation is inherently good. When did He create? Was it seven literal days? Christians can disagree in good conscience on these matters. But the Bible leaves no open door for "macro-evolution", that is the idea that matters plus time plus chance accounts for this life-filled world. Nor does it suggest that human beings are the descendants of sub-human life forms. The Image of God: Only human beings bear the image of God—we are unique in the creation as the bearers of God’s image (that is, we have a spiritual nature that is most like God—even angels aren’t so blessed). The Fall: Genesis 3 records Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God’s authority. Not only were they chastened, but also their sin affects us today, and polluted the creation itself.The Two Families of Man: After the fall, and after the murder of Abel, the human race separated into two hostile families: the believing family of Seth and the unbelieving family of Cain. The Flood: It is the rise of the Cainites which leads to the first great worldwide judgment of God: the flood. Stories of the flood are worldwide and are entirely credible. |
The Abrahamic Covenant: After yet another human rebellion (the tower of Babel episode), God centers His efforts on a single family—the descendants of Abraham. Yet there is always a worldwide dimension to the blessings given him (see Genesis 12:1-3).
The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are called the patriarchs ("fathers"). Jacob would be renamed Israel and become the father of the sons who in turn are the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The Sovereignty of God: The world’s first novel is the Joseph story (Genesis 37-50). The theme of God’s sovereignty pervades this account of how Joseph went from son to slave to second ruler of Egypt, and saved his family—and the future of the nation of Israel.
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