Genesis Introduction
Introduction
Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It is the story of the beginning of the world. It tells the story of the beginning of the nation of Israel. Israel will have a special part in God’s plan for all human beings.
In the beginning God’s created world was good and orderly. But human beings became proud and disobeyed God. They became filled with evil. This led to suffering. People treated each other badly. Awful things happened everywhere. God decided to judge the world. He sent a great flood to destroy it. But he saved Noah, his family and some of every kind of animal. After Noah, God chose Abraham. God made a special promise with Abraham and his family. Through these people God will provide a way for nations to come back to him.
The book of Genesis ends with Abraham’s family growing into the nation of Israel. It was a nation of separate tribes. But they are not in the land God has promised them. So, the story is continued in the next four books. These books are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Genesis is divided into twelve parts. The first part tells the story of creation. The eleven remaining parts begin with the words, “here is the story of.” Each part is about the life and family of the person named. Together these stories tell the history of human beings and their place in this world. These stories also tell the beginning of God’s plan to make the world well again.
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Genesis Introduction: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Genesis Introduction
Introduction
Genesis and the other ‘books of Moses’ (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) introduce the continuous story of Israel running through the first quarter of the Bible. Genesis is traditionally attributed to Moses, the one who led the people of Israel out of Egypt.
Genesis explains how one nation comes to have a special role in God’s plan for all of humanity. Early on, the order and harmony of God’s good creation are overwhelmed by the destructive consequences of human rebellion and pride. The violence, injustice and suffering that follow lead God to condemn and restrain human wickedness through the judgment of the great flood. God then makes a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, providing an ongoing framework for the story. The family of Abraham – Israel – will be God’s chosen means to bring the nations back to himself. Genesis closes with Abraham’s descendants having grown into a league of large tribes, but they are not in the land God has promised them. So the story leads naturally into the books that follow.
The book is divided into twelve parts by eleven repetitions of the phrase this is the account of. Each section is about the life and family of the person named. These are woven together to document the story of human history and the beginning of God’s plan to restore humanity and their place in his world through Israel.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.