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.