Bible Study on the Book of Genesis

The book of Genesis offers a fascinating account of the origin of the universe, man and sin. It tells us about the first family and God’s interaction with them; it chronicles the first murder and even offers a glimpse into the redemptive plan God had in mind from the time of man’s fall. In the book of Genesis we are introduced to iconic names like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Here you find timeless stories about Noah and the Ark, the tower of Babel, and Joseph in Egypt. It provides the foundation for other books of the Bible.

For this study, we will look at the book of Genesis in three sections:

1. From God to the Fall
2. From Noah to Abraham
3. From Isaac to Joseph

In section 1 we will study the history of Creation, the Fall, the story of Cain and Abel, the Flood of Noah’s time, and the Tower of Babel. Sections 2 and 3 cover the narratives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Here are some important themes to look out for:

• Jehovah is the sovereign Creator
• Humans are made in God’s image to rule and steward the earth.
• The problem of sin
• God as Covenant-maker and Promise-giver

From God to the Fall

Creation

Genesis describes God creating the universe, setting abundant life in motion and establishing marriage.

• Genesis 2:7 describes God forming man from the dust and breathing into his nostrils.
• God had a purpose for the first man. His duty concerning the garden of Eden was “to dress it and to keep it” (2:15). Work was part of God’s will and was not a result of the fall!
• God intended for the earth to be full of living things, and that those living things should reproduce. We know this because:

1. 1. He made plants with seeds (1:11-12).
   2. God commanded the waters to bring forth abundantly (1:20)
   3. He proclaimed that the aquatic creatures and birds should be fruitful and multiply (1:22).
   4. God blessed man to be fruitful and to multiply (1:28)

God prepared all the physical resources man would need for survival, comfort and pleasure. The atmosphere, water and food were put in place prior to man’s creation. God knew what He was doing!

The Fall

Creation in its infancy must have been breathtaking. God declared everything was good (the light, 1:4; the dry land and the seas, 1:10; the plants, 1:12; the sun, moon and stars 1:14; aquatic creatures, 1:21; land animals, 1:25; everything, 1:31). Unfortunately, humanity rebelled against God and judgment was pronounced (3:14-19).

Now we can’t talk about the fall without mentioning the serpent. For some reason, this creature was “more subtil than any beast of the field”. We know it had come under the influence of Satan, because it spoke words against God. His approach was to deceive the woman first. No doubt he had carefully observed the couple, and knew what God had told them.

He struck with a conversation.

Words were what God had used to build things; now Satan would harness their power for destruction.

His words caused Eve to think long enough about what he said, to do what God had prohibited, and to eventually influence her husband to make the same sinful choice. The consequences of their fall remain staggering.

From Noah to Abraham

Things looked dim after Adam and Eve sinned with Cain murdering his brother. Then, in Noah’s generation, God made an ugly conclusion: “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (6:5). Things were so bad that the Creator who once declared everything to be good, now had regrets (6:6). God was now on a mission of destruction where once He had declared abundant life (6:7).

However, a light of hope shone through the gloom when the Creator spoke of a covenant (6:18). Though death was pronounced, the Creator gave specific instructions to ensure life would continue after the flood. After the land had dried, God told Noah to bring out all the animals “that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth” (8:17). God also blessed Noah and his sons, and gave them the same command (9:1).

Details of the Covenant

1. The covenant was God’s idea.
2. God had it in mind before the ark was built.
3. The covenant was between God and:
   • Noah (6:18)
   • Noah’s sons (9:8)
   • Children of Noah’s sons (9:9)
   • All animals that came from the ark (9:10)
   • The earth (9:13)
4. The covenant entailed a promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood.
5. The covenant came with a rainbow as a token.

Abraham

After the flood, Noah’s descendants were not reformed. The Creator had to intervene once again in their sinful affairs. The defiant building of the tower of Babel (11:1-9) resulted in a confusion of languages. The world has never recovered.

It is against this backdrop that God calls Abram out of his father’s house:

1. God called Abram to go to a new land (12:1) that turned out to be the land of Canaan (12:5).
2. Abram’s father, Terah, had already set out to enter Canaan, but had settled and died in Haran. (Had God given Terah the same vision?)
3. God promised He would reciprocate blessing and cursing on Abram’s behalf, and all families of the earth would be blessed through him (12:3).
4. God told Abram about the future of his descendants before he even had a son, including details about their 400-year enslavement (15:13), punishment of their slave masters (15:14), and their return to the promised land (15:16).
5. God gave Abram a covenant promising the land to his descendants (15:18-21).
6. The covenant was reaffirmed and given the sign of circumcision when he was ninety-nine years old. God changed Abram to Abraham, and Sarai to Sarah (17:1-16).

Abraham the Imperfect Man

Abraham was not without his flaws:

• He influenced his wife to lie that she was his sister and eventually told the lie himself (12:11-13, 20:2).
• He agreed with his wife to sleep with her maid, Hagar (16:2-4).
• He did not believe God’s promise that he would get a son through Sarah. He laughed because he thought they were too old (17:17-18).

Abraham the Intercessor

One of Abraham’s most admirable feats was his pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah (18:16-33). The impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was of particular concern to him because his nephew, Lot, lived there. He hoped that interceding for the cities would save Lot and his family. Abraham was able to secure mercy if the Lord could find 50, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally, 10 righteous persons.

From Isaac to Joseph

God’s faithfulness spans the time from Noah to Abraham, and manifests in the fulfillment of God’s promise: Abraham and Sarah eventually give birth to Isaac. And, the covenant once ministered to Abraham is reaffirmed with Isaac.

Amidst deceit and conflicts, the hand of the Sovereign God remained active for this chosen lineage. Then events began to unfold that would set things in motion to fulfill a painful prophecy – Abraham’s descendants would be afflicted for four centuries.

Events Preceding the Enslavement of Abraham’s Descendants

• Jacob married Rachel and Leah, siring Joseph and his brothers (29:18 to 30:24)
• Jacob’s name was changed to Israel (32:28; 35:10)
• Jacob’s love for Joseph incited hatred from his brothers (37:3-4)
• Joseph had dreams that caused his older brothers to hate him even more (37:5)
• Joseph was sold to merchants and taken to Egypt (37:28)
• Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (37:36)
• Joseph interprets dreams concerning a coming famine (41)
• Famine forces Joseph’s family to go to Egypt (42 – 46)

Jacob – Deceiver and Deceived

Jacob wasn’t a man of the field unlike his twin brother, Esau, who was known as a hunter, and whose food Isaac enjoyed. Jacob, on the other hand, was loved by Rebekah (25:27-28). Jacob was also a usurper, who one day obtained his older brother’s birthright in exchange for food. The famished Esau foolishly agreed, and later also lost his father’s blessing. The latter incident, though initiated by Rebekah, still incriminated Jacob because he agreed with his mother’s deceptive counsel.

The tables would turn, though, when Jacob was tricked and treated unfairly by his uncle, Laban. He was promised Rachel as wife but given Leah first and had to work for Rachel all over again (29:15-28). Laban also changed his wages ten times (31:7, 41).

Joseph – from Slave to Governor

Family deception and conflict were not exclusive to Jacob and Esau – they also featured in Joseph’s life. Sold into slavery by his older brothers, he was thrust into an unfamiliar country and forced to work for strangers. He was even wrongfully imprisoned, but Joseph served God faithfully. In fact, his faithful interpretation of dreams in prison brought him before Pharaoh.

Once again, God’s guiding hand was seen arranging the events that culminated in Joseph’s becoming governor of Egypt. His position was a Divine placement of purpose. In his own words, “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance (45:7). Despite being rejected by his brothers, and the affliction he faced in Egypt, Joseph perceived what God was doing.

Practical Application

There are several lessons we can learn from the book of Genesis. First, God is in control. International conflicts, failing economies, diseases and natural disasters do not take our Sovereign God by surprise, and neither are they out of His hands. The events of Genesis remind us that Jehovah has always known what He is doing. Our attention and confidence must always rest in Him.

Another lesson is that dysfunctional family relationships can be healed. Your family might not be perfect, and relatives may have wronged you, but the text proves that God can touch any heart. Jacob and Esau reunited, embracing each other with tears (33:4). Ishmael and Isaac put their differences aside and buried their father peacefully (25:9). Pray and see what miracle of healing may be waiting for you.

God’s mercy and faithfulness are also an encouragement for us. Humanity was not utterly cut off in the flood; and rather than using the treachery of Joseph’s brothers against them, God provided for them through it. If you have sinned, reach out in humility and faith to the same God who graciously covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve; and who granted protection to Cain, the first murderer.

FAQs

• Where did Cain get a wife?
  Even if God had created 100 couples, and those couples bore children, those children would eventually run out of unrelated spouses. Everyone would eventually be some distant relative. So, as gross as it might seem, Cain’s wife had to be his sister!
• Which came first: the chicken or the egg?
  Genesis 1:21-22 says God created “…every winged fowl after his kind…and let fowl multiply in the earth”. Living things have the capacity to multiply, and that means birds were created with the ability to lay eggs. So, it was the chicken!
• What did the animals eat on the Ark?
  God gave herbs as food to Adam and the animals (1:29-30), and in chapter 6:21, God told Noah to take all food that would be eaten for him and for “them” (meaning the animals). Up to that point, the food would have been herbs, even for the lions!

Conclusion

Here are some more ideas for how you can approach the book of Genesis:

1. Study characters – look out for males and females that are not commonly mentioned, like Er and Onan. Who were they?!
2. Study memorable events – not just the well-known ones like the flood, but lesser-known ones like Tamar pretending to be a prostitute.
3. Zero in on conflicts – Cain versus Abel, Esau versus Jacob, Abraham versus Lot, Joseph versus his brothers.
4. Do a word study – grab a concordance and look at all references in Genesis to a specific word, like “covenant” or “sin” or “angel”.

The possibilities are numerous.

The book of Genesis also wets the appetite for the subsequent book of Exodus.