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THE BIBLE STUDY COLLECTIVE
Welcome to Genesis: An All - in - One Study on Beginnings , a collection of thirty select passages from the book of Genesis as well as guidance and encouragement for digging into them yourself.
Genesis holds a special place as the first of the Bible’s sixty-six books. It provides the God-inspired record of beginnings—the beginning of space and time at creation, the beginning of humanity, the beginning of sin, the beginning of God’s plan of salvation, and the beginning of God’s chosen people Israel, through whom Jesus Christ would be born. The book of Genesis lays a solid groundwork for understanding our place in this world and how we can know the holy God who created and keeps all things.
Each study in this guide includes an introduction of the particular passage of Genesis on the first page, followed by the full text of the passage on the next. The third through the fifth pages of each study highlight the three steps of what is called the “inductive method” of Bible study: observation, interpretation, and application. Here’s how it works:
• Observation answers the question, “What does it say?” In other words, what is the actual content of the text?
• Interpretation answers the question, “What does it mean?” In this step, you’ll consider the author’s original intent and meaning.
• Finally, application answers the questions, “What does it mean to you—and how can you apply it to your life?”
Each study in this guide ends with a select verse (or verses) from the Genesis passage you’ve just studied, as well as related scriptures for memorization and meditation.
Our prayer is that Genesis: An All - in - One Study on Beginnings will help you to better understand God’s Word, and to apply its timeless truth to your own life of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
B ARBOUR P UBLISHING
Study 1 GENESIS 1:1–5
In Greek, the word genesis means “beginning” or “origin.” The book tells how creation brought our world into being: time, space, and the earth.
The first two chapters of Genesis remind us that our universe exists because God made it. He is in control of matter and time. Genesis was written to teach the new nation of Israel that their God created everything. It is a declaration of truth more than a scientific explanation.
In Genesis, God is called Elohim , a plural Hebrew noun that hints at His mysterious triune nature, even as He is one God.
Genesis 1:1–5 Outline
(VERSE 1) A grand summary of creation
(VERSE 2) The chaotic earth awaits divine order
(VERSE 3) God speaks and light appears
(VERSE 4) God approves of the light and separates light from darkness
(VERSE 5) God names Day and Night, identifying a time frame—the very first day of creation history
The Story of Original Creation
1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form and void. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Observe
What does this passage reveal about the earth immediately after its creation?
What did God do on the first day? How did the earth change?
Besides God’s speaking into creation, how was He working?
Interpret
What does the phrase “In the beginning” indicate about God?
Why did God separate light from darkness?
Why is it important that “God saw the light, that it was good”?
Apply
How should knowing that God created our world affect the way we see it today?
What does God’s ordering of a world “without form and void” indicate He can do in my chaotic life?
Knowing that God saw the goodness of the light He created, how can I focus more on what is good in my life?
Genesis 1:1–5 Scripture for Memorization/Meditation
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. VERSE 1
Verses for Further Memorization/Meditation
• By the word of the L ORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth (Psalm 33:6).
• The day is Yours; the night also is Yours. You have prepared the light and the sun (Psalm 74:16).
• You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30).
• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:1–3).
• For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
• For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).
Study 2 GENESIS 1:6–23
Though Genesis doesn’t name its author, Jesus and other Bible writers (Mark 10:3–5; Luke 24:27, 44) affirmed that Moses wrote the inspired words for the new nation of Israel (Exodus 19:5–6).
The verses in this study reveal the beauty and order of creation. God speaks, creation responds, and He declares it good. The phrase “And God saw that it was good” shows that creation was not random, but purposeful and pleasing to the Lord.
In Genesis 1:16, God refers to the sun as the “greater light” and the moon as the “lesser light.” Moses knew that many cultures believed these celestial lights were gods, but Genesis indicates they are simply creations of God, tools for order, not objects of worship.
Genesis 1:6–23 Outline
(VERSES 6–8) Day 2: God creates the sky and names it “Heaven”
(VERSE 9) Day 3: Formation of dry land and seas
(VERSE 10) God names dry land “Earth” and the water “Seas”; He calls it good
(VERSES 11–13) Creation of plant life; God says it is good
(VERSE 14) Day 4: Lights to mark time and seasons (VERSES 15–19) Lights set in the sky; God calls it good
(VERSE 20) Day 5: Sea creatures and fowl created (VERSES 21–23) God blesses life and calls it good
Creation: Days Two Through Five
6And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7And God made the firmament and divided the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament, and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb-yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit according to his kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 . . .And God saw that it was good. 13And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” 21And God created great whales and every living creature that moves, which the
waters brought forth abundantly, according to their kind, and every winged fowl according to his kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.” 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Observe
What specifically happened on the second day of creation? What happened on the third day?
Where did creation take place on the fourth day? What effect did that have upon earth?
What did God create on the fifth day? What was God’s command on this day?
Interpret
How would you define the “firmament” that God created on Day 2? What might the name “Heaven” imply?
What does it mean that God created lights in the sky “for signs and for seasons, and for days and years”?
How does God’s blessing relate to the command He made to fish and birds?
Apply
What are the positive and negative ways in which people view nature?
Knowing that God made all things, how should we approach His creation?
What might the orderly nature of God’s creation say to the way you live your life each day?
Genesis 1:6–23 Scripture for Memorization/Meditation
And God saw that it was good. VERSES 10, 12, 18, 21
Verses for Further Memorization/Meditation
• “Therefore take careful heed to yourselves. . .lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, and should be driven to worship them and serve them, which the L ORD your God has distributed to all nations under the whole heaven” (Deuteronomy 4:15, 19).
• The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1).
• The sea is His, and He made it, and His hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:5).
• He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knows its going down (Psalm 104:19).
• He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom and has stretched out the heavens by His understanding (Jeremiah 51:15).
• “For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns. Nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush” (Luke 6:44).
• For they are willingly ignorant of this, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (2 Peter 3:5).
Study 3 GENESIS
1:24–2:3
Day 6 of creation begins with God commanding the earth to produce living creatures, which are then to reproduce in orderly fashion. As with His previous creation, God declares that this is good. On the same day, God reaches the pinnacle of creation by making human life. God fashions man and woman similar to Himself, with a job of managing the earth responsibly.
Though some translations say “man,” the original Hebrew refers to all humanity, not simply males. God blesses males and females, telling them to be fruitful and multiply. Though this is not a requirement for every individual, it was a blessing given to people. Humanity is represented by Adam and Eve, as heads of the human race.
When God looks over everything He made from Day 1 through Day 6, He declares it “very good.” Then on Day 7, He rests, blessing and setting the day apart.
Genesis 1:24–2:3 Outline
(1:24–25) Day 6: God creates land animals and declares them good
(1:26–28) God creates humanity in His own image, blesses them, and gives them dominion (1:29–30) God provides plants for food to humans and animals
(1:31) God declares all He made “very good”
(2:1–3) Day 7: God rests upon finishing His work, blessing and setting apart the seventh day
Creation: Day Six
24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth according to his kind.” And it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth according to his kind, and cattle according to their kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to his kind. And God saw that it was good.
26And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed that is on the face of all the earth and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree-yielding seed; to you it shall be for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food.” And it was so. 31And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The Sabbath Rest of God
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God ended His work that He had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had made. 3And God blessed the seventh
day and sanctified it, because in it He had rested from all His work that God created and made.
Observe
What repeated phrase occurs throughout the creation of land animals in verses 24–25?
How is the creation of humanity described (Genesis 1:26–28)? What phrase is repeated throughout this account?
What commands and instructions did God give to early humanity?
