Guided Tour
Notes taken from the Student Bible study track highlighting Scriptures and high-points throughout both the Old and New Testament
The Plot Unveiled
Genesis 1: A Book of Beginnings
Genesis 1:1, 31 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....God saw all that He had made....and it was very good."
Although this account gives little account of the processes God used in creation [behind His spoken Word]; we know that
- Creation is God's work
- Creation is good.
Much has changed since this unspoiled version of the world was set in place. Yet, whatever beauty we sense in nature today echoes, however faintly, that original God-created state.
The Bible opens and closes with much the same scenery: a garden, watered by a river, with human beings living in the actual presence of God. The two scenes are like brackets of perfection around the history of a badly scarred planet.
Captain Frank Borman, one of the Apollo astronauts, read this chapter on a telecast from outer space during the Christmas season. As he gazed out the window, he saw Earth.....it looked like the view from Genesis 1.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
-- Psalm 19:1-2
"To whom will you compare Me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one; and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
-- Isaiah 39:25-26
Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people,the sheep of His pastures.
-- Psalm 100:3
Genesis 2: On Shining Moment: The world as God intended it
Genesis 2:7 "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being."
After presenting the cosmic view in chapter 1, Genesis repeats the story of creation,this time narrowing the focus to human beings. We alone, of all God's works, are made in God's image.
Genesis 2:7 "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being."
After presenting the cosmic view in chapter 1, Genesis repeats the story of creation,this time narrowing the focus to human beings. We alone, of all God's works, are made in God's image.
Genesis 3: The Crash: Rebellion, nakedness, hiding and shame
Genesis 3:3 "But God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."
G.K. Chesterton said, 'There is only one doctrine that can be empirically verified, the doctrine of original sin." Genesis gives few details about the first sin. Many mistakenly assume sex is involved but something far more basis is at stake. God has labeled one tree, just one, off limits. The real issue is Who will set the rules - humans or God? Adam and Eve decide in favor of themselves, and the world has never been the same.
The underlying message of Genesis goes against some common assumptions about human history. According to these chapters, the world and humanity have not been gradually evolving towards a better and better state. On the contrary, long ago we wrecked against the rocks of our own pride and stubbornness.
Things profoundly change as a result - suffering, toiling and death are introduced. But the greatest impact is the change in man's relationship with God.
Genesis 3:3 "But God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."
G.K. Chesterton said, 'There is only one doctrine that can be empirically verified, the doctrine of original sin." Genesis gives few details about the first sin. Many mistakenly assume sex is involved but something far more basis is at stake. God has labeled one tree, just one, off limits. The real issue is Who will set the rules - humans or God? Adam and Eve decide in favor of themselves, and the world has never been the same.
The underlying message of Genesis goes against some common assumptions about human history. According to these chapters, the world and humanity have not been gradually evolving towards a better and better state. On the contrary, long ago we wrecked against the rocks of our own pride and stubbornness.
Things profoundly change as a result - suffering, toiling and death are introduced. But the greatest impact is the change in man's relationship with God.
Genesis 4: Crouching at the Door: The world as God did not intend it
Genesis 4:7 "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Sin enters the world through the first family. By the second generation, people are already killing each other. But not all the news is bad. Civilization progresses with some people learning agriculture, some choosing to work with tools of bronze and some discovering music and the arts.
After Cain’s banishment Eve bore another son and named him Seth. In contrast to Cain’s sinful line, Seth’s descendants were known for righteousness. From this line would come Enoch who walked so closely with God that God took him directly to heaven and then later Noah. Noah and his family were saved from the flood God sent to judge the earth and thus were able to continue the line of promise. Thousands of years later, Jesus Christ would be born into the line of Seth.
Genesis 4:25 "At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord."
Throughout Scripture there is an emphasis on the godly line or seed that would eventually lead to the Messiah (Genesis 3:15). In this instance, Moses is emphasizing the godly line of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. Though Cain and his ungodly line were banished from God's presence, there remained people who continued to call upon the name of the true God. The worship of the Lord was something established from the beginning.. The emphasis is that people still trusted God in spite of Cain and his ungodly family. They called on the "name of the Lord"....they called on God's character...Who He was....they had to live in relationship with Him to do that.
Genesis 4:7 "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Sin enters the world through the first family. By the second generation, people are already killing each other. But not all the news is bad. Civilization progresses with some people learning agriculture, some choosing to work with tools of bronze and some discovering music and the arts.
After Cain’s banishment Eve bore another son and named him Seth. In contrast to Cain’s sinful line, Seth’s descendants were known for righteousness. From this line would come Enoch who walked so closely with God that God took him directly to heaven and then later Noah. Noah and his family were saved from the flood God sent to judge the earth and thus were able to continue the line of promise. Thousands of years later, Jesus Christ would be born into the line of Seth.
Genesis 4:25 "At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord."
Throughout Scripture there is an emphasis on the godly line or seed that would eventually lead to the Messiah (Genesis 3:15). In this instance, Moses is emphasizing the godly line of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. Though Cain and his ungodly line were banished from God's presence, there remained people who continued to call upon the name of the true God. The worship of the Lord was something established from the beginning.. The emphasis is that people still trusted God in spite of Cain and his ungodly family. They called on the "name of the Lord"....they called on God's character...Who He was....they had to live in relationship with Him to do that.
Genesis 7 Under Water: A final judgment and a second chance
Genesis 7:4 "Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty night, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."
I will admit that in reflecting on this aspect of Biblical history, my initial reaction was dismay and confusion. I pray for insight and a right perspective which requires looking at the previous chapter.
Genesis 6:1 "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to the, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. "
I remember being taught that these were angels that had relations with the women. First...these would have to be fallen angels and their offspring would be more than giants...for how how could they produce anything other than demonic. Second, this would mean that angels could reproduce. I don't know that Scriptures address that but I see them as created beings only with God's earthly creation having the ability to reproduce. Whatever was intended by the phrase "sons of God", we know that God was not happy with this. One note indicated that these were men from the line of Seth, the line of God's people from Adam to Noah. It may be implied that God had given them instruction for marrying and that they were disobedient...or perhaps they didn't consider what God desired because it says "they married any of they chose." This speaks of a rebellious heart that knew better because in Chapter 4:26 it says, "Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to all on the name of the Lord." With Seth's line, his children sought and called on God. A rebellious heart can only be born from a heart that knew better.
Whatever the case, we know that God was not happy with their choices.
Chapter 6: 3, 5-6 "Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal....The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.. the Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain."
Man is mortal. This is a reminder that we are not God. God's greatest desire is to live in relationship with us. But we often think we know better and want to make our own decisions....just like Adam. This caused God great pain. I know this wasn't a surprise to Him...so why would He allow this to happen. This is a lesson to us to know what living in God's judgment instead of His mercy would look like. We think Him harsh but it is really His great mercy, kindness and patience that He woos us to respond to Him.
Chapter 6:8 "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord."
In contrast vs 11-12 says, "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways."
Corruption was the new normal....except Noah.
Genesis 8 The Rainbow: God makes a solemn promise
Genesis 8:21 "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood."
Randy Frazee says proceeding from the account of the creation and the fall, the rest of the story of the Bible unfolds His plan - His relentless pursuit of you and me.
I so often see the Biblical account as being a linear story. We read it from our earthly timeline perspective but God actually tells the story from an eternal perspective as we are reminded that He knew about you and me before the foundation of the world. He knew about you and me before the fall and before the flood.
Ephesians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in Hi sight."
In His forbearance, He showed us what judgment was like and in His mercy, He again demonstrated His desire to live in relationship with us by starting over with the line of Noah who's lineage can still be traced back to Adam thru Seth when "men began to call on the name of the Lord."
From our perspective, we may think that it would make the most sense to start over with the most moral person around. This is in affect is what God did with the great flood. But after the flood, God made a covenant and promised that “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil….” God’s point is that the solution to get us back will not be found in us…not even the best of us! Humankind had moved a long way from God's perfect creation. However, God had a plan that would bring salvation to the world.
Genesis 15 The Plan: A new approach to restoring humanity
Genesis 15: 1 "After this, the word of the lord came to Abram in a vision."
Genesis 8:21 "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood."
Randy Frazee says proceeding from the account of the creation and the fall, the rest of the story of the Bible unfolds His plan - His relentless pursuit of you and me.
I so often see the Biblical account as being a linear story. We read it from our earthly timeline perspective but God actually tells the story from an eternal perspective as we are reminded that He knew about you and me before the foundation of the world. He knew about you and me before the fall and before the flood.
Ephesians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in Hi sight."
In His forbearance, He showed us what judgment was like and in His mercy, He again demonstrated His desire to live in relationship with us by starting over with the line of Noah who's lineage can still be traced back to Adam thru Seth when "men began to call on the name of the Lord."
From our perspective, we may think that it would make the most sense to start over with the most moral person around. This is in affect is what God did with the great flood. But after the flood, God made a covenant and promised that “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil….” God’s point is that the solution to get us back will not be found in us…not even the best of us! Humankind had moved a long way from God's perfect creation. However, God had a plan that would bring salvation to the world.
Genesis 15 The Plan: A new approach to restoring humanity
Genesis 15: 1 "After this, the word of the lord came to Abram in a vision."