GENESIS 1
GOD’S CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
In the beginning, God creates everything. First, God separates the light from the darkness and the heavens from the earth. God then creates the land and the sea, separating the ground and the waters. Next, God creates and places the sun, moon, and stars. Subsequently, God creates birds and sea animals. Lastly, God creates the land animals and humans.
From the very beginning, God creates boundaries and brings order to chaos.
In verse 26, God says that humankind is created in "our" image, which is the first reference to the Trinity in scripture. The Trinity is the unity of three persons in one Godhead—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. (See Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:13.) From the very start, God is present as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Being created in God's image is unique to humans; no other part of creation is made in His image.
After seeing each creation, God says that it is good, but after seeing everything together in unison, God describes it as "very good."
Scripture recalls this creation account occurring in a six-day timeline. Some people believe that this timeline occurs literally in six days, and some people believe that this is a literary device God uses to reveal His creation to us. Regardless of your view on when creation occurs and how long it lasts, there are still revelations of God's character in this passage. Focus on what God wants you to know about Him through the scriptures more than its literal or symbolic nature.
The first word used to describe God in scripture is that He is a creator. Throughout the Bible, God's creative nature is written on every page! The story He is writing is unlike any other.
Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
GENESIS 2
GOD CREATED ADAM + EVE IN HIS IMAGE
On the seventh day of creation, God rests. He blesses the seventh day, making it holy. Later in Scripture, God establishes the Sabbath, a day of the week set aside for rest and remembrance.
God creates the Garden of Eden, a beautiful and fruitful garden, with two trees at the center: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God describes the creation of humanity, in which He forms man out of dust and breathes life into him. The Hebrew word for “ground” or “earth” is “Adamah,” similar to Adam.
Adam is placed in the garden to work it and take care of it, allowing him to maintain and enjoy the fruit. God warns Adam that although he may eat from any other tree, he will die if he consumes the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
After creating man, God says it is not good for him to be alone and creates a woman named Eve. God introduces the idea of marriage, saying that a man will leave his mother and father and become one with his wife. God charges them to be fruitful and multiply, populating the Earth. Together, they are naked and unashamed.
This chapter describes a world where humankind experiences unity with God, each other, and the earth.
GENESIS 3
SIN ENTERS THE WORLD + GOD OFFERS A GLIMPSE OF HIS PLAN FOR RESTORATION
In the garden is a serpent, who is crafty and wicked. The serpent appears to Eve and questions God’s words, asking her “Did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” The serpent tests Eve’s knowledge of God’s word and wants to cause confusion.
Eve is intrigued by the fruit because it is beautiful in appearance and the serpent tells her the fruit will make her like God, knowing what is good and what is evil.
Eve believes God is holding out on her, questions His goodness, and decides she would make a better god than God. Unfortunately, we will see this happen in the lives of many humans at various times throughout scripture.
Eve eats the fruit, giving some to Adam as well. After eating the fruit, their eyes are opened to the sin that entered the world. They become aware of their own nakedness, and they are ashamed. They cover their nakedness with fig leaves and hide from God in the garden.
God calls out to them, asking them “Where are you?” God asks this question not because He doesn’t know, but because He wants to be near them, even in their sin. This is a beautiful display of God’s character and response to us in sin.
Adam and Eve tell God that they hid because of their nakedness. Because there was no shame before sin, we can be confident that shame does not come from God. As creations made in God’s image, we were not designed to know shame or carry the weight of sin.
God asks, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Adam blames Eve for the sin, and Eve blames the serpent. God curses the serpent, saying “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall crush your head and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This verse is the very first prophecy of Jesus, spoken from God Himself. God knows that the serpent and the sin in the world will bruise our heels, but Jesus will ultimately come and defeat sin and death! We will suffer a bruise to the heel, but the enemy will suffer a strike to the head. The battle is already won—the cross was the plan from the beginning!
Adam and Eve are also cursed, making their lives more difficult. God makes Adam and Eve leave the garden, causing separation from Himself. Even in this consequence, God’s kindness is on display. God did not want Adam and Eve to eat from the other tree, the tree of life, and stay in their fallen, sinful state forever. When He sent them out from the Garden of Eden, He was protecting them from spending eternity in sin.
Genesis 3:15 - I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
GENESIS 4
CAIN + ABEL GIVE OFFERINGS TO GOD
Adam and Eve have two sons, first Cain and then Abel. Cain works in the fields and Abel is a shepherd. Cain gives God an offering of the fruit he has grown and Abel gives an offering of his firstborn lamb. God is more pleased with Abel's offering, and Cain is jealous, so Cain murders Abel.
God punishes Cain by sending him away as a wanderer in the land and making it impossible for him to grow crops. However, God still watches over Cain, keeping him safe from harm.
Adam and Eve have another son named Seth, and Seth has a son named Enosh. Cain also has a son who he names Enoch.
In this chapter, the consequences of sin and separation from God become apparent through Eve experiencing pain in childbirth and Cain murdering Abel.
GENESIS 5
GENEALOGY FROM ADAM TO NOAH
There are ten generations between Adam and Noah:
Adam → Seth → Enosh → Kenan → Mahalalel → Jared → Enoch → Methuselah → Lamech → Noah
Noah has three sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth.
Genealogies are commonly used throughout scripture and are an important part of tracking the first Adam to the second Adam (Jesus). Jesus is occasionally referred to as the second Adam, indicating that He was the last man to live without sin. Unlike Adam, Jesus remained without sin and was able to be the blameless sacrifice for the sins of the world.
One unique detail in this genealogy is Enoch, who is said to have “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Unlike the others, Enoch does not die—he is taken by God, which many interpret as being brought to heaven without experiencing death.
GENESIS 6
GOD PLANS TO SEND A FLOOD TO WIPE OUT THE WICKEDNESS IN THE WORLD
The world becomes increasingly corrupt and wicked. Every thought and intention of humanity is set continually on evil. God is grieved and regrets creating mankind. God decides to wipe out creation, man and animals, by sending a worldwide flood.
Noah finds favor in the eyes of the Lord because he is a righteous and blameless man who walks with God. God tells Noah He will establish a covenant with him, promising to save him and his family and commanding Noah to build an ark. God then instructs Noah to gather two of every animal to keep alive on the ark. Noah does as God instructs.
This chapter mentions a mysterious group called the Nephilim. These were the offspring of the “sons of God” (spiritual beings) and the “daughters of man” (human women), and were described as mighty men. Their presence adds to the sense of confusion and corruption in the world.
GENESIS 7
GOD SPARES NOAH + THE ANIMALS DURING THE FLOOD
God prepares Noah for the flood, warning him that it will start in seven days and that it will rain for forty days and forty nights. Noah does all that God commands of him.
Noah and his wife, alongside their sons and their wives, go into the ark with a male and female of each animal. God shuts them into the ark and protects them.
Just as God told Noah, the rain lasted forty days and forty nights, raising the waters and the ark over the mountains and covering the entire earth. All of the wicked people are killed and the waters cover the earth for 150 days.
GENESIS 8
NOAH REACHES DRY GROUND
Remembering Noah and his family, God makes a wind blow over the earth to subside the waters. Noah first sends a raven, then a dove, to find any sign of dry ground. The dove eventually returns with an olive leaf. Finally, Noah and his family are able to leave the ark.
God tells Noah “Be fruitful and multiply,” the same command he gave Adam in Genesis 1:28. God will use Noah’s family to repopulate the Earth.
Noah makes an altar to God and gives a burnt offering. Pleased by the offering, God decides to never wipe out humanity again.
GENESIS 9
GOD’S COVENANT WITH NOAH
God makes a covenant with Noah, promising to never wipe out the world with a flood again and establishes the rainbow as a symbol of this promise. God reminds Noah that he is made in the image of God and that he should be fruitful and multiply.
Not long after the flood, Noah plants a vineyard in the soil. Noah becomes drunk and gets naked. Ham sees his father’s nakedness, and his son Canaan is cursed. Like Adam, Noah is naked and ashamed in a garden.
GENESIS 10
THE FATE OF NOAH’S DESCENDANTS
The descendants of Noah spread abroad into many nations across the Earth after the flood. Japeth’s descendants spread throughout the land. Ham’s descendants include the Canaanites and other future enemies of Israel. Shem’s descendants lead to the line of Abraham.
GENESIS 11
THE TOWER OF BABEL
At this time, everyone on Earth speaks the same language. The people become prideful and want to make a name for themselves by building a giant tower that reaches to the heavens.
God knows this is only the beginning of their pride and rebellion, so He scatters them and confuses their language, making it difficult for them to communicate.
The descendants of Shem, Noah’s son, are listed ending with Abram. Abram marries Sarai, who is unable to have children.
Noah → Shem → Arpachshad → Shelah → Eber → Peleg → Reu → Serug → Nahor → Terah → Abram (+ Sarai)
GENESIS 12
GOD CHOOSES ABRAM TO BECOME A GREAT NATION
At this point in Scripture, the narrative shifts from Noah and his family to Abram and his family.
God tells Abram to leave his home and go to the land that God has for him. Abram brings Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his nephew.
In Genesis 12:3, God promises Abram that He will make him a great nation, bless him, and make his name great. Instead of the people trying to make a great name for themselves at Babel in Genesis 11:4, God chooses Abram to make a great name.
The great nation that God promises Abram is land that is currently owned by the Canaanites. The journey of Abram’s descendants to the Promised Land is covered throughout the first six books of the Old Testament.
There is a famine, so Abram and Sarai go to Egypt. Sarai is beautiful and Abram is afraid that the Egyptians would want to kill Abram and take Sarai for their own. Abram tells Sarai to pretend that she is his sister so that they will let him live. Sarai is taken into Pharaoh’s home, which compromises their marriage. God is angered by this and sends a plague on Pharaoh. Pharaoh realizes that Abram had lied and sends Sarai and Abram away.
Genesis 12:2 - And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
GENESIS 13
ABRAM + LOT SEPARATE
After leaving Egypt, Abram sets up his tent and makes an altar for God. Abram and Lot have accumulated a lot of possessions and animals at this point, so many that they cannot find land large enough to share.
Abram does not want animosity with Lot, so Abram and Lot go their separate ways. Lot chooses the land to the East, which looks more beautiful and fruitful, but is in closer proximity to wicked people near Sodom. Abram settles in the west, staying in Canaan.
God tells Abram that all the land he can see, spanning in every direction, would one day become his great nation. In Genesis 2, God creates Adam out of dust and now promises that Abram’s offspring will be as many as the dust on the earth. God later tells Abram this again, saying that his offspring will be more than the stars in the sky. God uses examples of His great creation to explain to Abram that his creation and legacy will also be great.
GENESIS 14
ABRAM RESCUES LOT
In Genesis 13, Lot chooses to live in a fertile land closer to the wicked people. A war breaks out in the land where Lot is living, and he is captured. Word of Lot’s capture makes its way to Abram. Abram decides to rescue Lot, and he is victorious in his mission!
When Abram returns, the King of Salem, Melchizedek, blesses him and brings him bread and wine. Melchizedek serves as an image of Jesus, breaking bread, serving wine, and living as both a priest and a king.
Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as is Jesus, the Messiah. The name Melchizedek means King of Righteousness, and he was also called King of Salem, which means peace. Jesus is also considered to be the Righteous King and the Prince of Peace. Melchizedek is also mentioned in Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7.
GENESIS 15
GOD MAKES A COVENANT WITH ABRAM
God shares his covenant with Abram, similar to Genesis 12 when God tells Abram that He will make him a great nation, bless him, and make his name great. God assures Abram that he will be protected and that he is not to fear.
Abram is concerned that Eliezer, a house servant, will become his heir since he does not have any children of his own. God tells Abram that his own son will be his heir and that his descendants will be as many as the stars.
Although this seems impossible because of his old age and infertility, Abraham trusts God. God declares Abram righteous because of his belief and faith. Abram asks God for reassurance, and God tells him to do a very specific ritual, including a cow, goat, and ram and cutting them in half.
A deep sleep falls on Abram and a darkness overtakes him. God tells Abram that his offspring will be afflicted as slaves in a land that is not their own for 400 years. God then tells Abram that their captors will suffer judgment and that Abram’s descendants will come out of slavery with great possessions. Lastly, God tells Abram that he will live a good, long life. This is a lot for Abram to process!
After God tells Abram the fate of his descendants, a fire passes between the animals that have been split in two. This unique ritual shows that God is serious about keeping his promises for the atonement of sin. God responds to Abram and lets him know that he is attentive and near.
Genesis 15:5 - And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
GENESIS 16
HAGAR GIVES BIRTH TO ISHMAEL
Sarai, Abram’s wife, is tired of waiting and wants to take things into her own hands. Sarai tells Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to sleep with Abram and conceive.
Although it was Sarai’s idea, when Hagar becomes pregnant, Sarai resents Hagar and treats her terribly. Hagar becomes scared for her life and runs away. An angel of the Lord comes to Hagar and convinces her to return and tells her that God will be with her.
Hagar gives birth to a son named Ishmael and he is described as a wild donkey of a man. Ishmael means “God will hear” or “heard by God” and is named this because Hagar felt seen and heard by God.
GENESIS 17
THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION + ABRAM’S NAME CHANGE
God restates His covenant with Abram and gives Abram circumcision as a sign of the covenant. God refers to circumcision as the everlasting covenant because it will apply to all of Abram’s offspring. God instructs everyone eight days or older to be circumcised. Abram and Ishmael did not delay obedience and were circumcised that same day.
Circumcision is an operation where the foreskin, a covering of skin on the head of the penis of the male, is removed.
God changes Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah. Name changes in the Bible often symbolize a transformation or divine calling from God, showing their new identity or purpose.
God promises Abraham the birth of a son through Sarah. Because of Sarah’s old age, Abraham laughs at this promise, thinking it is impossible. God blesses Ishmael’s life, but states again that His covenant will be made with Isaac, a son of Abraham and Sarah.
GENESIS 18
ABRAHAM IS VISITED BY THREE MESSENGERS FROM GOD
Abraham sees three men, messengers of God, who tell Abraham and Sarah that this time next year they will have a baby. Sarah laughs, like Abraham did earlier, and then denies her laughter. God responds to her laughter, asking “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
God tells Abraham that He plans to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asks God to spare the righteous people there, even if it was only ten people and God says He will spare the righteous.
GENESIS 19
THE CITIES OF SODOM + GOMORRAH DESTROYED
God’s messenger angels go to visit Sodom and Gomorrah to scope out the wickedness in the city. They reside with Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who lives near the evildoers.
Men from all over the city demand to have sexual relations with the messenger angels, which is appalling to them. Lot offers up his virgin daughters to the men so that they will not defile God’s messengers, but this offer does not honor God either.
God’s messengers tell Lot that they plan to destroy Sodom and warn Lot to leave. Lot is not in a hurry, so the angels urge him to leave and eventually throw him out of the city, telling him to run for his life and not look back. Then God destroys everything and everyone within the city. On the way out of the city, Lot’s wife looks back and turns into a pillar of salt.
After leaving the city, Lot’s daughters fear there are no men left, so they get their father drunk, sleep with him, and both become pregnant. Yikes!
GENESIS 20
ABRAHAM LIES TO KING ABIMELECH
Abraham is traveling and lies about Sarah being his sister to Abimelech, King of Gerar. Abimelech takes Sarah into his household, but before anything happens, God appears to him in a dream and reveals the truth about Abraham and Sarah. Abimelech confronts Abraham and returns Sarah unharmed.
God tells Abimelech that Abraham is a prophet and instructs him to restore Sarah. Abraham prays for Abimelech, and God heals Abimelech and the women in his household, whose wombs had been closed because of Sarah. After this, they are able to bear children again.