Youth Sunday School - 9/3/23

Introduction to Study of Genesis

Last week we just discussed life, but this morning we are going to start studying the book of Genesis, it is the first book of the Bible.

The word Genesis actually means beginning, generation or birth.

It gets its name from the very first verse: in the beginning.

The book of Genesis tells us about the beginning of time, life, sin, salvation, the human race, and the Hebrew nation - which we know them by the Israelites.

The book of Genesis focuses on four main events: creation, the fall, the flood, and the dispersion of nations.

It focuses on one family - the family to whom the covenant is given - and details the history of the patriarchs of that family: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Through their story, we begin to see how God is going to rescue humankind from the curse of sin and death that results from Adam’s tragic fall.

The Bible tells us that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis. In fact, Moses is the human author of the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy - which are also called the Pentateuch or Torah meaning five books.

Jesus Himself confirms Moses as the author of these books, in Matthew 19:8, Mark 12:26, and John 5:45-47.

But like I said Moses is the Human author as he wrote what the Holy Spirit inspired him to write as we know from, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

External evidence suggest that Moses compiled these books to encourage and teach the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promise Land.

Moses lived a 120 years, the first 40 he lived as Pharaoh’s grandson, learning the wisdom of the Egyptians. The next 40 years he lived in Midian living as a shepherd, the final 40 years, he wandered the wilderness with the Israelites.

It was during the final 40 years while wandering in the wilderness of Sinai that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible.

The first 11 chapters serve as a prologue or introduction not only to the Book of Genesis but to the entire Bible.

In these first 11 chapters, we will learn about the one true God, Yahweh, who created the universe, we will also learn about creation, human beings, and how they rebelled against God.

The second part of the book of Genesis chapters 12-50, tells us about one family, that come from Abraham and Sarah, about the covenant that God makes with them and the promise of that covenant.

Abraham will be the father of this great nation, the nation become the nation of Israel, which we know becomes the nation from which Jesus comes from.

So let’s look at the book of Genesis and see what it tells us and we will dig into the verses and see what God has to say to us.

Genesis 1:1 NASB95

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The first thing we see is a thesis statement, does anyone know what a thesis statement is? - A thesis statement is identifying your main topic, what you are going to discuss.

The whole Bible begins with, In the beginning, this can be paraphrased as, “Here is the story of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning, this is before anything, there was nothing, but God. The Hebrew word for God there is Elohim, this is the plural for God, indicating Father, Son and Spirit.

El signifies strong God, and what less than almighty strength could bring all things out of nothing?

Elohim the Hebrew plural word for God, which speaks of the Godhead though He is one, confirming our faith in the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Hebrew word for created here is Bara, this verb is used exclusively with God as its subject.

It refers to instantaneous and miraculous act of God by which He brought the universe into existence. The word Bara, may express creation out of nothing.

There was no pre-existing matter out of which the world was produced. God did not find some planet and say hey let’ make this earth and put people and animals on it.

As humans we cannot make something out of nothing, but the Almighty God has the power to do exactly that.

The expression that heaven and the earth indicates that God created the entire universe.

The universe did not come into existence by chance. It did not advance by the blind groping’s of unconscious energies.

It was not some dark welter of lifelessness inexplicably evolving into life.

With the Genesis account of creation, it refutes atheism - disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods, pantheism - this is worship that admits or tolerates all gods, polytheism - the belief in or worship of more than one god, and evolution - a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena.

Creation is no accident, it was God’s plan, God desired to have people to have a relationship with and fellowship, so He created the earth.

Genesis 1:2 NASB95

2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

God has created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, now he turns to the earth, it is just a mass, without any form, it has not been formed or shaped into what we call the earth today.

Without form and void; the earth had no light, no people, and no birds in the skies, the land was not developed yet, it was just a mass.

Darkness was upon the face of the deep, darkness does not always symbolize evil, here it is meaning an absence of light, God had not created the light yet.

Deep refers to the waters covering the earth, at this point.

The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. This is a clear reference to the creative work of the Holy Spirit.

We seen in verse one the Hebrew word used for God, was Elohim, again a plural meaning for God, now we see the Holy Spirit.

The first thing we see about the Holy Spirit in Scripture is that of the spirit moving or literally brooding over the waters, much as a bird broods over her eggs to hatch them.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the earth, that is, presiding over the earth and preparing it for the creative word to follow.

Next week we will pick up in verse three as God begins the actual creation of the earth, and we start looking at how that happened.

Questions: