The Torah

TorahHebrew: “Law,

Instruction”

PentateuchGreek: “Five-Part

Book”

NumbersRelates the wilderness

wanderings

Deuteronomy

Gives the Law to a new generation with special

emphasis to those entering the land

GenesisTraces the origins of God’s

people from creation to Egypt

ExodusRelates God’s deliverance of

Israel from Egypt and establishing His covenant

Leviticus Sets forth the Laws of worship

Genesis

The Book of Beginnings

Genesis 1-11Events Predominant

– Creation– Fall– Flood– Tower of Babel

Genesis 12-50People Predominant– Abraham– Isaac– Jacob– Joseph

Race as a whole Family of Abraham

Over 2000 years 250 years

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

• The “who” of creation.• The work of creation.• The “what” of creation.

Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And the earth was unformed and unfilled, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Unformed UnfilledDay 1: Light Day 4: Light-bearers

(sun, moon, stars)

Day 2: Water & sky divided

Day 5: Fish & birds to fill water & sky

Day 3: Dry land & vegetation

Day 6: Land animals & man

Day 7: Sabbath Rest

Theories of Origin:1. “Young Earth Creationism”2. “Old Earth Creationism”3. “Intelligent Design”4. “Theistic Evolution”

Why are there two separate accounts of creation?

Genesis 1The heavens and the

earth are created in six days.

Genesis 2Creation of the man and woman (no time element mentioned).

Man in his cosmic setting

Man as central to God’s purpose

Panorama of creation as a whole

Detailed focus on one aspect of creation

Centers on God creating the heavens

and the earth

Centers on man as the crowning act of God’s

creation

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1-3)

Man created: Formed from dust (4-9)Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9-14)

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1-3)

Man created: Formed from dust (4-9)Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9-14)

Man assigned task of guarding & keeping the garden (15)

Forbidden fruit (16-17)

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.“ (Genesis 2:16-17)

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1-3)

Man created: Formed from dust (4-9)Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9-14)

Man assigned task of guarding & keeping the garden (15)

Forbidden fruit (16-17)

Man in need of a helper: not good to be alone (18)

Animals in garden are given names (19-20)Woman created: Formed from rib (21-24)

Creation complete: Man & woman naked & unashamed in presence of God (25)

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

What are the results from

their actions of taking and eating the

forbidden fruit?

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Seed of the WomanSeed of the Serpent

Cain & Abel

How is the Cain & Abel narrative

related to the larger story of Genesis?

And Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, "God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel; for Cain killed him." (Genesis 4:25).

Seed of the WomanSeed of the Serpent

AbelCain

Lamech

Literally, “another SEED”

Seed of the WomanSeed of the Serpent

Abel & SethCain

Lamech

Enoch

Noah

ShemHam

AbrahamCanaan

Terah

Three sonsTe

n G

ener

atio

ns

Noah

Noah

Three sons

Ten

Gen

erat

ions

Adam

Genesis 11:1-2Now the whole earth used the

same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

● Babel

Genesis 11:3-4They said to one another, “Come,

let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:9Therefore its name was called

Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

lb,B'

Babel

Genesis 11:9Therefore its name was called

Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

ll;B'

Balal

lb,B'

Babel

Genesis 11:29-30And Abram and Nahor took wives

for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Genesis 12:1-21 Now the LORD said to Abram,"Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;

Genesis 12:3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

● Ur

Haran ●

And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew……and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:5).

Genesis 12:7And the LORD appeared to Abram

and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

Literally,“to your Seed”

Genesis 12:7And the LORD appeared to Abram

and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

• Lot, the Nephew of Abram• Eliezer of Damascus

Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.“ (Genesis 15:4).

Genesis 15 &The Covenant Ceremony

So He said to him, "Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. (Genesis 15:9-10).

Genesis 15 &The Covenant Ceremony

And it came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram… (Genesis 15:17-18).

Quest for a Son

• Lot, the Nephew of Abram• Eliezer of Damascus• Ishmael• Isaac – “Laughter”

Abram called to Faith: Promise of a Seed (12:1-9)Sojourn in Egypt & Denial of Sarai (12:10-20)• Lot separates from Abram (13)

War on Sodom; Rescue of Lot by Abram (14)Covenant Ceremony; Animal sacrifice (15)

Ishmael born (16)Covenant Sign; Circumcision (17)

Destruction of Sodom; Rescue of Lot by Angels (18-19)

Sojourn in Gerar & Denial of Sarah (20)• Ishmael separates from Abram (21)

Abraham’s Faith Tested: Blessing of the Seed (22)

Abraham’s Test

And Abraham called the name of

that place The LORD Will

Provide, as it is said to this day, "In

the mount of the LORD it will be

provided.” (Genesis 22:14).

Seed of the WomanSeed of the Serpent

Ishmael Isaac

Abraham

JacobEsau

Whose Seedare You?

The Jacob Narrative• His name: “Heel-grabber”• The Birthright.• The Blessing.• Jacob’s Ladder.• Sojourn in Haran.

Haran

The Jacob Narrative• His name: “Heel-grabber”• The Birthright.• The Blessing.• Jacob’s Ladder.• Sojourn in Haran.• The Esau Incident

The Joseph Story• A problem of favoritism• Deception with garments and a goat• Departure from the land• Egypt in the days of Joseph• Joseph’s Imprisonment• Joseph’s Exaltation• Israel’s Entrance into Egypt

A Pattern of Israel’s Purpose

• Altars & Worship

• A Sense of Purpose

• Unity

• Racial & Religious Purity