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Study the Word. Meditate on it and let it be your delight and holy guide.
Clique Aliança
Para acessar o
ministério de língua portuguesa
The Month of Beginnings
The Book of Genesis
Youth Ministry
Children's Nurture
Mission & Food Pantry
Read the help notes before you begin reading the actual passages.
Week one - Genesis 1-7
Week two - Genesis 8-16
Week three - Genesis 17-23
Read Genesis 1-7. You may want to read a chapter a day, or read the seven chapters in one or two sittings.
Genesis declares that God is the Creator of the universe. It does so through two creation stories, found in Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Genesis 2:4b-3:24. These are not parallel accounts and are not meant to be read as scientific descriptions of how God created the world, as is evident when one looks seriously at the text.
In the first account of 1:1-2:4, God speaks creation into existence and declares each part good. God authors life! We are God's good creation! Many believe this account was formalized in the sixth century B.C. and was addressed to the exiles who were confronted with Babylonian beliefs. The Babylonians believed there were numerous gods who defeated Israel's God and who controlled the future. This story declares that God was, is and always will be the Lord of life. God can order utter chaos into a new world. God is not a distant, uninterested party. God delights in His creation. We'll read this affirmation again in other parts of the Bible, such as Psalm 104:26 and Proverbs 8:30-31. The Bible will show us how God not only cherishes creation but honors it and respects it, granting it enormous freedom. God's speech reflects His grace. God declares, "LET there be..." not "There MUST be..." God is invitational and gracious, not oppressive and self-centered like the Babylonian gods.
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Special emphasis is placed on the creation of humanity. God speaks to the human creatures and invites them to speak in response. God made us in God's image - we were made to embody free choice, ability, creativity, responsibility, love, and more. God makes us as God's representatives in the world, and we are called to care for the world not with coercive or tyrannical power but with godly power. The dominance we are given is like the dominance of a shepherd who cares for the sheep. The task of dominion is not to exploit and abuse but to provide for the well-being of creation. In contrast, you may want to read Ezekiel 34:1-6, which provides a picture of a human who has abused this divine imperative. The stage is set in this first creation account of a God who will reign not in remoteness but by gracious self-giving. The stage is set for us to be those to whom much is given and much is expected (Luke 12:48). The text tells us humanity was created together as both individual - "God created him" - and community - "God created them." God ordained that there be male and female humans who together reflect the image of God. The story culminates with the institution of the Sabbath day of rest. During the exile, honoring the Sabbath helped the people declare their faith and rejection of all other gods. Sabbath declares no need to grasp or grab - it is a day of relaxation, celebrating the abundant gifts of God. God blesses living creatures, humanity and the Sabbath. Indeed, the world is a vehicle for the blessings God has ordained. Whereas the first account issues in doxology, the second concerns the crisis and destiny of humanity. People frequently refer to this story as "the fall." Others claim it tells how evil or death came into the world. Look closely at this text. No one dies in the story. The serpent is not equated with evil. It does not tell us what motivated the serpent or what was the origin of the serpent's challenge. It does tell a story about faithful (or unfaithful) responses and effective (or ineffective) coping. In this account there was an androgynous human ('adam) out of which a helper was formed (which made the division of male and female). Out of the clay God made a dependent creature and planted a garden for him.In Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Revelation 22:1-2, the garden's rivers are for nourishment and healing. The garden is a gift of grace but the two trees show it is not cheap grace. There is a tree of life, later referred to as that which enhances and celebrates life through righteousness (Prov. 11:30), fulfillment (Prov. 13:12) and gentleness(15:4). The other tree is found nowhere else in scripture - the tree of knowledge, the tree of the command.
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Enter the serpent: avoid the claims of God. The serpent talks about God, and thereby objectifies God, and practices theological talk in the place of obedience. He alters the boundary- prohibition and "spins" it to become a threat-prohibition. The serpent repeats God's speech with just enough of a twist to distort it. (Those with ears, hear!). No more is the focus on joyous fidelity. Now it is on circumventing a barrier. The humans are not focused on tending and feeding. Now they are focused on themselves. Next scene: crime and punishment, complete with buck-passing. God does not kill His beloved creation. There is, however, a serious sentence imposed. When the humans recognize their nakedness and are ashamed, the God of love clothes them. Though the sentence remains.
In or out of the garden, no matter what boundaries they attempt to cross, the humans must finally live on God's terms. But they live.
For more, click on Notes on Genesis
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