This image demonstrates the major pattern of the entire Biblical Narrative.
God Creates — Humans Uncreate — God Recreates…Repeat.
Click the thumbnails below to explore each section of Genesis.
In order to fully grasp the context of the epic story of Genesis we must look ahead at the book of Exodus. In Exodus we find the story of one of the greatest leaders of all time: Moses. Under the direction and power of God, Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years, during which time they had known nothing but oppression, humiliation, and subjection to the pagan culture of Egypt. As the people emerged from Egypt and stepped into the wilderness of Zin they were faced with an identity crisis. Who were they? Where did they come from? Why were they there? Where were they going? How were they to behave? Moses knew that the people needed stories that would unify them, give them meaning, make sense out of the chaos that had been their experience, and give them a trajectory on which to travel.
Genesis contains the creation and identity formation stories of the Israelites.
This video is my presentation of Genesis in Bible Mania
Genesis is divided into two major sections:
Ch. 1-11 – The Beginning of Everything
The beginning of the universe: Creation. Genesis 1-2
The beginning of pain and suffering: The Fall of Man. Genesis 3
The beginning of the world…again: The Flood. Genesis 4-10
The beginning of the nations: The tower of Babel. Genesis 11
A helpful video from The Bible Project
Ch. 12-50 – The Beginning of Israel
Abraham. Genesis 12-25
Isaac. Genesis 21-27
Jacob. Genesis 25-36
Joseph. Genesis 37-50
A helpful video from The Bible Project
Abraham and Sarah’s Family Tree
We fade out on the book of Genesis with Joseph resettling Jacob’s family in the land of Goshen within the Empire of Egypt.
