Memory Verse(s)
(Gen 15:6) And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 50:20) But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven,
As we prepare to study Your word together, we ask that You would lead us into all truth. Help us to be faithful to Your word, and to seek Your guidance as we try to understand it.
Please help us to submit our hearts to what Your word teaches, and convict us in the areas where we need it most. Help us to grow in our relationship with You, and to grow in our knowledge and love for Your word.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Fellowship
Where did God meet you this week?
Overview|Background
As Christians, we can tend to disregard the Old Testament as, well, old. It is for another time before Jesus’ appearance and, didn’t He supersede all of the OT to bring us something better and more relevant? On the contrary, Jesus tells us that He came to fulfill the Law.
The books of the Old Testament were the scriptures of Jesus’ day and comprise a full 75% of our modern Bible. We do well to understand them and the context they brings to His teachings. These writings point forward to our Lord’s coming and He is woven through every book.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John.5.39&version=ESV
The first five books of the Bible introduce practically every major Old Testament theme. Their Hebrew name is “Torah” after the Hebrew word translated “law” or “instruction.” They are also known as “the Pentateuch” after the Greek words penta (five) and teuchos (book). The books certainly contain what most modern people think of when they read the word law: rules, regulations, and restrictions. But these books also utilize other means of “instruction” to teach readers how to live for God in his world. [Paul R. House; Eric Mitchell (2023). (p. 21). Old Testament Survey. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
As the first book in the Torah, Genesis is a story of origins
The history of Creation (Genesis 1-11)
The history of the patriarchs and matriarchs (Genesis 12–50)
Key Passage(s) for Reading
Gen 1:1-3:24 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (3) Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (6) Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” (7) Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. (8) And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. (9) Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. (10) And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. (11) Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. (12) And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (13) So the evening and the morning were the third day. (14) Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; (15) and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. (16) Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. (17) God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, (18) and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. (19) So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (20) Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” (21) So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (22) And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (23) So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. (24) Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. (25) And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (26) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (27) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (28) Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (29) And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. (30) Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. (31) Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (2:1) Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. (2) And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. (3) Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (4) This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, (5) before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; (6) but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. (7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (8) The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. (9) And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (10) Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. (11) The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. (12) And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. (13) The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. (14) The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. (15) Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. (16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (18) And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (19) Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (20) So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. (21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. (22) Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. (23) And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” (24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (25) And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (3:1) Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (2) And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; (3) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” (4) Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (7) Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (8) And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (9) Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (10) So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (11) And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (12) Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (13) And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (14) So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. (15) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (16) To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” (17) Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. (18) Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. (19) In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” (20) And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. (21) Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (22) Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— (23) therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (24) So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Key Facts
Authorship & Time Period
Authorship has been debated for centuries but the Bible itself indicates in numerous places that the author is Moses.
Major Events in Old Testament History
Type of literature
Non-fiction prose with occasional poetry
Themes & Characters
- Key Themes: Creation by one God, the origin of sin, punishment for sin, renewal from sin through God’s covenants, God’s protection of his people
- Key Characters: God (the Lord, Yahweh), Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, and Joseph
The Plot & Narrative Flow
God creates people to have relationship with him and places them in a good world. When they sin, he provides forgiveness and renewed relationship through covenants that promise a savior who will come from a chosen family.
- Creation of the World and Mankind Genesis 1-2 NKJV Note: There are two different accounts of the same events, one in narrative and one in poetical language and are not in conflict.
- The Temptation of Man and Fall of Creation Genesis 3 NKJV
- The First Murder, Sin and Violence Spread Gen 4:1-6:4 NKJV
- The Flood and God’s Promise Gen 3:15-11:9 NKJV
- God’s Redemptive Plan Through Abraham’s Family Genesis 12–50 NKJV
- Abram & Sarai > Abraham & Sarah Genesis 12-25:11 NKJV
- The Sons & Grandsons of Abraham Genesis 29-35:29 NKJV
- Issac
- Jacob (Israel)
- Esau Genesis 36
- Issac
- The Twelve Sons of Israel & Redemption through Joseph Genesis 37-50 NKJV
Where Do We See Christ?
In The Creation Narrative
Gen 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. We see here throughout the Creation narrative that each time He creates, he uses words. This is the Word spoken of and echoed in John.
Joh 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (4) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
In The Story of Joseph
Gen 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. We see this paralleled on the Cross as Christ forgives his murderers.
Luk 23:34a Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Point of Application
How can we apply this to our lives today?
Today we, like the patriarchs and matriarchs of Genesis, have been offered a covenantal relationship with God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. We still must grapple with the effects of living in a fallen world. Let us, like Christ, have compassion for those who have not yet taken hold of this promise.
Discussion Questions
- Abraham was not only the father of many nations, three of the world’s major religions claim him as a patriarch. What implications does this have for us sharing our faith with others?
- How does knowing that Jesus’ Bible was the Old Testament impact your reading of the New Testament?
Closing Prayer
May the words our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.
Current Prayer Requests:
Richard Brooks – next stage of his journey in Christ
Andrew McKinney – employment provision
Bob & Gaynelle – mother’s hospitalization (from Mike Arras)
Julia (Arras) – health
Doc – renewed vigor to join us on Saturdays
Additional Content
The First and Last – Jesus in every book by Dr. Michael Youseff
☕Kindred Faith 
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