Genesis is a book of beginnings.

It is the beginning of time, the beginning of

man, and the beginning of God’s revelation to man. Genesis is the first section of the

Torah, also known as the Law. It is written primarily in narrative form with interpretive

poems and some short editorially conclusions. It establishes the themes and basis

for the entire Pentateuch. The message of Genesis is foundational for the entire

Bible. The Christian ideas of grace, atonement, and sin all find their origin in the

book.

The primary message of Genesis is God’s desire for relationship with man.

This message can be seen in three distinct narratives. This idea of relationship is first

seen in the creation narrative which is told in chapters one, two and three. The book

begins with the Hebrew word ‫רֵאשִית‬. This word is usually translated beginning. It

refers to the beginning of an unspecified length of time. It could be translated as “at

some time in the past.” The focus of the creation narrative is not to answer the

numerous questions that abound regarding method and date. By using the Hebrew

word ‫רֵאשִית‬, the author’s intentions are made clear. The focus of the creation

narrative is God. This intention is made clearer with the phrase “heaven’s and the

earth.” This phrase is a merism. A merism is a literary form used to define a single

subject by using a conventional phrase that describes the boundaries of the object.

For instance, in English the phrase “searching from head to toe” is used to illustrate a

thorough or complete search. The phrase “head to toe” are used to describe an entire

person. In verse one the phrase “heavens and the earth” demonstrate that the

primary function of the creation narrative is to define God as the source of all

creation. “Heavens and the earth” create a word picture that captures the entirety of

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creation. God is the Creator. The Bible is stating that everything that exists came

from God’s original creation.

The Hebrew word ‫ בְרֵאשִית‬is used to define this creation. The word ‫בְרֵאשִית‬

is unique in that God is the only one with whom this word is connected in the Old

Testament. God is the only one that can create something from nothing. This

demonstrates the creation that takes places in verse one is unique from the

preparation that takes place during the “days of creation.” The Hebrew word used to

describe this preparation is ‫עָשָה‬. This word means to make adequate for or to

prepare. So the rest of chapter one is spent defining how God takes great care to

prepare the earth for humanity. Because humanity is God’s crowning achievement

(Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us make man in our image”), God carefully crafts the world

into which man will arrive. This shows that from the beginning, humanity is and was

the focus of God’s creative powers. Because man is created in the image of God,

man has capacity and need for relationship. This is demonstrated in 2:18. God

makes a broad statement that it is not good for humanity to be alone. The text

reveals that God is speaking about humanity in general, not just Adam in particular.

God did not create Eve to relieve Adam’s loneliness. Instead, just has God has

relationship within himself (the Trinity), so all human beings have the need of

relationship with others like themselves. This need for relationship helps to define

man’s greatest purpose, the worship of God.

The creation narrative demonstrates how careful God was in designing and

preparing Eden for man. In spite of the utopian environment in which Adam and Eve
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find themselves, they still reject the straight-forward wisdom of God. That decision

results in sin. Chapter three explains what is commonly described as “the fall.” Adam

and Eve reject God’s plan and purpose by choosing to follow their own way. Eve’s

desire for wisdom (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), on her own terms,

establishes the Biblical definition for sin. Sin can be defined as refusing to walk in

God’s way or following one’s own path. As Creator, God is the only one who has the

authority or right to decide the path of His creation. Sin is one’s refusal to allow God

His rightful place of leadership. This description of sin becomes the basis that is used

throughout the Old Testament. In later prophetic writings, the phrase “that which was

right in his own eyes” is used to describe when the people of Israel stray from

following the Lord. This narrative is the first of many narratives in the Old Testament

that demonstrate the folly of surrendering to temptation and rejecting the clear

wisdom of God. Chapter three ends with God fulfilling His promise to expel Adam and

Eve if they ate of the fruit of the tree.

The primacy of relationship is next seen in the story of Noah and the flood. In

6:5, the people of the earth have once again rejected the wisdom of God and are

living life by their own desires. Their actions have made God grieve to the place of

deciding to eliminate all of humanity. In grace, God selects Noah to be the “new

Adam.” In many ways the flood story is a repetition of the original creation narrative.

The flood is used by God to once again prepare the world for man. God’s desire for

relationship with humanity is seen in His election of Noah to continue the human

race.
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The majority of the book of Genesis is devoted to final stage setting narrative.

This narrative records the covenant relationship between God and Abraham and

Abraham’s descendants. God’s desire for relationship is seen in His seeking out of

Abraham. Abraham was living in the land of Haran and there is no recognition that he

was a follower of God. Once again grace is demonstrated in God’s selecting of

Abraham to be the father of His covenant people. God makes three promises to

Abraham. The first is that God will make a great nation from his descendants. The

second is that God will give those descendants the Promised Land. The third is that

God will bless the Jewish people and use them to be a blessing to the other nations

of the world. The focus of all of these blessings is the word “seed.” The idea of the

seed of Abraham sets the stage for the Messianic Hope. This idea is the basis for all

the promises to Abraham.

The story of Abraham demonstrates God’s desire to have a covenant

relationship with His creation and His willingness to show grace and mercy to them.

One of the common themes throughout Genesis is the repetition of the inability of

humanity to follow the law of God or to walk in His ways. This repetition is repeated

multiple times in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The importance of the

covenant promise is the future Messianic hope. Even here in Genesis, one can

recognize the very clear promise of a future king. Although Jesus Christ is certainly

not identified as the Messiah, the idea of the future Messiah is still clear.

The purpose of the Genesis is found in recognizing the relational desires of

God. It is God’s desire for relationship that stimulates the preparation of the land for
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humanity. The same can be said for His acts of grace and mercy upon the Adam and

Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Over and over again, God acts in grace out

of His desire for relationship with humanity.

The book of Genesis serves as the introduction to the Mosaic Covenant as

instituted at Mount Sinai. The other books of the Torah build upon the foundational

themes of Genesis. The Torah then functions as the foundation for all of the other

books in the Old Testament. Both the prophetic and wisdom literature are focused on

drawing out and explaining the themes developed in the Torah and more specifically

Genesis.

In conclusion, the book of Genesis begins the process of defining the

character of God. It uses narrative to reveal who God is and how God works. It would

be a mistake to understand Genesis as simply the first chapter of a long book or the

beginning of progressive revelation. Instead, Genesis is the source or foundation for

all of the Old Testament. Both the writings and the prophets look back to the

Pentateuch in their writings. They build upon and expand the central themes. The

same can be said of the Pentateuch. It looks back to Genesis as the foundation for its

ideas. It introduces all of the themes, values, and ideas that are central to Scripture.

It is especially powerful in that it establishes the future Messianic hope of Jesus

Christ.

The proof of inspiration can find no greater support than the book of Genesis.

It is remarkable to see the numerous and clear references to the promised “seed” of

Abraham. It is also important to recognize how often the prophetic writings repeat
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phrases found in Genesis. Many times these phrases are taken word for word with

limited changes. These prophetic writings demonstrate the importance that Genesis

held for the Jewish people, especially those who were waiting for the Messiah.

Present day Christians can take great joy in discovering the plan of God that is found

in Genesis. The same desire for relationship that motivated God during creation, the

flood, and selection of Abraham, is the same desire that motivates God’s interaction

in our lives.