Genesis: The Book of Foundations
An Introduction & Overview of Genesis
Genesis is a book of foundations.
 Today's society like all of the world's cultures and philosophies of mankind have been continually attacking God’s foundations. Today the warfare has escalated by the building of a worldwide network to destroy God’s work.
Jesus laid the foundation for making faithful disciples by His life and teachings. This is the reason we are to rebuild our lives on the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ.
A mature disciple by definition is a person who has been able to step out of his culture and build his life on the Word of God. He has been able to critique what he thinks, does and how he responds. The crippled Christian, the backslider, is absorbed in the culture – the world. His tendency is to follow his desires and see no distinction between the world and God.
The more clearly we distinguish God’s ways from the world's ways, the faster we will grow. If we can't discern the world's ways from God’s ways, if we have not been able to have a firm foundation built in our lives, then we must admit that person is worldly and ensnared in Satan's temptation.
We hope through the book of Genesis to show you the difference between God’s ways and man’s ways. Be not scared of the world and its massive influence. Though God be subtle, it is His will that His people be established and all the nations bow before Him.
Objectives:
• Provide two outlines of Genesis to remember its content.
• Reflect on Genesis' place with the other books of Moses and the Bible through different charts.
• Get a better confidence in the unity of the Book of Genesis by looking at time charts.
• Provide six graphic ways Genesis truths are interweaved into the whole Bible.
• Challenge us to the great importance of embedding the truths of Genesis in order to live strong Christian lives.
Our success in life will depend on how closely we build on God's foundation. Genesis is the foundation of foundations.
 "He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalms 62:5-8).
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The Genius of Genesis
How does Genesis fit into the overall scheme of the Bible?
The genius of Genesis is seen both in the way it introduces its material in strategic and clear segments as well as in the way its numerous themes are introduced in Genesis and interweaved throughout the Bible. These powerful themes strongly counter those faulty suggestions that state Genesis is a compilation of different accounts or a composite of heavily edited portions.
Genesis is the most foundational book in the scriptures and rightly described as the 'The Book of Beginnings.'
Genesis is the first of the Law or the Pentateuch: the first five books of the Bible which Moses had written. We see this stated at the end of his life where it is written,
And it came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you.
(Deuteronomy 31:24-26).
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THE OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW CANON BOOK ORDER
We get a larger picture of how Genesis fits into the whole Old Testament Cannon below. The Jews often referred to the Hebrew scriptures in three different sections: the Law, Prophets and Psalms or Writings (Luke 24:44). This three part categorization is seen in the chart below.
The greatest purpose of the Old Testament scriptures is to reveal the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Messiah is pointed toward and hinted at in many places throughout Genesis.
Jesus said,
..which were written
in the
Law of Moses, and
the Prophets, and
the Psalms
concerning Me.
Luke 24:44
Click diagram for larger picture and more information on the Hebrew and English Old Testament Canon.
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The promised seed born of a woman to defeat the serpent speaks of Christ, and so does Joseph on the way he saves God's people. Noah's ark represents salvation from God's judgment in Christ while Jesus was the means Abraham's promise was fulfilled. The whole Old Testament points to the great Messiah, now fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
Now let's look at the contents of Genesis through outlines and time charts. -> Go
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