Lesson Seven: An Overview of the Genesis Story

LESSON SEVEN

AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENESIS STORY

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will understand the Book of Genesis as the foundational work for the entire Hebrew Bible. They will learn basic biblical terms that will help them understand the text and to be able to engage in logical exchanges about the Bible’s account of the history of humanity and the shaping of Israel as a nation.

Key Concepts: Bereshit (in the beginning), epic, Torah, Pentateuch, Yahweh (God), Abraham, Mesopotamian, Canaan, covenant, prologue, blessing, curse, repentance, genealogy, motif, inheritance

Objectives: Students will:

• understand the Book of Genesis as a foundational work for the entire Hebrew Bible. • become familiar with the most basic biblical terms that are useful in interpreting textual meaning. • follow the literary patterns of storytelling in the Hebrew Bible. • write a reflection on key details of the lesson. • edit writing to correct composition errors. • engage in discussions of the lesson via a discussion board.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• explain how the Book of Genesis is a foundational work for the entire Hebrew Bible. • use basic biblical terms to interpret textual meaning and purpose. • demonstrate knowledge of the literary patterns of storytelling found in the Hebrew Bible. • understand how the Book of Genesis gives an account of the early history of humankind and how Israel became a nation. • write a reflection on key details of the lesson. • edit writing to correct composition errors. • engage in discussions of the lesson via a discussion board.

Duration:2-3 hours

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A Literary Study of the Book of Genesis by Wilma J. Brown-Foreman, ED. S

Materials:

• Article: “Genesis: the Bible’s story begins” by Jeffrey

Kranz (https://overviewbible.com/genesis/_) • Video: Genesis: A Quick Overview (https://overviewbible.com/genesis/) by the Bible

Project • Internet access/e-mail/computer editing capacity • Notebook/paper/pen

Directions:

Watch the video Genesis: A Quick Overview (https://overview bible.com/genesis/). Indicate whether the following statements are (A) TRUE or (B) FALSE (Note: You may use additional credible online resources to respond to the questions. Use a pronunciation dictionary to learn to pronounce unfamiliar words.) 1. The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. 2. The word “Genesis” in Hebrew means “beginning,” the same as the first words in the biblical text (Bereshit). 3. Genesis is a record of the creation of the world, the early history of humanity, and of Israel's ancestry and the origins of the Jewish nation. 4. The Book of Genesis opens with one of the most famous first sentences of any literary work: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 5. The Book of Genesis contains the famous stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the ark, Abraham and Isaac, and the life of Joseph. 6. Narratives in the book of Genesis read like a string of epic stories. 7. Genesis a “stand-alone” book. 8. The Book of Genesis is the first book the five-part Torah (or Pentateuch). 9. The Torah is the foundational work of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). 10.The Torah is Israel’s origin story. 11.The Torah records the history of how the nation of Israel got its population, its land, and its religion. 12.After the Book of Jeremiah, Genesis is the second-longest book of the Bible. 13. Another name for God is Yahweh—the creator of heaven and earth, including the humans Adam and Eve. 14. Based on the narrative, God describes all Creation as “very good.” 15. When both humans and divine creations rebel against God, the world slips back into chaos. 16. According to Genesis, only the people rebel against God. 17. The sinful nature of humans brings a curse on the world. 18. Humankind becomes so violent that God destroys everyone except Noah and his family. 19. God chooses Abraham to begin the work of restoring the world. 20. Abraham, a Mesopotamian, is formerly known as “Abram.” 21. Abraham becomes the first patriarch of a special nation, Israel. 22. Abraham journeys through the land of Canaan, which God promises to give to his descendants.

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An Overview of the Genesis Story

23. God makes a covenant (a special binding agreement) with Abraham. 24. The covenant that God makes with Abraham is the beginning of Israel’s story as a nation. 25. Jacob is Abraham’s grandson who tricks his father and brother into receiving a special blessing. 26. Jacob has twelve sons from which the twelve tribes of Israel trace their lineage. 27. Joseph, who has prophetic dreams of greatness, is Jacob’s favorite son. 28. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery, but through his God-given wisdom, he ascends to the position of second-in-command over all Egypt. 29. The story of Genesis sets the stage for the rest of the Pentateuch. 30. The Book of Genesis is a long prologue to Israel’s beginnings as a nation. 31. A “prologue” is an introduction. 32. The Book of Genesis is a story of the promises God makes to humans that He begins to fulfill through the rest of the Bible. 33. The focus of Genesis is on the words that God says to Abraham: “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” (Gen.17:7 KJV) 34. A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement between two or more parties. 35. Covenants usually involve promises, conditions, blessings for keeping the covenant, and curses for breaking it. 36. The Book of Genesis records God’s agreement with the post-flood world (Genesis 9:1–17) and his covenants with Abraham (Genesis 15, 17), along with others. 37. The theme of covenants moves the story forward in Genesis. 38. God promises the childless Abraham that he will be the father of nations, that his descendants will have a land, and that they will be a blessing to the world. 39. Thirty-eight of Genesis’ fifty chapters follow Abraham’s family as God begins fulfilling the first part of His promise. 40. In the Book of Genesis, the word, “swear” relates to making covenants. 41. After Genesis, the next four books in the Pentateuch tell the story of how Abraham’s descendants become a nation and begin to claim their promised land. 42. In the twelfth chapter of Genesis, God promises to bless Abraham and his allies, and to curse his enemies. 43. Through Abraham, God promises to bless only Israel. 44. The Book of Genesis records the promises of God as they unfold in time. 45. Jacob “inherits” the blessing that God gives to Abraham and Isaac. 46. The narrator proposes that Jacob escapes to a distant land to start a new life before another

“Cain and Abel situation” takes place. 47. Jacob wrestles with God, and God blesses him. 48. Another theme in the Book of Genesis centers on possessing the land of Canaan. 49. Abraham wanders through Canaan, Isaac settles there, and Jacob eventually lives there also. 50. At the end of the Book of Genesis, the patriarchs of the nation of Israel in its early stage of development dwell in Egypt.

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A Literary Study of the Book of Genesis by Wilma J. Brown-Foreman, ED. S

For Reflection:

The word “beginning” (Heb. Bereshit) occurs throughout Hebrew Scriptures. Find at least five (5) examples of the use of the Hebrew word (Bereshit)) and explain the meanings based on the context of the Scriptures. Use reliable internet Bible study tools to respond effectively. Document sources. Post your findings on the discussion board. Label the post: A Reflection on the Use of the Expression “Bereshit)” in Hebrew Scriptures.

A Closing Thought:

“There was no such thing as new truth. Error might be old or new; but truth was as old as the universe.”

-Frederick Douglass

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