Finished Reading Bible Book of Genesis
I learned how we were created, the origins of sin and its fallout, and how to best relate to God – through obedience and trust. There are four characters are the most important ones for us to know about:
God—is the creator of heaven and Earth, including the humans Adam and Eve. God formed a man and gave him the garden in Eden, except for the tree of good and evil. Adam was alone, so God made a woman his partner. The serpent deceived the woman. She and Adam ate from the tree. The ground was cursed, and God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden. God makes all things "very good," but when humans and divine beings rebel against God, the world slips back into chaos. Humankind corrupted the Earth with evil. God decided to destroy them. The humans rebel against God, bringing a curse on the world and growing so violent that God destroys everyone but Noah and his family. He told Noah to build an ark to be saved from the flood. God is still at work to get the world back to "excellent" status again—and chooses to begin this work through a man God names Abraham.
Abraham—a man whom God chooses as the patriarch of a special nation. This is crucial for understanding the biblical story: God's plan is to rescue rebellious humanity and his entire world through Abraham's family. Abraham's family would then become the carrier of the original blessing and vocation given to humanity in the garden. Through Abraham's family, every nation on Earth might one day be blessed by being reconnected to God and returning to his original calling for humans. Abraham journeys through the land of Canaan, which God promises to give to Abraham's descendants. God makes a covenant (a special binding agreement) with Abraham.
Jacob—Abraham's grandson. From birth, Jacob lives up to the meaning of his name, "deceiver." Jacob tricks his father and brother, finagling his way into receiving a special blessing. He tricks his now-blind father into giving him the family inheritance and blessing that should have been given to his older brother, Esau.
The pattern we'll trace in this movement is blessing and curse, and it focuses on God's invitation to both experience real life and steward his blessing for the rest of creation. But when humans ignore and abuse God's blessing, they bring about the curse, which refers to the negative consequences that come with opposing the blessing.
Joseph—Jacob's favorite son, who has prophetic dreams of greatness. His brothers sell him into slavery, but through his God-given wisdom, he ascends to second-in-command over all of Egypt. He is also able to interpret other people's dreams.
Humans continue to act selfishly and do what is good in their own eyes. But God is not going to leave the world to its own devices. He said his creation is "good" at the beginning of the story, and here at the end, we see that God brings about his good purposes even in the midst of human evil. He remains faithful and determined to bless people despite their failures.
