This month I’ve been reading Genesis as part of my private bible study and have learned so much from the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Esau and Joseph and his brothers.

I’ve been using the Lion Guide to the Bible by Peter Walker as a kind of textbook (definitely more fun than my media law one!) to guide me in my studies and it’s really put a lot of things into perspective.

I thought I’d share some of the things I learned from the very first chapter in the Bible.

1. Both men and women were created as mirrors of God.

“And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” – Genesis 1:27*

A representation of this is seen above in The Creation of Adam, a painting by Michelangelo from around 1511–1512.

2. Eve was created as a help meet.

“And Jehovah God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.” – Genesis 2:18

3. Eve’s failure to fulfill her purpose had catastrophic consequences.

Eve, being created as a help meet, meant she was to accompany Adam and help him achieve his goals. However she tempted him into sin with catastrophic consequences – the fall of man. This shows us how much of a difference us not fulfilling our purpose could make.

4. God regretted making man. 

“And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” – Genesis 6:6

5. Noah swam against the tide of sin at the time.

Despite the people on earth being so sinful that God actually regretted making them, Noah was different and stood out to God as righteous.

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.” – Genesis 6: 8

6. Rainbows are symbol of God’s covenant with us. 

“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.” – Genesis 9: 13 – 15

7. ‘Is anything too hard for Jehovah?’ No. 

Literally nothing is too hard for Him, Sarah was around 91 years old when she had Issac.

“Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return to thee when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.” – Genesis 18: 14

8. Looking back at a sinful past cost Lot’s wife her life.

When God destroys the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he saves a righteous few including Lot and his family. But Lot’s wife turns back to look at the city and turns into a pillar of salt.

“Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” – Genesis 19: 24 – 26

9. Dreams can be VERY important. 

The dreams that Joseph had at the end of Genesis and those which he was able to interpret because of God’s wisdom enabled him to survive in Pharaoh’s house and save his people from famine.

“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, for as much as God hath showed thee all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou: thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy word shall my people by ruled…” – Genesis 41: 39 – 40

What have you learned from Genesis?

 

*all quotes are from the American Standard Version (ASV) version of the Bible.