Introduction to the first book of Moses, called Genesis.
We would have many more questions than we do about our world and who we are if it
were not for the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis.
The title, Genesis, means beginning.
And the opening words to this, the greatest story ever told, tell us
that, in the beginning, God created all things.
He not only created all things, but from these ancient texts, we can
listen to Him interacting with all He made.
Genesis records many beginnings.
The beginning of the world, of family, of sin and evil, of languages,
and of the nations.
Genesis begins the great salvation story of God's purpose and plan for His
creation.
Notice how God chooses one man named Abraham to become one chosen nation,
Israel, that would be a light of salvation for all peoples.
Moses was the human author of Genesis, but God directed His words.
Since Moses lived centuries after the events of Genesis, we can also assume that
the core of the material came to him from oral tradition, the stories of the
patriarchs passed down through the generations.
Notice how God intended the first eleven chapters to be a crucial summary of the
origin of the world and its peoples.
The rest of the story of Genesis tells about the lives of several major
characters, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
It also introduces us to the way God pursues and enters into covenants or
promises with His chosen people, pledging His loyal love for them,
which serves to benefit all peoples.