Article By Bami Fayoyin and Denise Badila
Jewish tradition and many sources tell us that Moses is the person who received divine inspiration from God to pen down Genesis and the next four books in the Bible. In John 5:46, it says “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me”. So, this alludes to the fact that Moses wrote Genesis. The key themes in Genesis are Beginnings, Creation and Covenant. This can be seen throughout the entire book. For example:
- Covenant – God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Also, God’s covenant with Noah after the flood in the form of a rainbow.
- Creation – Gen 1-2 tells us about how God created us and all things.
- Beginnings – Shows us about the beginning of time, and about the beginning of man’s sinful nature.
The book of Genesis opens with the formation of the Universe, the preparation of the Earth for habitation and the creation of life on the Earth. Genesis recounts the call of Abraham at the age of 75, and God’s covenant with Abraham which is eternal and was renewed in Isaac and Jacob. Genesis concludes with Jacob’s blessing over his son Judah, from whose tribe would come the Messiah. Gen 49:10.
Lessons we can learn from Genesis:
1. Through the example of Abraham, we can learn how to have faith in things that seem impossible. Gen 15:6, Gal 3:6
2. Through the life of Joseph, we can understand how to trust in God when trouble arises in our life. Gen 39
3. We can finally understand human nature after the fall, and why we all need a Saviour, Jesus Christ. Gen 3:15, John 3:16
This article is a research paper presented by two teenagers (Bami Fayoyin and Denise Badila) from our Teenage Ministry- Ignite.
