The Name Means “Beginnings.”
And the book answers some of life’s biggest questions. Where did the universe come from? How can there be evil in a world that a good God created? One of the biggest questions Genesis answers is whether or not God truly cares about the people he created. That question is answered when God promises to bless Abraham and all his descendants.
Genesis is also the story of how God’s promises to Abraham were passed on to the generations after him. The people you will meet in Genesis don’t always do what’s right, but God keeps his promises to them—just as he keeps his promises to you today.
God Creates Something Really Special
• Story in Genesis 2:3–4
God Makes Seven Stunning Promises
• Read them in Genesis 12:1–3, 7
Older Brother Chases Younger from Home
• Details in Genesis 27:1–45
Innocent Man Does Right, Goes to Jail
• Accusation reported in Genesis 39
Victim Cleared, Promoted to Run Egypt
• “Impressive,” Pharaoh says. See Genesis 41
Preview
• Genesis doesn’t give a date for Creation.
• Key people: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham
• The Jews are descendants of Abraham’s son, Isaac. The Arabs are descendants of Abraham’s son, Ishmael.
• Moses wrote Genesis, around 1400 B.C.
While Abraham lives, around 2100 B.C., Egyptians establish the first libraries. • The first picture of skiing is carved on a rock in what is now Norway.