Book of Beginnings

The first day of the year is an appropriate time to begin our biblical study of the Book of Beginnings, otherwise known as Genesis.  Perhaps you have already read this book in its entirety; perhaps you have read bits and pieces but don’t know for sure if you’ve read the complete book.  I belong to the latter group.  In more than thirty years of Bible study (although not always consistently, I am afraid) I cannot say for sure that I have read every word of the Bible.  My study of the Bible has been more topical in nature, which causes one to skip all over the Bible following the thread of the topic. 

Thus, I believe this is a good time to begin studying the Bible from the beginning and eventually end up at the end.    This could be accomplished in one year, I am told, if there is only reading involved with no in-depth study involved, but anyone who knows me probably knows that will not be the case.  I love to explore the Word of God, to prayerfully consider it from all angles, until I am satisfied that I have received from it what the Holy Spirit has intended that I should receive.  The end result is always life-changing, making it an incredibly fulfilling and eventful quest and one that I could never tire of.

Genesis itself is a book filled with quests:  the quest for new homelands, the quest for the fulfillment of the promises of God, and the quest to please and obey God.  It is a book about journeys, on land and on sea.

Genesis is a book about “firsts”: the first garden, the first human, the first couple, the first son, the first sin, the first reconciliation, the first flood, the first rainbow, the first fratricide.  It is the original Crime and Punishment.

Genesis is a book filled with dysfunctional humans and their waywardness.  It is a book filled with God’s goodness and mercy.  It is a book of restorations.

We will begin “In the beginning” -  at the origin of the world, at the beginning of human history, and at the beginning of the history of the salvation of man as provided by a merciful and loving God. 

Even though most of you have your own Bibles to read, making it unnecessary for me to reprint the scriptures here, I feel strongly led to print them anyway, just in case, somewhere in the world, someone has access to a computer and to this site, but no access to a Bible.  While computers are seldom considered to be illegal anywhere in the world, there are many countries where Bibles are considered illegal and distribution of Bibles is prohibited, resulting in imprisonment or worse for those who are found with Bibles in their possession.  So, please bear with me as I re-type the scriptures on this blogsite.

Genesis 1:1-19 – The First Four Days of Creation

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And the evening and the morning were the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.  And God called the firmament Heaven.  And the evening and the morning were the second day. 

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  And the evening and the morning were the third day.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.  And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.  And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

After careful reading of these verses above, we will begin tomorrow to study them in-depth.

Meanwhile, have a blessed day and a blessed new year of 2011 through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.