Genesis

Question 1

Genesis 1:1-2

Creation by God, state of the initial earth, a formless empty mass of rock and water

Answer 1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Question 2

Genesis 1:26

God declares that one will be made like him, in image and power

Answer 2

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Question 3

Genesis 1:27 - 28

God creates man, blesses, and gives him rule of earth

Answer 3

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Question 4

Genesis 1:31

Perfection in God’s creative work

Answer 4

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Question 5

Genesis 2:3

From the very beginning, God makes the Sabbath holy, even before the Law

Answer 5

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Question 6

Genesis 2:7

Man is dust, God is the source of his life. Rejoice!

Answer 6

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Question 7

Genesis 2:16-17

Life with God is cut off if man should sin

Answer 7

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Question 8

Genesis 2:18

The Lord graciously gives man an equal - and it is bad that he should be without her

Answer 8

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Question 9

Genesis 2:23 - 24

(Man is incomplete without woman. As it was “not good” to be alone, it is now good that the two separate parts, not whole, become whole again in union, in one flesh)

Answer 9

Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Question 10

Genesis 3:15

Hatred between the deceiver and those made in God’s image - victory will come for man in the future

Answer 10

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

Question 11

Genesis 3:17

(The result of choosing to listen to man in sin rather than obeying God brings a curse, and man duly pays the wage of our rebellion)

Answer 11

And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

Question 12

Genesis 4:1

Eve believes God is making good on his promise to deliver them from sin through her offspring

Answer 12

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”

Question 13

Genesis 4:13-15

(There are apparently others on the earth outside of Cain’s own family. God also shows mercy to Cain and protects him, even after his egregious sin; similar to David, though no evidence Cain trusted God {Gen 4:26})

Answer 13

Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

Question 14

Genesis 4:26

The Lord God had seemingly been forgotten, or at this time, they once again started following God

Answer 14

Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.

Question 15

Genesis 5:3

Man bears the image of man in birth

Answer 15

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

Question 16

Genesis 6:5-8

The Lord experiences sorrow, punishes the wicked, but will remain with those who are righteous, like Noah

Answer 16

The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Question 17

Genesis 6:22

Noah is obedient, and God is with him

Answer 17

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Question 18

Genesis 8:21

Man is evil as soon as he is able to be, and God will not have such a destruction of all creatures as he did

Answer 18

The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

Question 19

Genesis 9:6

(The for shows that justice will be administered to murderers, because the human is in God’s image - to destroy this image is wicked, and deserves punishment)

Answer 19

“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.

Question 20

Genesis 12:2-3

The promise that all people will be blessed through Abraham’s seed is given

Answer 20

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Question 21

Genesis 14:18-20

(The Priest who is a King is the righteous Archetype that God mentions later, and another shall show this trait again - Psalm 110; Hebrews 7)

Answer 21

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.

And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Question 22

Genesis 15:1

The reward of Abraham is God Himself

Answer 22

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

Question 23

Genesis 15:5-6

Abraham is granted righteousness because of his trust in God’s promise

Answer 23

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Question 24

Genesis 15:12-16

(Foreshadowing of the enslavement of Israel in Egypt for 400 years, the Exodus, and God waiting that long to offer mercy to the Amorites - yet when the time has come, they will be destroyed for their evil, and displaced by Israel, as God promised them their land ages ago, here, through Abraham)

Answer 24

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.

In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

Question 25

Genesis 17:3-8 | First, the actual covenant to Abraham, second the duration of the covenant is eternal to all Abraham's descendants

Answer 25

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

Question 26

Genesis 18:25 (God is righteous, the good Judge, and will not pour out His wrath on the righteous. Yet, the wicked will be subject to the terrible wrath of God)

Answer 26

Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Question 27

Genesis 19:5-7 (The reality of the homosexuality happening in Sodom, and the confirmation that this is a wicked thing. Some argue it is due to rape, and yet curiously enough, Lot himself doesn't seem to think of their rape as the wicked thing when he offers his daughters {also wrong}, but rather sees the male to male aspect as the wicked element)

Answer 27

They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.

Question 28

Genesis 19:12-13 (God, as He frequently does, offers ample opportunity for salvation. But He will eventually unleash justice on those who do evil.)

Answer 28

The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

Question 29

Genesis 19:16 | Lot's family clung to their possessions, yet God forcefully saves them in an act of mercy

Answer 29

When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

Question 30

Genesis 19:36-38 | The act of disgust brings forth two nations that would plague Israel in the future

Answer 30

So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

Question 31

Genesis 21:12-13 (Abraham is told here to listen to his wife - there is not some subservient serfdom in mind here, but rather a position of respect and dignity as his wife - one whom he is commanded to give ear to)

Answer 31

But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

Question 32

Genesis 22:8 (Abraham believes God will provide the sacrifice, or that He will raise Isaac from the dead {Heb 11:17-19}, for "It is through Isaac that your offspring should be reconciled" {Genesis 21:12}) (Also consider, God has already appeared face to face to Abraham, delivered him in the battle of 9 kings {Gen 14}, protected him in Egypt {Gen 20}, given an impossible birth of Isaac {Gen 21}. God appeared to him in a very different way than us, so anachronism to today not fitting {"Would you do it?"})

Answer 32

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Question 33

Genesis 24:3-4 (There are consequences to marrying those not faithful to the Lord {Gen 26:35; Dt. 7:3-4; 1 Kn 11:1-13; Ezra 9:10-13; 2 Cor 6:14})

Answer 33

I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

Question 34

Genesis 24:12 (in 24:2, called "his senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had," a position of honor rather than slavery)

Answer 34

Then he prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Question 35

Genesis 24:16 | It is good to value beauty, and it is also honorable to remain pure

Answer 35

The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

Question 36

Genesis 25:23 | The selection of Jacob before birth

Answer 36

The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Question 37

Genesis 32:28 | Hosea 12:4 identifies this as Angel of the Lord whom Jacob wrestles with

Answer 37

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Question 38

Genesis 35:2 | Jacob has apparently himself renounced idols by now

Answer 38

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.

Question 39

Genesis 37:4 | Envy and hatred bred from favoritism

Answer 39

When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Question 40

Genesis 39:5 | The man righteous to the Lord is a blessing to those around him

Answer 40

From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.

Question 41

Genesis 39:9-10 (Joseph knows that to sin against the man who has given him so much is to sin against the God who gave him into the household of that man, Potiphar, rather than a cruel master; it is to sin against God who gave him life {Gen 2:7} and everything)

Answer 41

No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

Question 42

Genesis 39:20-21 | The Lord is with Joseph in the midst of trials, even ones that are astronomically unjust

Answer 42

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Question 43

Genesis 40:6-7 (Joseph shows kindness to others even when he is in a dark life situation where, by human understanding, he should not be)

Answer 43

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

Question 44

Genesis 41:15-16 | Joseph gives God the honor He is due for His wisdom, power, and deeds, rather than taking all the credit for himself

Answer 44

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Question 45

Genesis 41:40 (God honors Joseph through Pharaoh for his faith and obedience; also note that technically, Joseph is "servant" to Pharaoh)

Answer 45

You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Question 46

Genesis 45:4-8 (God sends Joseph into dark trial through the evil deeds of his brothers that later, God may be their deliverer through Joseph. And rather than evil, Joseph shows them grace and mercy. All the while, in the midst of Joseph's trial, God is with him and cares for him {Gen 39:20-21})

Answer 46

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

Question 47

Genesis 45:15 (Joseph, though maligned by his brothers, does not hate them. He, a man of God, shows them love, as God does {1 John 4:7})

Answer 47

And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

Question 48

Genesis 47:19 (Through the famine that sweeps the land, the peoples of all nations pledge themselves to Egypt, making Egypt the most powerful nation for hundreds of years to come... a future spectacle to the might of God in the Exodus)

Answer 48

Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

Question 49

Genesis 49:10 (Blessing and power to come through Judah, and rule and authority will never depart from him. Through the line of Judah would later come Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.)

Answer 49

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

Question 50

Genesis 50:20 | The evil of the brothers did not stop the good that God intended

Answer 50

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Question 51

Gen 50:24 | The ending of the book with the reminder of the promise to Abraham, for God does not break his promises {Gen 17:8}

Answer 51

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”