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    Invitation to Genesis: Participant Book: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study
    Invitation to Genesis: Participant Book: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study
    Invitation to Genesis: Participant Book: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study
    Ebook148 pages3 hours

    Invitation to Genesis: Participant Book: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study

    By Dr. Peter Enns

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    About this ebook

    This study takes groups into the rich tapestry of Genesis exploring the interaction between God and very human people - pride, family relationships, conflict and journey all showcase the best known stories of Creation, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Rebekah and Joseph.

    The video reflects the drama of the Genesis stories, first with selected text dramatized by an actor, and then study writer, Peter Enns interviews a scholar to help unpack the meaning and the mystery in the stories.

    Participants for this Invitation to Genesis do not have to have an in-depth knowledge of the Bible to enjoy and benefit from participation. Reading just two chapters of Genesis a week, they will discover the life altering stories that will invite them to follow Christ as true disciples.

    This eleven-week study includes a participant book outlining daily reading assignments for group preparations, a leader guide suggesting discussion activities for use in the 60–90-minute weekly meeting, and a video component providing interpretation and context for the biblical texts.
    Sessions:

    The Beginning...and What Went Wrong
    Another Beginning: The Flood...and What Went Wrong
    Another Beginning: Abraham and the Patriarchs
    Abraham and a Glimpse to the Future
    The Promise Fulfilled: Isaac
    Another Beginning: Jacob and the Uneasy Birth of a People
    Jacob: The Struggle Continues
    Another New Beginning: Joseph and the Family of Israel
    The Trek Into Egypt
    An End and Another Beginning: Israel's Story
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbingdon Press
    Release dateAug 1, 2012
    ISBN9781426769405
    Invitation to Genesis: Participant Book: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study
    Author

    Dr. Peter Enns

    Peter Enns is Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Hermeneutics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Dr. Enns is writer of the forthcoming Short-term DISCIPLE Bible study, Invitation to Genesis. He has also participated in other DISCIPLE Bible studies, appearing in the revised video for DISCIPLE: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study as well as the video for Invitation to the Old Testament, a Short-term DISCIPLE study. Dr. Enns is also author of numerous books, including Poetry and Wisdom; Exodus Retold: Ancient Exegesis of the Departure from Egypt in Wisdom 10:15-21 and 19:1-9; Exodus (NIV Application Commentary Series); and Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament.

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      Invitation to Genesis - Dr. Peter Enns

      Introduction

      In the beginning. . . . These are the first words in Genesis, and they are perhaps the most easily recognized words in all the Bible—from the scholar to the general reader, even to those who have never opened a Bible for themselves. And so, many people recognize Genesis as a book that describes the beginning of all things: the Creation. This is certainly true but only part of the story—the creation of the world takes up only the first two chapters of a fifty-chapter book. What is Genesis as a whole about? What are the other chapters there for?

      There are a number of angles we could take to answer these kinds of questions, and all of them would help us see something important about Genesis. The angle we will be taking in this study is one that is not at all novel or innovative. Rather, it is one that surfaces from a straightforward—yet patient—reading of Genesis. Genesis as a whole is not just a story of the beginning; it is a book of beginnings.

      The most noticeable beginning in Genesis is, of course, the creation of the world described in Chapters 1–2. But there are also a number of other important beginnings in Genesis. The two most prominent are the new beginning of the world with Noah (Chapters 6–9) and the beginning of Israel as a people in the call of Abraham (Chapter 12). God’s purpose in Genesis 1–2 is to create a world and fill it with his goodness and glory, and for the crown of that creation to be human beings with whom God will have a loving and faithful relationship. But, as the well-known story goes, a rupture occurs between God and humans (Genesis 3). The purpose of the smaller beginnings in Genesis is to reestablish that relationship between God and his creation, first by starting over with Noah and then by starting over in a very different sort of way with Abraham.

      The grand story of the Bible is what God does to make right that which went wrong in the opening chapters of Genesis, what Christian theologians for centuries have called the Fall. The first steps God takes are right there in Genesis. These steps are a series of starting-over acts. Other very important examples are prominent elsewhere in the Old Testament, namely the Exodus and the release from Babylonian captivity. In the course of this study, we will look at these examples. To put this another way, God’s acts of salvation in the Old Testament are described as mini-creations. And so for Christians, when we turn to the opening of John’s Gospel, it should be no surprise that Jesus’ coming on the scene is described in a familiar way: In the beginning was the Word. . . .

      I do not mean for us to jump ahead of ourselves. The purpose of this study is first and foremost to pay close attention to the Book of Genesis—what it says and how it says it. And we will be doing a lot of reading together. At the end of the study, it is my hope that you will feel comfortable with an overall impression of what Genesis is trying to get across. When understood on its own terms, that message will eventually lead to a deeper understanding of the gospel itself. Some of the reflection questions at the end of each segment will focus on that issue. But our first order of business is to read together this book of beginnings on its own terms to set us in the right direction.

      In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

      —Genesis 1:1-2

      INTRODUCTION

      The foundational story in all of the Old Testament is found in these opening chapters of Genesis. The purpose of this story is two-fold: (1) It establishes Yahweh, the God of Israel, as the God by whose word all things exist, and (2) it recounts the disobedience of the first humans––the crown of creation––and the aftereffects of their disobedience. Although the specific events of Genesis 1–3 are not mentioned again in the Old Testament, the elements of this foundational story form the central drama that undergirds not only the Old Testament but the Bible as a whole.

      DAILY ASSIGNMENTS

      The passages for this week are drawn from the opening chapters of Genesis and Psalm 19. The general outline of some of these passages is likely very familiar to you. If that is the case, try to read these passages as if you were seeing them for the first time. Or perhaps read them out loud, imagining that you are explaining these passages to someone who is completely new to the Bible. Read at a pace that allows you to see what you may not have noticed before.

      DAY ONE: Genesis 1:1–2:3

      This is perhaps one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. Pay particular attention to: (1) how the six days are structured (days 1–3 provide the form and days 4–6 fill the void; see 1:2); (2) the role of humanity in the Creation order; and (3) the culmination of Creation in God’s rest (sabbath). Consider how the Genesis story might have been understood by the early Israelites.

      DAY TWO: Psalm 19

      Psalm 19 is a psalm of David and is one of a number of psalms that praise God for creation. Notice how David personifies creation as having a voice. Also take note of the second half of the psalm, beginning with verse 7. Why does David move from a psalm in praise of creation to one in praise of the Law? What connection is David drawing between creation and Law?

      DAY THREE: Genesis 2:4-25

      In this passage, we move from a focus in Genesis 1 on creation in general to a focus in Genesis 2 on the creation of humanity in particular. As with 1:1–2:3, this is a very familiar passage and one that continues to attract the attention of readers and scholars of every age. As you read it, reflect on what you think the writer is saying about the purpose of this portion of the story.

      DAY FOUR: Genesis 3

      As far back as the third chapter of Genesis, we come to the pivotal point on which the remaining biblical story turns. It is hardly an overstatement to say that the remaining biblical drama is a response to the events described in this section. As you read, keep these questions in mind: (1) What is the nature of the offense committed by Adam and Eve, and (2) what are the consequences?

      DAY FIVE: Genesis 4–5

      The story of Cain and Abel follows closely upon the story of Adam and Eve in Chapter 3. What connection is being established or suggested between them? Cain’s offense is murder, obviously, but what other interpersonal issues are there between him and his brother Abel? In Chapter 5, we encounter the first of several important genealogies in Genesis. What role does this genealogy play in the narrative?

      DAY SIX: Commentary

      Read the commentary in the participant book.

      CREATION AND

      THE ANCIENT WORLD

      What are these opening chapters of Genesis trying to say? More importantly, what are these chapters trying to say about who God is and how we as God’s people are to respond?

      This question of Genesis and us is certainly important on our spiritual journey, but it is not the first stop on that journey. The first task before us is to do the best we can––using whatever tools are available to us––to understand what Genesis meant to the ancient Israelite audience. (And this is true not only here but anytime we read the Bible.) After all, the Bible is not only God’s Word to us but God’s Word to those who first heard it. The first question to ask then is, What did it say to them? After we try to come to grips with that question, we will be in a much better position to ask what that ancient message says to

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