The book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and is all about beginnings: The beginning of the world, the beginning of nations, the beginning of the Nation of Israel, and the beginning of God’s plan to save the human race. It is the prologue through which all Scripture is viewed, and the foundation on which all Scripture is built.

In the past 200 years or so, the truth of the book of Genesis has come under renewed scrutiny, as Scientific discoveries seem to contradict the early chapters, such as the creation account, and the flood narrative, and the supposed order and age of the universe. Now there are of course ways to try and reunite Scripture and science, and while I do attempt to show places where science and scripture line up, it is important to note that this book was written nearly 3000 years ago to a group of nomadic, wandering, desert people, and former slaves. Their basic understanding of the universe is much different from ours, and they didn’t need to know all the scientific details about creation, they just needed to know that God created it. They didn’t need the how? They only needed the Who?

The book of Genesis provides a background for who the Israelites are, answering several questions about why the world is the way it is along the way. The book of Genesis provides a nation of former slaves with the knowledge that they are God’s chosen people, created to bless the world, and one day, help set things right again.