I’ve enjoyed studying the book of Genesis this year. It teaches us that God created the heavens and the earth. Everything on, above, and below the earth is part of His creation. In fact, He created everything in six days and rested on the seventh.
The creation story makes perfect sense. I think anyone trying to create a perfect paradise would have done it exactly as He did. Each day’s creation helped set up the next day for success. Even allowing the tree to be in the garden proves that He wanted man to have free will. To me, this is the first sign of God’s compassion.
The temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden simplifies what will happen to humanity. Each of us individually will be tempted in the same way. The devil exploits our weaknesses. And after they sinned, there had to be consequences. They were kicked out of the garden. However, they were not killed because God was compassionate towards them.
We should appreciate that the Bible is full of great stories. Many of them feature characters who failed when tempted. This gives us, as readers, great hope. We may all fall in the same way, but the story goes on. We will have to deal with many things in our everyday lives. The fall of man serves as an example of how seriously God takes sin. It also reveals His compassion towards humans trying to follow Him.
I’m a huge fan of animals! I love dogs, koalas, and kangaroos. It must have been wonderful for Adam to name them. They did not commit the same sin as Adam and Eve, but they did face consequences. This is why Noah had to build an ark and save some of the animals, himself and his family. God showed His compassion for the animals and for Noah’s family. God shutting the door of the ark was meant to protect them.
Sometimes we find one verse in a chapter that provides so much depth and meaning. Genesis 1:1 is a primary verse for me, not just for the first chapter, but for the entire book. God is trying to reform and recreate His people in His own image, but sin remains a stumbling block.
We often talk about primary characters like Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and others, but the main character of Genesis is really the Father! The stories of Genesis show us God’s compassion toward His people. He truly loves us!
There are many other great stories found in the book of Genesis. I hope you will read your Bible. Please visit the church of Christ in your community. Thank you for reading this blog.
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