Genesis
Genesis: The Book of Beginnings
6:55—Myths & Legends
When we talk about myths, we’re not talking necessarily about ‘fiction’ the way we have fiction stories today. It’s not something completely made up. Myths gathered collective wisdom and memories from a people, passed down orally through generations. They help explain mysteries of the natural world—things like why something is the way it is.
Creation story #1—Genesis 1
Where did we come from? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life?
The Fall—Genesis 2-3
What question do you think this story helps answer? (Why do we sin—make mistakes, hurt each other, place blame, do bad things)
Noah’s Ark—Genesis 6:9-7:17
What question do you think this story helps answer? (Why doesn’t God step in and do away with bad people–rainbow promise)
Science answers a lot of questions for us, too. We have learned a lot from science about beginnings. What kinds of things has science taught us that seems counter to the Bible?
Dinosaurs
Big Bang
Age of earth
Planet is round
Solar system—revolves around sun
How rainbows are made
Plus—basic math: Two humans can’t populate the world. That’s gross.
Science answers a lot of how questions. But it still doesn’t answer why. Or who.
Back to Genesis 1
“And God said…” Really, the orderly story of creation tends to follow the Big Bang theory. Light, water, land, galaxies, life. Remember, a ‘day’ as 24-hour doesn’t work in this story because the sun wasn’t even created until the fourth day. So, what would ‘day’ represent in this passage?
Read: Genesis 1:26-27
What does it mean to be made in God’s image? Describe God’s ‘image.
Think back to last week’s small group time. We looked at the Babylonian myth, “Enuma Elish.” It was a violent telling of many gods fighting for control. The earth and skies were made from the ravaged body of a god. Blood mixed with clay is what created humans. For the purpose of doing the hard work of caring for the earth because the many gods didn’t want to do that work.
This is the story that was being told among the people of Babylon while the remnant of Israel resided there. This didn’t sound anything like their God. Their God was a God of love and mercy. And they believed people were more than slaves. In fact, their stories told of how people were created in God’s image. And it’s only when they desired to be gods, themselves, were they tasked with the hard work of caring for the earth. Not as a punishment but as a lesson. The Creator isn’t one who lords their power over others and places blame. To be made in the image of the Creator means to be humble—to serve, to care, to show goodness, not power.
Watch: Bible Project—Genesis Part 2
We watched the first part of Genesis that led up to the people continuing to want to be gods—and they built a tower called Babel. God undid their work by giving them all different languages, meaning they couldn’t work together to keep building. Let’s hear the rest of the backstory of Israel.
Now, remember that this was all written down when they were in exile in Babylon…which means that there was already knowledge about Israel splitting into two kingdoms—Israel and Judah. That knowledge helps make sense of why Judah was the one lifted up at the end of Genesis. What else did you hear or notice about the synopsis of Genesis?
(Today’s Homework: 10/8/25)
Homework—October 8, 2025
God’s promise to Abraham leads to the establishment of the people of Israel. Using the book of Genesis, research Abraham’s genealogy and complete the worksheet (sent home with students, but downloadable HERE).
We’ll go over the worksheet when we gather in small groups next week.
Genesis is filled with family stories—legends passed down from generation to generation. What is a story YOUR family likes to tell?
Genesis is also a story of new beginnings. God begins with creation. When that goes wrong, God starts over with Noah. When that goes wrong, God starts again with Abraham.
When have you felt like starting over on a project? Did you start over? What was the final push that made you scrap your original project?
For a fun family night, watch “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJfJSdKkHSY&list=RDWJfJSdKkHSY&start_radio=1
