Summary of Genesis

Chapter by Chapter:

• God creates the world in six days and rests on the seventh (what we know today as the Sabbath on Sunday), because God consecrated this day, as a day of rest.
• Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden, they are tempted by Satan and kicked out of the garden. From this point forward men would have to work to return to God’s presence.
• After time God sees that what he once called “good” (referring to the earth an its inhabitants) are now wicked. God sends a flood to destroy all life on earth, except Noah, his family and 7 of each clean animal and 2 of every other animal. Men continue to sin, but God promises to never flood the earth again (this promise is represented by the rainbow).
• God instructs Abram (later Abraham) and his wife Sarai (later Sarah) to depart from Meopotamia and travel to the land of Canaan. God makes a covenant with Abram that his descendents will be without number. Circumcision is instituted as a sign of the covenant.
• Sarah becomes barren and without child. Sarah tells Abraham to have a child with her handmaid Hagar. Ishmael is born. Sarah also bares a son and names him Isaac. Isaac is granted the promises of the first born (even though he was born second). Hagar and Ishmael are driven into the wilderness, but God promises to make Ishmael into a great nation.
• God contemplates destroying the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham prays that God not destroy the city, because of the righteous. God tells him that if he can find 10 righteous men, he will not destroy the city. Abraham’s nephew Lot is saved by angels sent from God, to remove him from the city, because God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven.
• God test Abraham, by commanding him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham does as he is told, but an Angel (sent by God) stops him before he kills his son. God promises numberless descendants. Abraham purchases a cave “Machpelah” to bury his wife Sarah.
• Abraham sends one of his servants to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac, the servant brings back Rebekah and Isaac and her get married.
• Abraham also dies and is buried in the tomb he purchased, he is buried with Sarah.
• Isaac’s wife becomes barren. Isaac prays to God and Rebekah gives birth to twins: Esau and Jacob. Through deception Jacob gets firstborn blessing from his father.
• Jacob flees to see his uncle, Laban. He works for Laban and marries two of Laban’s daughters: Rachel and Leah.
• Jacobs name is changed to Israel
• Jacob has twelve sons with Rachel and Leah – these are the “12 Tribes of Israel”
• Jacob/Israel’s favorite son Joseph is hated by his brother and by his brother’s hands he is sold into Egypt as a slave.
• Joseph becomes powerful (almost on the same level as Pharaoh) and because of a famine he prospers greatly in Egypt.
• Joseph brings his family to Egypt and makes them prosperous as well, Pharaoh gives them the land of Goshen.
• Jacob/Israel calls his children to his beside, where he gives each one a blessing and reveals their future. Jacob dies and is buried in the family tomb in Machpelah.
• Joseph lives to see his grandchildren and then dies.