Summary of Genesis

Genesis accounts the life of Noah, the flood, which wiped out the earth, and had a different atmosphere where it did not rain, but was irrigated and man lived to be around 800 years old. We find the origin of Nimrod’s Babylon and read of the tower of Babel, which man united to build and have it reach the heavens, but God confounded man’s evil plan by having them speak different languages.

Genesis introduces Abraham. God’s call to him to go to the Holy Land and details God’s covenant with Abraham of His promise of his being the father of a great nation and of Abraham’s descendants possessing the land. God foretold that Abraham’s descendants will serve as slaves in a foreign land (Egypt) for 400 years. He will punish that nation and the Israelites will come out with great possessions.

We read the account of Hagar; Sarah’s handmaid. Sarah not having yet conceived, had Abraham impregnate Hagar so that she could have a child and she bore Ishmael. Next comes the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone for which Abraham prayed to intercede against its destruction.

When Sarah is 99 years old, Isaac is born. He marries Rebecca who bore twins: Jacob and Esau. Jacob steals Esau’s birthright, sets out to marry Rachel, but is tricked into marrying Leah by his father in law. He works seven more years for Rachel. Leah, Rachel and each of their maids bear Jacob 12 sons who become the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob is renamed Israel by God. Leah also bore Dinah who was raped by a Schechemite, who wanted to marry her but her brothers killed him and his people for defiling their sister.

The sons of Jacob, envious of their brother Joseph, steal his coat and sell him into slavery. The book of Genesis then gives the account of Judah and Tamar. Judah had two wicked sons and a pagan wife who died. He made a promise to Tamar he did not keep, so she posed as a temple prostitute and had sex with him and conceived. This sin hints as to why the Israelites suffered captivity in Egypt, which comes next in their history and also exhibits God’s grace as both Judah and Tamar are in Jesus’ ancestral line.

Joseph’s brother sell him as a slave to Potiphar, an Egyptian official. He prospers with Potiphar, but Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph. He runs from her and she falsely accuses him of attempted rape and Joseph is thrown into prison. While in prison he interprets the king’s butler and baker’s dream and foretold an event in their lives that came true. This led to Pharaoh calling Joseph two years later to interpret his dream, which foretold of a 7 year famine about to come upon the earth. Pharaoh prepares for it and promotes Joseph second to him in Egypt. When the famine struck, his brothers went to Egypt to buy grain and unbeknownst to them stood before Joseph who disguised himself. He accused them of being spies, put them in prison and demanded they bring back their younger brother Benjamin to prove they were telling the truth about their lives. In the meantime, he kept Simeon hostage.

Joseph’s brothers brought Benjamin, were all reunited and Joseph revealed his identity. He commanded they bring their father and family and live in Goshen. Judah was thrilled to learn Joseph was still alive. On his death bed he issues his sons and Joseph’s sons a blessing, which incorporates a prophecy of the coming Messiah and also of the Antichrist, and he dies. Joseph goes to bury him and all Egyptian notables and soldiers attend the funeral. Joseph’s brothers now fear him. He tells them that what they did they meant for evil, but God meant it for good. Joseph and his family lived many more years in Egypt and he died when he was 110 years old. With the Israelites now in Egypt the book of Genesis finishes with the stage set for the second book of the Bible: Exodus.