Bible Study Lesson:  Genesis

PART 1—Beginnings

Lesson 6

 

Who are we?  Who made us?  Why are we here?  There are some of the big questions answered in this book.  Its name, Genesis, means “beginning.”  We’ll see the beginning of the original relationship between God and his creation and the breakdown of that relationship caused by sin.  Because of humankind’s continued rebellion, God sends a great flood upon earth.  There is a new beginning after the flood, but the sinlessness of Eden is never regained, and the drama of God’s plan of redemption continues.

 

How Does My Walk With God Affect Others?

Genesis 8-9

 

  1. Who has been most influential in your life, for good or for bad?

 

 

 

 

Read Genesis 8.

 

  1. What was Noah waiting for before he could get off the ark?

 

 

 

 

  1. Can you think of a time when you were tired of being cooped up and didn’t understand why God was so slow to act?  What do you do when get impatient with God?

 

 

 

 

  1. If you were Noah, what might you have prayed at the altar?

 

 

 

 

  1. Why do you think God is pleased by our worship?

 

 

 

 

Read Genesis 9:1-17

 

  1. In God’s covenant with Noah, what were the responsibilities God gives to people?

 

 

 

 

  1. In what ways was God again providing for his creatures’ needs?

 

 

 

 

  1. Glance back through chapters 6-9.  Who benefited by Noah’s walk with God?

 

 

 

 

  1. In what ways do other people benefit because you walk with God.

 

 

 

 

  1. What is your impression of Noah from this passage?  Of his sons?

 

 

 

 

  1. Why do you think this story is included in Genesis?

 

 

 

 

  1. Using the insight you have gained from studying Genesis 1-9, what would you say to someone who tries to justify his or her actions by saying, “I’m just one person, what I do doesn’t matter’”?

 

 

 

Read Genesis 10 and 11 on your own.  About this time in history, many of the great ancient cities of the world were being built.  Babel, with its great gates, double walls, intricate decorations and hanging gardens was, by the time of Nebuchadnezzar (600 B.C.), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

This account shows the first time people combined their efforts toward a common objective.  People working together have much greater power than the individual, but their pride and refusal to depend on God resulted in judgment that brought about the very thing they had tried to prevent:  “The Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth” (11:9).  God’s discipline illustrates graphically where people should look for real security.