The Value of Genesis

Today, many teenagers are doubtful about books too "too old" or "hot and humid" to apply to their lives. Some of them may be related to William Shakespeare and Jane Austen's writings, but may be related to other books like books in the Bible. These are usually thought to be too religious to the extent that they are not related to life, but this is not necessarily true. I will take Genesis as an example. Despite its thousands of years of history, stories, themes, and modern suggestions are applicable even in people's daily life - those who still feel separated from the book.

For the first readers of Genesis this book is considered to be the history of their people. It tells stories about how God created the world and dealt with all human beings until he started a personal relationship with their grandfather Abraham. Genesis reveals to them the eternal promises that God has promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And these promises also apply to their descendants. When waiting for them to return to their "promised land", it gave consolation and hope to oppressed Hebrews. For later readers, Genesis provided a comprehensive background for the rest of the Bible. Here we study ancient history and geography and introduce the important people and events discovered in the later part of the Bible. By interacting with people, God also reveals many aspects of his nature. We understand the origin of sin, that it has a devastating effect on the nature of mankind, and the plans of God's redemption by Israel's future children (Genesis 3:15; 22:18; 49: 10).

Genesis begins with "the primitive history" (Genesis 1-11), the story of the origin of the world, and Adam's blood. Next is the story of the three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), Joseph (Genesis 12 - 50), and the four female chiefs (Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel). God gave the president a promise to the land of Canaan, but at the end of Genesis, Jacob's son eventually left Canaan in Egypt due to the region's famine. They heard that Egypt has food storage and distribution facilities.