A Walk Through the Word
Monthly column by Tessa Hershberger

Key Verses: Genesis 12:1-3

Themes to track: God’s character, sin and rebellion, God’s blessings on his people

Shall we start at the beginning?

The book of Genesis is a beautiful and profound book of beginnings. It is not only the beginning of creation, but the beginning of something much bigger than that - the captivating story of the redemption of mankind and the Almighty God who called it to be.

It is the beginning of the story of a God who pursues His chosen people and orchestrates the unique circumstances of individuals along the way in order to remain faithful to his promises.

Moses wrote the book of Genesis for the Israelites during their forty-year journey through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan. Just having come out of four hundred years of painful slavery under the Egyptians, the Israelites have many questions as they wander through the desert with little hope for a future.

How did we end up slaves in Egypt four hundred years ago?

Has God abandoned us? Is he punishing us by making us wander around?

How is our God different from the Egyptian gods we were surrounded by?

Whatever happened to that covenant we heard about - the one God made with Abraham? Where are its blessings?

What is our heritage? Who are we and how did we begin as a nation?

Why is there evil and suffering in the world if God created everything and called it ‘good’?

Moses provided the Israelites with the answers to these and more questions when he wrote the book of Genesis.

Genesis can be divided up into two major sections. In chapters 1-11, Moses shows the beginning of creation and its inhabitants through five main events: 1) creation, 2) the fall of mankind, 3) the murder of Abel, 4) the flood, and 5) the tower of Babel. It’s important for the OR (aka: “original readers”, the Israelites in the wilderness) to learn about these five events in order to understand the origin of sin and how it began to corrupt the world. They will also see the workings of a holy God who grieves, judges, acts upon, and (yet still!) has mercy upon sin.

Chapters 12-50 are of equal importance to the Israelites - they reveal the beginning of God’s chosen people, when God set them apart for Himself, to be their God. By transitioning from big events that shaped history to the individual stories of the Patriarchs of Israel beginning in chapter 12, Moses shows the OR that the God they serve is not only a big and powerful God, but also a personal and involved God. He is the Almighty Creator who pursues relationship with His created.

The story in chapter 12 begins with Abraham, the founding father of the Israelites. Abraham’s life can be summed up in one word:

FAITH. A faith that was displayed by utmost obedience to God.

God makes a covenant with Abraham in 12:1-3, promising him the seemingly impossible: a son in his old age (he’s 75 at this time!) from whom will come a vast number of descendants who will be a great and blessed nation. God also promises that he will give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan, the “Promised Land” as we call it.

Thereafter, Abraham’s life exhibits an active faith in a God who does not lie, a God who is powerful enough to do the impossible, and a God who calls for blind obedience.

Moses goes on to tell the stories of Isaac (Abraham's son) and Jacob (Isaac’s son), whose families carry on the line of the Israelites.

One thing the OR wants to know is, “How did we get the name ‘Israel?’” Moses gives an explanation in chapter 32, when God changes Jacob’s name to Israel.

From Jacob’s two wives and their maids, Jacob has 12 sons, who will go on to form the twelve tribes of Israel.

Genesis ends with the amazing story of one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, with which many of us are familiar. This story ultimately serves to show the Israelites how they ended up in Egypt, but it is so much more than a history lesson! The story of Joseph and his brothers is a story in which God is remarkably faithful on two different levels. He is faithful to his covenant promises to Abraham by making sure his line of descendants continues, and he is faithful to Joseph on a personal level by turning what seemed to be a hopeless situation into a beautiful story of forgiveness.

As you read through the book of Genesis, I encourage you to think about both the original readers’ lives, and your own life. As you read the individual stories, think about what they meant to the hundreds of Israelites who were reading them while roaming around in the wilderness wondering if God was going to come through for them.

Take careful note of the character of God in Genesis. What do the stories show you about how God feels about sin? When and how does God show his mercy to individuals? In what ways does God bless those who are faithful to Him?

Genesis is a book that challenges me to be consistently faithful to an exceedingly faithful God. There are times when I feel like Abraham, and God tells me to do something that I think is absurd, as though He was asking way too much of me (check out God’s command to Abraham in chapter 22). Then there are times when I feel like Joseph may have felt in prison, feeling as though God has abandoned me and has no good purpose for my life. It is in those times I must choose to keep walking in blind faith, assured that my God is a faithful and loving Father who is personally involved in my life.

The God who is big enough to create the entire universe is the same God who orchestrates the tiniest details in my circumstances in order to carry through his divine purpose for my life, even when it seems as though he has stopped working.

Might I have an increasingly thankful heart that I have been chosen to know and love this God!

About the Author:  Tessa Hershberger lives in Mogadore, Ohio where she is waiting for God to tell her what step to take next. She loves to write and is the author of Confessions of a Girl: Truth to Be Told. She also enjoys lots of extra hot coffee, rainy days, people-watching, and conversations about ideas, beliefs, and culture. Tessa has gradually lost all of her hearing due to a genetic neurological disease, and loves to learn and teach sign language with her friends and family. For more of her musings, visit her blog at www.TessaSean.com. Tessa welcomes reader responses to her articles. Email comments/questions to tessasean@gmail.com.