Chapter 2: Stories of Gods Creation and Promises

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Chapter 2 Stories of Gods Creation and Promises

• Much of O.T. written and put into final form
  around period of Babylonian exile in the 6th
  century B.C.
• Time of great crises for Israelite people lost
  homeland, Jerusalem has been conquered and Temple
  destroyed
• Babylonian culture and religion feels like
  assault on all exiles hold dear

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We are Gods people

• Israelites received hope when released and
  allowed to go back to their homeland
• Book of Genesis was put together in final form
  during and after exile
• Genesis helped them understand their origins and
  why they should have hope

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Genesis

• Chapters 1-11 are prehistory of Israel
• Address questions
• Why are we here?
• Where did we come from?
• Are we meant to be happy or miserable

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Babylonian view

• Polytheistic worshipping many gods
• World had come from from self-serving gods and
  humans were their slaves

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Jewish view

• One God created world
• God is good, we are good, life is good
• Keeping the Sabbath day of rest each week to
  praise God and be refreshed together
• Today Jews observe Sabbath from Fri sunset to
  Sat sunset, Christians on Sunday

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Creation vs. Evolution

• Creationists believe account in Genesis is
  factually true (God created world in 7 days in
  order given)
• Evolutionists argue universe has evolved over
  millions of years. Claim Bibles creation account
  was never intended to be factual explanation but
  a myth to convey religious truth

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Catholic understanding

• No contradiction exists between biblical story
  and theory of evolution
• Genesis story is about religious meaning of
  origins not scientific facts
• Scientific evidence supports evolution theory,
  but this does not change religious truth of
  creation account God is source of all goodness
  including our existence

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Adam and Eve

• Tells story of the Fall 1st sin of mankind
• Termed by Christians as Original Sin
• Tree of knowledge of good and evil represents
  knowledge of all things which is Gods alone
• Sin refusal to acknowledge God as God and
  ourselves as dependent on Him

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Message

• Free human beings made choice to rebel against
  God
• Sin originates in human heart and is root cause
  of human suffering guilt, shame, self-absorption
• We trick ourselves into thinking that the bad we
  choose is really good for us (evil in story
  symbolized by serpent)
• Lords response is not rejection, but promise

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Cain and Abel

• Like ripples in a pond, sin will spread out
  over the ages and touch everyone. p. 34
• Cain murders Abel out of jealousy anger
• Cain more hardened by sin than Adam
• Lord still extends love to sinner
• With each passing generation, human life becomes
  less sacred to Adams descendants, power of sin
  dominates world

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Noah and the Flood

• Creation turning to Chaos
• Sin brought forth flood, but God spares human
  race by preserving new beginning for human race
  and purging world of evil
• Story ends with Gods first covenant rainbow
  representing hope, Gods love and promise world
  will never again be destroyed by flood
• Message Whoever hears and obeys Gods word will
  be saved and whoever doesnt will be lost

12
Tower of Babel

• Shows how sin has spread to affect even the
  behavior of nations
• Human pride, arrogance and ambition trying to
  take on role of God in world
• God stops it by dispersing people, changing their
  language and preventing further disaster
• Peoples dispersal enables mankind to fill earth
  and carry out Gods plan

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Summary

• Prehistory chapters of Genesis tell about Gods
  good purpose for world and what went wrong
  through human choice
• Chapters close with world in terrible state
  needing Gods salvation

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REVIEW
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Chapter 2 Beginnings

• The Book of Genesis put together in its final
  form during the exile.
• Chapters 1-11 a pre-history of Israel
• Polytheistic _______________
• Contrast How did the ancient Jews view the world
  differently from the Babylonians?

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Chapter 2 Beginnings

• How did the Sabbath set the Jews apart from the
  Babylonians?
• When do Jews today celebrate the Sabbath?
• Creationists _______________
• Evolutionists _______________

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Chapter 2 Beginnings

• What is the religious truth of the Creation
  account?
• What relationships did Adam and Eves sin ruin?
  What is the result of their sin?
• The Fall _________________
• Original Sin _______________

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Chapter 2 Beginnings

• The story of Cain and Abel shows that like
  ripples in a pond, sin will ______.
• The story of Noah shows us that the sin begun by
  Adam and Eve has ______.
• First covenant _____________
• What is the sign of the First Covenant?

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Chapter 2 Beginnings

• The story of the tower of Babel shows how sin has
  spread to affect even the behavior of the
  ____________.
• The first eleven chapters end with the world in
  desperate need of Gods __________________.