THE BIBLE: THE BIG PICTURE - Biblical Turning Points Edition Sample... · ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’, is a journey through the Bible that is both thorough & interactive. We

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To complement the second edition, our website will soon include:

1. New teacher notes for each chapter.

2. Assessment resources and ideas for classroom activities.

3. A homework reading schedule.4. PowerPoint presentations

including discussion questions about the reading for each chapter.

5. An updated overview of the Bible’s story to walk students through at the start of the course.

We invite you to explore this resource and see how it could be used in your setting to engage young people in the Bible’s story. This sample includes the first three chapters of the new edition.

Endorsements

Our National research is showing that young people are not engaging with the Bible, even if they are attending church. As we survey the landscape of resources that are shaped to tackle this challenge we have found one that we are willing to put our name to and to allocate our time to assist in its development. Biblical Turning Points ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’, is a journey through the Bible that is both thorough & interactive. We are excited to play our part in re-shaping Edition 2 of this amazing resource and believe that it is ideal for youth ministry leaders & Biblical Studies teachers to journey their young people to love God’s Word.

Mark Owen - Head of National Mission Portfolios - Bible Society Australia

Scripture Union started over a hundred years ago with helping children to read the Bible. It is in our DNA! We were looking for a great tool to help this generation read the Bible, and without doubt, ‘Biblical Turning Points - The Bible: The Big Picture’ is one of the best tools I have come across. The school edition has been written from genuine classroom experience, incorporates innovative teaching process, and will make the Bible’s story come to life for students and teachers.

David Tolputt - State DirectorScripture Union Victoria

We have a whole generation of young people who have grown up without a firm grasp of the Biblical narrative and the story of salvation. ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’ is a much-needed guide into Biblical literacy, and, in its new, contemporary and full colour format, this book invites engagement and exploration. Christian Schools Australia is pleased to endorse this book as an extremely useful text for teachers of Bible Studies in secondary schools to aid in the central task of teaching the Bible to transform lives.

Jeanette Woods - State Executive Officer Vic/Tas - Christian Schools Australia

THE BIBLE : THE BIG PICTUREYOUTH EDITION

Biblical Turning Points is excited to announce the release of the second edition of ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’ for youth. This course aims to address the issue of Biblical illiteracy in students, empowering and inspiring them to read the Bible and engage with its message.

The second edition will be available for digital download and print delivery for the 2014 school year.

Why is this course needed?In an age when students are saturated by competing messages in music, cinema and literature, this course is designed for teachers who believe that the message of the Bible is the best story we have to tell.

Our challenge is to tell it well!

From day one we want students to see that the Bible tells one grand story; a story which invites them to come and take their place in it. From the outset we want to bury any notion that the Bible is a collection of random religious stories or that its message is boring.

By God’s grace this course is already having a huge impact in the lives of many teenagers around the country. This updated second edition is for teachers who share our vision of empowering and inspiring young people to read their Bibles and be transformed by its message.

We won’t leave you on your ownAs a teacher or ministry leader taking on this challenge, be reassured - you are not on your own! Biblical Turning Points wants to support you as you teach this course.

THE BIBLE: THE BIG PICTUREYOUTH EDITION - SAMPLE CHAPTERS

GOD CREATES THE UNIVERSEAND MEN AND WOMEN IN HIS IMAGEGGOODGGGGGGOGOOGOODOODDAANANDD MAANANANANDNNDDD MM

ADAM AND EVEREBEL AGAINST GODAADDAAAAAAADADDADDADDAARREREBBELRRERERREBEBBEBELEL

IN RESPONSE TO SIN,GOD FLOODS THE WORLDIIN RRIIIINIININ N RRN RRRGGOGODD FGGOGOGGODOODD D FF

4 5THE BIBLE: THE BIG PICTURE © Copyright 2013 Biblical Turning Points

THE EDITORIAL AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM‘THE BIBLE: THE BIG PICTURE’ YOUTH EDITION

Biblical Turning PointsBiblical Turning Points is an Australian-based ministry in partnership with Scripture Union and The Bible Society Australia. The name is based on the framework behind ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’ course, which breaks down the detailed message of the 66 books of the Bible into major events that participants can easily grasp.

Our VisionWe are dedicated to seeing God’s story transform people’s lives today.

We are passionate about empowering people to read the Bible and committed to addressing Biblical illiteracy by running courses that blow the Bible wide open.

We believe the Bible contains the true and life-changing story of what God has done in history to redeem this world and we are motivated to see this message told well.

The needIn schools and communities around the world there is an urgent need to re-engage people with God’s Word. Many people attend church their whole lives, but never read the basic stories of the Bible and join the dots. Many people outside the church community would struggle to articulate even a basic understanding of the Bible’s story.

As followers of Jesus we have the greatest and most important story the world has ever known. This course has been designed to help you share that story well - to inspire, empower, challenge and transform the lives of your students.

Ultimately, our hope is that your students will meet with God as they read his Word.

Andrew BawdenAuthor, Biblical Turning PointsAndrew is the Head of Biblical Studies at Waverley Christian College in Melbourne. He is a gifted teacher whose passion and acknowledged educational skill have come together in the development of the Biblical Turning Points resources. He completed his Bachelor of Theology at the Presbyterian Theological College (Melbourne) in 2003, before undertaking his Graduate Diploma of Education in 2004.

After completing his Bachelor of Theology he was motivated to address the growing Biblical illiteracy in our culture and share his passion for the Bible’s message. ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’ began as an idea on a youth camp and is now run in churches and schools around the country.

Adrian BlenkinsopState Manager SA. Children, Youth & Education, Bible Society Australia

A passion to see young people encounter God and grow as his faithful disciples has seen Adrian work as a high school Chaplain, Youth Pastor, Youth Ministry consultant, public speaker, seminar presenter, as well as working with at-risk youth.

Currently Adrian works with Bible Society Australia in youth ministry, and spends his time developing Bible engagement resources, speaking at youth events, schools and camps, drinking fine coffee and listening to U2.

Adrian has a unique ability to provoke discussion around and engagement with the Bible’s story. This, along with his illustrations and contributions to the text of the second edition, have significantly enhanced this resource.

Angela SawyerBible Engagement WorkerVictorian Council of Christian EducationAngela is a Bible Engagement specialist with a passion for seeing individuals and communities empowered to understand and relevantly apply the Bible to life.

With a background in education and pastoral ministry, Angela has been able to combine these fields in her role at the VCCE. Angela is particularly interested in innovative approaches to the study of the Bible, and the lesser-heard voices within the narratives.

Angela’s knowledge of the Bible and the historical background to the unfolding narrative of Scripture has added new depth to this resource. Teachers will also benefit from her creativity in the teacher notes coming out later this year.

Aaron HarveyCreative DesignAaron is a Graphic Designer with a passion for creativity who thrives on the combination of technology and art. He works at Youth Dimension as the Creative Media Director for ‘Bulls+Arrows’, a youth website provoking discussion about culture, life and God through films, music and conversation.

Aaron has been a long time contributor to the development of this course and his work on this new edition has been outstanding.

FAQS

HOW CAN I GET THIS COURSE UP AND RUNNING AT MY SCHOOL?

How much will the book cost?

Biblical Turning Points is pleased to be able to offer this second edition in full colour for $25 for print copies and $20 for eBook copies.

We encourage schools to order directly from us to secure these prices. However, we will happily supply through booklisters and educational suppliers if that is your preference.

We are also pleased to announce a reduction in postage costs for direct orders.

All orders over $150 will attract free postage. Orders under $150 will be shipped at a flat rate of $10. Express Post is also available at standard rates. Shipping is from Melbourne.

When will the new edition be ready for use in schools?

The book will be ready for delivery to schools for the start of the 2014 school year.

Please remember that what you are viewing in this booklet are ‘page proofs’. There may be small changes made to the first three chapters before the final print run.

Feedback is welcomed!

Schools are able to nominate a preferred delivery week and we will endeavour to ship accordingly. We will happily supply additional ‘proof pages’ near the end of Term 4 to assist schools in their planning.

If you would like a copy of the proof pages sent to you please email us at:

[email protected]

Can I get a copy of the fi rst edition to get a feel for the entire course?

Absolutely! You can purchase the first edition through our website or with our order form.

While the second edition is a substantial improvement, the first edition will give you a good idea of the content covered.

Our hope is that the first three sample chapters in this document will give you a clear indication of the quality and direction of the new edition.

Are there teacher notes?

Yes. We will be releasing teacher notes for each chapter of the book later in Term 4.

These notes will include suggested activities, assessment tasks, and resources you can use to help you bring the content to life in the classroom.

If you would like us to notify you when these are posted on our website, please email us at:

[email protected]

What additional resources will you be posting on your website for use with this edition?

1. Teacher notes. See above.2. Assessment Handbook: One of the challenges in teaching this course can be knowing how to assess it! 3. Bible overview assignment: We want to encourage our youth to learn to tell the Bible’s story. One of the most successful assessment items that has been used with this course is an assignment where students have to find a creative way of telling the Bible’s story.4. Suggested video clips from relevant sites that can be used with each chapter.5. Turning Points cards. The Turning Points on pp.8-13 will also be available to print for students to use in class.

Why is there so much information in the book?

We don’t expect teachers to read through every single page with students in class!

This book has been written in a way that: a) enables it to stand alone if needed.b) provides teachers with structure and a clear framework to approach each chapter.c) uses headings and Bible references in a way that enables teachers to be able to summarise material where relevant.

We want the book to be a substantial and comprehensive retelling of the Bible’s story.

We also encourage teachers to use a variety of strategies to bring the content to life. Our intention is to assist with that through our website.

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TIPS FOR TEACHERSHOW DO I GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS COURSE?

Use our website to fi nd inspiration for class activities and share your own ideas with other teachers

The resources on the website are for your benefit and support. Files are free to download and use. We hope that the notes for each chapter assist your planning and teaching.

While the book is the backbone of the course, we know that an inspirational semester of study needs much more than just a good book.

Keep a lookout for the new teacher notes and activities that will be posted in late 2013.

www.biblicalturningpoints.com.au

Use the Reading Plan as students’ homework task

The course is designed around a Bible reading plan to ensure that students come to class having read the relevant passages before the teacher starts the lesson.

It is important to take time at the start of each lesson to talk about the reading and allow your students to ask questions. The aim is not to shame students who haven’t prepared, but to demonstrate the importance of reading the Bible.

What if students don’t do the reading?

Experience has shown that, if students think the reading is optional, they won’t do it. The challenge is to find the balance between enforcing the set reading and causing students to hate reading the Bible. It can be helpful to ask students who fall behind to meet up with you at recess or lunch so that you can read together. It normally takes only one or two meetings to get them reading regularly. It is also important to communicate the course reading requirements to parents.

Ensure that each student has their own copy of the course book

It is important that students own their own copy of ’The Bible: The Big Picture’. They should be able to write in it, highlight what is relevant to them and be encouraged to keep it after the course is completed.

As you plan your assessment, it’s a good idea to include the work students have done in their books as part of their overall assessment. You could include a general workbook mark or select a number of the activities for assessment.

No topic should be off limits, as long as students are respectful!

It won’t take long before a student asks about circumcision or you hear teenage boys giggling in the back row as they read Song of Songs! When provocative topics come up, talk about them with your students. Don’t avoid them.

Let students know from the start that nothing in the Bible is off limits. This is the course where they can ask their BIG questions about God, the Bible etc., without any fear of being inappropriate or being laughed at for not knowing something. When the course is presented well, there will be times when students are confronted by what they read and challenged about the way they see the world. From the start, create an environment where all questions are welcome. Of course, you can tell your students why you might disagree with a particular viewpoint.

The Bible contains some extremely graphic accounts of human depravity and the day-to-day realities of the human body. We want students to encounter all facets of the Bible as they undertake their study.

You don’t need to have answers to all their questions. Be honest and tell your students when you are not sure of something - and then get back to them.

You can email questions to us if you get stuck at:

[email protected]

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3 Mark your journey through the Bible with celebrations of milestones achieved

As with all courses you teach, you will find that students can develop ‘topic drift’ as the term progresses. Plan small celebrations to mark your journey through the Bible.

Encourage students to bring some food to share and spend time talking about what you have learnt so far.

Use the visual aid to help students grasp the Bible’s storyline

The visual aid is designed to help students understand the single story that is told through the 66 books of the Bible in a quick, interesting and succinct way.

When used throughout the course to reinforce where the class is up to in the story, the visual aid is a powerful and effective tool for building a scaffold on which students can build their understanding of the Bible.

It allows the teacher to visually demonstrate in a matter of moments what would take many hours to explain. We recommend that each student receive a copy of the small fold-out visual aid for their own reference.

The visual aid is also available in large format. While using a large visual aid is not essential, it adds a dynamic element to class discussion about the Bible’s story and helps teachers answer students questions about how the events of the Bible connect together.

The large visual aid can be ordered through our website. We are also happy to speak with you about alternative printing options if you know of a cheaper way of producing them for your classroom.

Lesson activities: suit yourself

There are a number of activities that can be tackled in different ways. Some activities can be run as individual exercises, group activities or class presentations. The book has been designed to give you flexibility.

Choose which parts of the material in each chapter you want to use.

Most teachers will not use all the information each week. Each chapter can stand alone. As you read through the tips for each week, you’ll see we suggest showing a DVD or an internet clip or looking for a completely different way to engage students with the focus of that chapter.

Keep assessment objective

Assessment in Christian Studies classes can be challenging. It is highly likely that some students in your class have never read the Bible before, or come from families that are not Christian.

For this reason, our strong recommendation is that all assessment activities remain objective. Focus on the student’s knowledge of the Biblical story, not their response to it.

Students should be able to passionately engage with the Bible’s story throughout the course of a semester - perhaps even take great exception to the entire book - and still get a good result because they have learnt the Bible’s story.

This does not mean that students shouldn’t be encouraged to engage with the claims of the Bible. The course finishes by looking at what the Bible says about the future and salvation. These topics are not swept under the carpet. We want students to feel they can be honest and not pretend they believe something they do not!

Assignments need to be carefully worded so that students are encouraged to think at a deep level about the implications of particular parts of the Biblical story and not feel that their ‘faith response’ is being graded.

To assist with this, an assessment book will be released later this year. This will provide a number of different scenarios and assessment tasks you can use when planning your course.

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TIPS FOR TEACHERSHOW DO I GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS COURSE?

Feel free to add to the course content

There may be parts of the Bible’s storyline that you want to focus on in more detail than is covered in the book. For example, you may want to share a Passover meal in your class to demonstrate how Jesus Christ was the ultimate fulfilment of that event and celebration, or you may want to incorporate a geography exercise and ask students to map out the missionary journeys of Paul.

We welcome teachers adding to the course, especially with creative and engaging exercises that help students see the significance and relevance of their study. As we have made many activities freely available on the website, we would love you to email us your ideas so we can share them with other teachers.

9 10 Adapt the course to suit diff erent time-frames and diff erent age groups

The course has been designed to fit into a semester of study when there are 3-4 lessons a week or over a year when there are fewer.

Run the course over a timeframe that works best for you. Just be aware that studying one course for a year does come with a high risk of ‘topic drift’, so you will need to carefully plan to keep students engaged.

Some schools run the course for three terms and then get the students to put their own creative overview of the Bible together as the culmination of the course.

The course has been run in schools with a number of different age groups. Our experience is that junior students in Year 7 often ask more complex questions than senior students. Think about your students’ age group and tailor the course to their particular stage of development.

For example, with a senior class you may like to incorporate an apologetic edge. This would not only challenge students to learn the storyline of the Bible, but to grapple with it and respond to common objections. With a junior class, focus on the narrative side of the course, as students in early secondary are very open to this.

If you would like advice about tailoring the course to a particular age group in your school, please contact us. We’re happy to help!

Copyright information

The contents of this book are a sample of the new Youth Edition of ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’.No part of this sample is to be reproduced or used in class without the express permission of Biblical Turning Points.

© Copyright 2013 Biblical Turning Points

Author: Andrew Bawden

Contributing Editors: Adrian Blenkinsop Angela Sawyer

Printed in Melbourne, Australia.

ISBN 978-0-9807877-6-4

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

The author wishes to acknowledge that much of the material in this book has been influenced by teachers, lecturers and ministers whose commitment to tell the most amazing story ever told has inspired him to put this course together.

CHAPTER TITLE THEME PAGE

1 THE BIG PICTURE How well do you know the Bible’s story? 8

2 IN THE BEGINNING Creation 18

3 REBELLION IN THE RANKS The Fall 34

4 A NATION IS BORN Abraham and the Patriarchs

5 REDEEMED FROM SLAVERYThe Road to Egypt, Moses,the Passover and Exodus

6 LAYING DOWN THE LAW God’s covenant with Israel

7 THE GOD WHODWELLS AMONG US

The Tabernacleand Sacrificial System

8 THE PROMISED LAND Joshua and Judges

9 A BINDING RESOLUTION Kingship and David

10 GREAT EXPECTATIONSFROM THE RUBBLE

The exile and dawningof Israel’s Messiah

11 THE KING HAS COME The life of Jesus Christ

12 THE GREAT UNVEILING The death and resurrectionof Jesus Christ

13 EMPOWERED TO SERVEThe ascension of Jesus and theoutpouring of the Holy Spirit

14 TAKING IT TO THE NATIONS The spreading Church

15 THE RETURN OF THE KING Jesus’ second coming

16 BACK WHERE WE BELONG The New Creation

CONTENTSWHAT DO WE COVER IN THIS COURSE?





ONE EPIC STORY66 BOOKS, APPROXIMATELY 40 AUTHORS AND WRITTEN OVER 1500 YEARS

Take some time to read through the events of the Bible on the previous pages

1. What stood out to you as you looked through the events and pictures?

2. Which events in the Bible’s story do you already know well?

3. Are there any events you have never heard about before?

Discuss in groups of 2-3

1. Church surveys have shown that many people who attend church don’t read the Bible regularly or know its story well. Why do you think that is?

2. Are there any questions that you have about the Bible that you hope will be answered in this course?

The Bible’s story is ultimately about Jesus

The theme verse for this course comes from the final chapter in the Gospel of Luke.

After Jesus finished his public ministry, died and rose again, he told his disciples that the entire story of the Bible was ultimately about him.

LUKE 24:44-45“’This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfi lled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’”Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.This course looks at how God’s work in history is all about Jesus and the salvation that has come through him.

TURNING POINTSSIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT SHAPE THE BIBLE’S STORY

INTRODUCTION

The Bible is the most amazing story ever told but unless you see the big picture, you are in danger of thinking the Bible is a series of random and disconnected events. A bit like watching a movie out of sequence! If we never see the story of the Bible in sequence, its wonder, impact and message are lost.

To understand the Bible, it’s best to begin with these important events. This course shows the big picture by explaining why each major event is important in the Bible’s storyline.

The Bible tells one epic story, all the way from the creation of the universe, to Abraham, to King David, to Jesus, to the New Creation.

We will call each key event a ‘Turning Point’ as each marks a significant development in the Bible’s story.

Some of the key Some of the key turning pointsturning pointsin the Bible are in the Bible are covenantscovenants

In the Bible the word ‘covenant’ means a promise, agreement or relationship that God gives or enters into.

A great example of this is Creation.

When you read the first two chapters of the Bible you quickly see that God’s creation of the world and humans is covenantal. God doesn’t just drop Adam and Eve in Eden without any guidance about how to live.

Adam and Eve are blessed by God to fill the earth, rule over it and eat the food that comes from it. But there are limits to their freedom and warnings about what will happen if they disobey.

When Adam and Eve disobey, God’s warnings become reality.

Other covenants that will be explored in this course include:God’s Covenant with Noah God’s Covenant with Abraham God’s Covenant with Israel at Mt Sinai God’s Covenant with David The New Covenant made through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

God always initiates any covenant he enters into in the Bible.

As you read, take note of how the covenants are made and what they include.

Your challenge in Your challenge in this coursethis course

The first few pages in this chapter show key events to help you see the story of the Bible. This course focuses on these Turning Points in the Bible’s story.

Once you understand how these major events fit together, you are well on the way to understanding the Bible’s story. We won’t cover all the events in detail, but will focus on the stories that show how God brought salvation to our broken world.

You will be relieved to know that you don’t need to memorise every piece of information you encounter along the way.

Your challenge is to focus on getting the overall story of the Bible clear in your mind. Look at how the major events fit together and consider how this historical story finds meaning and fulfilment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Take up the challenge to explore the most amazing story ever told!


Long after the original books of the Bible were written, Christians realised it would be easier to find Bible passages if the books were broken down into chapters and verses.

For example, a reference to a particular part of the Gospel of John might be: ‘John 3:16’.

If you follow the reference to the Gospel of John - the third chapter and the 16th verse of that chapter - you will find:

JOHN 3:16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. If there is a reference to a book of the Bible that you can’t find, simply look it up in the index at the front of your Bible or go to www.biblegateway.com and type in the reference to view the verse.

Interesting facts about the Bible

The Bible contains 66 books, divided into the Old and New Testaments.

There are 39 books in the Old Testament.

There are 27 books in the New Testament.

The Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors.

The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,500 years.

Moses made the largest contribution to the Old Testament. He wrote the first five books of the Bible.

The Apostle Paul made the largest contribution to the New Testament, with 13 of his books included.

The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ancient Greek.

The first English translation of the Bible was made in 1382 A.D. by John Wycliffe.

The Bible was first printed in the 1450’s. It was the first book ever printed.

The longest book in the Bible is the book of Psalms.

The shortest book in the Bible is 2 John.

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119.

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117.

The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9.

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35.

The only book in the Bible that does not mention the word ‘God’ is the book of Esther.

NAVIGATING YOUR WAY AROUND THE BIBLEHOW DO YOU FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?

Look up the following passagesand make a few notes about what they are saying

Judges 3:21-22

2 John 5:24

Isaiah 53:5

Which Which translation translation should I read?should I read?

The Bible was originally written in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Relax! We won’t use any of those languages in this course!

Today, many different translations of the Bible are available. Try walking into the Bible section of a Christian bookshop and see how overwhelming the choice can be.

Biblical Turning Points uses the New International Version (NIV) translation and all quotations in this book are from the NIV.

If you have an NIV Bible it would be helpful to bring it along to the sessions so we all read from the same translation. If you don’t, or would prefer to keep using a different translation, that’s fine.

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE39 OLD TESTAMENT AND 27 NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS

THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT(WRITTEN AFTER THE LIFE OF JESUS)

THE GOSPELS / LIFE OF JESUS

40. Matthew

41. Mark

42. Luke

43. John

LUKE’S ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY CHURCH

44. Acts

PAUL’S LETTERS TO DIFFERENT

CHURCHES AND PEOPLE

45. Romans

46. 1 Corinthians

47. 2 Corinthians

48. Galatians

49. Ephesians

50. Philippians

51. Colossians

52. 1 Thessalonians

53. 2 Thessalonians

54. 1 Timothy

55. 2 Timothy

56. Titus

57. Philemon

UNKNOWN AUTHOR 58. Hebrews

JAMES’ LETTER 59. James

PETER’S LETTERS60. 1 Peter

61. 2 Peter

JOHN’S LETTERS62. 1 John

63. 2 John

64. 3 John

JUDE’S LETTER 65. Jude

JOHN’S PROPHECY 66. Revelation

THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT(WRITTEN BEFORE JESUS CAME TO EARTH)

BOOKS OF LAW(THE TORAH)

01. Genesis

02. Exodus

03. Leviticus

04. Numbers

05. Deuteronomy

06. Joshua

BOOKS OF HISTORY

07. Judges

08. Ruth

09. 1 Samuel

10. 2 Samuel

11. 1 Kings

12. 2 Kings

13. 1 Chronicles

14. 2 Chronicles

15. Ezra

16. Nehemiah

17. Esther

BOOKS OF WISDOM / POETRY

18. Job

19. Psalms

20. Proverbs

21. Ecclesiastes

22. Song of Songs

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS

23. Isaiah

24. Jeremiah

25. Lamentations

26. Ezekiel

27. Daniel

28. Hosea

29. Joel

30. Amos

31. Obadiah

32. Jonah

33. Micah

34. Nahum

35. Habakkuk

36. Zephaniah

37. Haggai

38. Zechariah

39. Malachi

INTRODUCTION



There was no time to lose. The lights had just started to dim in the cinema when I suddenly realised it...I hadn’t bought an ice-cream. Watching a movie without an ice-cream would be like watching TV without the remote in my hand, or going to Maccas and not having fries.

I walked as quickly as I could to the candy bar. I grabbed an ice-cream and turned to find a long queue of people. I had to work hard to be patient, knowing the movie had started.

By the time I made it back to my seat, the opening few scenes had come and gone. Those vital few minutes where you meet the main characters, see the location and get a sense of what’s to follow: action, suspense, romance, horror, sci-fi or fantasy.

I’d missed it. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure it out.Who was who? What was going on?

If I hadn’t missed the start it might have all made sense.

THE OPENING SCENEIF YOU SKIP OVER GENESIS 1 & 2 YOU MISS A LOT!

In the In the beginning...beginning...

Those first few scenes in a movie and the first chapter of a book set the scene for the rest of the story. You’re introduced to the key characters, the setting, the location. Without that foundation it’s hard to understand and make sense of the rest.

The word ‘genesis’ means beginning, origin or creation. The first two chapters of Genesis are like the opening scenes in a movie. They give us an understanding of the origin and meaning of all things. Here we are introduced to the main characters: God and humanity; and to the stage on which this drama will unfold.

Creation is the Bible’s first Turning Point. It’s the foundation for the unfolding story of God’s restoration of the world. In Genesis 1 & 2 we see that the human race lives in a universe designed and created by God.

Nothing is accidental: it’s intricate, it’s planned and it’s a masterpiece. We learn that we belong to God, we are like him and we are accountable to him.

Movie TimeIn Genesis 1 & 2 we also discover what it means to be human. We have a privileged place on this planet as the only created beings to bear God’s image. This gives incredible purpose, dignity and wonder to the life of every human being.

If you skip over these chapters you might find yourself scratching your head later in the story.

Answer the following questions after you have read this section

1. Which movie has the best opening you have ever seen?

2. Can you think of a movie that would have been ruined if you missed the opening few scenes?

There was no time to lose. The cinema lights started to dim. Suddenly I realised...I hadn’t bought an ice-cream! Watching a movie without an ice-cream would be like watching TV without the remote in my hand, or going to Maccas and not having fries.

I walked as quickly as I could to the candy bar. I grabbed an ice-cream and turned to find a long queue of people. I had to work hard to be patient, knowing the movie had started.

By the time I made it back to my seat, the opening few scenes had come and gone. Those vital few minutes where you meet the main characters, see the location and get a sense of what’s to follow: action, suspense, romance, horror, sci-fi or fantasy.

I’d missed it. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure it out.Who was who? What was going on?

If I hadn’t missed the start it might have all made sense.

Movie Time

GENESIS 1 & 2HOW SHOULD I READ THESE CHAPTERS?

Two examplesto get you started

In the book of Job, in the middle of a discussion about why bad things sometimes happen to good people, God speaks to Job at length about his work in Creation. Here is just a snapshot of what he says.

JOB 38:4-11“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang togetherand all the angels shouted for joy?“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fi xed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?In the book of Jeremiah, when the nation of Israel was being sent away from Jerusalem because they refused to honour God, God reminded them who made this wonderful world and is responsible for it.

JEREMIAH 27:4-5Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please”.Keep your eyes open...There’s more to come!

Look for the Look for the main messagemain message

Although the language is simple and clear, some people find that the first two chapters of Genesis raise more questions than they answer.

Genesis wasn’t written to counter arguments from Stephen Hawking or to challenge Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Its message - that God’s creation of the universe was purposeful, supernatural and deliberate - is significantly different from creation myths written about the same time and from many claims of our own culture.

In the ancient world, where civilisations like the Egyptians and Mesopotamians had their own creation accounts, Genesis 1 & 2 proclaimed a radical message. God is a ‘person’ who lovingly creates, who later rescues his Creation and who acts in history.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of belief about the age of the earth or the interpretation of the days of creation, this chapter encourages you to read Genesis 1-2 and consider the claim that this world came into being because God wanted it to.

The Bible’s opening event challenges our view of the world we live in. It states that God exists and that our life has purpose. We are not here by chance, we are not cosmic accidents and, as God’s creatures, we are responsible to him for the way we live the life he has given us.

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1 2

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Recognise Recognise that in Genesis 1 that in Genesis 1 & 2 we have two & 2 we have two perspectives on perspectives on the one eventthe one event

To get the most out of Genesis 1 & 2 we need to recognise that they give two different perspectives of God’s creation of the universe.

Genesis 1 views the creation of the world from the wide-angled perspective of God as he speaks Creation into existence.

Genesis 2 offers a close-up view which reflects the complexities and intricacies of life on planet Earth.

This chapter challenges you to take a close look at these two perspectives, put them together and consider what they say about God, ourselves and the world.

Keep in mind Keep in mind that the Bible that the Bible speaks about speaks about creation in other creation in other passagespassages

The Bible’s teaching about Creation goes way beyond the first two chapters in the Bible. If you start to dig around in the other 65 books, you will soon find that there is an incredible amount of information about Creation found elsewhere in this story.

Throughout this chapter you will see a number of passages other than Genesis 1 & 2. As you read them, think about what they add to our understanding of God and his work of creation.


GENESIS 1 A WIDE-ANGLE VIEW OF CREATION

Genesis 1 is like a zoomed-out, Google Earth view of the world - big and long-distance. It’s a highly structured piece of writing which views the creation of the world from God’s perspective. It’s as if you are standing beside God as he speaks the universe into existence. The rhythm of the chapter helps to make this clear.

God makes statements at the beginning and end of each day. You are left with the distinct impression that God knows what he is doing.

Making something out of nothing

I’m not the world’s greatest handyman, but my father-in-law comes close so, when I needed a chook shed, I called on his services. He’s one of those people who is really practical and can build anything. Together we mapped out the structure of the shed, then bought the wire, timber and iron.

It was time to put it together. He grabbed a seat and settled back to watch. It wasn’t long before he sprang to his feet. ‘Do you want this chook shed built this century?’ He grabbed a shovel, showed me how to dig the holes and marked out where to cut the iron for the roof. Starting to drill holes in the timber frame for the door, he explained what he was doing and why.

My chook shed is the envy of all chook sheds. It is so structurally sound that it will withstand the fiercest cyclone and be standing long after the chooks have laid their last egg.

When I look at that impressive chook shed today I’m reminded of my father-in-law’s unique ability to create something where there was ‘nothing’ - with an eye for detail and a willingness to get his hands dirty.

Look out for God ‘getting his hands dirty’ when we look at Genesis 2.

The high point in Genesis 1 is the creation of men and women in God’s image. Just in case you missed the point that human beings are more important than the animals, ‘created’ is mentioned three times in the verse where God makes Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:27).

God takes the starring role in Genesis 1. All that occurs in the universe flows from his intentional actions. The opening of the Bible could not present a more awesome view of God.

Read through Genesis 1 Highlight/Underline in different colours the following phrases: 1. ‘And God said’ 2. ‘Let there be/Let the’,3. ‘God saw - was good’ 4. ‘There was evening and there was morning’ 5. ‘The ? Day’

Genesis 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Day 13 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Day 26 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Day 39 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Day 414 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Day 520 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

Day 624 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 2Day 7Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Answer the following questions after you have completed the activity

1. Why do you think there is so much repetition & structure in the chapter?

2. Can you see any relationship between day 1 & 4, 2 & 5, 3 & 6?

3. If this was the only information you had in the Bible, what would your view of God be?

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GENESIS 2 GOD AND HUMANS IN CREATION

In Genesis 2 we move from a wide-angle view of Creation to a zoomed-in, close-up view - a view which reflects the complexities and intricacies of life on this wonderful planet.

The second chapter of the Bible immediately removes the possibility of seeing God as a far-off being who does not enter into our personal experience. The God who speaks the world into existence in Genesis 1, reaches into Adam’s ribcage and creates Eve. The God who makes a universe that is so large we are only now beginning to grasp its size, walks and talks with his image bearers in Eden.

The God who speaks the world into existence in Genesis 1 is actively involved in the world he has made.

This change in focus is immediately obvious in the long, winding account which begins at verse 4.

The structured and grand style of Genesis 1 has changed. We are invited to see creation from a completely different perspective.

Read through Genesis 21. Highlight any new information about Creation that is included in this chapter2. Highlight any new information about God3. As you read through chapter 2 underline or circle words or phrases which help paint a picture for you of God being active, and ‘getting his hands dirty’4. When you have finished compare and discuss your findings with the person next to you

Genesis 24 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Answer the following questions after you have completed the activity

1. Where does this chapter provide a ‘close-up’ view of what God did when he created the world?

2. Can you find any new information about what it means to be human in this chapter?

CREATION

We see that the world is orderly, made with purpose, and beautiful. It is also a living breathing planet with humans to rule over it and live in it.

In Genesis 1 we see that God is over and above creation. The structure of the chapter shows that God knows exactly what he is doing.

In Genesis 2 we see God actively involved in the world, getting his hands dirty as he makes Adam and Eve. It is a more intimate view of God interacting with the world he has made.

These different views are reflected throughout the Bible. At times we will see God’s power and might displayed as the Creator of this universe. In other moments we will see him intimately engaged with his creatures here on Earth - even to the point of sending his son Jesus Christ to come and live in the world as one of us!

More on that later!

What happens What happens when we put the when we put the two chapters two chapters together?together?

The opening scenes of the Bible have been played.

Viewed together, Genesis 1 & 2 offer two different perspectives on the wonder of what God has done in creating the universe.


WORLDVIEWHOW DOES GENESIS 1 & 2 SHAPE OUR VIEW OF GOD & THE WORLD?

God made the universe through Jesus

The opening chapters of the Bible hint at what will be spelt out later in Scripture: that the one God is three persons - Father, Son and Spirit.

In the New Testament, the Bible’s teaching about creation is taken to a new level. We learn that God made the entire universe through his Son, Jesus Christ, who was with God in the beginning.

COLOSSIANS 1:15-17The Son [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the fi rstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.Why do you think the Bible waits until the New Testament to reveal Jesus’ role in Creation?

1 Creation reveals God’s Creation reveals God’s GloryGlory

Created objects are reflections of their makers. A wonderful piece of architecture or a painting reflects its maker. A child’s painting reflects the mind and age of the one who painted it.

How much more is this true of the universe God has brought into existence!

Answer the following questions after you have read through this section

1. What does Psalm 19:1-4 say about the glory of God and the world he has made?

2. In Romans 1:20, what three things about God’s being and character does Paul say are revealed in creation?

3. In Revelation 4:11, what do the angels in heaven praise God for?

God is the God is the main focus of main focus of the Bible and the the Bible and the source of all lifesource of all life

GENESIS 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Star Wars Episode 4 (‘A New Hope’), begins with those well-known opening lines scrolling across the screen - ‘Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away.’ These ten words set the scene for the rest of the story.

The opening ten words of the Bible tell us that it was God who created time - God who created space and matter. There is no further explanation - just a simple statement. God existed before the universe was called into being. He is outside time and space.

This is our first introduction to the mysterious, personal source of all life: the eternal, uncreated God. This God, who himself has no beginning and no end, simply has to speak a word of command to bring into being everything else that exists.

We also see that creation is an act of God’s choice. It is a product of his personal will, not something random or accidental. There are no surprises here!

If you doubt that this story is about God, consider that he is mentioned around 40 times in the first two chapters of Genesis. Later we will learn more about him. He is revealed in every page of Scripture.

Other relevant Bible passages on this topic: Jeremiah 27:4-5; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 33:6; Acts 17:25, 28; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 4:11

Be on the lookout

As you learn more about God in this journey through the Bible’s story, be on the lookout for more examples of God speaking.

The author of the book of Hebrews, writing after Jesus had come and returned to heaven, said something interesting about how God speaks to us in the Bible.

HEBREWS 1:1-2In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

It helps us to understand why John began his Gospel in the New Testament the way he did.

JOHN 1:1-4In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

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Complete the following activity

In Genesis 3 God is described as ‘walking’ in the Garden. Write down 3 different words (or short phrases) that this image brings to mind about God’s relationship with his creation (Adam and Eve, and the animals)?

1:

2:

3:

God is a God is a personal God who personal God who communicates communicates with uswith us

So what is God like?

God has chosen a number of different ways to reveal himself in the Bible. Here are just a few - stories, poems, prophecies and parables. They all help us learn more about who God is, what God is like, what he has done and how he acts in the world today.

The words and images of Genesis 1 & 2 also shape our understanding of what God is like.

They show that God is a personal being - not some sort of mystical ‘force’. This personal God creates. In fact he gets deeply involved with his creation, rescuing and judging his human creatures.

The personal nature of God is made clear in the repeated words ‘God said’.

The most dramatic example is when God, having created humankind, blesses them and speaks to them directly saying: ‘be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it’ (Gen 1:28). God’s relationship with his human creation is personal. He gives them a particular task, inviting them to participate in it with him. They are to fill and order the world he has given them for their home.

The God whose image we bear speaks. He loves to make himself known to those he has created. The Bible constantly claims to record the words of God as he interacts with his creatures throughout history.


time divorce, polygamy and other issues challenged the institution of marriage. However, in Matthew 19:8 Jesus says, ‘from the beginning it was not so’.

Genesis 2 introduces us to the truth that God loves sex - he created sex. The Bible has some pretty explicit stories and poems about sex (check out Song of Songs in the OT). Genesis tells us God’s original intention for sex – it is meant to be something men and women enjoy within the safety and confines of a marriage relationship.

Discuss thefollowing questions

1. Where do you see opportunities in our world to reach out to people who are isolated and alone?

2. Do you think our society values marriage?

3. Of all the things Genesis 1 & 2 could talk about, why do you think Adam and Eve’s relationship to each other and God is given so much space?

4. Look up Psalm 8. What does King David say about our place in the created order in the context of God’s glory?

God made God made humans in his humans in his likenesslikeness

GENESIS 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fi sh in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1 & 2 challenge us to know ourselves and our relationship to our Maker. They teach a simple but very complex concept. Humans are made in God’s image. We are like him!

This ‘image of God’ covers the aspects of human nature which are not shared by animals. Things like a moral conscience, the ability to think abstractly, an understanding of beauty and emotion, and above all, the capacity to worship and love God.

This passage does not say that first of all God created men in his image, then he created women in man’s image. Both male and female are created in God’s image - both reflect what God is like. This passage says that men and women are equal and important before God.

Genesis 1 tells us that God made us to be like him. Men and women hold a special place in the universe that no other creature shares. Our special role is to take care of the non-human parts of Creation. God did not place the chimpanzee or wallaby above all other creatures, giving them responsibility for the earth. God placed us in that position.


3 4 God made God made humans as humans as relational beingsrelational beings

GENESIS 2:22-25Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and fl esh of my fl esh; she shall be called ‘woman,‘ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one fl esh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

The Creation account confirms something most people intuitively know: human beings weren’t created to live in isolation.

The symbolism of the woman being made from the rib (or side) of the man is really important. The woman isn’t made from his head – which would have signified superiority to him, or his feet – which would have signified inferiority. Rather she is made from his side – signifying equality and companionship. Eve is created from Adam’s side to work alongside him in carrying out God’s commission to ‘fill the earth’ and to ‘subdue’ it (look after it).

Discussions about marriage can be confusing and contentious. However, God originally created marriage to be an intimate bond between a man and a woman. They were to leave their parents and form a new family unit. Their lives were to be joined together and this was to be expressed through sex, where the two ‘become one’. Marriage today, with all its problems and controversies, was designed to be a good and healthy thing. Even in Jesus’

The wonderful balance in Genesis 1 & 2 includes God showing that his plan for life is not simply work, work and more work. God models what taking ‘time out’ means. He takes time to stop and reflect on all he has done.

The way God carried out the creation of the world models a pattern of life for us. Throughout the history of Israel and the church, such rest or Sabbath has been practised with varying degrees of strictness and a variety of human rules.

The first six days of the Creation week were work, but on the seventh day God rested and enjoyed what he had made. The Bible encourages you to do the same!

God has God has made humanity made humanity responsible for responsible for the earththe earth

GENESIS 1:28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fi ll the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fi sh in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

The opening chapters of the Bible tell us that God has given humans the responsibility of being stewards of the earth, its resources and inhabitants.

God’s command in this verse has been blamed for all the destruction humans have caused on the earth. However, subduing the earth is not meant to have a negative outcome.

Far from being a licence to destroy the planet at will, God’s mandate to the human race is to steward what he has made.

Work and rest Work and rest are important are important parts of lifeparts of lifeWorkWork

GENESIS 2:15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

From the beginning, human beings were created to be engaged in fruitful activity. A strong work ethic appears in the opening chapters of the Bible and runs right through the Old and New Testaments.

COLOSSIANS 3:23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

In the Garden of Eden God created work as something necessary for our good. He instructs Adam to ‘take care of it’, to make sure this garden is looked after. Before the Fall there were no annoying weeds, but this fertile and luxurious garden still needed care.

This garden would have been more like a National Park than a backyard. It would have been large, full of rivers, trees and animals. Adam and Eve are the first farmers and Conservation Officers in history!

RestRestGENESIS 2:2-3 By the seventh day God had fi nished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

GENESIS 1:29Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

It is not uncommon for Christians to pray before they eat a meal, giving thanks to God for what he has provided. This prayer acknowledges that God has not only given us life, but has provided for our needs.

If we link this with the responsibility God has given us to be stewards of the earth and the later teaching of the Bible about caring for the poor, we should be challenged to care for the needs of others on a local and global scale.

Answer the following questions after you have read through the content on this page

1. What kind of work do you think you will be doing in the future?

2. Can you see any way in which the Bible verses on this page are relevant to your choice?

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God’s God’s creation was creation was perfectperfect

GENESIS 1:31A God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. GENESIS 2:25Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

To us, the term ‘good’ might seem a weak way to describe all that God had created. We might use words like ‘awesome’, or ‘unbelievable’ - or ‘absolutely-incredibly-mind-blowingly-brilliant!’

The early chapters of Genesis paint a picture of just how perfect creation was. The repetition of the word ‘good’ is a reminder that the whole creation comes from God and that, in its initial state, it reflected his design and plan. There is such amazing diversity too: light and darkness, land and sea, rivers and minerals, plants, birds and fish, human beings – male and female.

Everything is in perfect harmony. It’s like a world-renowned orchestra, with every instrument perfectly in tune and perfectly in time, following the same conductor.

Discuss the following questions

1. Do you think you are accountable to God?

2. Does this belief influence your behaviour? If so, how?

We are We are accountable to accountable to God for how we God for how we livelive

GENESIS 2:17“…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Part of coming to terms with who God is and who we are is the issue of accountability. Genesis 1 & 2 clearly establish that people are accountable to God. From the very start, we see that how we live matters.

God made it absolutely clear that he is the one who sets the parameters of our freedom on earth.

We enjoy a great deal of autonomy - we have the freedom to choose - but we can never escape the fact that it is God’s air we breathe. We are part of his Creation.

If God is who the Bible claims him to be, he is worthy of our love, adoration and devotion.


Adam and Eve have this magnificent garden all to themselves with no other humans around. They are free to walk around stark naked. They are totally innocent - they don’t even know they are naked. There is no sin and no guilt – yet.

In this idyllic existence only one rule is given to Adam and Eve. Just one rule...surely that’s not too much to ask!

The rule is simple. Do not eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That’s the only thing they can’t do.

This picture of God’s perfect Creation shows us how things were and how they should be - and sets up what’s coming next.

Part of being human is the freedom to choose. The apparent paradox of God being sovereign (having ultimate control over all things), while giving his creation free will (power to make their own choices), has been written about by many authors.

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THE TWO TREES OF EDENTHE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL & THE TREE OF LIFE

CREATION

Would they resent his control and disobey his instruction on such an insignificant thing as not eating from one tree in a huge national park?

In the next chapter we will see that Adam and Eve do eat and everything changes.

The effects of the Fall (eating the fruit) will be huge. Their perfect world will be shattered. The deeply intimate relationship Adam and Eve enjoy with God will be lost. They will suddenly feel shame and embarrassment. They will be scared of God. They will have to leave the amazing Garden of Eden and suffer punishments unique to them.

Death enters their world, both spiritually – in their changed relationship with God; and physically – in the mortal bodies they now have.

The Tree of LifeThe Tree of LifeGENESIS 3:22And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

The Tree of Life showed that God is the One who sustains the life of Adam and Eve and all of Creation.

Its symbolism still speaks today, particularly in a time when many believe that God has nothing to do with our existence on earth.

When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they were sent away from the Tree of Life because the consequence of their rebellion was death.

The Tree of Life is only mentioned one more time in the Bible. In the closing chapters, in the book of Revelation, we learn that the Tree of Life returns in the future - in the New Creation.

REVELATION 22:1-3Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, fl owing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

The Tree of the The Tree of the Knowledge of Knowledge of Good and EvilGood and Evil

What does temptation look like for Adam and Eve in this perfect place?

The answer is a mysterious ‘tree’. Adam and Eve are given a choice. They can obey God – and not eat the fruit from this one tree - or they can defy God and eat the fruit. If they choose to NOT eat the fruit they will continue to live within God’s Law and enjoy their idyllic life. If they choose TO eat it, they are actually choosing to be autonomous – or set apart from God.

GENESIS 2:17“...but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

God withheld only one thing from Adam and Eve - and it was in the centre of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were told that, if they disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would die. Later we learn that this death will be both spiritual and physical.

There is no reason to believe this tree was special, except for the fact that God chose it to be the one thing he would withhold from Adam and Eve. God could have made a river of the knowledge of good and evil and said, ‘You must not swim in it or you will surely die’.

If they eat the fruit of this tree they are rejecting God’s love for them.

It was the simplest test imaginable. Would Adam and Eve ‘trust and obey’ because they loved the one who had shown such love for them; or would they doubt God’s goodness?


THAT ONE BIG QUESTIONIF GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING WHY DID HE PUT THE TREE IN EDEN?

All these people running around willy-nilly, having their own opinions and making up their own minds! It’s hideously chaotic and totally unacceptable!

DR MINDBENDER OF G.I. JOE’S

ACTION CARD QUOTES

There is one big question that is often asked as people study Genesis 1 & 2.

Many people who experience terrible pain, loss or evil in this life often wonder why an all-powerful God, who knows the future, would put a test into creation he knew Adam and Eve would fail.

If God knew the consequences th at would follow, why couldn’t God have made the world without the possibility of evil and rebellion against him?

Stop and discuss this question before reading on

If God knew the consequences th at would follow, why couldn’t God have made the world without the possibility of evil and rebellion against him?

We are not We are not robotsrobots

Without freedom, what would be lost?

A satisfying answer to this question only comes when we consider what would be lost if Adam and Eve - if all people - did not have the ability to make the choice to obey God.

If Adam and Eve had no opportunity to disobey God, their obedience would mean nothing. It would merely be the robotic response of creatures who can do nothing else.

The tree in the garden is a symbol of the real and tangible freedom God gives us. We have the freedom and ability as human beings to choose to obey and worship God - or to disobey and reject him.

The tree was also a symbol of God’s place over the created order and humanity’s place within it.

Every time Adam and Eve walked past that tree, they were reminded that God was their Maker and that they were accountable to him.

Every time they chose not to eat of the tree they honoured God and exercised their freedom to put him first. Their actions meant something because they had the freedom to choose.

The choice is The choice is oursours

Later in the Bible’s story, Joshua made this point clearly to the people of Israel:

JOSHUA 24:15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”The living God created us with the ability to choose whether we will honour and worship him. We were created by God with the potential for choosing rebellion. In the next chapter we will see how our first parents chose to exercise that freedom.

The world might have been free of pain if God had made us without the potential for rebellion, but it would have diminished the most significant relationship of all. We would have lost the choice to honour and serve God.

In human relationships we understand the importance of choice. It’s much more important that our worship and love for our Maker actually means something!

JOURNALSPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE NOTES & REFLECT ABOUT THIS TURNING POINT

CREATION

The main points from this chapter

If you skip over Genesis 1&2 you miss a lot.Genesis 1&2 are not the only Bible passages that speak about God’s creation.Genesis 1 is like a wide-angle, Google Maps view of the world.In Genesis 2 we move from a wide-angle view of Creation to a zoomed-in, close-up view.In Genesis 1&2 we learn that:God is the main focus of the Bible and the source of all life.God is a personal God who communicates with us.God made humans in his likeness.God made humans as relational beings.Work and rest are important parts of life.God has made humanity responsible for the earth.We are accountable to God for the way in which we live.God’s creation was perfect.If Adam and Eve had no opportunity to disobey God, their obedience would mean nothing.The living God created us with the ability to choose whether we will honour and worship him.



HOW DIFFERENT ARE THESE PICTURES FROM GENESIS 1 & 2?

What isWhat isthe problem?the problem?

We have police for communities, prisons for criminals, bombs for war and weapons for attacking each other. We have fines for speeding, doctors for the sick, rehab centres for the drug-addicted, alarms on buildings, locks on doors, insurance for losses, aid agencies for the poor and debt collectors for unpaid bills.

There are lonely people, poor people, unhappy people, hurt and cheated people. There are a plethora of unproductive and self-centred human activities, and no shortage of people willing to carry them out. There is the constant threat of war and invasion in many areas of the world, and corrupt governments who oppress and rob the people they are meant to protect and serve. Our world is filled with adulterers, murderers, liars, swindlers, aggressors and self-centred and arrogant people.

Why are people so selfish? Is it a lack of genuine love? Perhaps it’s because of corrupt governments. Could it be a lack of education in parts of the world or do we simply need more spirituality in our lives?

Throughout the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - we are shown that at the heart of all human problems is our rebellion against the one and only God who is our Maker and whose image we bear.

In this chapter we will see that all our problems stem from one reality: the human race has rebelled against God and the just judgement of God has been brought down upon us. Things are no longer as they were in God’s perfect Creation.

We have fallen.

Choose 2 images that impact you the mostCircle them and write your responses to the following questions

1. What do you imagine might be the story behind the images you chose?Image 1:

Image 2:

2. Do you relate in any way to the pictures or the people in them?Image 1:

Image 2:

3. If you could fix a situation in one of these pictures, what would that involve? Image 1:

Image 2:

4. Which image seems really ‘remote’ to you (something you haven’t experienced in your life and probably never will)?

THE FALL


WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH EVERYONE?A KEY EVENT FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE

The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first - wanting to be the centre - wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race. Some people think the fall of man had something to do with sex, but that is a mistake... what Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they ‘could be like God’ - could set up on their own as if they had created themselves - be their own masters - invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come... the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

C.S. LEWIS (AUTHOR OF THE NARNIA BOOKS), MERE CHRISTIANITY

What is The ‘Fall’?What is The ‘Fall’?When we talk about the ‘Fall’ we refer to the event where Adam and Eve (and, by association, the entire human race) fell from their perfect position before God. This happened when they accepted Satan’s argument about God’s command not to eat of one particular tree, and ignored God’s warning about impending death.

Satan’s questioning of Eve was a direct attack on God’s spoken word, and on Adam and Eve’s responsibility to obey it and live by it.

God had given them so much, he had blessed them in so many ways, but Satan drew Eve’s attention to the one thing God had forbidden Adam and Eve to do.

In part, he was right! In the last chapter we saw that Adam and Eve lived in God’s perfect Creation and were free from any sense of shame before God.

This incredible existence was bound up with their obedience to God and their willingness to obey God’s command not to eat the one thing he withheld from them in Creation: the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

In Genesis 3, we learn that Adam and Eve choose not to obey this clear command from God.

Why is the Fall Why is the Fall important?important?

How can one seemingly ‘small’ event be the trigger for so many other events?

If you take a few minutes to look at how the Fall unfolds and how it impacts the human race, you will start to understand exactly what has moved God to work throughout history to save his Creation.

Let’s begin by taking a closer look at the event itself.

Don’t focuson him

Genesis 3 can be frustrating, because Satan suddenly turns up with little to no explanation about who he is, how he got there and why God allowed him to be there.

This passage however is not about Satan. Later in the Bible we learn more about his history, but the real focus in Genesis 3 is Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God.

Look up the following passages and compare what they say about Satan.

Job 1:6-12Luke 10:18Acts 5:32 Corinthians 11:14Ephesians 6:11-161 Peter 5:81 John 3:8Revelation 12Revelation 20:10

If you want to know more, hop onto biblegateway.com and do a search for all the passages in the Bible with the word ‘Satan’ or ‘Devil’ in them.

In this apparently ‘simple’ act, they actually rebel against the One who had given them life - the One whose favour and blessing they enjoy - the One to whom they are accountable.

Rebellion Rebellion without much without much thought of the thought of the consequencesconsequences

And so begins humanity’s fall into rebellion.

GENESIS 3:6-7When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fi g leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

You may have already asked. Where is Adam? Why doesn’t he intervene? Why don’t we hear him speak? Just in case you missed it in the text, he is there with Eve!

Is Adam’s behaviour worse than Eve’s? Eve is the one who, after putting up some defence against the seduction, gives in and eats what is pleasing to her eyes and tasty to her lips.

Adam doesn’t even need encouragement. He is with Eve the entire time, he knows what is going on and willingly rebels without any objection to what he has heard and seen.

A slippery A slippery questionquestion

GENESIS 3:1BHe said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

This question was not difficult to answer. No, God had not said that. In fact, God’s command was extremely positive and open. God told Adam and Eve they could eat from all of the trees with one exception.

The observant reader quickly sees the cunning scheme. By focusing on the negative, Satan is luring Eve to question God’s judgement - as if she, or he, has any right to do that.

The motivation behind that first sin has become the underlying force behind them all. At the heart of all sin, at the centre of every act of rebellion, is the thought that we have the right to stand in judgement of God and disagree with what he requires of us.

An exaggerated An exaggerated responseresponse

GENESIS 3:2-3AThe woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden.’ “

If this was the only thing Eve said, she would have done well. Why didn’t she stop there?

She goes on...

GENESIS 3:3B “ ‘...and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ “

If you look back at Genesis 2:17, you’ll see that God did not say that. God only said they could not eat from it.

Eve has already exaggerated God’s command. She has begun to slip. Her feet are moving from underneath her and the serpent gives her one final push.

A bold attackA bold attackGENESIS 3:4-5 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Like a fisherman who feels the fish nibbling at his bait, the serpent now boldly strikes. Yet he is incredibly smooth and subtle in the way he presents his argument.

The Creator’s honesty is called into question. Not only is God’s warning about death dismissed as rubbish, God is presented as having ulterior motives for keeping the first humans away from this special tree.

Who knows better, God or the serpent? Who is able to speak with authority about why this world was made in the way it was? Who should they listen to? The arrogance of the serpent is beyond comprehension.

The same debate echoes through the ages. Does God, in his dealings with the world he has made, have the right to draw lines in the sand – to lay down the rules? Put more simply, does he know best or do we?

WHAT HAPPENED?THE PATH OF SEDUCTION AND REBELLION

THE FALL

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FALLOUT WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR REBELLION?

Where do we see it today? Where do we see it today? The movie ‘Meet the Parents’, released in 2000, contains a scene where Greg (Ben Stiller) stumbles across the Polygraph machine owned by his soon-to-be father in law Jack (Robert De Niro). It’s a very uncomfortable scene, where Greg (wanting to impress) agrees to do a Polygraph (lie detector) test, with Jack asking the questions.

Answer the following questions after you have read through the content on this page

1. Would you ever allow yourself to do a lie detector test? Why, or why not?

2. What questions would most people hate to be asked?

3. Why don’t we want people to know certain things about us?

4. How does this help you understand the way Adam and Eve responded the moment they rebelled against God?

1 Great Great disappointment disappointment and shameand shame

GENESIS 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fi g leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Before the Fall, the writer points out that Adam and Eve were both naked and felt no shame. Their nakedness showed they had no problem with full disclosure; they were emotionally and spiritually perfect. They have nothing to hide - no thought or action to regret or conceal.

How quickly that has changed!

Instead of being like God, as the serpent predicted, Adam and Eve are overwhelmed with an immediate and deep sense of shame. The Bible tells us that their eyes were opened and they realised they were naked.

The shame they experience is personal and, more significantly, reflects their new standing before God.

The glorious picture of life in Eden is damaged. How far Adam and Eve have fallen. We begin to see the results in their behaviour and mindset.

What if other people knew our ‘secrets’ - the things we don’t want other people to know about us - the things we have done. It’s easy to cover our physical nakedness, but the real cover-up is hiding our heart, mind and will.

Read the following passage about Jesus the Great High Priest and answer the questions

HEBREWS 4:14-1614 Let us, then, hold fi rmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. 15 Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. 16 Let us have confi dence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and fi nd grace to help us just when we need it.

1. Summarise this passage into one short Facebook status update.

2. If you had to re-write verse 16 using words and phrases a non-Christian young person could understand, what would you write?

3. What does this passage say to people today who are running away from God because of what they have done?

THE FALL

We tend to romanticise encounters with God, however people in the Bible who have such encounters tend to fall on their faces, overwhelmed by God’s presence and glory.

Later in the Bible, we read how fallen sinners will be invited to come before God’s throne with confidence through the saving work of his Son Jesus.

But right now in the Genesis story, all we see is a broken relationship.

Where do we see it today?Where do we see it today?The Bible makes it clear that guilt separates us from God - and from human relationships.

In groups of 2 or 3 discuss the following questions about hiding from God

1. Describe a time when you damaged a friendship and you didn’t want to be around that person. Can you explain why you felt that way?

2. Describe a time when you, or someone you know, did something bad and then hid or ran away from the situation to avoid the consequences.

3. Why do you think we find it so hard to face up to the consequences of our actions?

4. In what ways do you see people hiding from God today?

2 Their Their relationship with relationship with God is brokenGod is broken

GENESIS 3:8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

You have one hour!

I had given my two young children clear instructions. ‘You can play on the Wii for one hour – and I’m setting the timer. When you hear the timer go off, it’s time to stop playing and turn it all off. OK?’ I asked. ‘Sure dad’ they replied together.

An hour and a half later I walked into the room to see if they had obeyed my clear instructions. On hearing me come into the room, they both jumped up from the couch and stood in front of the TV, trying in vain to convince me that they had obeyed and turned it all off. Unfortunately for them, I could still see most of the TV and it was clear they hadn’t obeyed me. They were busted!

God appears in the garden and, for the first time, Adam and Eve hide from him.

Once their relationship with God is broken, their first reaction is to hide when God wants to meet with them.

They now fear God and do not want to come before him. It’s a sad picture. The first humans, beings of such beauty and privilege, now hide behind a tree from the Almighty Maker of the universe, struggling to cover their naked bodies.


Where do we see it today?Where do we see it today?

In small groups, discuss the following scenarios. Have you experienced them? How you would respond?

1. A friend purposely uploads an embarrassing picture of someone from your school onto their Facebook page, and then shares it with their friends...

2. You’re in a car reversing out of a shopping centre car park. Your car accidently scratches the car next to you.

3. Your lunch is knocked out of your hands and falls on the ground leaving a huge mess.

4. You see a classmate bullying another student at school.

Continue discussing these questions

1. Do people find it hard or easy to own up to God? Explain your answer.

2. When have you seen people shirking their responsibility?

3. What famous people or situations come to mind?

4. Are there different ‘levels’ of shirking responsibility (i.e. are some actions worse than others?)?

5. What do you find hard to take responsibility for (e.g. cleaning your room, doing homework etc.)?

FALLOUT WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR REBELLION?

Create in mea clean heart

There’s a common trait that most Bible characters share: their tendency to disobey God. Only a few are willing to confess their sin to God.

One of the best-known people in the Bible is King David. He loved God deeply, but messed up big time. Yet, even though his sin was blatant, he was genuinely repentant before God when confronted with his sin. He wrote these words after one such time:

PSALM 51:1-2Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justifi ed when you judge.Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

3 They They refuse to take refuse to take responsibilityresponsibility

GENESIS 3:12-13 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

God wins the game of hide and seek. The first humans are called to account. Once again we see God’s nature in his gentle approach as he asks how they became aware of their nakedness.

As this was the first offence any human had ever committed we might expect that, rather than shirking responsibility for their actions, they would confess what they had done. But in their newly fallen state, both Adam and Eve fail to be honest with God.

Neither is willing to accept the seriousness of what they have done and admit it to God.

This problem will affect all of their offspring.

THE FALL

The issue at stake is not so much the eating of a piece of fruit, but the rebellion in their hearts.

The human race learns that rebellion against God carries consequences, most significantly, death.

Every relationship - between people, between humanity and the earth, and between God and his creatures, has changed.

Ironically, what Satan promised held some truth. Now, Adam and Eve do know more than they did before.

Where do we see it today?Where do we see it today?Genesis records that, despite being made in the likeness of God, humanity is now a race under judgement. The death that God brings upon Adam and Eve is both physical and spiritual.

Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden symbolises the problem of the ages, which only God can solve.

Every human from here on will die. No person will enjoy the freedom and shameless existence that our first parents once did.

Questions for reflection and class discussion

1. If you were to re-write the passage in a modern context, what would you change?

2. How would your understanding of God be different if he had done nothing after Adam and Eve rebelled?

3. If we like to see ‘bad people’ being brought to justice for breaking the law, why do you think that we often struggle with the thought of being held accountable to God?

4 God’s God’s judgment comes judgment comes upon themupon them

GENESIS 3:16-19To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children.Your desire will be for your husband,and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said,“Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the fi eld.By the sweat of your browyou will eat your fooduntil you return to the ground,since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Here we learn in detail about the results of this first rebellion.

What would it say about God if he did nothing?


At the end of my street

THE CURSE OF DEATH AND EXPULSION FROM EDENREBELLION AGAINST GOD HAS CONSEQUENCES

Genesis shows us the severe consequence for the human race that followed the ‘Fall’.

Despite being made in the likeness of God, humanity is now under judgement. Death enters the human race, and Adam and Eve are separated from God.

GENESIS 3:22-24And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a fl aming sword fl ashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

When God forcibly removes Adam and Eve from Eden, we learn something more about God’s character. As rebels, it is no longer appropriate for them to have unhindered access into his presence. The relationship is broken and, in their new state, God is unwilling to dwell with them as he once did.

At the end of my street there is a children’s playground surrounded by huge trees.

It’s a great place to go – even for an adult. It backs onto a creek, and there are always colourful and noisy birds in the trees. We get kangaroos, koalas and many other animals wandering around there.

Last winter I went there with my children one Saturday morning. We were shocked to see that one of those huge trees had been blown over by a storm during the night. We scrambled over, amazed that such a massive tree could have been ‘felled’ by a storm. As we looked at its exposed roots, we saw the reason. It had been eaten away by white ants (termites). This huge tree had been slowly destroyed from the ‘inside’. It looked healthy on the outside, but was rotten at its core. Sin is like those white ants. Without ‘intervention’ it will destroy everything.

A radical change A radical change occurs in the occurs in the Bible’s storyBible’s story

Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden is a problem only God can solve. It is one ‘bookend’ of the Biblical story. The other bookend is Revelation, where we read about a new place where God will once again live with his people, as he did prior to the Fall.

But now, we stay with the tragedy of these events. Where will it all lead?

Here are some of the ways in which this attitude of ‘rebellion against God’ – or sin – impacted history after the fall:

Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, kills their other son, Abel. God floods the earth because of the spread of sin and rebellion. Noah gets so drunk he ends up naked on the floor of his tent. Abraham sleeps with his wife’s servant and Jacob steals his brother’s birthright by deception. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery. Moses doubts God’s ability to speak through him. The Israelites grumble against God right after he rescues them from slavery. They make an idol in the shape of a golden calf and worship it. The list goes on and on.

Throughout God’s relationship with Israel - the nation through which he chose to bring salvation to the world - there is constant and defiant rebellion against him, and deliberate failure to keep his commandments.

This continual cycle finally comes to a point where the very people Jesus came to save, reject and kill him.

Read Romans 1:18-32 and discuss in small groups

1. How are the things listed in these verses the result of God’s perfect Creation being corrupted?

2. Why do you think many people choose to believe that everyone is born good? How does this thinking explain the wrong things we all do?

3. In the passage from Romans 1, what is the one ‘key’ line or comment that you think summarises the issue of sin? Explain why.

4. Is Paul saying that sin is accidental or deliberate? Explain your response.

Two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.

ALBERT EINSTEIN.

I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.

ISAAC NEWTON

In the New Testament, Paul makes it clear that Adam and Eve’s rebellion impacts us all.

ROMANS 5:19A‘...through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners…’

Genesis 3 raises an obvious question. How is Adam and Eve’s sin passed on to us?

It makes sense. They are the first human beings. They are the parents of the entire human race. Would it make sense for sin and shame to enter into their lives without it affecting their own children and their children’s children? Of course not.

In his letter to the Romans Paul makes it clear that, in God’s economy, Adam was the representative of the entire human race. When he sinned, we sinned. When he rebelled, we rebelled. When the consequences of Adam’s actions came upon him, they come upon us.

ROMANS 5:19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

WE ARE NOT THE PEOPLE WE SHOULD BE!ADAM AND EVE’S REBELLION IMPACTS US ALL.

THE FALL

Or, as an earlier chapter of Romans says:

ROMANS 3:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Hang on...that doesn’t seem fair!

One person makes a bad decision a long time ago and we still suffer the consequences of that today?

Here’s something that might help if you’re struggling with this concept. If a leader of a nation declares war on another, the people they lead are at war, even if they don’t agree with the decision. The leader of a nation is the representative of their people. Their decisions affect everyone they lead.

From the Bible’s viewpoint, the consequences that came upon Adam and Eve have come upon us all.

Sin, evil, rebellion - or whatever name you give to human beings acting outside the will of their Maker - is a problem that no one can escape.

The question we need to ask in our journey through the Bible is: What is God’s solution?


Things are in a mess! Paradise is lost. Humanity is under the curse of death. Life is not what it was.

But, there is good news!

The rest of the Bible shows us God’s solution - a solution available to all who will acknowledge their need and accept it. We get a hint of that solution as God curses the serpent.

GENESIS 3:14-15So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,cursed are you above all the livestockand all wild animals!You will crawl on your bellyand you will eat dustall the days of your life. And I will put enmitybetween you and the woman,and between your offspring and hers;he will crush your head,and you will strike his heel.”

Immediately after the tragedy of the Fall, we are introduced to the theme of redemption that will be unpacked through the rest of the Bible.

The Bible’s story does not end with the expulsion of humanity from Eden, nor does God’s relationship with humanity end in judgement.

When God cursed the serpent for his role in the fall of Adam and Eve, he said there would be hostility between the offspring of Eve and the serpent.

Most significantly, there will come a time when Eve’s offspring will crush the head of the serpent. This looks forward to when Jesus (Eve’s offspring) defeats death (the serpent or satan) when he rises from the dead.

THE STORY DOESN’T END HEREGOD GIVES ADAM AND EVE HOPE

Hope is given through an Hope is given through an act of graceact of grace

Despite their rebellion against God and their expulsion from Eden, God graciously makes clothes for Adam and Eve.

It is the act of a parent who cares for their children.

God’s work of God’s work of redemptionredemption

We have explored how rebellion against God is serious and that sin has consequences. Now we’ll look at this same God working to redeem the lost.

As we continue to study the Bible, we will pursue the course of action God took to undo the rebellion that occurred in Eden.

We will learn that God himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, was willing and is willing to stand in our place and deal with the consequences of our guilt and rebellion.

JOURNAL SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE NOTES & REFLECT ABOUT THIS TURNING POINT

THE FALL

The main points from this chapter

At the heart of all human problems is our rebellion against God. Genesis 3 is not about Satan. Don’t get frustrated about what it doesn’t say!The question Satan asked was not difficult to answer. God’s command about what they could eat was extremely positive.Adam was with Eve during the temptation.Instead of being like God as the serpent predicted, Adam and Eve are overwhelmed with an immediate and deep sense of shame.Once their relationship with God is broken, their first reaction is to hide when God wants to meet with them.In their newly fallen state, both Adam and Eve fail to be honest with God.Neither Adam nor Eve are willing to accept the seriousness of what they have done and admit it to God. Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden symbolises the problem of the ages, which only God can solve. In the New Testament, Paul makes it clear that Adam and Eve’s rebellion impacts us all.The rest of the Bible shows us God’s solution - available to all who will acknowledge their need and accept it.

Documents

THE BIBLE: THE BIG PICTURE - Biblical Turning Points Edition Sample... · ‘The Bible: The Big Picture’, is a journey through the Bible that is both thorough & interactive. We