The One Year Chronological Study Bible - Flipbook - Page 8
DISCOVER THE STORY
Creation Era
Duration uncertain
TH E CRE ATI ON ER A contains five stories and four genealogical records that together
establish a unified story line.
In Genesis 1–11, Moses records God’s revelation of Himself in creation, including His eternality and power; His design and desire for human flourishing; the origin of sin and its universal
impact on individuals, marriages, families, and communities; and God’s promise of redemption.
The original recipients of this written record were the Israelites, God’s chosen people, who had
been liberated from slavery in Egypt. These stories were critical to their understanding about
God, themselves, and their world. And for all readers, these stories are foundational for our
understanding of God and His work in the world.
Creation
The creation story sharpens its focus on the first humans, Adam and Eve, who are made in the
image of God and placed in the Garden of Eden. God places two special trees among all the other
trees in the Garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He gives a
single prohibition regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, promising death for disobedience. As long as Adam believes in God’s goodness and the trustworthiness of His word, he
would practice self-restraint and obedience.
The Fall
But one day, Satan— God’s enemy— enters the Garden disguised as a cunning serpent. This
serpent misrepresents God and deceives Eve. She eats fruit from the forbidden tree and gives
some to Adam, who is by her side, and he also eats. Immediately, their eyes are “opened”
(Genesis 3:7), but what they experience is fear, shame, and guilt. Naked and ashamed, Adam
and Eve hide from God.
The Lord confronts the couple. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. In response,
the Lord curses the serpent and promises a Coming Seed (or offspring) who would destroy
Satan. God sheds innocent blood to produce the skins to cover Adam and Eve’s shame. He slays
an innocent animal that He had just declared “good” (Genesis 1:24-25) in order to cover their
nakedness, foreshadowing the means He would use to pay the penalty for sin. The promise of
the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) and the picture of redemption (Genesis 3:21) form the
foundation of the messianic promises and the way God would deliver His people (substitutionary atonement—the shedding of the blood of the innocent on behalf of the guilty); these
themes will appear throughout Scripture. In His mercy, God prevents the couple from going
back into the Garden, eating from the tree of life, and living eternally condemned lives without
the hope of redemption.
4
