Genesis 1:1-31

God’s Ancient People

Genesis

Alun Owen

About Genesis

Many people think that Moses wrote Genesis. If he did, other people probably helped him. And if he did, he may have used some of the words of previous writers. The people who wrote Genesis wrote it in the ancient *Hebrew language. This language is like the modern *Hebrew language, which people speak in the country Israel today.

The word ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. Chapter 1 tells us what God did in the beginning. There were no people until God made them. Therefore no people saw what God did in the beginning. Afterwards, God showed to people what he had done. And people wrote it in books. Peter, who lived at the same time as Jesus, tells us this. He is writing about the first part of the Bible (the Old Testament). He writes, ‘Men whom the Holy Spirit guided spoke words from God.’ (2 Peter 1:21) That is true for the whole Old Testament. Genesis is a part of the Old Testament. So we know that people wrote Genesis. But it is also true that the words of Genesis came from God.

In Genesis, God tells us about himself. He tells us how he deals with people. He also tells us about men and women. And he tells us that many people were very wicked. But some people trusted God and some people obeyed him.

In the first chapter of Genesis, God tells us how he made everything. This is not a scientific study. God does not speak only to scientists. He speaks to everyone. God shows to everyone what he has done. And he does this by words that everyone can understand. God has made it simple.

Chapter 1

God creates the earth