Genesis in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible - Essay Example

Mankind now has to work the ground to obtain his needs for survival. (Genesis 3:23). Eve's downfall is due to Satan's temptation. The lesson teaches to focus on God's Word with complete obedience and never be tempted by Evil. The serpent told Eve to take and eat the forbidden fruit. Jesus tells his followers to take and eat his body and blood in the holy sacraments. The forbidden fruit makes the consumer a sinner while Jesus' offering heals a sinner. Adam's son, Cain killed his brother Abel. God tells Cain that He knows what has happened and that he will be punished.

Adam has another son, Seth, to replace Abel. Seth in turn has his most famous son, Noah, who is chosen by God to build his Ark. (Genesis:4). God favors obedient people. He saves Noah from the Great Flood because he was 'blameless among the people of his time.' (Genesis 6:9). God tells Noah to build an Ark and take his family inside it, along with certain species of animals. God flooded earth and killed every living thing. At the end of two months, the waters dried up and Noah knew it was safe to descend back to land.

Noah immediately built an altar to offer sacrifice to God. Noah is an example of a righteous man who maintained his relationship with God despite living in an environment full of wickedness. This is a lesson to teach that God will help those who follow God's Word. God makes a covenant to Noah; '"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.

"'(Genesis 9:13-15). God speaks to Abram and reveals prophecies to him. When Abram travels into Egypt, he is afraid that the Pharaoh would kill him to take over Sarai because she is beautiful. He instructs Sarai to lie and say that she is Abram's sister. The Pharaoh does not know the truth and takes Sarai to become his wife. God is angry and inflicts diseases upon the Pharaoh and his household. The Pharaoh eventually discovers the truth and releases Abram and Sarai. (Genesis:12). When Abram and Sarai cannot conceive a child, Sarai sends her servant, Hagar, to sleep with her husband so that they will get a descendant.

Sarai cannot wait for God to do His work but takes matters into her own hands. Then, Sarai makes a mistake when she ill treats her servant Hagar because she was jealous of Hagar's pregnancy with her husband Abram. Hagar runs away but God comforts her and she returns to Abram and Sarai. God tests Sarai with the birth of Ishmael. Thirteen years later, God makes Sarai pregnant with a son called Isaac. It has been a hard time waiting for Sarai and Abram while maintaining their beliefs. Sarai is ninety years old and Abram is one hundred when they become parents.

This is His reward to them. He renames Abram as Abraham, and Sarai as Sarah to celebrate God's blessing on them. God says to Abraham; ' I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you , and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.' (Genesis 17:6-7). Isaac is soon born. God decides to test Abraham by ordering him to offer Isaac as a human sacrifice to God.