Story of the Old Testament - Lesson 1

By Glen Pemberton

Teacher Outline

Title: The God of Creation

Genesis 1-2

Background Information for the Teacher

Objectives:

  1. The student will understand that the Old Testament presupposes the creation of the universe and assigns this creation to the Lord alone.
  2. The student will identify the differences in the portraits of God the creator in Genesis 1 and 2.
  3. The student will appreciate the significance of these two portraits of God and be challenged to integrate both visions into his or her own thinking and relationship to God.

Preparation:

  1. A chalkboard or marker board.
  2. Bibles for every student, preferably in a translation teens can understand (NIV, CEV, or REV).
  3. Copies of Student Worksheet #1.

Theme:

The Bible begins by asserting that the Lord, the God of Israel, is solely responsible for creation. Further, Genesis chapter 1-2 makes two claims about this creator: 1) The creator is transcendent (a divine king set apart from creation). 2) The creator is immanent (a friend intimately involved in creation and human life). People tend to select or prefer one of these visions of God over the other, a dangerous practice. In order to be faith-full people, we must hold onto both aspects of God. Special Note to the Teacher: The modern question of evolution versus creation was not on the horizon of the writers of the Old Testament. Rather, for these ancient writers, the burning questions were which God(s) created the universe, what is this God like, and what is the nature of this creation. Consequently, while valid, many modern questions regarding the Bible and science fall outside the range of this lesson. The teacher might take careful note of these questions and promise future discussion in another class or in the series “Christian Evidences” from the North Institute (forthcoming).

Lesson Plan for Conducting the Class

Introduction: (about 10 minutes)

  1. Welcome visitors, make any necessary announcements.
  2. Spend time taking prayer requests & leading the class in prayer.
  3. Introduce the new quarter of study:
    1. Exercise: Free Association - Q: What is your first thought when you hear the following words?
      1. Bill Clinton
      2. Hillary Clinton
      3. N-Sync
      4. Bible
      5. Judas
      6. David
      7. Sermons
      8. Youth Ministers
      9. New Testament
      10. Old Testament [Note: This, of course, is the key element. Other terms may be added to “get the students going.” Allow extra time for the students to express their reactions & attitudes to the Old Testament. This will provide a valuable point of reference for the teacher to remember throughout the quarter.]
    2. Today we begin a 13 week study entitled “The Story of the Old Testament.” [Note: Depending on the responses above

  4. the teacher may need to “sell” the value and interest of this course. For example, many students may feel the Old Testament is dry, boring and irrelevant. So, the teacher might want to say, “I know that many feel … but in this study we are going to see that the Old Testament is really interesting, exciting and tremendously important for Christian life!” Needless to say, the teacher must believe this and be excited about the material or they will immediately lose the students.]

    1. The goals of this study include -

      1. A basic understanding of the “story line” of the Old Testament: “What’s it all about?”
      2. A greater appreciation of the significance of the Old Testament for Christian life: “So what?”

Learning Experiences: (about 25 minutes)

    1. Set the Stage for today’s study:

    1. The ancient world surrounding Israel presupposed that a god or gods created the universe. For example, in one ancient tale (The Epic of Creation) the creation of the earth was the result of a fight between two gods. One god (Marduk) defeated the goddess (Tiamat) and then cut her body in half. With half of her body he formed the sky and with the other half he formed the earth.
    2. The Bible, consequently, does not begin with any argument or defense of creation versus evolution. Rather, the Bible begins with the “hot issues” of its own day. Who was the God(s) that created the world? What is this God like?
    3. So, while our questions about evolution and the Bible versus science are good and important questions, this is not where the Bible itself begins. Today, we want to start where the Bible itself starts and seek to understand what it has to say about the God who created the universe.

    Part I:

    1. Read the account of creation in Genesis 1:1-2:3. Before reading Genesis 1:1-2:3, read aloud the following questions that the class will discuss after the reading. After reading the text, discuss these questions and write the answers on the board (see handout). See Appendix 1 for supplemental information.
      1. Q. What is the scope or extent of creation? A. The scope or scale of creation in Gen 1:1-2:3 is universal or cosmic.
      2. Q. How does God create? A. God “speaks” creation into existent. Here, God is “transcendent” - a great and powerful king who stands apart from the creation.
      3. Q. Is there any plan to creation? A. The creation follows a perfect pre-determined plan. Notice the correspondence between the days. On days 1-3, God creates environments. On days 4-6, God fills the environments with the appropriate objects or life forms. Complete the following chart (see handout).
    Environment Objects to Fill Environment
    Day 1: Light
    Day 2: Sky (And Water)
    Day 3: Light
    Day 4: Light Bearers (Sun, moon, etc.)
    Day 5: Dry Land and Vegetation
    Day 6: Animals and humans
        1. Based on this account of creation, what is God like? (discuss)

    Part II:

    1. Read the account of creation in Genesis 2:4-25. Again, explain to the class that after the reading you will ask them the same three questions. Discuss the questions and write the answers on the board (see handout). (Special Note: It may be difficult to get the students to recognize differences between these two accounts. There is a long interpretive history of harmonizing these stories at the expense of their differences. This is unfortunate and misses the very point of the two stories in Genesis 1-2. Assure the students that this study is important, will have beneficial results, and should not be viewed as a threat to faith.)

      1. Q. What is the scope of creation? A. The scope or scale of creation in Gen 2:4-25 is limited to plant, animal & human life.
      2. Q. How does God create? A. Here, unlike Gen 1:1-2:3, God “gets his hands dirty.” Like a potter, God “forms” humans and animals (2:7,19). Like a farmer, God “plants” a garden (2:8,9). God is not distant or aloof (as in 1:1-2:3), but very close and personally involved.
      3. Q. Does there seem to be a predetermined plan? A. In Gen 2:4-25, God does not appear to be following a predetermined plan, but working things out as he goes along in response to the needs of his creation. God forms a man, then plants a garden (2:8). God sees that it is not good for this man to be alone and determines to make a partner for the man (2:18). God makes animals, brings them to the man, but none are found suitable as a partner (2:19-20). Finally, God forms a woman and brings her to the man (2:21-22). The emphasis in all this is the intimate concern and response of God to every human need. (Special Note: God “working things out as he goes along” does not suggest that God “does not know what he is doing.” The theological point of this account is that God’s activity in creation is intimately responsive to human need as it arises.)
          1. Based on this account of creation, what is God like? (discuss) Summary:
          2. The two accounts of creation in Genesis 1-2 affirm the same basic point: The Lord, God of Israel, is the creator!
          3. However, the two accounts of creation in Genesis 1-2 present two rather different portraits of God.
            1. In Genesis 1:1-2:3, God is the divine sovereign who follows a perfectly predetermined plan and speaks the universe into existence.
            2. In Gen 2:4-25, God is the potter and farmer who is intimately involved with and responsive to the needs of his ongoing creation.

    Applications: (about 5 minutes)

    1. Ask each student to identify which portrait of God is the most attractive to him or her today and why? (Note: From my experience, the class will be split on this matter. Some will prefer the transcendent God with a perfectly predetermined plan and others will feel drawn to the immanent God who is intimately responsive to human needs.)
    2. Honestly, we all tend to prefer one portrait of God over another… and it is for this very reason that it is so important that we are given both portraits in Genesis 1-2.
      1. God is not one or the other (transcendent or immanent),
      2. God is both - - at the same time, at the same moment of creation!
        1. [Illustration from art]
          1. Q. Who can describe the artwork of Picasso? Why is his art so strange? A. Picasso’s art is strange because he attempted to picture one object from different perspectives at the same time (cubism; so also Georges Braque and Juan Gris).
          2. This is similar to Genesis 1-2. An attempt to “picture” the impossible, the character of God and creation, from two different perspectives. (See Appendix 2 for supplemental information)
        2. Q. What happens if we ignore one or the other of these messages about the nature of God? (Discuss) Both portraits of God the creator are vital.
          1. On the one hand, Genesis 1:1-2:3 without 2:4-25 will lead to “deism” (a clock-winder view of creation; God set the world in motion and stepped even further back from it).
          2. On the other hand, Genesis 2:4-25 without 1:1-2:3 will lead to a view of God that embraces God as close friend, but with no sense of God’s majesty or otherness.

    Assignment: (about 1 minute)

    Reread Genesis 2 and identify the four different relationships created or established in this text (e.g., the human-animal relationship). Describe what these relationships are like (good or bad) at the end of Genesis 2.

    Wrap-up:

    1. If time permits, the class might sing a few songs that celebrate God as both the transcendent sovereign of the universe and the intimate friend who responds to our every need.
    2. Prayer that acknowledges both God’s greatness and his choice to be our close friend.

    Student Outline

    Story of the Old Testament

    The God of Creation Genesis 1-2

    1. Introduction:
      1. The ancient world surrounding Israel presupposed that a god or gods created the universe. For example, in one ancient tale (The Epic of Creation) the creation of the earth was the result of a fight between two gods. One god (Marduk) defeated the goddess (Tiamat) and then cut her body in half. With half of her body he formed the sky and with the other half he formed the earth.
      2. The Bible, consequently, does not begin with any argument or defense of creation versus evolution. Rather, the Bible begins with the “hot issues” of its own day. Who was the God(s) that created the world? What is this God like?
      3. So, while our questions about evolution and the Bible versus science are good and important questions, this is not where the Bible itself begins. Today, we want to start where the Bible itself starts and seek to understand what it has to say about the God who created the universe.
        1. Genesis 1:1-2:3
          1. Read the account of creation in Genesis 1:1-2:3.
          2. Q. What is the scope or extent of creation? A. The scope or scale of creation in Gen 1:1-2:3 is universal or cosmic.
          3. Q. How does God create? A. God “speaks” creation into existent. Here, God is “transcendent” - a great and powerful king who stands apart from the creation.
          4. Q. Is there any plan to creation? A. The creation follows a perfect pre-determined plan. Notice the correspondence between the days. On days 1-3, God creates environments. On days 4-6, God fills the environments with the appropriate objects or life forms. See handout.
          5. Based on this account of creation, what is God like?
        2. Genesis 2:4-25
          1. Read the account of creation in Genesis 2:4-25.
          2. Q. What is the scope of creation? A. The scope or scale of creation in Gen 2:4-25 is limited to plant, animal & human life.
          3. Q. How does God create? A. Here, unlike Gen 1:1-2:3,God “gets his hands dirty.” Like a potter, God “forms” humans and animals (2:7,19). Like a farmer, God “plants” a garden (2:8,9). God is not distant or aloof (as in 1:1-2:3), but very close and personally involved.
          4. Q. Does there seem to be a predetermined plan? A. In Gen 2:4-25, God does not appear to be following a predetermined plan, but working things out as he goes along in response to the needs of his creation. God forms a man, then plants a garden (2:8). God sees that it is not good for this man to be alone and determines to make a partner for the man (2:18). God makes animals, brings them to the man, but none are found suitable as a partner (2:19-20). Finally, God forms a woman and brings her to the man (2:21-22). The emphasis in all this is the intimate concern and response of God to every human need. (Special Note: God “working things out as he goes along” does not suggest that God “does not know what he is doing.” The theological point of this account is that God’s activity in creation is intimately responsive to human need as it arises.)
          5. Based on this account of creation, what is God like? (discuss)
        3. Summary:
          1. The two accounts of creation in Genesis 1-2 affirm the same basic point: The Lord, God of Israel, is the creator!
          2. However, the two accounts of creation in Genesis 1-2 present two rather different portraits of God.
            1. In Genesis 1:1-2:3, God is the divine sovereign who follows a perfectly predetermined plan and speaks the universe into existence.
            2. In Gen 2:4-25, God is the potter and farmer who is intimately involved with and responsive to the needs of his ongoing creation.

    Assignment:

    Reread Genesis 2 and identify the four different relationships created or established in this text (e.g., the human-animal relationship). Describe what these relationships are like (good or bad) at the end of Genesis 2.

    Lesson 1

    The God of Creation

    Appendixes

    Appendix 1

    There appear to be several direct attacks on ancient Near Eastern gods in the creation account of Gen 1:1-2:3. For example,

    1. Students may question the logic “light before the sun.” In its ancient context, this claim would be a strong rebuke of the Egyptian sun god (Re) and those who worship this God. The Lord, God of Israel, can provide light without the sun!
    2. The emphasis on plants yielding seed and bearing fruit with the seed in it (1:11-12) may be a rebuke of idolatrous religions that emphasized the need to satisfy a “fertility” god or goddess for the crops to produce. Genesis 1 claims that no such god or actions are needed. The Lord created plants with seed within them and they reproduce according to his blessing & created order.

    Appendix 2

    The Old Testament consistently credits the Lord, God of Israel, as the creator of the universe. However, the writers of the Old Testament use various metaphors to describe the process of creation. For example:

    1. God the sovereign king who speaks the universe into existence (Genesis 1; Ps 33:6-9)
    2. God the potter & farmer who fashions & plants the creation (Genesis 2)
    3. God the architect and builder of creation (Ps 104:5)
    4. God the divine parent who fathered & gave birth to creation (Ps 90:2) The variety of metaphors to describe the act of creation seems to suggest that no one image can adequately describe creation. God’s great act of creation is indescribable.

    Download Worksheets

    Back to Story of the Old Testament - Adult

    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.