Chapter 1: Junior Architects, Genesis 1:26-28; 2; 6-9

Review Questions

1. What does it mean for Adam to be the "image" of God? Just as God is the king of creation, Adam is to be the king of animals and birds. Additionally, he is also to be a builder, just as God is the chief architect. Adam's ultimate calling is to make the world pleasing to God.
2. What does "subdue" mean? What is Adam supposed to "subdue"? What is the result supposed to be? To subdue can be used in describing vicytory in war, or bringing something into captivity. In Adam's case,m h`e supposed to "subdue" the earth by making use of its resources for human use.
3. Describe the map of the original creation in Genesis 2. The garden is placed in the east part of Eden. The larger world surrounds Eden. There is a river that flows from Eden down into the garden, which is set on a mountain.
4. In what part of the land of Eden is the garden? Why is this significant? The garden is located on the east side of Eden. This is significant because it means that anytime that anyone is traveling east of Eden, they are traveling away from the garden.
5. How do we know that the Garden was on a mountain? Give some examples of how this appears later in the Bible. We know that the Garden is located on a garden because the water from the Garden runs to lower outlying lands. In Ezekiel, the prophet states that the prince of Tyre is like an Adam who is in the garden of God on the holy mountain of God. Throughout the Bible, God often calls His people to the garden on a mountain (ie: Samuel and Ramah, David and Mount Zion, Solomon's temple on a mountain.
6. What is Adam's job in the Garden? Adam is to "guard" and "work" the garden. This is the job of the priest.
7. In what ways is Adam's sin a failure to be a priest? Rather than guarding the garden, he allows the serpent to tempt Eve.
8. What is the difference between Cain's sin and Adam's? Between Cain's sin and the sin of the "sons of God"?

Chapter 1: Three-Story House, Genesis 1:1-2:4

Review Questions:

1. How is the world like a house? The world is like a house in that it has three stories: sky, land, and water.
2. How do the first three days of creation match the second three days? During the first three days of creation, God separates one thing from another to create three different stories. During the second three days, he fills these different stories accordingly.
3. What are the stories of God's three-story house? Sky, land, water.
4. What is Psalm 77 talking about? Why does it describe this event as if it were the end of the world? Psalm 77 talks about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt through the Red Sea. It describes this event as if it were the end of the world because it considers this as the creation of a "new Israel" - a "world-shaking" event.
5. How does Hannah's song compare Israel to the house? In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah refers to the "pillars of the earth" as the Lord's and as those whom He has set the world on. These "pillars" refers to the rulers of Israel, upon which the "house" of Israel is built.
6. What do the sun, moon, and stars represent? What is Isaiah talking about when he describes heavenly bodies falling from the sky? They represent the rulers and kings (Gen 1:16 - they "govern/rule"). Isaiah is referring to the fall of Babylon as a "heavenly" power (Isaiah 13.1)
7. What does the land often represent? What is the sea? Land represents Israel and sea represents the nations.
8. How does Isaiah describe the Assyrian invasion of Judah? The Assyrian invasion of Judah is described as a river that "will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks" to overtake Judah (Isaiah 8.7-8).
9. How does Jeremiah describe Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon? Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon are described as a sea monster and the sea (Jer 51.34-35).

Thought Questions:

1. What does Psalm 82.5 mean by "the foundations of the earth"?
2. Compare Genesis 1. and Genesis 8.1. Note that the word for "Spirit" is the same as the word for "wind". In light of this, explain what's happening in Genesis 8.1. In Genesis 8.1, God is allowing the earth to have a new beginning, after it had been destroyed by the flood. This precedes the waters receding from the earth in order to bring forth new land. The "wind" or "Spirit" is always evident when something new is being created,
3. Notice the references to the three-story house in Revelation 8.1-13. Notice also that there are seven trumpets being sounded. Explain how this connects to Genesis 1. The seven trumpets that are being sounded reference the seven days of creation. The imagery of chapter denotes the undoing of what had been created in the very beginning. Three also appears to be a very significant number, for it is one third of everything that is ordered to be destroyed.
4. Why is it significant that Noah's ark has three levels (Genesis 6:16)? Just as the world was created with three stories, Noah's ark also has three levels. In some ways, the original conditions of the world is being maintained, even as the flood is overtaking the world.
5. If the land pictures Israel, what do land animals represent? Look at Psalm 77.20 and 80.1. The land animals represent God's people who inhabit the land. we are led by God just as the shepherd leads his flock.