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The Holy Bible, New International Version ®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
New Women’s Devotional Bible, New International Version ®
Copyright © 1990, 1994, 2006 by The Zondervan Corporation
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Genesis
Every story has a beginning, a genesis. The beginning of
God’s story of his interactions with humanity is found in the very
first words of the Bible. In the beginning God created. From the
start God was present. He was at work.
However, in the freshness of a new world where the first
man and woman walked and talked with God, sin slithered in,
marring creation forever. But the God who hung every star in
place and laid every grain of sand upon the shore had, from
the beginning, a plan. The whole of Scripture, and indeed the
whole of history, is unveiled within the seeds of Genesis. It will
be many years before we see the fruit of those seeds, but they
are not years of dormancy. Throughout the world and within
individual lives, God is actively working to redeem
his creation. In Genesis we see him form covenants, bestow
blessings, test faithfulness and turn evil intentions into a greater
good—all for the purpose of one day redeeming the people
he created in his image. It’s a work that will continue until the
end of time, but the beginnings for all of it are found in Genesis.
The Beginning 1 In the be ginning God created the heavens
and the earth. 2 Now the earth was a
form less and empty, darkness was over the
surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God
was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there
was light. 4 God saw that the light was
good, and he separated the light from the
darkness. 5 God called t he light “day,” and
the darkness he called “night.” And there
was evening, and there was morning—the
first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between
the waters to sep a rate water from
water.” 7 So God made the expanse and
a 2 Or possibly became
1
Author:
Moses.
Audience:
The people of
Israel.
Date:
Between 1446 and
1406 B.C.
Setting:
The area called
the Middle East
today.
Verse to Remember:
In the beginning
God . . . (1:1)
13
LOUIS SULLIVAN, the inventor of the modern skyscraper, said,
“The tall building . . . should be a proud and soaring thing that
makes a powerful appeal to the architectural imagination.”
Today, many women embody the same spirit of pride and selfsuffi
ciency that is represented in the lofty towers that make up our
cities. We focus on personal perfection. Many women seek the
pinnacle of age-defying beauty through creams, procedures or
surgeries. Some become obsessed with fashion or feel that they
must conform to some media-driven image. Over time, it becomes
easier and easier to build monuments to ourselves. After all, as the
famous ad says, “I’m worth it.”
The builders of the tower of Babel shared a key aspect of
Sullivan’s vision of the tall building: pride. And they had one purpose:
to build a name for themselves. They wanted to claim glory
that rightly belonged to God—after all, they were worth it.
The longing to climb higher than God didn’t begin in Babel.
Before time began Lucifer said, “I will raise my throne above the
stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). It didn’t end with Babel, either. The
pyramids of Egypt proclaim the power of the rulers buried beneath
them. Many lives were lost in the building of the pyramids, “collateral
damage” to the princes who built them. Often Egyptian slaves
were killed when their masters died and were buried alongside
them. But just as the Egyptian kings sacrificed everything to their
own legacy, women often sacrifice the good of those around them
for fleeting recognition, not to mention the humble spirit God
desires. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not all-powerful—they
died the deaths of mere men. Don’t be deceived, your soul will
not be saved by flawless skin or the perfect career any more than
the towering mountains of stone raised over the mummies of kings
saved them.
What do you take pride in? What keeps you from glorifying
God? Has your focus become self-absorbed? Have you become
self-glorifying? The solution is simple: Whatever is keeping you
from God, give it to him for his glory. Let your relationship with
Jesus be the source of your significance. When you humble yourself
before God, you’ll be lifted up.
Reaching for the Heavens
R e a d : G e n e s i s 1 1 : 1 – 9
Genesis 11:4
“Come, let us build
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