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Recently I began a personal study in the book of Genesis after reading through the Bible chronologically. Although I’ve read Genesis a few times before, it has been exciting to learn new things. One area of Bible study that I wanted to grow in is observations and it has been fun to challenge myself by looking for things I hadn’t previously noticed. My personal goal is to study each book of the Bible in depth before I die. I hope to undertake this endeavor as chronologically as possible (which has already proven challenging considering the book of Job occurs after Genesis 5). At the beginning of each study, I am going to share my study tools here. Sharing books comes naturally to me since I love them. I hope the resources I share can be a starting point for you as you navigate through finding resources for your own personal study.
Genesis Study Resources
Genesis Scripture Journal
I first became familiar with this tool when I was studying Revelation with a group of ladies from church. These journals are very helpful because they include the full text of the book on one page while the opposite page contains lines for note taking. In my study of Genesis, I start here and try to record as many observations as I can. I also try to list any cross references I can think of. Once I’ve recorded my observations, I then read the text with the commentary notes in my study Bible. The pretty version of this journal releases September 30th. While I would love to own it one day, I just couldn’t wait any longer to begin my study.
ESV Study Bible
I have been using this version of the Bible since 2010 after a pastor I highly respect recommended it. In addition to the translation being my favorite, I love that this version of it contains many helpful resources.
Genesis 12 Week Study
I chose this study book because I have done other books in the series and enjoyed them. So far, I like it and have found it helpful. There does seem to be an emphasis on the Garden of Eden mirroring the new heaven and earth which I had never heard of. In some ways, the study’s author likens Adam to a high priest. This has been interesting to me as I’ve never heard that approach before and it seems to be a bit of a stretch so I’m going to do a bit of research to reconcile my thoughts on the matter. The author does provide Biblical support for his conclusions and it does make sense, I suppose I’m just having trouble understanding why this concept receives as much emphasis as it does. It is also a small/short book to cram in 50 chapters but so far I really enjoy it and like how it ties in to the ESV study Bible.
The Gospel in Genesis
Years ago I read Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ book Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled and I really enjoyed it. I was thrilled to learn that he had a commentary on Genesis and purchased it to go along with my other study tools. This commentary contains only nine chapters and only extends from Creation to Abraham. However, I appreciate the brevity in this season of life with two young children and believe that the things I learn from this book will propel me to further study as I continue to read Genesis.
Additional Resources
The Promised One video series – My church has provided me with a free subscription to RightNow Media which contains this video series. I love that it is based on the Bible study of the same name by Nancy Guthrie and love that it’s a series created by a woman. I am hoping to watch all the videos at some point but I often pause and restart them due to the natural interruptions that occur when raising young children.
The Bible Project Genesis videos – I love that these videos are thorough and that the creators have produced one for each book of the Bible. These are great for getting a general overview of a book as well as an understanding for how it connects to the rest of the Bible.
