Before we dive into reading chronologically, let's look at a couple of things:

Before creation, God planned for our redemption! Even then, Jesus knew He would come to earth to die for us! [Read these verses listed below]:

• I Peter 1:18
• Ephesians 3:10-11
• Psalm 40:6-8
• Hebrews 10:5-10 

These next verses teach us that the God-head [Father/Son/Holy Spirit] were in existence before Genesis 1:

• John 1:1-3
• I Corinthians 8:6
• Colossians 1:16,17
• Acts 17:24-29

And lastly, this Scripture is a preview of the events we read about in Genesis:

• Hebrews 11 1-22

Next, I'd like us to think about these questions:

Who the author was and anything we might be able to find out about him or his background.

Who the audience of the book is: Jews or Gentiles? Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians? This will help us understand the author’s purpose and approach to what he’s writing.

What kind of biblical literature we’re looking at. We approach books of history differently than books of wisdom, books of wisdom differently than books of prophecy, etc.

What the purpose of the book is. Was it written to encourage? Rebuke? Warn?

What the historical backdrop is for the book. Is Israel at war? At peace? In exile? Under a bad king? Good king? Understanding the historical events surrounding a piece of writing help us understand what was written and why it was written.

When the book was written. Where does the book fall on the timeline of biblical history? This is especially important for Old Testament books which are not always arranged in chronological order.

So this week, before we start studying the actual text of the book of Genesis, we need to lay the foundation to understanding the book by finding the answers to these questions.

We will also we refer to some scriptures that tell us of plans that were made by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit before the world was created. Then we will turn to Genesis and parallel passages that teach us of earth's early history. And then, we will begin the reading of the book of Job, since it fits into the same time as the life of Abraham.