Bible Journaling: The Book of Genesis

This article is part of a series on the topic of Bible Journaling. You can start at the very beginning by reading this post to see how the very first hearers of the Word responded and where wide-margin Bibles started. In this series, we will be using the following simple structure to generate ideas of how to Bible journal each individual book in the Bible.

Through the use of 3 steps we will: 
1. Look up  -  (information) -  encounter God through the Scripture 

2. Look in -  (revelation) - contemplate/reflect on our own lives 

3. Look out - (transformation) - respond with creative worship action 
 

Bible Journaling actually refers to any creative way of engaging the Word. It is about allowing the Holy Spirit to direct you to process what you have read in new and fresh ways. When we Bible Journal, we are allowing the Word to come alive inside your heart (and hands!). 

Join us as we dive into the Word of God and creatively respond to the text together! We will Bible Journal and journey through all 66 books of the Bible with one aim: To be transformed more and more into Christ-likeness.

Genesis

Let’s discover together what this first book in our Bible holds. From the garden of Eden and the promises of Abraham, we will journey through history to find out where the story of God’s wonderful love for his people begins. For a wide overview of the book of Genesis, we suggest you watch this video: 

Bible journaling tip #1:

Create artwork on separate pieces of paper, and insert them as bookmarks into your Bible. This way you can always easily edit them later - this is especially true for perfectionists who struggle to commit to the idea of pasting something into their Bibles that will be there forever!

LOOK UP:
(information)  -  encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

It is widely disputed who exactly wrote this book: some say Moses, and some say that this was actually written after Moses’ lifetime. Older cultures would often tell and retell such stories turning them into oral accounts. But it is not like today where authorship is the most important aspect of a book. This book called Genesis is a combination of such accounts that tells us about the beginning of God’s story with his people. Its authorship is owned by all the people of God, who wanted to remember when they had encounters with him - much like what we do when we Bible Journal.

Audience:

Think about this narrative and how it would have been told and retold as oral narrative while you read. Rewrite a section of the text in a dialogue style to embrace its original oral nature. 

For example:

Person 1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Person 2: “What did the earth look like?”
Person 1: “The earth was…”

History:

The name Genesis literally means “In the beginning…” - Here we read the account of how God created the earth and everything in it. We also read some of the first promises of God.  Throughout the book of Genesis, there is much to learn. This post gives a good overview of what happens in the book as a whole. Jesus famously said that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets (the Old Testament), but rather to fulfill them! Are there any other places where Jesus is spoken about / referred to in the book of Genesis? Highlight the texts that point to Jesus. 

Genre:

This book includes the genres of historical drama, poetry, and prophecy. See if you can find the different parts and write their genre into the margins of your Bible. 'Promises' is not a genre, but since this is the first book in the Bible, this is where a lot of the promises between God and his people originate. Read the promises that God made in Genesis 12, 15, and 17 and see if you can mark where they overlap - do they change?

LOOK IN:
(revelation)  - contemplate/reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

Genesis 15:5-6 NIV

He (God) took him (Abram) outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 

Inspiration:

Draw a few stars and write inside each star a promise that God has spoken over your life. An example can be hidden in the meaning of your name. There are also promises in the Bible for anyone who believes in the name of Jesus! What does this verse say about you today? Do you live as if the promises of God are true for you too?

LOOK OUT:
(transformation)  -  respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Create a little doodle artwork around your favorite verse from the book of Genesis. You can add elements that show the keywords of the book, like a tree for Creation and a speech bubble for Promises. You could bring in elements from nature too, like flower petals and twigs.

Bible Journey with JournalOwl:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the JournalOwl community. 

• How did God create the world? Does it seem like it was difficult for him? What does that tell you about God?
• There are two categories, creator and created. Who is in each category? Why is that significant?

Follow this link to dive into the book of Genesis with an online Bible Study group. 

Writing prompt:

Try to create a haiku that tells the Genesis story of Creation. 
A haiku is a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five. Since haiku traditionally evoke images of the natural world, this is the perfect style of poetry to write about Creation. 

Here is an example:
God, you made the earth
Out of ash, you made man too
Therefore I praise you

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of Genesis. This beautiful story of creation moves my heart. And the beginning of the long story of your faithfulness and promises towards your people helps me to understand your character better. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!