The Theme of Divine Preservation in the Book of Genesis

The story of the Israelites in the Old Testament was a story filled with trials and tribulations that they had to overcome with the help of YHWH. It was only through YHWH’s divine intervention and preservation that Israel survived as a nation. The book of Genesis became the foundation for that story. Throughout the book, YHWH consistently intervened in history to accomplish the plans and promises that He had made to mankind. The problems that arose in the book occurred for a variety of reasons. Some of the problems occurred because of the fallen nature of the world, such as famine and barrenness in wives. Other problems arose because of the fallen nature of the chosen people, such as deception, murder, and rebellion. Still, other problems happened because of a need for YHWH to test the believers in the book, such as the command by YHWH in Genesis 22 to sacrifice Isaac. In each problematic situation, YHWH was able to intervene and preserve the promises that He had made throughout the book, specifically the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. At times, He worked through the patriarchs and those around them to deliver them. (24:1-66, 29:1-35, 31:1-55, 32:1-32, 50:19-21) However, at other times, YHWH acted through direct divine interaction to accomplish this task (12:10-20, 20:1-18, 22:1-19, 25:19-26, 34:1-35:7). This paper will develop the biblical theme of divine preservation that is shown in the book of Genesis through how YHWH was able to overcome every obstacle to his plans and preserve the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s children by tracing the theme of divine presentation throughout the majority of the Book of Genesis (chapters 12-50).