The Book of Genesis is the foundation of the biblical canon. It introduces the concepts of creation, covenant, sin, redemption, and chosen families. Because it is so foundational, it is also a book with which we have high familiarity. We know the stories of Eden, Noah’s Ark, and Joseph’s coat.
However, familiarity can lead to shallow reading. We skim over the text, assuming we know its lessons, and miss the profound theological and philosophical questions being raised.
To help you study this book with fresh eyes, we have compiled 10 Socratic questions for Genesis, mapping directly to the prompts and moral sliders available in Embernacle’s Socratic study lens.
1. Genesis 1: The Standard of Creation
- The Text: “God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:10)
- Socratic Inquiry: What is the standard of “goodness” being established here? Is something good because God declares it so, or does God declare it so because it aligns with a prior standard of goodness? How does this set the stage for all biblical morality?
2. Genesis 2: The Command and Free Will
- The Text: “You must not eat from the tree…” (Genesis 2:17)
- Socratic Inquiry: If God desired perfect obedience, why place the tree in the garden at all? What does the existence of the boundary suggest about the relationship God desires with humanity? Can love or obedience exist without the capacity to choose otherwise?
3. Genesis 3: The Nature of Deception
- The Text: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1)
- Socratic Inquiry: The serpent does not deny God’s words; he questions their intent and boundaries. What does this suggest about the nature of moral compromise? Why is intellectual questioning of divine commands presented as the entry point for human rebellion?
4. Genesis 4: Brotherly Responsibility
- The Text: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
- Socratic Inquiry: Cain asks this as a rhetorical defense. If we answer Cain’s question with “yes,” what are the limits of our responsibility to others? How does this question echo throughout the rest of the Genesis narratives of family division?
5. Genesis 9: The Sign of the Covenant
- The Text: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds…” (Genesis 9:13)
- Socratic Inquiry: A covenant is a legal and spiritual contract. Why does God, an omnipotent being, choose to bind Himself to a promise with creation? What does this act of divine self-limitation suggest about the nature of God’s authority?
6. Genesis 12: The Abrahamic Selection
- The Text: “I will make you into a great nation…” (Genesis 12:2)
- Socratic Inquiry: Why Abraham? Genesis does not state that Abraham was selected for his moral perfection. What does this suggest about the doctrine of election? Is Abraham selected for his own benefit, or to serve a broader purpose for humanity?
7. Genesis 15: The Covenant Ceremony
- The Text: “A smoking firepot and a blazing torch passed between the pieces.” (Genesis 15:17)
- Socratic Inquiry: In ancient near-eastern treaties, both parties walked between the split animals, stating: “May this happen to me if I break this covenant.” In Abraham’s vision, only God (represented by the torch) passes through. What is the logical consequence of this unilateral commitment? Who bears the penalty if Abraham’s descendants break the covenant?
8. Genesis 22: The Sacrifice of Isaac
- The Text: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love…” (Genesis 22:2)
- Socratic Inquiry: Use the Moral Slider in Embernacle for this passage. How do you weigh Abraham’s trust in God against his moral duty as a parent? If God opposes human sacrifice (as stated later in the law), why command it here? What is the pedagogical purpose of this test?
9. Genesis 32: Wrestling with God
- The Text: “Jacob wrestled with a man until daybreak.” (Genesis 32:24)
- Socratic Inquiry: Why does the messenger of God struggle with Jacob instead of instantly defeating him? Why is Jacob’s name changed to Israel (“he struggles with God”) as a reward for this struggle? What does this suggest about the role of intellectual and spiritual struggle in the life of faith?
10. Genesis 50: Sovereignty and Moral Agency
- The Text: “You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)
- Socratic Inquiry: If God utilized the brothers’ evil actions to accomplish a good outcome (saving Egypt), does that remove the brothers’ moral guilt? How can an action be simultaneously evil in its human intent and good in its divine purpose?
Moving Beyond Simple Reading
Using these questions as you read through Genesis in Embernacle will train your mind to look past the surface narrative. You will begin to see Genesis not just as a collection of children’s stories, but as a profound, challenging exploration of human nature, ethics, and the character of God.