Illustrations from Genesis

The Light on Bell Rock

For centuries, the Bell Rock reef off Scotland's eastern coast was a graveyard. Submerged at high tide and barely visible at low, the jagged stone...

⛪LensLines™(324)📖Stories & Illustrations(121)📝Commentary(74)🎬Movie Analogies(37)👤Character Profiles(18)

PreviousPage 19 of 25Next

Browse Genesis by Content Type

📝

Need a full sermon?

SermonWise.ai generates complete sermon outlines for any passage across 17 theological traditions. Try it with Genesis.

Generate a sermon →

Sermon Illustration

The Stranger at Mile 22

In 2018, marathon runner Katharina Steinruck hit the wall at mile 22 of the Frankfurt Marathon. Her legs cramped. Her vision blurred. She had been...

Genesis 14:18-20Universal

Genesis 3:9-15, 20Universal

The Search Party That Never Gave Up

On March 15, 2014, a three-year-old boy named Ryker Webb wandered away from his family's home in Troy, Montana. For two days, search teams combed...

Genesis 5:1-32Roman CatholicThe dignity of the human person as created in the image of GodOriginal Sin and the need for redemption

Roman Catholic Lens Commentary: Genesis 5:1-32

We read Genesis 5:1-32 as an account that emphasizes the continuity and faithfulness of God’s plan throughout generations. This genealogy, beginning with Adam and leading to Noah, highlights the dignity of human life created in the image of God, as the text begins with 'This is the book of the gener

Genesis 17:1-27TraditionalThe sovereignty of God - His divine initiative in establishing the covenant.Covenant theology - The unfolding of God's redemptive plan through covenants.

Traditional Lens Commentary: Genesis 17:1-27

We read Genesis 17:1-27 as a pivotal moment in the Abrahamic covenant, where God Almighty — El Shaddai — reiterates His promises to Abraham and institutes circumcision as the covenant sign. This passage underscores the sovereignty of God in choosing Abraham to be the father of many nations and the p

Genesis 32Traditionalsanctificationthe sovereignty of God

Traditional Lens Commentary: Genesis 32

We read Genesis 32 as a powerful narrative of Jacob's wrestling with God, which symbolizes the struggle of faith and the transformative encounter with the divine that leads to a new identity. Jacob's wrestling is not merely a physical struggle but a profound spiritual encounter that results in his r

Genesis 3Pentecostalspiritual warfareserpent

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up: Life Alert

Illustration using the iconic Life Alert commercial "I've fallen and I can't get up" to describe the helplessness and hopelessness of humanity after the Fall.

Genesis 3:8-10Universal

Movie Analogy

The Conjuring: Spiritual Warfare Against the Serpent - Pentecostal (Genesis 3)

Imagine a quiet, unassuming farmhouse nestled in the heart of New England, surrounded by endless fields that sway in the gentle breeze of autumn. The leaves are ablaze with color, yet inside the old wooden walls, a darkness looms—a shadow...

adults

Movie Analogy

The Mission: Concupiscence and the Struggle Against Sin - Catholic (Genesis 3)

In the powerful film *The Mission*, we meet Rodrigo Mendoza, a man ensnared in a life of greed and violence as a slave trader. His world is one of chains and cruelty, where the cries of the oppressed echo through...

Genesis 3Universal

Genesis 50TraditionalProvidence of GodTypology of Christ

Traditional Lens Commentary: Genesis 50

In Genesis 50, we read this chapter as the culmination of God's providential plan through the life of Joseph. We see Joseph's forgiveness of his brothers and his acknowledgment of God's sovereign hand in transforming evil intentions into a divine purpose for good. This passage affirms our belief in

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18Universal

The Co-Signer Who Took It All

In 2019, a single mother named Maria Gonzalez walked into a credit union in San Antonio, Texas, hoping to secure a small loan to start...

The Mark That Meant Mercy

On June 24, 1859, a young Swiss businessman named Henry Dunant stumbled onto the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in northern Italy. Nearly forty...

Genesis 2:4-25ReformedCovenant of WorksFederal Headship

Reformed (Presbyterian) Lens Commentary: Genesis 2:4-25

We read Genesis 2:4-25 as a foundational text revealing the covenant of works established with Adam, the first federal head of humanity. This passage highlights the creation of man in God's image and sets forth the original calling to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Adam's role in the garden anti

Genesis 1:27Universaldignityequality

Historical

A Voice That Would Not Be Denied

On May 29, 1851, a tall, weathered woman rose from the pews of the Old Stone Church in Akron, Ohio. The Women's Rights Convention had...

Genesis 49:1-27TraditionalThe sovereignty of God in historyChrist as the fulfillment of the Old Testament

Traditional Lens Commentary: Genesis 49:1-27

We read Genesis 49:1-27 as a prophetic blessing by Jacob over his sons, which not only reflects the future tribes of Israel but also speaks to the unfolding redemptive history culminating in Christ. The passage is a tapestry of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, illustrating how God works

The Flag on the Mailbox

After Hurricane Katrina swallowed everything Margaret Boudreaux owned in the Lower Ninth Ward, she stood in ankle-deep mud and told her grown children she was...

The Landlord Who Tore Up the Lease

In 2019, a landlord named David Perez in San Antonio bought a small apartment complex on Guadalupe Street — twelve units, mostly elderly tenants on...

Genesis 5:1-32Traditionaloriginal sinsubstitutionary atonement

Traditional Lens Commentary: Genesis 5:1-32

We read Genesis 5:1-32 as a genealogical account that underscores God's faithfulness in preserving a godly line from Adam to Noah. This passage provides a historical framework that emphasizes the reality of human mortality due to sin, yet also highlights the promise of life through those who 'walked

Science Illustration: Learning from Failure

A scientist named Dr. Emily Hartman dedicated her life to understanding the cosmos. With her passion for unraveling the mysteries of the universe, she focused on a particular experiment—one that aimed to recreate the very conditions of the Big Bang....

Genesis 1:1-5Universal

Genesis 50Black Churchdivine providencereconciliation and forgiveness

Black Church Tradition Lens Commentary: Genesis 50

We read Genesis 50 as a profound narrative of reconciliation and divine providence, emphasizing how God transforms human intentions for evil into instruments of liberation and blessing. Joseph's journey from the pit to the palace is not just personal triumph but a story of deliverance, echoing the r

Genesis 50Reformedsovereignty of Godprovidence

Reformed (Presbyterian) Lens Commentary: Genesis 50

In Genesis 50, we read Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers as a profound testament to God's sovereign grace at work in redemptive history. Joseph's assertion, 'You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good' (Genesis 50:20), highlights the doctrine of divine sovereignty, where God's decr

Genesis 3:9-15, 20Universal

The Name That Held a Promise

On the morning of April 19, 1995, just hours after the Oklahoma City bombing reduced the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building to rubble, rescue workers...

Movie Analogy

Avatar: The Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9)

In the film *Avatar*, we are transported to the breathtaking world of Pandora, where the Navi people gather in reverence around the magnificent Tree of Souls. Picture this towering, luminescent tree, its bioluminescent roots twinkling like stars in a twilight...

Genesis 2:9Universalcreationconnection