Outline of Genesis

1. The Creation (1:1-2:3)
2. The Second Chaos: Man’s Fall and Its Results (2:4-4:26)
3. The Reign of Sin and Death (5:1-6:8)
4. The Flood: De-creation and Re-creation (6:9-9:29)
5. The Nations: Cursed, Confused, Scattered (10:1-11:9)
6. The Beginning of God’s Blessing for the World (11:10-26) 
7. The Promise of Blessing to Abraham and Seed (11:27-25:11)
8. The Dealings of God with Ishmael (25:12-18)
9. The Development of the Promise Through Abraham’s Seed (25:19-35:29)
10. The Dealings of God with Esau (twice) (36:1-8; 36:9-37:1)
11. The Preservation and Prospering of the Promise Through Abraham’s Seed (37:2-50:26).

This structure points us to the theme and purpose of the book.

Theme: Creation and Blessing

Purpose: To show how God worked through covenant blessings to restore the creation blessing. In other words, Genesis reveals how God related to a particular people with the goal of undoing the curse of human sin and blessing the world.