Bible Study

Bible Study: Genesis 37-40

The book of Genesis is prophetic in nature. The theme from chapter 12 through 36 is God’s interaction with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God established His election through these three witnesses. Later when God called Moses at Mt. Sinai, He declared that His eternal, memorial name was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:15). From Genesis chapter 37 through chapter 50, God’s elect vessel is the infant nation of Israel rather than individual patriarchs. The book is prophetic in nature because it outlines the leadership within the nation of Israel for the future. We have an account of events in the lives of Judah and Joseph. These would become the leading tribes of the nation of Israel. The prophetic promises and hence God’s work of redemption would be carried out primarily through these two tribes.

According to the tradition of the time, tribal authority and the double blessing would go to the firstborn son. The firstborn son of Jacob and Leah was Reuben. Reuben eliminated himself from leadership and the blessing by sleeping with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. (Genesis 35:22) Jacob’s second-born, Simeon, and his third-born, Levi, both eliminated themselves in the matter concerning their sister Dinah at Shechem. (Genesis 34:1-31). Judah was next in line. On the other hand, Joseph was the firstborn son to Jacob and Rachel. In the remaining chapters of Genesis both Judah and Joseph are shown to be worthy of tribal leadership (Judah) and the double blessing (Joseph).

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Bible Study: Genesis 32-36

Bible Study

Last week’s study dealt with Jacob’s travel to Haran and his time there working for his uncle Laban. I consider this to be the first dispersion. Jacob spent 20 years there. This week’s study deals with Jacob’s return to the land of promise. Indeed, the vessel of promise returned to the land of promise. This is in accordance with the promise God made to Jacob at Bethel.

“And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

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Bible Study: Genesis 28-31

Bible Study

The contrast between Esau and Jacob is illustrated in this section of the Bible. Both are 77 years old. Esau took wives from the Canaanites. Jacob remained unmarried. Isaac instructed Jacob to flee to Haran until his brother’s anger subsided. Also Jacob was instructed not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan but instead go to the homeland and take a wife from there. Jacob complied with his parents wishes. Esau took another wife, this time from the line of Ishmael, to further irritate his parents. This helps explain why we read, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Romans 9:13b).

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Bible Study: Genesis 25-28

Bible Study

We have seen that God began laying down the prophetic picture of the “special son” through Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. The account includes prophecies of the unique conception of the “special son”, of his being offered as a special sacrifice on Mt. Moriah, and, if we can receive it, his resurrection. In Isaac’s case, he was spared from death and raised up at the last moment and a ram was substituted for him on the altar. Finally, we see the prophecy of the calling of a “special bride” for the “special son” which we maintain is a picture of the Holy Spirit calling the church to be joined to the resurrected Jesus.

In this section of the Bible the subject shifts from the revealing of the “special son” to the establishment of the covenant line. There is a brief description of Isaac’s encounter with God and than a rapid refocus on Jacob. God would develop the account of the covenant line through Jacob.

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Bible Study: Genesis 23-25 – The Life of Sarah

Bible Study

In this Torah section, we see the transition of the Biblical account from Abraham the Isaac. After Sarah died and was buried at Machpelah in Kiriath Arba, the account shifts immediately to the story of Isaac. Abraham is the most famous individual of the ancient world and if this were a normal historical account of his life, there would be much more detail of his life following Sarah’s death. Later, we do have a brief account of his marriage to Keturah and his death and burial. This is not just a historical account, it is Biblical revelation, so the subject shifts immediately to the next instrument of revelation, Isaac.

Sarah died at the age of 127. Abraham was 137 and Isaac was 37 years old. Abraham had become a rich man with many flocks and servants. Burials would typically be in caves, so Abraham sought to buy the field and cave belonging to Ephron the Hittite. The plot was sold to him for 400 shekels of silver. This is one of the oldest accounts of a financial transaction for land purchase in the land of Israel. Later, Jacob would buy land at Shechem (Genesis 33:19) and David would buy the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (Jerusalem – II Samuel 24:24). These three sites connect the people of Israel to the land of Israel for 4000 years. These three sites are in the area of the mountain ridge running from Shechem to Hevron. Within this area the vast majority of Biblical revelation has occurred.

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Bible Study: Genesis 18-22

Bible Study

From the very beginning as God initiated His plan of redemption, He began to lay down a pattern of revelation about a “special son”. The wisdom of God is such that He often reveals His plan by developing a series of patterns instead of directly stating His intentions. I assume that this is due to the fact that He well knows the human capacity to wrongly interpret something that is being said. He lays down a pattern, repeats it in different ways so that a discerning heart and soul can understand what is being communicated. This is true concerning Abraham and the promise of a “special son”.

“for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.” (Genesis 13:15-16)

Still, Abram and Sarai remained childless for another 25 years.

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