Genesis

Bible Study: Genesis 48-50

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning – Winston Churchill – 1942

These are the words of Winston Churchill in the early days of WWII. As we complete our study of the book of Genesis, I feel the same way. Genesis (Hebrew Bereshit) means “in the beginning”. This book provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible. In it we have the creation account, the fall and the early judgment of mankind. I have called these judgments “God’s acts to limit the expression of evil through mankind”. Following these judgments, we have the revelation of the beginning of the redemption process which has now been working out in the human community for 4000 years. Again, Genesis gives us the basic foundation for what will follow. God made a covenant with three successive generations of his elect family: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He brought the infant nation (at this point an extended family) into Egypt which served as an incubator for Israel. Finally, God revealed how the two leading tribes, Judah and Joseph, came to be in leadership positions and that ultimate redemption would be accomplished through Judah.

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Bible Study: Genesis 44-47

Bible Study

As noted in previous studies, the latter section of the book of Genesis is prophetic in nature (chapters 37-50). The future leadership of the nation of Israel is described hundreds of years before the fact. Joseph is a unique type of Messiah. His descendants, Ephraim and Manasseh will become leaders of the northern tribes of Israel. Judah, on the other hand, will be the dominant tribe in the south. Through Judah, God will preserve a remnant to complete His purpose of redemption. Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. Even though the division of Israel between Judah and Joseph is only temporarily healed from time to time during the first kingdom era (1447 – 586 BC/BCE), the unification of the whole house of Israel will be accomplished in the diaspora. Ezekiel prophesied of this unification (Ezekiel 37:15-23).

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Bible Study: Genesis 41-44

Bible Study

The portion of the Bible recorded from Genesis 37-50 gives an account of the character of two men, Judah and Joseph. This is prophecy because it provides the foundation for subsequent leadership in Israel. When Israel finally possessed the land following the Exodus, the tribes of Judah and Joseph received the territory of the central highlands from the Judean wilderness north to the Jezreel valley. This is the area of the land that is most significant from a spiritual standpoint. It is referred today in the international media as the “Israeli occupied West Bank”. It is, without doubt, the most highly contested real estate in the world. During the First Kingdom era (1447 – 586 BC/BCE), the tribes of Israel were most often divided into two groups; Judea in the South and Israel (Joseph through Ephraim) in the North. Ultimately, Judea was predicted to be the primary vessel of redemption (see Jacob’s prophecy – Genesis 49:8-10).

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Bible Study: Genesis 37-40

Bible Study

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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Genesis

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