A Study of the
BOOK OF GENESIS
“Now the LORD said to Abram,"Go forth from your
country, and from your relatives, and from your
father's house, to the land which I will show you. And
I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you,
and make your name great; and so you shall be a
blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and
the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all
the families of the earth shall be blessed."”
-Genesis 12:1-3
Fellowship of Christian University Students (FOCUS)
Wildwood Community Church
NOTE: Additional copies of this study may be obtained from “http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/R/
William.R.Reed-1/Bstudies/index.html”
INSTRUCTIONS
This study is formatted to be a daily study of
Genesis to be done over a period of 11 weeks. I have
tried to design questions that will require, on average,
about 5 hours a week to answer. That being said, please
remember that the death of a good Bible study is a
legalistic adherence to a “list” or schedule. Godly
discipline requires a sensitivity to what the Holy Spirit
wants to teach us. If you find yourself being led in a
direction different from where my questions would take
you, forget my questions, and listen to the “higher
authority.” Most of all, enjoy the Word of God. There
is no book like it in all of creation.
Note: I would very much appreciate any suggestions you
might have to improve this study. Feedback on whether the
questions are too vague, take too long to answer, are too
academic, etc. is very much appreciated. Feel free to email
me any thoughts you might have as they come up. My
email address is breed@ou.edu. Thanks!
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BRIEF BACKGROUND NOTES ON GENESIS
Who wrote it? The Book of Genesis does not explicitly identify
who wrote it. Jewish tradition says that Moses was the author.
This view is substantially strengthened by the fact that Jesus also
identified Moses as the author (cf. Mark 12:26, John 5:46).
When was it written? A common dating of the book of Genesis
is between 1440 and 1400 B.C., though other dates have also been
hypothesized.
Where does the name of the book come from? Genesis takes its
name from the first word of the original Hebrew text, which means
“in the beginning of.”
Why was it written? Genesis is the first of five books known as
the “Pentateuch,” which comprise the first five books of the Old
Testament. While there are many themes in Genesis, a key theme
is the idea of “covenants,” special agreements between two parties.
The most important covenants in Genesis are those between God
and man. In these covenants we see God’s character and purposes
revealed. We learn that God created a world designed especially
for man and woman. When humans failed to maintain their part of
the relationship, God began a plan to salvage man from his own
failures, and prepare a way for which the God-man relationship
could be restored. We also see the two great New Testament
themes of “faith” and “grace” previewed in this, the first book of
the Old Testament. And through it all, Genesis supplies tantalizing
“pictures/types” of God’s future plans for mankind. Most
prominent among these is the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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WEEK ONE: Genesis 1:1-2:25
NOTE: It is not the intent of this devotional study to get into the scientific details of
creation. You probably wonder how evolution relates to the Bible’s creation account. To
address this and other issues, we have included a separate, optional section at the end of
this week’s study that tries to anticipate your questions and respond with scientifically
honest answers, along with suggestions for further reading.
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read Genesis 1:1-2:25.
3.
In the space below, briefly summarize the main events/actions/ideas contained in
this week’s Scripture reading. For example, one such summary of Genesis 1:12:25 is given below:
God creates the world in “six days.” When it is first created, the earth is
“formless and empty with darkness on its surface.” From this primordial earth,
God formed the atmosphere, the continents and oceans, and populated the earth
with plant and animal life, and then, finally, created man “in the image of God.”
On the “seventh day,” God “rested.”
The story then zooms in on God’s creation and provision for the first man
and woman. God prepares a “garden” for them in the land of Eden. He first
creates man, and then has man name all the animals. In doing so, man discovers
that there is no animal that can be a “suitable helper’ for him. So God creates
woman. The account closes with man and woman naked before God and
unashamed.
Write your own summary in the space below.
A summary is a great way for you to process through the Scriptures. It focuses
you on the main points of the text. It can then serve as your starting point for
asking God to explain to you “what it all means.” What did YOU identify as the
main points of Genesis 1:1-2:25?
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 1:1-2:25 again.
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Biblical Note #1: Note the perspective of the narrative that begins in 1:2. The
Spirit of God is hovering over the surface of the waters on the face of the earth.
This serves as the indicator to our vantage point for the rest of the creation
account that will follow. It lets us know that the formlessness, emptiness, and
darkness that are described here are what was present on the surface of the earth.
There is no definitive statement about the state of the rest of the universe at this
time. It is quite probable (as we will see later), that in this time “of the
beginning” God had already created the rest of the universe (including the sun,
moon, and stars). It is only the earth and its inhabitants that are here being
created.
Biblical Note #2: Genesis 1:11-13 states that God created plant life on the “third
day” of creation. Genesis 1:14-19 states that God made the sun on the “fourth
day” of creation. But how could plant life exist before the sun was created? The
answer lies in the fact that the sun was created earlier. Most Biblical scholars
believe that the sun, moon, and stars were created before day one, when God
created “the heavens and the earth” in Genesis 1:1. In contrast, Genesis 1:14-19
speaks about an ordering of the interaction of the sun and the earth resulting in
“seasons, days, and years.” But doesn’t it say that God “made” the sun, moon,
and stars on the “fourth day” (Genesis 1:16f.)? It is important to note that Hebrew
has no past perfect tense. Thus, 1:16 could just as well be translated, “God had
made two great lights…” See the footnote below for a more detailed discussion.1
1
The following discussion comes from the NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Software:
“The narration of events on the fourth day raises several questions. If the text states that the sun, moon, and
stars were created on the fourth day, how could "the heavens and the earth," which would have included the
sun, moon, and stars, have been created "in the beginning" (v. 1)? … Were there plants and vegetation on
the land (created on the third day) before the creation of the sun? A common viewpoint is that though "the
heavens and the earth" were created "in the beginning," they were not completed until the fourth day or
were even possibly obscured by the waters until the fourth day.
There is another way to look at this text that provides a coherent reading of Genesis 1:1 and 1:1418. First, if "the heavens and the earth" means "universe" or "cosmos," as is most probable, then (as already
suggested) the whole of the universe--including the sun, moon, and stars--was created "in the beginning"
and not on the fourth day.
The second step concerns the syntax of v. 14. Verse 6 suggests that when God said, "Let there be
an expanse," he was in fact creating an expanse where there was none previously ("creation out of
nothing"). So clearly the author intended to say that God created the expanse on the second day. In v. 14,
however, God does not say, "Let there be lights . . . to separate," as if there were no lights before this
command and afterward the lights were created. Rather the Hebrew text reads, "And God said, `Let the
lights in the expanse of the sky separate.'" In other words, God's command assumes that the lights were in
existence and that in response to his command they were given a purpose, namely, "to separate the day
from the night" and "to mark seasons and days and years."
A third observation comes from the structure of vv. 15-16. At the end of v. 15, the author recounts,
"and it was so." This expression marks the end of the author's "report" and the beginning of his "comment."
Thus v. 16 is not an account of the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day but a remark that
draws out the significance of what has previously been recounted: "So God [and not anyone else] made the
lights and put them into the sky" (personal translation). Behind this narrative is a concern on the part of the
author to emphasize that God alone created the lights of the heavens, and thus no one else (and certainly no
other god) is to be given the glory and honor due only to him.”
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Biblical Note #3: Genesis 2:4 does not begin another creation account! There is
only one creation account in Genesis. Genesis 2:4a (“This is the account of the
heavens and the earth when they were created”) is viewed by many scholars as the
concluding statement of the creation account that began in Genesis 1:1. Genesis
2:4bf. focuses on God’s provision for man in the garden of Eden.
Biblical Note #4: Genesis 2:5,6 make it sound like there were no plants before
man, yet the creation account of Chapter 1 clearly states that plant life was created
on the “third day”, and man was created later on the “sixth day.” What gives?
Genesis 2:5,6 refers to “cultivated” plants. “Vegetation” was created on “day
three.” “Plants” and “shrubs of the field,” i.e., cultivated plants, did not come into
being until after the creation of man.
3.
What observations do you have of Genesis 1:1-2:25? What most stands out to
you about what you read this week?
What observations do YOU have?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
For example, you might ask, “What was God’s purpose in creating “the heavens
and the earth?”
Write your questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your
question(s).
What questions do YOU have?
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 1:1-2:25 again.
3.
Write down every verse that communicates something about the character of God,
along with a brief statement summarizing that truth. For example, Genesis 1:1
teaches that God existed before “the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:3 teaches
that God is so powerful He made “light” merely by speaking it into existence.
You take it from here!
Genesis 1:1: God existed before “the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:2: God has a “Spirit.”
Genesis 1:3: God is so powerful he made “light” merely by speaking it into
existence.
Genesis 1:4: God is purposeful; He created the world for a purpose, and
desires His creation to be “good.”
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Genesis 1:6: God is patient; He created the world in stages, over time.
Genesis 1:25: God wanted to have creatures who were made “in His own
image.”
Genesis 1:27: Both men and women were created in God’s image, suggesting
that God has both a male and female “side” to Him.
Genesis 1:29,30: God created plants and animals for man’s benefit, simply
because He wants to.
Genesis 2:2: God “rested” from His work.
Genesis 2:3: God “sanctified” the day of rest, which suggests that “rest”
illustrates an important characteristic of God.
Genesis 2:16: God issues commands, administering serious consequences
when they are not obeyed.
Genesis 2:18: God is sensitive to man’s condition; He knew that man needed
“a helper.”
Genesis 2:21: God has a deep understanding of the nature of man, as
evidenced by the fact woman is such a good fit for man.
Genesis 2:24: God designed families as the essential social unit, suggesting
that there is something about the family unit that reflects the
unity/diversity of God.
4.
Several commentators note that when Genesis states “And God saw that it was
good” (e.g. Genesis 1:10b), it means that God affirmed that His creation was
good/beneficial for man.2 What do you think about this interpretation? Does it
seem reasonable? What insight does this give this into the character of God?
I believe this is a reasonable interpretation. The Hebrew word that is translated
“good” can also be interpreted as having the meaning “worthwhile.” In other
words, it is “good” because it is “good for something.” Further, there is no
mistaking that the creation account leads up to the creation of man, as if all the
rest of the creation account was just “prelude” to this penultimate event. Thus
it is no stretch to interpret the “goodness” of creation with a view towards its
ultimate serviceability for man.
With respect to the character of God, this interpretation emphasizes the
great value God places on man. God’s ultimate purpose in creating man was
for His own glory (e.g., 2 Corinthians 5:15, 1 Corinthians 6:19,20).
Nevertheless, the creation account reveals that man is God’s most treasured
creation (“we’re His favorites!”).
The NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Software says this, “The "good" (GK H3202) is
that which is beneficial for the human race. On the second day (vv. 6-8) the narrative does not say that
"God saw that it was good," for on that day nothing was created or made that was directly "good" or
beneficial for humankind. The heavens were made and the waters divided, but the land where people were
to dwell remained hidden under the "deep." Only on the third day, when the sea was parted and the dry land
appeared, does the word "good" (GK H3202) again appear (v. 10). Throughout chapter 1 God is depicted as
the one who both knows what is "good" for the human race and is intent on providing the good for them.
Thus the author prepares the reader for the tragedy of chapter 3, where the rebellious attempt by man and
woman to gain the knowledge of "good and evil" for themselves is seen not only as sin but also as folly.”
2
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5.
What is significant about the fact that the creation account of Chapter 1 lists as
God’s final creative act the creation of man (cf. Genesis 1:27)? What insight does
this give into why God created the “heavens and the earth?”
The fact that man is listed as God’s final creative act suggests that the purpose
of the “heavens and the earth” is to provide a place for man. In other words, it
provides biblical support for the “anthropic principle” – the scientific
“observation” that the universe is fine-tuned to support human life.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 2:2,3.
3.
Confirm that at the end of each of the first “six days,” the Bible states, “And there
was evening, and there was morning--the first day,” etc. (cf. Genesis 1:5, 1:8,
1:13; 1:19; 1:23; 1:31). What does the Bible say about the “seventh day?” What
is significant about this?
The Bible does NOT attribute an evening and morning to the “seventh day.”
This suggests that we are still in the “seventh day.”
4.
Genesis 2:2,3 states that God “rested” on the “seventh day.” What insight does
this give us into the character of God?
The fact that God “rested” indicates that God has now completed His work (cf.
Genesis 2:2). From our perspective, history marches on and the struggle
between God’s kingdom and the forces of evil is pitched and ongoing. From
God’s perspective, the struggle is over and the battle is already won.
Perhaps we can understand this better by way of analogy to observing
the behavior of stars in the universe. We are separated in time from events in
the heavens by the time it takes light to travel to our world. By the time our eyes
observe a distant event in the heavens, the event has long passed into history.
In the same way, God has “completed” His creation. He is now resting. Yet
from our perspective, God’s work is still in process, and His creative activity is
still at work.
5A.
God’s rest on the “seventh day” raises the intriguing question of the spiritual
implications of “Sabbath”, or rest. Consider the following verses:
Hebrews 4:8-11a: “For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken
of another day after that. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of
God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his
works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest.”
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Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and
my burden is light.”
John 15:4,5: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the
vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much
fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
5B.
In light of the preceding verses, what does “God’s rest” mean for your life?
Let’s go back to the analogy of Day 4/Question 4. When I look through a
telescope and see a distant star, I know “by faith” that my eyes are tricking me:
The event I am observing occurred long ago, despite the fact that my eyes are
telling me that it is occurring right now.
To enter “God’s rest” is to apply the same kind of faith to the world
around me: “By faith” I know that my eyes are tricking me. In reality, God
has already completed His work, and His battle is won. When I, by faith, trust
that God is the One who has completed the work, and that His will is being
done, then I have entered “His rest.”
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 1:1-2:25 again.
3.
Write down every verse that communicates something about the nature of man,
along with a brief statement summarizing that truth. For example, Genesis 1:27
states that God made man in “His own image.” Genesis 1:28 teaches that man
was created to “subdue” the earth and “rule” over every living thing that moves
on the earth. Now you do the rest!
Genesis 1:25,26: Man is special because, unlike the animals, he is made in
“God’s image.”
Genesis 1:26: God made man to rule over His creation.
Genesis 1:29,30: God set aside the seventh day, presumably for the benefit of
man, indicating that man needs “rest.”
Genesis 2:7: Man contains within himself the “breath of God.”
Genesis 2:8: Man is of sufficient value in God’s eyes that He gave man a
special garden, for man’s benefit.
Genesis 2:18: Men need a “helper.” Woman was created to “help” man.
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4A.
What is the significance of the fact that man was created in “God’s own image?”
The fact that man was made in “God’s image” indicates that man has
something in common with God. There is a part of us that “takes after God.”
What exactly this is, is not explicitly spelled out in the text. However, my own
opinion is that this has something to do with Augustine’s “God-shaped
vacuum.” That is, man was made to have a connection/relationship with God,
and apart from this connection/relationship, man is incomplete.
4B.
What implication does this have for how you view yourself?
The fact that I am made in “God’s image” means that I am, fundamentally, a
spiritual being, made to have relationship with God. When the Scripture says,
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth”
(Colossians 3:2), it is affirming the spiritual nature of my being.
4C.
What implication does this have for how you view your relationship to/with God?
On my end, it is a reminder that I have been created to have relationship with
God. This is why I am here! With respect to God, it is a reminder that He
wants relationship with me. That is why He put me here!
5.
Read Psalm 139:13-16. These verses were written by King David long after the
time of Adam and Eve. What do they have to say about how God views YOU?
God not only put me here for relationship, but He has made me the way that I
am. He uniquely fashioned me according to His plans for my life. I am His
handiwork. Thus, I can be encouraged in who I am.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 2:15.
Biblical Note #1: The Hebrew word that is translated “put” in Genesis 2:15 has
the idea of rest/safety associated with it. For example, the same Hebrew word is
translated “rest” in Joshua 23:1: “Now it came about after many days, when the
LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side…”
Biblical Note #2: The NASB and NIV translations state that man was put into the
garden to “cultivate it” (NASB) / “work it” (NIV). However, this can be
misleading. The first mention of difficult/frustrating work comes after the Fall,
when man was forced to get his food through “painful toil” (Genesis 3:17) and by
the “sweat of his brow” (cf. Genesis 3:19). In contrast, the garden in which God
originally placed man was abundant with fruit-bearing trees. Thus, while there
was work to do in the garden, it was of a different kind than what awaited man
outside the garden.
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It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word translated “cultivate/work” is
most frequently translated “worship/serve” elsewhere in the Bible. For this
reason, some commentators advise that a better interpretation of Genesis 2:15 has
the idea of God putting man in the garden for the primary purpose of worshipping
and serving Him.3
3A.
Read Genesis 2:18-24.
Biblical Note: Genesis 2:18 states that woman is created to be a “suitable helper”
for man. This may sound demeaning to women, but it is not. The Hebrew word
for “helper” (“`ezer”) appears 21 times in the Old Testament. Fifteen of those
times it refers to God (e.g., Psalms 33:20, 70:5, and 115:9)! Thus, the emphasis
in Genesis 2 is not on woman in a subservient role, but on her partnership with
man in the tasks that God has for them in the world, though in complementary
roles.
3B.
Genesis 2:18-24 recounts for us the creation of woman, as a separate and distinct
event from the creation of man. Why do you think God included this separate
account of the creation of woman? Why not just say that God created people?
Why the details?
I think this separate account of woman was included so that we would have a
proper understanding of the role of men and women as God intended them to
relate to each other (see next question).
3C.
What do you think God wants us to learn about the relationship between
man/woman/marriage from these verses in Genesis?
With respect to the relationship between men and women, I think the two key
things are (i) God gave women to men to help them in their task of serving God;
and (ii) woman was created out of man. From (i) we learn that man needs help
from woman, and woman needs to help man. This paints a picture of mutual
dependency. From (ii) we learn that when a man looks at his wife, he should
see something of himself in her. Ephesians 5:28 states: “So husbands ought
also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife
loves himself.” Indeed, from the Genesis account, we see that there is a sense
in which a wife comes from her husband’s body. Thus, a man should care for
3
The NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Software says this, “Most translations have "to
work it and take care of it." Although that translation is as early as the LXX (2d century. B.C.), there are
serious objections to it. For one, the suffixed pronoun in the Hebrew text rendered "it" in English is
feminine, whereas the noun "garden" is masculine. Only by changing the pronoun to a masculine singular,
as the LXX has done, can it have the sense of the English Versions, namely "to work" and "to keep."
Moreover, later in this same narrative (3:23) "to work the ground" is said to be a result of the Fall, and the
narrative suggests that the author had intended such a punishment to be seen as an ironic reversal of the
man's original purpose. If such was the case, then "working" and "keeping" the garden would not provide a
contrast to "working the ground." In light of these objections, a more suitable translation would be "to
worship and to obey."
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his wife at least to the same degree that he would care for himself. Both (i) and
(ii) place a high calling on the relationship between men and women.
How about the issue of woman being created to be a “helper” for man?
Isn’t that demeaning to women? It could be, if the biblical picture was one of
women being inadequate or in some sense inferior to men. However, the
picture is the opposite: man is pictured as being inadequate on his own, needing
a helper.
While it is true that there is an implied subordination in roles, this is not
because of any inherent inferiority in woman or superiority in man. It is, in
fact, consistent with the biblical principle of submission. While Christian
teaching usually devotes little time to this topic, the Bible teaches that all of us
are called by God to be involved in relationships as submissive partners.
Children are under the authority of their parents (Ephesians 6:1), church
members are under the authority of their leaders (Hebrews 13:17), and younger
men are to be subject to their elders (1 Peter 5:5). Even Christ, God the Son,
while in nowise inferior to God the Father, is subject to Him (1 Corinthians
15:27,28).
4A.
Read Genesis 2:4b-2:25.
4B.
In your own words, describe man’s “original calling.” That is, describe what life
was supposed to be like for man and woman in the garden.
Man was created to have a special place in God’s world. He was created to be a
steward of that world, and to worship God by serving Him and fellowshipping
with Him in the garden.
4C.
Does this understanding of mankind’s “original calling” affect how you view your
life today? Should it? Elaborate in the space below.
Having a clear picture of mankind’s “original calling” encourages me to keep
in mind the purpose for which God created me: To worship Him both by
devotion to relationship with Him, and by service in being a steward of His
world.
5.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
I have been greatly encouraged this week in being reminded that God created
me with a purpose in mind. My life was not intended to be an exercise in
aimless wandering. Rather, God has given me this life for the specific purpose
of worshipping Him through personal devotion and service. Let me see today,
this very day, as a gift from Him, and use it for His glory!
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APPENDICES TO WEEK ONE:
Over the next few pages, you will find two articles from two different Evangelical
Christians regarding an understanding of the Genesis 1 passage correlated with modern
scientific evidence for the age of the earth. The first article is from Dr. Mike Strauss,
Wildwood elder, and professor of Physics at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Strauss
will present a view of creation that views the earth as “old” with the days of creation
being seven periods of time, as opposed to seven 24 hour days. The second article is
from James Stambaugh, a graduate of Grace Seminary. Rev. Stambaugh wrote this
article in correlation with the Institute for Creation Research, and presents a view of the
earth as “young” with the days of creation being seven 24 hour days. Wildwood
Community Church does not have an official position on the age of the earth. We ask
that you read these articles and think through this issue for yourself. This is not the most
critical issue for Christians today, and should not be a cause for division in the Body of
Christ. On this issue good evangelical Christians hold to both positions. Understanding
these truths, however, can help in correlating Biblical truth with information we process
in this world pertaining to creation.
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Genesis, Science, and Creation
Mike Strauss, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics, University of Oklahoma
© 2005
In this brief article, I will present different Biblical views on the creation account held by
evangelical Christians. Still, the conclusions are my personal beliefs based on over 20
years of studying the Biblical record and the record of nature. Certainly, other
Christians have come to different conclusions.
When looking at the Biblical story of creation from a scientific point of view, it is
important to carefully observe what the Bible actually says and what it doesn’t say. At
times, people have set up entire doctrines of creation based on false ideas about what the
Bible says. The main thrust of the story of creation is that God created everything by his
divine power based on his divine will. Many of the details of the story are not described.
It would be impossible to describe the details of the creation of everything in the universe
in a short one page description, like that in Genesis.
This short article will focus on answering a few questions: 1) When did God
create the heavens and the earth? 2) What do the days of Genesis refer to? 3) Is the order
of creation in Genesis consistent with current scientific ideas? 4) What about evolution?
In regards to the first question, the Bible simply does not say when God created
the heavens and the earth. The Biblical scholar C. I. Scofield writes, “Scripture gives no
data for determining how long ago the universe was created.”4 However, there are two
major views among Bible-believing Christians regarding the age of the universe and the
earth. Some Christians, “Young Earth Creationists (YEC),” believe that the earth was
created about six to ten thousand years ago, while other Christians, “Old Earth
Creationists (OEC),” believe that the universe and the earth were created billions of years
ago.
The YEC idea is based primarily on two assumptions. The first is that the
genealogies in Genesis are complete with no missing generations, and the second is that
the days of creation in Genesis are each 24 hours. Both of these assumptions are not
necessarily correct. By comparing different Biblical passages that record the same
genealogies, it is obvious that Hebrew genealogies are incomplete. For instance, the
genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:8 skips at least three generations, Ahaziah, Joash, and
Amaziah that are recorded in 2 Chronicles 21-26. The genealogy of Genesis 11 skips
Cainan (who was a descendent of Arphachshad). Compare the genealogy of Jesus in
Luke 3:35, which lists Cainan, with the genealogy in Genesis 11:10-12 that does not list
Cainan. Genesis states “…when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of
Arphachshad…. When Arphachshad had lived 35 years he became the father of
Shelah….” It is apparent that even when the father’s age is given, the son is not
necessarily the immediate offspring of the father, but rather a descendent of the father.
As C.I. Scofield says, “Genesis 11:10 means that, when Shem was 100 years old, his wife
bore a child who was either Arphachshad or an ancestor to Arpachshad. Many links in
the chain of ancestry may have been left unmentioned.” So although the Biblical
genealogies record a chain of ancestors all the way back to Adam and Eve, the Bible does
4
All quotes from C.I. Scofield come from comments in The New Scofield Reference Bible, 1967.
14
not say when Adam and Eve lived because the chain of ancestors is not complete, but
could have many, many gaps.
The answer to the second major question, “what do the days of Genesis refer to”
plays an important role in determining whether or not the Bible gives any information
about the age of the earth. The Hebrew word yom, translated “day” has many different
meanings, just like the English word “day.” Scofield says, “The word ‘day’ is used in
Scripture in four ways: (1) that part of the solar day of twenty-four hours which is light
(…); (2) a period of twenty-four hours (…) (3) a time set apart for some distinctive
purpose, as ‘day of atonement’ (…); and (4) a longer period of time during which certain
revealed purposes of God are to be accomplished (…). Cp. Gen 2:4, where the word
‘day’ covers the entire work of creation.” In English we have these same meanings. If I
say that something happened in George Washington’s day, I mean a period of time when
George Washington lived. It is perfectly reasonable to interpret the days of Genesis as
long periods of time. In fact, ancient Hebrew has no other word that could be translated
“era” or “epic” except yom. The word yom is so widely used in Hebrew to mean a period
of time that there are even instances when the various days are numbered (i.e. day one,
day two, etc.), and the days in question still refer to a long period of time, (cf. Hosea 6:2
and Zechariah 14:6-8). The Presbyterian Church of America has done a very thorough
study on the possible meaning of the “days” of creation and has identified ten possible
interpretations of Genesis one (see http://www.pcanet.org/history/creation/report.html).
Nine of the ten possible interpretations are compatible with OEC. One of the translators
of the New American Standard Bible, Gleason Archer, insists that the days of creation
can not be 24 hours. He writes, “On the basis of internal evidence, it is this writer's
conviction that yom in Genesis one could not have been intended by the Hebrew author to
mean a literal twenty-four-hour day.”5
Even the phrase “evening and morning” in Genesis does not necessarily imply
that the days of creation are 24 hours since the terms “evening” and “morning” are often
used in Hebrew to indicate a beginning and ending, just as we would say, “the dawn of a
new era” which means “the beginning of a new era.” There are other passages in the
Bible that mention both evening and morning in the very same verse, where these terms
do not refer to an actual 24 hour day. For instance, in Psalm 90 Moses uses evening and
morning metaphorically to mean the beginning and ending of a human’s life. Of course,
Moses is also the author of Genesis so it makes sense that he could have used evening
and morning to mean a beginning and an ending in both Genesis and Psalms. C. I.
Scofield says, “The use of ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ may be held to limit ‘day’ to the solar
day; but the frequent parabolic use of natural phenomena may warrant the conclusion that
it simply means that each creative day was a period of time marked off by a beginning
and ending (cp. Ps 90:6).” Because we do not know how long the days of Genesis are,
we cannot know when God created the heavens and the earth. The bottom line answer to
questions (1) and (2), “when did God create the heavens and the earth,” and “what do the
days of Genesis refer to” is that we do not know. The Bible is ambiguous about the
answer to both questions.
However, the Bible is clear in stating that the record of nature declares God’s
power and reveals his character, (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20). So possibly the best place
to look when trying to answer the question of when God created the heavens and the
5
Gleason Archer: A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 1995.
15
earth is by looking at the record of nature. The amazing thing about nature is that it
reveals a very consistent record regarding the age of the universe through geology,
astronomy, physics, and cosmology. Almost all Christian scientists, and all secular
scientists see an unambiguous answer to the age of the universe. Nature reveals that the
universe is about 14 billion years old and the earth is about 4.5 billion years old. The
young earth creationists believes that both Christian and non-Christian scientists have
completely misunderstood the record of nature and missed all of the signs pointing to a
young universe. Although that is possible, it seems unlikely since Romans 1:20 clearly
states that God has created nature in such a way that it should reveal his character even to
unbelievers, so that “they are without excuse.”
At first glance, the answer to the 3rd question, “Is the order of creation consistent
with current scientific ideas,” may seem to be “no.” After all, in the creation account
both light and plants appear before the sun, which seems to totally contradict all modern
scientific idea. But the key to understanding the story of creation is to notice the
perspective described in Genesis. The story of creation must be told from the perspective
of someone who was there at the creation. It must be told from God’s perspective. Most
people think that God’s perspective would be from outside the universe looking in, but
that is not the case. Genesis itself tells where God is and what his perspective is. Genesis
1:2 states, “And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of
the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” The Spirit of
God is moving, or hovering, over the surface of the waters. He is near the surface of the
earth. The story of creation is told from God’s perspective, on the surface of the planet
earth, not from out in the universe looking down at the planet earth. We must interpret
the events of the six days of creation from God’s perspective on the surface of the earth.
In verse 16, we again see that the story of creation is told from the perspective of
someone on the surface of the earth. The verse says, “God made the two great lights, the
greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night.” These two “great
lights” are, of course, the sun and the moon. But are the sun and the moon really “great
lights?” After all, the sun is just an ordinary star and the moon is a tiny rock in the
cosmos. The two objects only appear as great lights from one place in the whole
universe, from on the earth. The story of creation only makes sense when you realize that
it is told from the perspective of the surface of the earth.
From this perspective on the surface of the earth, the order of events in the story
of Genesis perfectly coincides with the order of events as science understands them. For
instance, Genesis 1:2 tells us the conditions that existed on the surface of the earth, not
those that existed throughout the entire universe. It says that the earth is formless and
void, and darkness is over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God is hovering over
the surface of the earth that is covered with water. Although the universe and the earth
are created in verse 1, most of the story of creation is about what God did to the earth to
prepare it for humans.
Now this condition of being formless and empty, with darkness over the surface
of the earth is identical to current scientific theories about the conditions on the early
earth. When the earth first formed about 4.5 billion years ago, it was formless because it
was still very hot and somewhat fluid. It was void because no life existed on it. It was
dark on its surface because dust and debris in the atmosphere blocked out the sun, moon,
and stars. The sun, moon, and stars, were already created and were in the heavens, but
16
because of dust and debris, they were not visible on the surface of the earth. Just as the
Bible says, we now know that when the earth was first formed, darkness covered its
surface. In outer space it would not have been dark at this time. The sun, moon, and
stars would have been visible. But the Bible doesn’t speak about what the conditions
were like in outer space. The Bible only says that it was dark on the surface of the earth.
We clearly see God’s hand in inspiring these words that it was dark on the surface of the
earth, but not necessarily dark in outer space. This careful attention to detail is quite
noteworthy. Why would the writer of Genesis chose such careful words, that agree with
modern science, unless they are truly inspired of God? If Moses had written that it was
dark throughout the universe, skeptics might have dismissed this account of Genesis as a
fabrication without reading any farther than verse 2. As it is, we have a remarkable
statement about conditions on the earth when God first created it. When we understand
that the story of creation is told from God’s perspective, as he sees it on the surface of the
earth, we see an indication of the inspiration of the Bible and a remarkable agreement
between the words of Scripture and the record of nature. Both the Bible and observations
of nature agree that the early earth was formless, empty, and dark on its surface.
On day one, God said “let there be light” and light appeared on the surface of the
earth. The Hebrew word “bara,” which means to create something that hasn’t existed, is
not used in this verse. Nothing new was created on this day. Instead, light appeared on
the surface of the earth so that daytime could be distinguished from night time. Before
day one, atmospheric and interplanetary debris filled the sky so that it was always dark on
the surface of the earth. However, as that debris settled, the sky began to clear. Instead
of being completely dark all the time on the surface of the earth, you could now
distinguish daytime from night time. But like a cloudy day, you could still not see the
sun, moon or stars. God calls the light “day” and he calls the darkness “night.” We now
have days and nights that are distinguishable on the surface of the earth. The Biblical
record of day one completely agrees with the scientific record regarding one of the first
events on the early earth. The sky changed from being completely opaque, allowing no
light to reach the surface of the earth, to being translucent, allowing light to reach the
surface, but still not clear enough to see the heavenly bodies that existed in outer space.
On day four, the sun, moon, and stars appear in the sky. Armed with the
knowledge that the story is told from this perspective on the surface of the earth, the
mystery of why the sun and moon appear on day four when light appeared on day one
can be resolved. It is because the sun, moon, and stars first appeared to someone on the
earth on day four even though they had been created by God when he created the heavens
and the earth in verse 1. But because the earth had an atmosphere that resembled that of
a cloudy day, they could not be seen on its surface until day four. Notice that the Bible
does not say that God actually created the lights on day four. It says, “God said, ‘Let
there be lights in the expanse….’” Dr. Scofield affirms this idea in his Bible notes that
describe the appearance of light on day one, “(1:3) Neither here [the appearance of light]
nor in vv. 14-18 [the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars] is an original creative act
implied. A different word is used. The sense is made to appear, made visible. The sun
and the moon were created ‘in the beginning.’ The light came from the sun, of course,
but the vapor diffused the light. Later the sun appeared in an unclouded sky.”
From the perspective on the surface of the earth, the order of creation events
completely agrees with the order that nature reveals to scientists. That order is:
17
1. The creation of the heavens and the earth. The earth is formless, void, and dark
on the surface.
2. Light appears on the surface of the earth as the planetary and interplanetary dust
clears
3. The water cycle begins
4. Continents form
5. Plants sprout from the ground
6. The atmosphere becomes transparent, making the sun, moon, and stars visible
7. Fish and birds fill the sea and air
8. Higher life forms fill the sea
9. Large mammals that will interact with humans fill the land
10. Humans are created
This brings us to the final question to be addressed. What about evolution?
Christians have come to many different conclusions about this very controversial topic.
When scientists speak about evolution, they usually mean that all life has come from a
common ancestor through natural, unguided processes, with no purpose or plan.
Certainly, this is opposed to what the Bible says, that God has a purpose for creation and
that humans are an integral part of that purpose. Scientists usually assume that there is
nothing outside of the natural world, and so evolution is wrapped up in a philosophy of
naturalism, that there is no supernatural. Certainly, as believers in God, we reject
naturalism. Most Christians and even some secular scientists agree that 4.5 billion years
is not enough time for naturalistic processes to create life or the diversity of life we see
on the earth. So in some sense, evolution is incompatible with Christianity, if we use the
definition of evolution that most scientists would use, one that is synonymous with
naturalism.
Still, the answer to this question of evolution may not be so simple because the
Bible says very little about the mechanism that God used to create different life forms,
and humans. The Bible says that God made humans from the dust of the earth, but that
doesn’t really tell us much about the mechanism. If I say that my car is made from the
iron ore of the earth, that doesn’t tell you if it was built by hand in my garage or built by
robots on an assembly line. Since the Bible is not clear on the mechanism, it would make
sense to look at the record of nature for hints about the mechanism.
The record of nature is clear that early life on earth was very simple, and that as
time progressed, life became more complex. What the record of nature doesn’t indicate
is whether or not every new life form that appears is a supernatural creation of God, or
the result of some kind of guided evolution. Most Christians believe that every new life
form that appears in the fossil record is a supernatural creation by God, but some believe
that the diversity of life is the result of some kind of guided, or theistic, evolution. Most
scientists would say that “theistic evolution” is an oxymoron since evolution, by their
definition, is unguided naturalism. Yet, even C.S. Lewis, in his book The Problem of
Pain, proposes a scenario in which God uses some kind of guided evolution to create a
human body, then breathes into that body the “breath of life” and creates the first spiritual
beings on earth, Adam and Eve. Lewis realizes that what separates humans from all
other animals is that we are created in the image of God. We have a spirit that can
18
commune with God, who is also a spirit. In some sense it is not important how God
made our physical bodies. It is important to realize that humans are a special creation by
God and that our spirit separates us from all other created things on earth.
Scripture teaches certain things that are definitely opposed to modern
evolutionary theory.
1. Naturalism cannot account for the origin or diversity of life.
2. The entire universe is created by God, and not the result of simply naturalistic
processes.
3. Humans are a special creation of God, created in his image with a spirit.
4. Adam and Eve were literal people, the first humans.
It seems to me that the mechanism God used to create our physical bodies is not
that important. What is important is to realize that humans are more than just our
physical bodies. We are spirit. It is also important to realize that whatever mechanism
was employed, God was intimately involved in the process. Humans are not the result of
purely unguided, naturalistic process. The Bible and science agree about some crucial
aspects of humanity. Humans are the most recent animal to appear on the earth and the
culmination of everything that came before them. The Bible says that God created
humans as his final creation on earth. In addition, modern science and the Bible both
agree that humans are unique among all of the creatures on the earth. Christians extend
that uniqueness to the spiritual aspect of humanity.
God is a truthful God. Whether he reveals himself in nature or in his Word, that
revelation should be accurate and consistent. A good, literal reading of the creation
account is in good agreement with the facts of nature. The universe had a beginning and
its cause was transcendent. Humans were created very recently in the history of the
earth, are separate from all other created beings, and are the culmination of God’s
creative process.
For further study:
 One of the best resources to explore Old Earth Creationism is the organization
“Reasons to Believe.” They have many good resources including the books listed
below that can be found on their web site at http://www.reasons.org.
o A good book on the historical and Biblical understanding of the days of
Genesis is A Matter of Days by Hugh Ross.
o A good book on how the big bang actually gives evidence for the God of the
Bible is The Creator and the Cosmos, by Hugh Ross.
 Other good resources are "Answers in Creation" at
http://www.answersincreation.org, and "God and Science" at
http://www.godandscience.org.
19
The Meaning of "Day" in Genesis
by James Stambaugh, Master of Divinity
Abstract
The length of the "days" of creation in Genesis has involved a major controversy in
Biblical interpretation among evangelicals for over 150 years. Many have sought to
redefine the term in light of the naturalistic presuppositions of modern scientism.
Therefore, let us attempt, honestly, to examine the evidence from Scripture.
The communication of language is through words and their use. We must ask ourselves
why Moses was using the words he did, and not other words. What is the meaning he was
trying to communicate to his original audience and to us, as well? Why did Moses use the
word "day" and not the more generic term, "time?" Is there any significance to the
repeated use of numbers in the account ("first day," "second day," etc.)? Why are these
"days" bounded by the terms, "evening and morning?" As we examine the text of Genesis
1, answers to these questions become clear.
THE MEANING OF "DAY"
Those who argue that the word "day" means "long age," point out that the Hebrew word,
yom, can have a number of meanings, only one of which is "day of 24 hours."1 They
further seek to strengthen their position with the use of Psalm 90:4 and II Peter 3:8,
comparing a day to a thousand years. Both of these verses, however, are simply using
figures of speech (similes) to show that God is not constrained by the same time
parameters as are humans. These verses are really irrelevant to the discussion of the
meaning of "day," in Genesis 1.
It is recognized, of course, that the word "day" can be used with a number of variations. It
can have any of five meanings: 1) a period of light; 2) a period of 24 hours; 3) a general,
vague time; 4) a point of time; 5) a year.2 The context determines which of these is
intended by the writer. The English language also can have up to 14 definitions for the
word "day."3 The reader should be reminded that the purpose of language is to
communicate. Moses wrote in a language that was meant to communicate to his readers.
Words must be defined by their relationship to one another.4 Word meaning must be
determined from within its context. It will be shown how the context defines the word in
Genesis 1.
The use of a number with the word "day" is very illuminating. This combination occurs
357 times outside of Genesis 1. The combination is used in four different ways, but each
time it is used, it must mean 24-hour periods of time. If the combinations had been
intended to mean long periods of time, both the texts and contexts then become
meaningless. A typical verse is Genesis 30:36: "And he (Laban) set three days journey
betwixt himself and Jacob." God frequently issued commands that the people were to do
or not to do certain things on a given day. This use occurs 162 times. A good example is
20
Exodus 24:16: "And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud
covered it six days, and on the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the
cloud." These are the most typical uses of the word "day" with a number. Four times the
terms are used to show a starting point. Ezra 3:6 says, "From the first day of the seventh
month they began to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord." A number may also be used
with "day" to convey an ending point. An example is Leviticus 19:6: "It shall be eaten the
same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall
be burnt in the fire." It would appear, then, that whenever the Old Testament uses a
number with the word "day," it means a 24-hour period of time without any demonstrable
exception.
If the meaning of the word "day" with a number always means a 24-hour period of time
outside of Genesis 1, then it should also mean a 24-hour period of time inside Genesis 1.
The words that Moses used to communicate what God did during creation are very
significant. If Moses had meant to signify that the "days" were more than 24 hours in
length, he could easily have done so. If we are to understand what Moses wrote, then the
language he used must be understood in its normal meaning. The normal meaning is that
of 24-hour periods of time.
ABSENCE OF THE ARTICLE
Once we have determined the meaning of the term "day," we need also to examine
another problem connected with the days of Genesis 1. Some writers have observed the
absence of the article from the mention of each of the first five days. They have
concluded that Moses must have meant to convey to his readers that at least those days
were long periods of time. They have noted that the normal use of the article is to make
the noun definite.5 Gleason Archer makes the following statement: "In Hebrew prose of
this genre, the definite article was generally used where the noun was intended to be
definite."6 The genre, or the form of the literature (i.e., history as opposed to poetry) he is
referring to here, is history. Let us see if he is correct in this use of the article.
The reader must be aware of two points regarding the use of the article in Hebrew. First,
the article is usually present in the historical sections of the Old Testament for the sake of
definiteness. But this is not always the case. Second, Hebrew has more peculiarities in its
use of the article than most languages.7 This should make the reader very sensitive to the
nature of the Hebrew language. The Hebrew language is one that must be observed
closely. The most common observation among Jewish and Christian commentators is that
the use of the article on the last two days is to show the importance of the sixth and
seventh days.8 This also is in full accord with the Hebrew grammatical rule that the
article may be used in this manner.9 On the basis of grammar alone, then, we are still
justified in our interpretation of "day" being 24 hours in length.
Also, there is another reason for the absence of the article. It appears that numbers in the
Hebrew language have a definitive quality in themselves. Kautzsch refers to them as
substantives,10 yet the meaning is the same. A substantive is a noun that one can touch,
such as a chair. He cites many examples where the number and noun occur without the
21
article, yet the meaning is definite. There are 13 other occurrences similar to Genesis 1,
where the noun does not have the article but is with a number. In each of these other
occurrences, the English translation uses the definite article.11 Therefore, we must
conclude that the absence of the article in Genesis 1 does not mean that the days are long
periods of time. Moses' point is still very clear: The days are to be thought of as normal
24-hour days.
EVENING AND MORNING
The meaning of the term "day" must be seen in conjunction with the use of "evening" and
"morning." Those who would argue that the days are long periods contend that these
terms can have figurative meanings.12 But what is their meaning in the context of Genesis
1? We must ask ourselves, how would the people have understood these terms "evening"
and "morning?" Is Moses, and by extension, God, trying to deceive us by not telling us
the truth about the length of the "days?" The Old Testament records 38 times when these
two words are used in the same verse. Each time they occur, the meaning must be that of
a normal day. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate the point: Exodus 16:8 says,
"And Moses said, this shall be when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat,
and in the morning bread to the full." Also Exodus 18:13, "and the people stood by
Moses from the morning until the evening." All the other occurrences are essentially the
same. So then, it would appear that when the words "morning" and "evening" are used in
the same verse, they must refer to a normal day.
STATEMENT BY GOD
God did not leave the length of the creation days open to question. He told us the exact
length of each day. In Exodus 20:11, He said that in "six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day." The context of the
statement is an emphatic command. God tells the people, "remember" and "keep" the
Sabbath. God then tells them how to keep the Sabbath in their daily lives. The people can
tell whether they are keeping the Sabbath if they are resting on the seventh day. God then
anchors the reality of the present days to the reality of the past days of creation. God has
set the pattern of Israel's work week. The "days" are the same kind of days that the people
would have readily known. As it has been demonstrated previously, "day," used with a
number, means a 24-hour day. It seems obvious that all throughout Israel's history, the
people have understood this to mean a 24-hour day. Even those who hold to the long ages
of Genesis 1 acknowledge the "days" of Exodus 20:8-11 to be 24-hour days.13 Therefore,
the "days" of creation must also have been 24 hours in length.
REFERENCES
1
For typical arguments, examine Davis Young, Creation and the Flood
(Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977), pp. 83, 84
2
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, I:371.
3
Webster's 20th Century Dictionary, unabridged.
22
4
Beekman, John and John CalIow. Translating the Word of God (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1974), p.69.
5
Kautzsch, E. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1980), p.
404.
6
Archer, Gleason. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids: Zonderyan, 1982),
p. 61.
7
Kautzsch, pp.406,407.
8
One should consult Jewish commentators Cassuto, Rashi, and Cohen.
Some of the Christian commentators are Keil, Leupold, and E.J. Young.
9
Kautzsch, p.408.
10
Kautzsch, p.432.
11
The occurrences are Numbers 11:19; I Samuel 1:1; 1 Chronicles 12:39;
II Chronicles 20:25; Ezra 8:15, 32; Nehemiah 2:11; Daniel 1:12, 14,15; 12:12, 13, and
Jonah 3:4.
12
Ross, Hugh. Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective (Sierra Madre: Wiseman
Productions, 1983), p.16.
13
Archer, pp. 116,117, also Henry Alford, The Book of Genesis and Part of Exodus
(Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1979), pp.313, 314.
For more information on the Young Earth perspective, visit the Institute for Creation
Research website at www.icr.org
23
WEEK TWO: Genesis 3:1-3:24
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read Genesis 3:1-3:24.
3.
In the space below, briefly summarize the main events/actions/ideas contained in
this week’s Scripture reading. (For an example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
The serpent tempts the woman while she is in the garden to eat from the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. She “bites,” and eats of the fruit, seeing how
attractive it looks and hoping that it will make her wise. She also gives fruit
from the tree to Adam, who also eats of it. When God comes walking in the
garden, both of them hide themselves because they are ashamed of their
nakedness. Previously, they weren’t even aware that they were naked! When
God tells them that He knows they have eaten from the tree of knowledge, they
each rationalize their sin by blaming another (Adam blames the woman, the
woman blames the serpent). God then dishes out “curses:” He curses the
serpent to a lifetime of wallowing in the dust. He curses the woman to painful
childbirth and being ruled by her husband. And He curses Adam to a lifetime
of hard toil working the ground. Finally, He expels them from the garden, but
prepares them for life outside the garden by clothing them.
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 3:1-3:24 again.
3.
What observations do you have of Genesis 3:1-3:24? What most stands out to
you about what you read this week?
The trick here is for you to write down anything that seems noteworthy. For
example, there is obviously great importance attached to this act of Adam and
Eve eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What do
you think that is all about? And it is certainly noteworthy how God interacts
with the two of them after He confronts them about their sin. What else did
YOU observe that seemed interesting in these verses?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
Here you can follow-up on your observations from Question 3 by asking
questions about your observations. For example, what is the significance of
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Adam and Eve eating the fruit? Why would God plant a tree in the middle of
the garden and then tell Adam and Eve not to eat from it, knowing that they
would? What was God thinking! And so on.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read Genesis 2:15-17.
2B.
What command does God give Adam in these verses?
God commanded Adam that he should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
NOTE: The biblical account tells us that the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”
was an actual tree; and that by eating its fruit, man would gain an understanding of good
and evil. This understanding would both make man like God, and lead to death. There is
so much that we could talk about, but in the interests of time today’s study will restrict
ourselves to two questions: (i) Why did God put the “tree of the knowledge of good and
evil” in the garden, only to forbid man to eat of it?; and (ii) Why did Eve and Adam
choose to disobey God’s commandment?
3A.
Read James 1:13. In light of this verse, do you think God’s purpose in putting the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden was to “tempt” man?
James 1:13 makes it very clear that “God does not tempt anyone.”
3B.
Let us take as our starting point that everything God did in the garden was “good”
for man. How could the tree of the knowledge of good and evil have been
“good?” In other words, suppose Adam and Eve had obeyed God and never eaten
of its fruit. How could this tree have been beneficial for them? (NOTE: This is a
tough question. You’ll have another crack at it below.)
Great question! Why do YOU think God put the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil in the garden?
By the way, note that this is a “speculation” question. The Bible does
not explicitly tell us why God did this. So if the Bible doesn’t tell us for certain,
is it okay for us to speculate? My answer is a qualified “yes.” “Yes” because I
think there is value in thinking about God and in wondering what He is like. A
“qualified yes,” because we need to be careful about any conclusions we draw,
since they are, after all, the result of mere speculation.
3C.
If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were only a bad thing, God surely
would not have chosen to place this tree in the “middle of the garden” (cf. Genesis
2:10), where man was certain to come across it often. This tree must have been
placed as a reminder to man about something. What do you think that
“something” was?
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It seems to me that the tree would have had the effect of constantly reminding
man that he did not possess knowledge about good and evil.
3D.
If having the knowledge of good and evil made man “like God” (cf. Genesis
3:22), then being reminded of one’s ignorance about good and evil was a constant
reminder that man was not “like” God. How could that be “good” for man?
Man was created to worship God. It is good for man to be reminded that he is
not like God, because that gives him the proper perspective for worshipping
Him. Man feels joy when He worships God, because that is what he was
created to do. Therefore, it was “good” for man that God put the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden, because it encouraged
him in his worship of God.
Of course, this raises a question: Now that we have a “knowledge of
good and evil,” does that make it more difficult for us to worship God? While it
is true that we have knowledge, what post-Adam man does not have is the
ability to implement that knowledge; i.e. the ability to be good. Thus our
inadequacy has shifted from one of knowledge to one of ability. We are still in
a position of needing God’s help, and that need lies at the heart of worshipping
God.
3E.
Review “Biblical Note #2” on Day 6 of the Week One study. In light of this and
the preceding questions, explain how the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
helped Adam and Eve to worship God.
The thing about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, is that Adam and
Eve had to voluntarily accept this state of affairs. It was in their power to reach
out and try and “become like God” by acquiring His knowledge. Thus, obeying
the command to not eat of the tree was an affirmation of man’s role to worship
God, and itself an act of worship.
3F.
Do the preceding questions help you to see how obeying God’s commands can
lead you to have a more worshipful heart? Elaborate in the space below.
God’s commands serve to highlight my inadequacy before God. God’s
commands are for my good. They remind me that He is God, and that I am
man, in desperate need of Him. And when I choose to obey His commands, I
worship Him.
4A.
Read Genesis 3:1-6.
4B.
In your opinion, what was the root reason why Adam and Eve disobeyed God?
I think the reason Adam and Eve disobeyed God is that they wanted to be more
than they were. They didn’t want to be mere God-worshippers. They wanted to
be gods, or near-gods, on their own.
4C.
Do you think the root reason why you disobey God is the same as Adam and
Eve’s? Elaborate in the space below.
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There are lots of reasons why I disobey God. However, I think in some ways my
disobedience is similar to Adam and Eve’s: I oftentimes want more for my life
than to be a “mere’ God-worshipper. I want what God has to give, and I want
to take it for myself without having to be dependent on Him. I do this mostly
because I think I will be better off taking care of myself in this manner, rather
than trusting God to take care of me.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 3:1-3:24 again.
3.
Identify all the consequences that Adam and Eve experienced as a result of their
sin. Report them in the space below.
Genesis 3:7: They become aware that they were naked.
Genesis 3:8: They wanted to hide from God.
Genesis 3:10: They lied to God to cover up their sin. (They said they were
naked, but they weren’t naked, they had covered themselves with loin
coverings, cf. verse 7. Most likely they were hiding from God because
they were ashamed of their sin and didn’t want God to know.)
Genesis 3:10-12: They both blamed others for their sins.
Genesis 3:16: The woman would henceforth have painful childbirths; and she
would find herself being ruled over by her husband.
Genesis 3:17: The man would find that labor would henceforth be filled with
hard toil, and the fruit of the land would only be won by difficult work.
4A.
Read Genesis 3:6,7.
4B.
The first thing that happened after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil is that they realized they were naked, and therefore
covered themselves with fig leaves. What do you think is significant about this?
(HINT: Was there anything wrong or sinful about Adam and Eve being naked?)
The significant thing is that Adam and Eve thought it was “wrong” to be naked.
It is as if the tree of the knowledge of good and evil gave them the capacity, for
the first time, to decide for themselves what was good and evil. They, not God,
came to the conclusion that it was bad for them to be naked.
4C.
Some have said that this incident represents the first occurrence in human history
of “man-made religion.” Can you see why covering themselves with fig leaves
could be thought of as “man-made religion?” Elaborate your answer in the space
below.
“Man-made religion” occurs where people take it upon themselves to decide
what is “good.” God did not declare that being naked was bad. He hardly
would have tolerated Adam and Eve walking around naked if He considered
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that sinful. Thus, it was purely on Adam and Eve’s own initiative that they
decided that this was wrong.
4D.
How do you think God feels about “man-made religion?” Elaborate on your
answer in the space below.
I think God is firmly opposed to “man-made religion.” My basis for believing
that is if God wanted man to decide on his own what was good and bad, he
wouldn’t have forbidden man to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.
And what is it about “man-made religion” that God doesn’t like? In my
opinion, one reason God doesn’t like man-made religion is because we don’t
really have a clue about what true righteousness really is. God’s ideas of what
is good and righteous are vastly different from ours (cf. Colossians 2:23).
5A.
Read Genesis 3:8-10.
5B.
One consequence of Adam and Eve’s perceived sin was that they felt ashamed to
be in God’s presence. Have you ever felt that you wanted to avoid God because
of some sin/perceived sin in your life? Just between you and God, elaborate your
answer in the space below.
I certainly have found myself wanting to avoid God after I have sinned. How
about YOU?
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 3:1-3:24 again.
3.
Identify all the consequences for mankind that resulted from Adam and Eve’s sin.
Report them in the space below.
Genesis 3:16,17 describe consequences for Eve and Adam that also extended to
all mankind: Women were cursed with painful childbirths; and to be “ruled
over” by their husbands. Men would find working the land difficult, and their
lives filled with painful toil.
4A.
Consider the following excerpts taken from the fifth chapter of the Book of
Romans:
Romans 5:12,15,16,17,18,19: “…through one man sin entered into the world, and
death through sin, and so death spread to all men … by the transgression of the
one the many died … judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation … by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one
… through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men … through
the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners.”
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4B.
What do these verses say about the consequences for mankind that resulted from
Adam and Eve’s sin?
These verses indicate that mankind acquired a “sin nature” as a result of the
Adam and Eve’s sin.
5A.
Read Genesis 2:17.
Biblical Note: When the Bible speaks of “death,” it can often have the idea of
spiritual death.6 Most likely, when God tells Adam that he “will surely die” when
he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God’s emphasis is on
spiritual death – i.e., the “death” of the relationship that man enjoyed with God in
the garden.
5B.
Consider the following statement:
When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their
very natures were altered. Their changed natures caused (i) them to avoid God
and (ii) God to expel them from fellowship with Him (i.e., their relationship
“died”).
Which specific verses in Genesis 3:1-24 can you find to support this statement?
Report them below.
I think you see evidence of their changed natures in how they behave
immediately after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As
discussed in the answer to Day 4/Question 3 above, they (i) became aware of
their nakedness, (ii) wanted to hide from God, (iii) lied to God to cover up their
sin, and (iv) both blamed others for their sins.
5C.
Review the excerpt from Romans 5 in (4A) above. What evidence do you see in
these verses that the “natures” of all men and women were changed as a result of
Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden? Elaborate in the space below.
The passage clearly states that “through one man’s disobedience the many were
made sinners.”
6A.
J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937) was a famous Bible scholar and author.
Consider what he says about the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin for
mankind: “The dreadful penalty of that sin of Adam was that Adam and his
descendants became dead in trespasses and sins. As a just penalty of Adam's sin,
God withdrew his favor, and the souls of all mankind became spiritually dead.
The soul that is spiritually dead, the soul that is corrupt, is guilty not only because
The Expository Dictionary of the Zondervan Reverence Library states it this way, “Death involves, but is
more than, physical corruption. ‘Death’ includes the process of dying and also all the pain and suffering
associated with decay. Mankind is cut off from intimate fellowship with God, and human interpersonal
relationships are warped and twisted. Genesis 3-4 demonstrates over and over again the nature of this
death that is rooted in sin … We see Adam and Eve run in fear from God and blame and betray each other.
… We see hatred and murder in the first family as Cain kills Abel. We see Lamech distort God's ideal by
taking two wives, and we see him justify murder by claiming he was injured. The bright potential of
humanity is suddenly darkened, as every gift of personhood is misused. It is all this, not simply the ending
of existence on earth, that the Old Testament views as death.”
6
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of Adam's guilt but also because of its own sin. It deserves eternal punishment.”
[Source: http://members.aol.com/rsigrace/conseq.html]
6B.
In your own words, summarize the significance for mankind of Adam and Eve’s
sin in the garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve’s sin caused them to acquire a sin nature. This sin nature was
then passed on to all of their offspring. Because of this, mankind stands
condemned before God because they cannot help but sin. Because of this, all of
us, each of us, requires a Savior.
Here’s something else I find interesting: Did you notice that man
invented religion immediately after he acquired a sin nature? This suggests
that man-made religion is an effort to make us feel good because we feel the
burden of sin.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 3:21-3:24.
3.
Describe how God cared for Adam and Eve even after they have disobeyed Him.
He replaced their coverings made from fig leaves with garments made from
animal skins.
4.
Do you see that when God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden it was for
their own good? Explain why in the space below. (HINT: What would it have
been like for Adam and Eve to live forever with their “fallen natures?” What
better plan did God have for them – and us!)
Had Adam and Eve eaten from the tree of life they would have been trapped
forever in their “bodies of spiritual death.” Their only hope for salvation lay in
having their mortal bodies die, and being resurrected as new creatures without
sin natures.
5.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
This is where YOU identify what most touched your life this past week.
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WEEK THREE: Excerpts from Genesis 4:1-11:9
NOTE: It is not the intent of this devotional study to get into the scientific details of the
great flood discussed in Genesis Chapters 6 through 9. To address this and other issues,
we have included a separate, optional section at the end of this week’s study that tries to
anticipate your questions and respond with scientifically honest answers, along with
suggestions for further reading.
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 4:1-11:9:
-Genesis 4:1-4:16
-Genesis 4:17-4:24
-Genesis 6:1-6:8
-Genesis 6:9-8:22
-Genesis 9:8-9:17
-Genesis 11:1-11:9
Biblical Note: Several genealogies are presented in these excerpts. Note that the
Hebrew word for “son” can also mean “grandson” or “descendant.” Likewise,
when Genesis reports that somebody “bore” or “begat” somebody else, that also
could mean that the latter person was a generation or more removed from the
former.7 Consequently, the genealogies do not give us a precise date for the first
humans.
3.
In the space next to each of the Scripture excerpts below, briefly summarize the
main events/actions/ideas contained in the respective biblical passage. (For an
example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
-Genesis 4:1-4:16: Cain and Abel both give offerings to God, but God favors
Abel’s offering over Cain’s. Cain’s anger burns against Abel, and eventually
he kills Abel. God sentences Cain to wander on the earth.
-Genesis 4:17-4:24: One of Cain’s descendants is Lamech. Lamech is the first
man to be recorded as having more than one wife. Further, he boasts about
killing a man and a boy.
In his commentary on Genesis, Peter Pett writes the following, “The Bible (and other ancient literature)
often refers to someone as being “born of” someone when the former is a descendant rather than the actual
son. … The ancients were not as particular in their definitions of relationship as we are. They would find
no difficulty in saying ‘so and so bore so and so’ when they mean ‘the ancestor of so and so’ ” [Source:
www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis3.html].
7
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-Genesis 6:1-6:8: The “sons of God” married human wives, producing the
“Nephilim.” When God saw all the wickedness of man, He was sorry that He
created him, and resolved to blot him from the face of the earth. But God was
pleased with Noah.
-Genesis 6:9-8:22: God becomes disgusted with men, and resolves to destroy
them through a flood. However, he singles out Noah and his family to survive
and start mankind anew. He tells them to build an ark, and put two of each
kind within the ark. After they have completed building the ark and filling it
up, God tells them to get inside the ark. He then sends great rains, 40 days and
40 nights of rain, and that unleashes a great flood upon the earth. The flood is
so great that it covers the tops of high mountains and destroys “all flesh.” The
flood subsides, and the ark rests on the “mountains of Ararat.” When the land
had become sufficiently dry, Noah and his family emerge from the ark and
make sacrifices to God. God is pleased by their sacrifices, and resolves never
again to “destroy every living, as I have done.”
-Genesis 9:8-9:17: God establishes a covenant with Noah and “with every living
creature of all flesh,” never to destroy all flesh again through a flood. And He
establishes the rainbow as a sign of His covenant.
-Genesis 11:1-11:9: The people of earth unite to build a great tower which will
extend into heaven, and “make a name for themselves.” God comes down and
confuses their language, so that they no longer all speak in the same tongue.
As a result, men take off in different directions on the face of the earth. The
name of that place is Babel.
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 4:1-11:9 again:
-Genesis 4:1-4:16
-Genesis 4:17-4:24
-Genesis 6:1-6:8
-Genesis 6:9-8:22
-Genesis 9:8-9:17
-Genesis 11:1-11:9
3.
What observations do you have of these excerpts from Genesis 4:1-11:9? What
most stands out to you about what you read this week?
A lot of really interesting things are covered in this week’s study. What most
struck YOU?
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4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
Your questions go here.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 4:1-11:9:
-Genesis 4:1-4:16
-Genesis 4:17-4:24
-Genesis 6:1-6:8
Biblical Note: There are several possibilities concerning the identity of the “sons
of God” in Genesis 6:2 and 6:4 and, correspondingly, the “nephilim” in Genesis
6:4. One hypothesis is that the “sons of God” were fallen angels who engaged in
demon possession/occult practices with human women to create unholy progeny,
which subsequently became known as the “nephilim.”8
3.
In the space below, elaborate on how each of the following Genesis passages
describes the descent of mankind into deeper and deeper sin:
-Genesis 4:1-4:16: The first murder is recorded in the Bible when Cain kills
Abel.
-Genesis 4:17-4:24: The first incident of bigamy is recorded in the Bible as
Lamech takes two wives. Further, Lamech boasts of his killing two people!
-Genesis 6:1-6:8: Ugly events break out as the “sons of God” marry wives from
the humans, producing the “Nephilim,” and wickedness and evil proliferate.
4A.
Read Genesis 6:6,7.
4B.
What do these verses say about how God feels about sin?
Sin greatly grieves God’s heart.
4C.
How do you think God feels about our sins when we disobey or ignore God?
It greatly grieves His heart.
8
This interpretation is consistent with the apocryphal text 1 Enoch (cf. www.deliriumsrealm.com/delirium/
mythology/watchers.asp ). Peter Pett, in his commentary on Genesis, writes the following: “The idea here
is probably that the women were married to humans, but that their occult practices resulted in the children
born of these human marriages being somehow ‘infected’ by their demonic partners. The phrase ‘came
into –‘ regularly refers to intercourse, and this stresses the deeply personal depth of demonic experience
into which these women threw themselves. It further explains why the destruction of all human beings was
required” [source: www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis4.html ].
33
4D.
Since God is all-knowing, and knew that Adam and Eve’s sin would ultimately
force Him to wipe out most of mankind in the Flood, what was the purpose of this
episode in human history? Why not just “start” with Noah and his family?
One possibility is that God is using human history to demonstrate truths about
Himself, and about us. Perhaps the purpose of the Adam-and-Eve-throughNoah period was to show us how two people starting from paradise-like
beginnings could lead to a generation that was so wicked that God had to
destroy all of them, save one family.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 6:9-8:22.
Biblical Note: The Hebrew word translated ‘earth” in Genesis 6:9-8:22 is “eretz”.
It is most frequently translated into English as “land,” but is also translated as
“earth,’ “ground,” “country,” “world,” “region,” and “territory” (among other
things) depending on the context.
Peter Pett’s commentary on Genesis has this to say about the extent of the
Flood: “There is no question but that it is a huge flood of a type never known
before or since, but how far did it in fact reach? In Hebrew the word translated
‘earth’ (eretz) even more often means ‘land.’ … It is thus quite in accordance
with the Hebrew that what is described in this passage occurred in just one part
of what we would call the earth, occurring in ‘Noah’s earth’ where Noah was
living with his family. … Thus [the Hebrew allows] three possible answers to the
question as to how far the flood stretched:
1) That all mankind was involved and that the Flood was global.
2) That all mankind was involved, but that they were still living within a certain
limited area and were therefore all destroyed in a huge flood, which was not,
however, global …
3) That it was only mankind in the large area affected by the demonic activity
(Noah’s ‘earth’ or ‘world’) that were to be destroyed, and that the Flood was
therefore vast, but not necessarily destroying those of mankind unaffected by the
situation described.”
3.
What would you say is the main point of Genesis 6:9-8:22? Elaborate in the
space below.
The main point is that man’s sin had become so odious to God, that God had to
wipe man out and start anew with Noah and his family.
4A.
Read Romans 11:5,6.
4B.
Noah represents a familiar storyline in the Bible in which God preserves a
“remnant” of faithful followers. Consider the following discussion from the
Expository Dictionary in the Zondervan Reference Software: “The theme of "a
34
4C.
4D.
remnant" runs through the Old Testament. This is an important theme, for it
affirms that however great Israel's apostasy and God's judgment, a core of the
faithful will still exist (e.g., 1 Kings 19:18; Malachi 3:16-18). It is prophetically
important, for it pictures the fulfillment of the divine purpose in only a part of the
people of Israel. Apostasy, even by the majority of the Jews, could not nullify the
divine promise. Over and over the prophets pictured contemporary or coming
judgments in which the majority died, and only a believing minority remained.”
From the perspective of the New Testament looking backwards, how does the
story of Noah represent an example of “God’s gracious choice” (cf. Romans
11:5,6?
God reached down into history and spared Noah and his family. While Noah
was “blameless among the people of his time” and “did all that the Lord
commanded him,” he was still a sinner rescued by grace. God chose Noah over
all the other sinners to start a new beginning for mankind.
What can we learn about the character of God from this story of Noah and the
Flood? Do you see any parallels or applications to your life from the account of
God’s dealings with Noah?
One thing we learn about God is that He is committed to working with mankind
to accomplish His ultimate purposes. He preserved a remnant, and through
that remnant He would eventually bring the Messiah.
As far as parallels to me, it encourages me that God is committed to
working through my life to accomplish His purposes in me. Philippians 1:6:
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 9:8-9:17.
Biblical Note: The Hebrew word that is translated “covenant” in Genesis 9:9 is
“berith” and it occurs over 250 times in the Old Testament. It is a very important
concept! Indeed our Bibles are divided into “Old Testament = Old Covenant” and
“New Testament = New Covenant.” Most Bible scholars identify 6 major
covenants in the Bible:
1. The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:9)
2. The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15:18)
3. The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19:5,6)
4. The Priestly Covenant (Numbers 25:12,13)
5. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 23:5)
6. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33,34; Hebrews 8:6-13)
35
3.
In the space below, describe the covenant that God made with Noah in Genesis 9.
Be sure to identify the promise that God made to Noah as part of this covenant.
The covenant consists of God’s promise to never destroy the entire human race
through a flood.
4.
An important distinction among the covenants is whether they are “conditional”
or “unconditional.” A “conditional covenant” is one that requires man to
maintain his obligation in order for the covenant to remain in effect. An
“unconditional covenant” is one that remains in effect independent of any actions
on man’s part. Is the Noahic Covenant a “conditional” or “unconditional”
covenant? Explain in the space below.
The Noahic Covenant is unconditional: God makes a promise to man, but He
does not require man to do anything in return in order to maintain the
covenant.
5.
Why do you think God made this covenant with Noah? What did He want Noah
– and by extension, us – to learn from this?
I think one thing God wants us to learn is that God does not take delight in
destroying His creation. By His nature, He is a Giver: He wants to give man
good things. At the same time, He cannot tolerate wanton, unbridled sin. God
is willing to work with man to redeem Him and help him to become righteous.
However, there gets to be a point where man has so turned his back on God that
God has no choice but to destroy him.
I think a second thing God wants us to learn is He does not act out of
impulse. When He sees that He will never again destroy all flesh through a
flood, He is making it clear that He can control how He behaves. When He
says something, He will back it up because He is not captive to impulses.
Finally, I think God is preparing the way for the greatest of the
unconditional covenants, namely, salvation through faith in Christ. In this
“covenant,” God gives without requiring payment in return. All we have to do
is accept the offer of salvation. The Noahic Covenant provides a picture of this
one-sided covenant.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 11:1-11:9.
Biblical Note #1: The Peter Pett commentary on Genesis has this to say about
Genesis 11:4 where it says that the people wanted to build “a tower whose top
will reach into heaven”: “This is a graphic way of saying a very high tower (cf.
Deuteronomy 1:28), but it probably contains in it the idea of connecting with the
gods. It was not the height of the tower but the type of tower that was significant.
It was almost certainly a ziggurat. These buildings, which became a regular
36
feature of life in Mesopotamia, were stepped buildings which were meant to
represent a mountain, and at the top of it was a sanctuary. It was felt that the gods
dwelt on mountains, so that provision is being made for them to dwell in the city.
Thus, this represented idol worship.”
[Source: www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis6]
Biblical Note #2: The Hebrew expression in Genesis 11:6 that “nothing which
they purpose to do will be impossible for them” can have the idea that “there is
nothing to restrain them from pursuing their [sinful] desires.”
3.
What was so bad about the people wanting to live together in the same place and
to build a tower that would “reach into heaven?”
I think the idea here is that man had banded together to construct an
alternative religion of idol-worship. In this kind of setting, it would have been
difficult for God to call out a remnant of God-worshippers who would follow
Him. Thus, He confuses their language, and causes them to disperse. He will
then work with one of the dispersed groups (the eventual Jews) to establish and
build up a group of people who will follow and worship Him.
4A.
Read Genesis 11:10.
4B.
The Genesis account now shifts to Shem (from which we get the word “semitic”).
Shem will become the progenitor of Abraham, from which the Jewish nation will
derive. Note that God now shifts from working with all people, to intensively
revealing Himself to a particular subset of people (the Jews). Given the preceding
biblical account, why do you think God chose to do this?
If we think of human history as illustrating various lessons, then one lesson the
first 11 chapters of Genesis has taught is that man is inclined to wander off into
sin and walk away from God in order to worship idols. That being the nature of
man (our sin nature), God chooses to work intensively with one group. The
advantage of working with one group -- set apart as a remnant of Godworshippers -- is that they each can serve to reinforce the faith of the others, as
opposed to living in a society where they are encouraged to forsake God and
pursue other things.
5.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
I learned a lot this week about the nature of man, particularly man’s proclivity
to sin and pursue “other gods.” This is who we are. And this is why we so
desperately need a Savior. I also learned that God is all about working with
mankind to produce a group of God-worshippers.
I want to be a part of that group. I want to belong to that “remnant”
that will be different from the world, in that our desire is to know Him and see
Him glorified in our lives. What about YOU? What did you learn this week?
37
APPENDICES TO WEEK THREE:
Over the next few pages, you will find two articles from two different Evangelical
Christians regarding an understanding of the flood narrative. The first article is from Dr.
Mike Strauss, Wildwood elder, and professor of Physics at the University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Strauss will present an understanding of the flood as being “universal” to wipe out all
of mankind and everything mankind has touched, yet not necessarily global in its
coverage of the entire earth. The second article is from Dr. John Morris, a geologist and
president of the Institute of Creation Research. Dr. Morris will present a view of the
flood as being global in its coverage of the earth and universal in its destruction of
mankind (except Noah’s family.) Wildwood Community Church does not have an
official position on the extent of the flood. We ask that you read these articles and think
through this issue for yourself. This is not the most critical issue for Christians today,
and should not be a cause for division in the Body of Christ. On this issue good
evangelical Christians hold to both positions. Understanding these truths, however, can
help in correlating Biblical truth with information we process from science.
38
Noah’s Flood
Mike Strauss, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics, University of Oklahoma
© 2005
One of the most widely known, and most often criticized, stories in the Bible is
the story of the flood and Noah’s ark. Critics of the Bible argue that there is no evidence
of a worldwide flood that destroyed all of humanity, while some Christians continue to
look for evidence of the ark locked in the ice of Mount Ararat. Is there any evidence to
either confirm or contradict the story of the flood? Should we expect to find remnants of
the ark today? Is there any scientific evidence for the Biblical flood and is there any
objective reason to believe it actually happened?
There are actually good reasons, other than the Biblical account itself, to accept
the veracity of the flood account. For instance, it is interesting to note that over 200
different cultures on all continents (and possibly as many as 500 cultures) have stories
about some kind of flood destroying humanity.9 It makes sense that these various
accounts of the flood may come from a common origin.
Additionally, as Christians we believe that the Bible is God’s inspired word (2
Timothy 3:16) and that the stories of the Bible can be taken at face value. When the
Bible tells a story in a historical genre, we affirm that it is an historical story.
Consequently, it is perfectly reasonable to believe that the story of Noah and the flood is
an accurate and true story. In fact, Jesus himself affirmed that this story is true (see
Matthew 24:37-39).
One of the difficulties in understanding the Biblical record of the flood, and one
of the reasons the story of the flood is attacked by critics, is the inclusive language used
in Genesis 6 through 9. It is clear that God’s judgment on the earth is universal. God
will destroy all of the effects of man’s sin, all human life on earth and everything that has
been touched by man and his sin. The language is broad in scope and universal in extent.
For some Christians that language makes everything clear. The flood must have covered
the entire earth and if there is any apparent discrepancy between that Biblical account and
how scientists interpret the geological record, then the scientists must be wrong.
But the complication in this is that sometimes in the Bible inclusive language is
not used the same way we use that language in the 21st century. For instance, in Daniel
4:1, King Nebuchadnezzar sends out a proclamation to “all the peoples, nations, and men
of every language that live on all the earth.” In Daniel 4:22, Daniel proclaims that the
king’s “majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of
the earth.” In both these passages, the great extent “all the earth” and “the end of the
earth” doesn’t refer to the earth as we now know it, but to a large fraction of the known
earth of Daniel’s day. In Colossians 1:6 Paul proclaims that the gospel “has come to you,
just as in all the world….” Again we see that Paul’s use of the phrase “all the world” is
different than how we would use that term. Paul doesn’t mean every corner of the seven
continents of the world, but rather a large fraction of the known world of his day.
So we see that in ancient times, inclusive phrases like “all the world” can really
mean “a large fraction of the known world.” This is quite different than the way we
9
To find information on many of these stories, search Google for “flood legends” or the like.
39
would use such a phrase in the 21st century. Consequently, it is possible that the inclusive
language about the flood has a similar meaning. In such a scenario, the Biblical record
would be describing a universal flood, though not a worldwide flood. That means that
the flood did not cover all of the land on the earth but did destroy all of humanity and
everything that humanity had touched or influenced. A local flood, one that did not cover
the whole world, that was universal, destroying all of humanity and human influence,
would be compatible with the Biblical text.
In addition, the English translation of the original Hebrew seems to indicate that
the whole earth was flooded, but the original Hebrew language is not so clear. The
Hebrew phrase which is translated as "the whole earth" or "all the earth" is kol erets. The
word kol means “all,” but the word erets has many meanings, including land, ground,
earth, territory, and even inhabitants or people of the land. The Old Testament uses the
phrase kol erets about 207 times, and it might refer to the whole planet earth in somewhat
less than 40 of those. In all of the other times it is used it refers to something else. For
instance, the first two times the phrase is used in the Bible is in Genesis 2:11 and 2:13,
“The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land [kol erets] of Havilah,
where there is gold… And the name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the
whole land [kol erets] of Cush.” Clearly, the meaning of kol erets here is simply the land
around the Garden of Eden, not the whole earth.
In each of the above cases, kol erets has a qualifier that indicates it is not the
whole planet earth, but even without that qualifier, the phrase usually means a local
region. For instance, Abraham is only referring to the land of Canaan when he states in
Genesis 13:9, “Is not the whole land [kol erets] before you? Please separate from me: if
to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” Further,
the prophet Samuel only means the land of Palestine when he writes, “So when they had
gone about through the whole land [kol erets], they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine
months and twenty days” (2 Samuel 24:8). Thus, we see that in the Bible, the phrase kol
erets usually does not refer to all of the planet earth.
We see a different use of kol erets in Genesis 11, where the text says, “the whole
earth [kol erets] used the same language.” In this context, the phrase means the
population of the earth, not a geographic location, at all. In fact, many times in the Bible,
kol erets actually means “people” and not land, territory, or earth.10
The point of the last few paragraphs is to show that while most English
translations seem very clear that the flood waters covered the entire globe, the original
Hebrew is much more ambiguous. The original Hebrew only indicates that the flood
necessarily covered a local region and that its effect destroyed all of mankind and
everything mankind had influenced. Some scholars call this a universal flood, though it
was not necessarily a global flood. In other words, the flood universally destroyed
everything on the earth that man had contacted, except Noah and his family, but the flood
did not necessarily cover the entire planet.
Once it has been established that the flood did not necessarily cover the whole
planet, then there aren’t any major obstacles between the Biblical account of the flood
and the current scientific geological record. Geologists tell us that there is no record of a
10
You can find many examples of the phrase kol erets in the Bible where it cannot mean the whole earth
at http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/6562/apologetics/localflood.html.
40
flood ever covering the whole earth. In fact, there is not even enough water on the earth
to cover the whole earth. But there are many records of huge local floods in the past.
Since we don’t know when Noah’s flood took place, and exactly what area of the planet
humans had occupied when the flood occurred, there are many possibilities for local
floods that could have destroyed all of humanity. There are no inconsistencies between
the Biblical account of the flood and the geological record.
Some Biblical scholars believe that the language in Geneses even requires that the
flood be a local flood, not covering the whole earth. Others believe the language points
to a global flood. I think that the language could easily be interpreted either way, so I
look to the geological record to determine which it was. According to Christian and non
Christian geologists, the geological record is unambiguous, that there was never a global
flood.11
Finally, let’s answer the question of whether or not we should expect to find any
physical evidence of the flood other than the flood stories from many different cultures.
For instance, should we expect to find Noah’s ark? My personal opinion is that we will
not find any remnants of the flood today. The Bible says that the ark rested on the
“mountains of Ararat,” not necessarily on Mount Ararat itself. This term the “mountains
of Ararat” could refer to almost any of the mountains or foothills in the Middle East. My
personal opinion is that after such a huge flood that had such a devastating effect on the
environment, the timber in the ark would have been so valuable for rebuilding, that the
ark was probably dismantled to use its wood to rebuild structures for human and livestock
habitation. Therefore, I don’t think we will find evidence of the ark today.
For Further Study:
 A very nice web site that discusses the Biblical case for a local, but universal, flood is
the web site given in the second footnote below,
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/6562/apologetics/localflood.html
11
See the Affiliation of Christian Geologists web page at http://www.wheaton.edu/ACG/
41
The Global Flood of Noah’s Day
Dr. John Morris, Geologist and President of ICR
Biblical Arguments for a Global Flood
1. The depth and duration of the Flood The flood waters covered the mountains to
a depth of at least the draft of Noah's Ark (Genesis 7:19,20). Today's mountains in
the Ararat region include Mount Ararat which rises to 17,000 feet in elevation.
The flood lasted for a year, peaking 150 days after it started (7:11, 8:3,4), then it
began to abate. A year-long mountain-covering flood is not a local flood.
2. The Physical Causes for the Flood. The Bible explains that the breaking open of
"all the fountains of the great deep" and the "windows of heaven" (7:11) were the
primary causes. The "deep" is the ocean; thus the "great deep" could hardly be the
cause of a limited local flood. The "windows" seem to refer to the "waters above
the (atmospheric) firmament" (1:7). These were global causes, producing a global
effect.
3. The Need for an Ark Noah was given many years of warning, long enough to
walk anywhere on earth. The animals also would have lived globally and so could
have migrated anywhere. There was no need for an Ark if the flood was local.
The Ark's size, big enough to carry two (or seven for some) of each landdwelling, air-breathing animal, testifies for a global flood. Building such a huge
ship for a local flood for which there was ample warning would be ludicrous.
4. Destruction of All Mankind The flood's primary purpose was to destroy sinful
mankind. While the earth's preflood population is not given, reasonable
assumptions based on Biblical data for average family size, life spans, and age of
parent at time of first-born yield a population far in excess of the maximum
mesopotamian population. The earth was "filled with violence" (6:11-13), and
while this may have included animal violence, it certainly included human
violence. An earth filled with violence would necessitate an earth filled with
people. Only a global flood to accomplish its primary purpose.
Not only were violent inhabitants under condemnation, the earth itself was to be
destroyed (6:13). The word for "earth" was the same word as used in the creation
account (1:1). Surely it means the planet, not just a local area.
5. Promise of No More Floods. At the end of the flood, God promised that there
would never again be such a flood (9:15). But there have been many floods, even
regional floods, especially in mesopotamia, since Noah's day. If this was merely a
local flood, then God broke His promise, and the rainbow covenant means
nothing.
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6. The Testimony of Jesus Christ Christ compared the days immediately prior to
His second coming to the days prior to the flood. He reminded us that "the flood
came and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:27). The coming judgment will be
similarly extensive. If the flood in Noah's day was local, people living outside the
area survived, even though they, too, were sinners. This gives great hope to endtime sinners. Will they be able to escape the coming fiery judgment on sin?
7. The Testimony of Peter Peter also wrote of the coming judgment of the entire
heavens and earth (II Peter 3:10-12). He based his argument on the historical facts
that the creation was of the entire earth (v.5) and that the flood overflowed the
entire earth (v.6), causing it to perish. If the flood was only local, does this imply
that only a portion of the earth will "melt with fervent heat" (v.10)?
Furthermore, the entire creation will be fully renewed, replaced by "a new
heavens and a new earth" (v.13). The local flood idea produces theological
nonsense.
8. Many Expressions of the Flood's Global Nature Hugh Ross rightly claims that
the word "all" can sometimes be used in a limited sense (e.g., Genesis 41:57);
thus the terms used in the flood account might be similarly limited. But proper
Biblical exegesis involves discerning the meaning of words in their immediate
context. A passage cannot be interpreted by vaguely possible meanings. An
honest look at the flood account uncovers an abundance of terms and phrases,
each of which is best understood in a global sense. Taken together as forming the
context for each other, the case is overwhelming. A listing with brief descriptions
follow:
Genesis 6-"Multiply on the face of the earth" (v.1). "Wickedness of man was
great in the earth" (v.5). "Made man on the earth" (v.6). "Destroy man whom I
have created from the face of the earth-both man, and beast, and the creeping
thing, and the fowls of the air" (v.7; not just herds of domesticated animals as
claimed). "The earth also was corrupt before God" (v.11; how much can God
observe?). "The earth was filled with violence" (v.11); "God looked upon the
earth" (v.12). "All flesh . . . upon the earth [not just humans]" (v.12). "The end of
all flesh" (v.13). "The earth is filled with violence" (v.13). "Destroy them with the
earth" (v.13). "A flood of waters upon the earth" (v.17). "To destroy all flesh"
(v.17). "Wherein is the breath of life" (v.17; not just domesticated animals).
"From under heaven" (v.17; not just the atmosphere above Mesopotamia).
"Everything that is in the earth shall die" (v.17; animals at a distance would have
been unaffected by a local flood). "Every living thing of all flesh" (v.19; couldn't
be just Noah's herds). "To keep them alive" (v.19). "Fowls . . . to keep them alive"
(v.20; birds could certainly survive a local flood).
Genesis 7-"To keep seed alive" (v.3). "Upon the face of all the earth" (v.3).
"Every living substance that I have made" (v.4). "Destroy from off the face of the
earth" (v.4). "The flood of waters was upon the earth" (v.6). "Because of the
43
waters of the flood" (v.7). "The waters of the flood were upon the earth" (v.10).
"All the fountains" (v.11; all, not limited to local geysers or volcanos). "Of the
great deep" (v.11; the deep ocean). "Windows of heaven" (v.11; a worldwide
source implies a worldwide effect). "Rain was upon the earth" (v.12). "Forty days
and forty nights" (v.12; no local flood would do this). "Every beast, . . . all the
cattle . . ." (v.14). "Every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (v.14; did
Noah need to take rats and moles and snakes for them to survive a local flood?).
"Every fowl . . . every bird of every sort" (v.14). "Wherein is the breath of life"
(v.15; applies to animals worldwide). "The waters increased" (v.17). "Bare up the
Ark" (v.17). "Lift up above the earth" (v.17). "Waters prevailed" (v.18; similar to
a military conquest). "Increased greatly" (v.18). "Upon the earth" (v.18; not just
upon the valley). "The face of the waters" (v.18; compare with the world ocean in
Genesis 1:2). "The waters prevailed exceedingly" (v.19). "Upon the earth" (v.19).
"All the high hills" (v.19) "That were under the whole heaven" (v.19; all that were
within God's sight). "Were covered" (v.19). "Fifteen cubits upward" (v.20; the
draft of the thirty cubit Ark). "Did the waters prevail" (v.20). "The mountains
were covered" (v.20; same word in Hebrew as high hills [v.19]). "All flesh died"
(v.21). "That moved upon the earth" (v.21). "Fowl . . . cattle . . . beast . . .
creeping things" (v.21). "That creepeth upon the earth" (v.21; most animals are
small creeping things). "Upon the earth" (v.21). "And every man" (v.21). "In
whose nostrils was the breath of life" (v.22; all air-breathing animals). "All that
was in the dry land" (v.22). "Every living substance was destroyed" (v.23). "Upon
the face of the ground" (v.23). "Man, and cattle, and the creeping things and the
fowl of the heaven" (v.23). "They were destroyed from the earth" (v.23). "Noah
only remained alive" (v.23). "They that were with him in the Ark" (v.23). "The
waters prevailed" (v.25).
Genesis 8-"Every living thing" (v.1). "All the cattle" (v.1). "A wind to pass over
the earth" (v.1). "The waters assuaged" (v.1). "The fountains of the deep" (v.2).
"The windows of heaven" (v.2). "Were stopped" (v.2). "The rain from heaven was
restrained" (v.2; a special rain, not a local storm, for they continue). "The waters
returned" (v.3). "From off the earth" (v.3). "The waters were abated" (v.3). "The
mountains of Ararat" (v.4; the entire Ararat region is about one mile in elevation,
the headwaters of Mesopotamian rivers. Did the Ark float uphill in this "local"
flood?). "The waters decreased continually" (v.5). "The tops of the mountains
were seen" (v.5; three months later). "The waters were dried up" (v.7). "From off
the earth" (v.7; after 40 more days). "To see if the waters were abated" (v.8).
"From off the face of the ground" (v.8). "The dove found no rest" (v.9). "The
waters were on the face of the whole earth" (v.9). "The waters were abated"
(v.11). "From off the earth" (v.11). "The waters were dried up" (v.13). "From off
the earth" (v.13). "The face of the earth" (v.13). "Was the earth dried" (v.14).
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl" (v.19; all of them, not some
of them, left the Ark). "Curse the ground" (v.21). "Every living thing" (v.21;
promise of no more such floods. Couldn't be a local flood). "While the earth
remaineth" (v.22).
44
Genesis 9-"Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth" (v.1). "Every beast
of the earth" (v.2; not just local farm animals). "Every fowl of the air" (v.2). "That
moveth upon the earth" (v.2). "All the fishes of the sea" (v.2). "Every moving
thing that liveth" (v.3). "Bring forth abundantly in the earth" (v.7). "Establish my
covenant" (v.9). "With every living creature" (v.10). "That is with you" (v.10;
there were no land-dwelling creatures not included in this covenant). "Fowl,
cattle, every beast of the earth" (v.10). "To every beast of the earth" (v.10). "All
flesh be cut off" (v.11). "By the waters of a flood" (v.11). "A flood to destroy the
earth" (v.11). "Every living creature" (v.12). "Perpetual generations" (v.12).
"Between me and the earth" (v.13). "Every living creature" (v.15). "Of all flesh"
(v.15). "Waters shall no more become a flood" (v.15). "To destroy all flesh"
(v.15). "Every living creature" (v.16). "Of all flesh" (v.16). "That is upon the
earth" (v.16). "All flesh" (v.17). "That is upon the earth" (v.17). "The whole earth
overspread" (v.19; Noah's descendants are today worldwide. The same term was
used to describe the Flood's extent).
It would seem that the Author of Genesis could hardly have been more explicit.
Conversely, if the omniscient Author had intended to describe a local flood, He obscured
the facts. If words can communicate truth, if God can express Himself clearly, then the
Flood was global.
For more information on the global flood perspective, view the Institute for Creation
Research website at: www.icr.org
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WEEK FOUR: 11:10-15:21
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read Genesis 11:10-15:21.
Biblical Note: The NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Software
says this about Genesis 11:10-26: “This list of ten descendants of Shem, like that
of Adam in Chapter 5, draws the line of the "faithful" (Noah to Abraham) and
bypasses the "unfaithful" (10:26-30). In Chapter 5, the list of ten patriarchs from
Adam to Noah provided the link between the "offspring" promised to the woman
(3:15) and the offspring of Noah, the survivor of the Flood (7:23). Not only does
the list mark the "line of the promise," it also bypasses the line of Cain (4:17-22),
the line of the builders of the city (v. 17), and the civilization (vv. 20-24) that was
destroyed in the Flood. Verses 10-26 show that God's promise concerning the
seed of the woman cannot be thwarted by the confusion and scattering of the
nations at Babylon. Though the seed of Noah were scattered at Babylon, God
preserved a line of ten great men from Noah to Abraham.
3.
In the space below, briefly summarize the main events/actions/ideas contained in
Genesis 11:10-15:21. (For an example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
Terah, the father of Abraham, leaves Ur of the Chaldeans with two sons,
Abram and Nahor, his grandson Lot, and their wives. They were supposed to
go to Canaan, but settled in Harah, where Terah died. God then appeared to
Abram and told him that He would make a great nation out of him. Abram
moved his clan to Canaan, and God again appeared to him, telling him he
would give this land to Abram’s descendants. While in Canaan, a famine
struck, and Abram went to Egypt, where he accumulated many goods and
became rich. Upon their return, Lot and Abram become so numerous in people
and possessions that they decide to split company and head in separate
directions. Lot goes to Sodom, and Abram settles in Canaan. A battle breaks
out between the local kings. Lot is taken prisoner, but Abram rescues him.
Upon his return, Abram is met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of
God. Melchizedek blesses Abram, and Abram gives a tenth of his battle spoils
to Melchizedek. God appears again to Abram, and renews His promise of
descendants and land. God then causes a deep sleep to fall upon Abram and
establishes a covenant of land and descendants with him.
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Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 11:10-15:21 again.
3.
What observations do you have of Genesis 11:10-15:21? What most stands out to
you about what you read this week?
What most stood out to you in this week’s reading of God’s Word?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
Asking questions is a great way to approach God’s Word. If you find it hard,
don’t give up! Persevere. Over time, it will come easier to you and you will be
surprised and pleased with how rich your study of God’s Word can be.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 11:31-12:9.
Biblical Note: The NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Software
says this about the biblical account of Abram/Abraham: “Abraham, like Noah,
marks a new beginning as well as a return to God's original plan of blessing "all
peoples on earth" (cf. Genesis 1:28). Notable is the frequent reiteration of God's
"blessing" throughout the narratives of Abraham and his descendants (Genesis
12:1-3; 13:15-16; 15:5, 18; et al.). Abraham is here represented as a new Adam,
the seed of Abraham as a second Adam, a new humanity. … The identity of the
seed of Abraham is one of the chief themes of the following narratives. At the
close of the book (Genesis 49:8-12), a glimpse of the future seed of Abraham is
briefly allowed. This one seed who is to come, to whom the right of kingship
belongs, will be the "lion of the tribe of Judah" (cf. Genesis 49:9); and "the
obedience of the nations is his" (Genesis 49:10).
3.
Refer to the map at the end of this week’s study and trace the path of Abraham’s
journey from Ur to Canaan. Where is “Ur of the Chaldeans?” Where is “Haran?”
Where is Shechem? Bethel? Ai?
4A.
In Abram’s/Abraham’s time, great emphasis was placed on maintaining one’s ties
to family and tribe. For example, read Genesis 11:29 and Genesis 20:11-13. Do
you notice anything unusual about Milcah and Sarai/Sarah, the wives of Nahor
and Abram?
Nahor married his niece, Milcah. Abram married his step-sister, Sarah.
47
4B.
Consider what it took for Abraham to follow God’s call to “Leave your country,
your people and your father's household” (cf. Genesis 12:1). What would be
analogous to this call for your life? Describe a hypothetical scenario in which
God would call you to do something similar to what he called Abraham to do.
Elaborate in the space below.
For me, it would be moving to a part of the world where I didn’t know anybody,
like New Zealand! How about for you?
4C.
Would it be easy or hard for you to follow God’s call to “leave your country, your
people and your father’s household?” What would be the hardest thing for you to
trust God for, were He to give you a call similar to Abraham’s?
For me, it would be hard to “start over,” to have to begin new relationships and
establish trusts with people, and to initiate contacts that would allow me to feel
as if I were part of a community. Further, there is the fear that if something
went wrong, I wouldn’t have a community of people to fall back on to help me.
5.
The last portion of God’s promise to Abraham is that “all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you.” What do you think that refers to? (NOTE: The text does
not provide an answer to this question, so you will have to speculate on the
answer. What do you think are some possible ways that Abraham could be a
blessing to “all peoples on earth?”).
I believe it refers to the fact that one of Abraham’s descendants would be the
Messiah, the Savior, Jesus Christ, and through Him the peoples of the earth
would be able to have their sins forgiven and made whole with God.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read Genesis 12:10-13:4
2B.
In this account we get a picture of the kind of man Abram/Abraham was.
Abraham knew that his safety and the safety of his household would be at risk
while living in another country. What “clever” thing did he do to preserve his
household’s safety?
In particular, how would passing himself off as
Sarai’s/Sarah’s brother make it more likely that his household would be kept safe
while they took refuge in Egypt?
As a husband, Abram was an obstacle to the foreigners who would want to take
Sarah for themselves. And as an obstacle, his competitors would want to
eliminate him. However, as Sarah’s brother, his competitors would want to
curry favor with him and treat him well. In this way, he, the head of the
household, could be kept safe while they were in Egypt.
2C.
What unexpected “twist” occurred that completely reversed Abraham’s “clever”
idea, creating a seemingly impossible problem? Elaborate in the space below.
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The problem was that Pharaoh became interested in Sarah. This was now a
huge problem, because there was no way that Sarah, and Abraham, could
refuse Pharaoh.
2D.
How did God intervene to undo the problem caused by Abraham’s “cleverness,”
thereby rescuing Abraham’s household from Egypt?
God intervened by smiting Pharaoh and his people with plagues. This led both
to the discovery that Sarah was already married, and served to alert all
concerned that God had His hand of protection on Abraham and Sarah.
3A.
Read Genesis 14:1-14:16.
3B.
This account gives us another picture of the kind of man Abram/Abraham was. In
the space below, describe what we learn about Abraham’s character from this
incident in Abraham’s life.
Abraham was loyal and courageous. We see his loyalty to Lot, his nephew, in
that he is willing to risk his life and the lives of the men in his household in an
underdog, but ultimately successful, attempt to rescue Lot. This is all the more
impressive because we haven’t seen a lot that would indicate that Lot tried very
hard to endear himself to Abraham. When Lot and Abraham decided to part
ways, Lot took the choicest land near Sodom for himself, when respect and
courtesy would have called on him to defer to Abraham and let Abraham have
his pick on where to live.
Abraham’s courage is also clearly demonstrated here, as he takes his
men to battle against kings, where he was surely outnumbered.
3C.
Read Genesis 14:18-20.
Biblical Note: This account of Melchizedek king of Salem is startling for several
reasons. He comes from nowhere, and virtually nothing is known about him.12
Yet he clearly is a follower of God and his presence supports the notion that God
“preserves a remnant’ to worship Him.
3D.
This account of Abraham before Melchizedek reveals that Abraham knew that his
battle victory had come from God. Elaborate in the space below how we know
this.
12
The Expository Dictionary in the Zondervan Reference Software says this about Melchizedek: “[He is
mentioned only once again in the entire Old Testament in Psalm 110:4]: "You are a priest forever, in the
order of Melchizedek." This psalm is of special interest because Jesus referred to it (Matt 22:44; Mark
12:35-36; Luke 20:41-42), and it is regarded as one of the messianic psalms. The ideal ruler of the Hebrew
nation would be one who combined in his person the role of both priest and king. The author of the Letter
to the Hebrews uses Melchizedek (Hebrews, Chapters 5-7) in his great argument showing Jesus Christ as
the final and perfect revelation of God. The ideal priest must belong to "the order of Melchizedek," and
Christ was the fulfillment of this prophecy, for he came out of Judah, a tribe with no connection to the
Levitical priesthood.”
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In Genesis 14:19, Melchizedek blesses God for giving Abraham’s enemies into
his hands, and Abraham gives approval to this statement by giving a tenth of
what he has to this king/priest of God. Further, when Abraham tells the king of
Sodom that he will not accept any booty, lest people say that the king of Sodom
has made him rich, he is making clear that he recognizes who really was
making him rich – the Lord God was the one responsible for Abraham’s
success.
4A.
Abraham was a “can do” kind of guy. He was clever, bold, ambitious, and
courageous, among other things. In other words, he was just the kind of person
who is likely to feel that he can navigate life on his own, without needing help
from others. Yet God uses the circumstances of Abraham’s life to teach him
something about faith. In the space below, elaborate the “lesson” that God was
trying to teach Abraham through these different incidents in Abraham’s life.
In both the case of Sarah during their Egyptian sojourn, and this incident of
rescuing Lot, Abraham sees that God is the one who is watching over him, and
his success is not his own handiwork, but the result of God’s direct intervention
in his life.
4B.
As we shall see, Abraham had a hard time learning to depend on God. How about
you? Is this a “lesson” that you have difficulty learning? Elaborate in the space
below.
I go through spells. Sometimes I am keenly aware that everything I have and
everything I do hangs upon God. Other times, while I give lip service to this, I
work in the confidence of my own efforts, independently plowing ahead, not
willing to wait on God nor trust in His provision.
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 15:1-6.
Biblical Note: The Hebrew word translated “believed” in Genesis 15:6 is
“'aman.” The Hebrew word translated “righteousness” in Genesis 15:6 is
“tsedhaqah.” This is the first time either of these words appears in the Bible.
Significantly, they occur together!
3A.
3B.
Read Genesis 15:2,3.
Read Genesis 13:14-17.
3C.
In Genesis 15:3, Abraham states “You have given me no children” (NIV). The
Hebrew word translated “children” here is “zera`.” It is the same word that is
translated “offspring” in Genesis 13:15-16. In other words, God promised
Abraham “offspring” in Genesis 13:14-17, and Abraham notes that God had not
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fulfilled His promise. Abraham is doubting God! In the space below, elaborate
why Abraham had trouble believing God’s promise of “offspring.”
By now, Abraham has heard God repeat these promises of land and
descendants several times. But from Abraham’s perspective, nothing had
happened. Years had gone by, and Abraham still had no children, nor land that
he could call his own. Certainly, Abraham knew God was not just saying
things, but he had to wonder what God had in mind when He had promised
specific things which had not come to pass.
4.
In Genesis 15:4,5, God explicitly addresses Abraham’s doubt. What does He tell
Abraham?
He tells him that he really will have a child from his own body who will be his
heir. Further, this heir will result in descendants who will be more numerous
than the stars in the heavens.
5.
In Genesis 15:6, it says that “Abraham believed the LORD.” What do you think
accounted for Abraham’s change of heart, such that he came to believe God?
Perhaps Abraham wondered if God was speaking figuratively, or if maybe he
had misunderstood God. But God made it clear that what He had said, He
indeed intended to do. Faced with a black and white statement from God which
did not allow misunderstanding, Abraham chose to believe.
6.
Genesis 15:6 goes on to say that God gave righteousness to Abraham as a result
of his faith. The New Testament uses this incident in Abraham’s life as a picture
of “saving faith” in Jesus Christ.
Read Romans 4:18-25. Explain how Abraham’s faith that God would
provide “offspring” through his “dead” body (cf. Romans 4:19) illustrates the key
characteristics of “saving faith.’
“Saving faith” sees on the one hand, the impossibility of humanly achieving
righteousness; and on the other hand, the complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ
to provide that righteousness. In the same way, Abraham looked at his body
and saw the impossibility of producing life out of his body; and on the other
hand, he had confidence that God would provide the life that he was incapable
of producing on his own.
7.
The following is a great question because it gets at the heart of “true faith”:
Abraham clearly had trouble believing that God would fulfill His promise of
giving Abraham “offspring” (see also Genesis 17:17). Yet Romans 4:18-25 states
that Abraham “did not waver in unbelief.” How do you reconcile this statement
with Abraham’s doubts about God’s promise of “offspring?” (HINT: While
Abraham had feelings of doubt, he didn’t allow these feelings to …. what?)
While Abraham had doubts, he didn’t allow these feelings to affect his decision
to take God at His word.
We oftentimes confuse faith with a feeling. In fact, faith is something
that is often exercised against one’s feelings, or in spite of one’s feelings: I may
not feel like God is able to provide for me, yet on the basis of His word, I choose
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to believe that He will. Not because I feel it, but because that is what His Word
clearly states. Given a choice between what I feel and what God’s word says, I
choose to believe His Word.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
3.
Read Genesis 15:7-15:21.
Review the study from Week3/Day5.
4.
In the space below, describe the covenant that God made with Abraham. Be sure
to identify the promise that God made to Abraham as part of this covenant.
The promise is summarized in Genesis 15:18: “To your descendants I have
given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river
Euphrates.” In other words, God promised Abraham (i) descendants, and (ii)
land.
5.
An important distinction among covenants is whether they are “conditional” or
“unconditional.” A “conditional covenant” is one that requires man to maintain
his obligation in order for the covenant to remain in effect. An “unconditional
covenant” is one that remains in effect independent of any actions on man’s part.
Is the Abrahamic Covenant a “conditional” or “unconditional” covenant? Explain
in the space below.
The Abrahamic Covenant is clearly unconditional. God does all the work. He
does the talking. He passes alone through the covenant animal sacrifices. He
says what He will do, and never places a corresponding requirement on
Abraham. Indeed, perhaps to emphasize the one-sided nature of this covenant,
God puts Abraham under a deep sleep, so that God and God alone does all the
“work.”
6.
Why do you think God made this covenant with Abraham? What did He want
Abraham – and by extension, us – to learn from this?
I think God wanted Abraham to know that He and He alone would be entirely
responsible for fulfilling the promises He had made to him. Abraham could
take those promises to the bank, because there was never any possibility that
Abraham could invalidate God’s promises through his actions or inactions.
In this way, the Abrahamic Covenant is a picture of the New Covenant
that God makes with His children. Just as He promised Abraham descendants
and land, so He promises us a life (eternal life) and a home (heaven).
7.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
Oh the glory of the Word of God! How wonderful that He worked through
human history to provide these wonderful lessons, so that we might more
clearly understand the foundations of our faith.
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SOURCE: Atlas in Zondervan Reference Software.
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WEEK FIVE: Genesis 16:1-21:7
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read Genesis 16:1-21:7.
3.
In the space below, briefly summarize the main events/actions/ideas contained in
Genesis 16:1-21:7. (For an example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
Sarah offers Hagar, her Egyptian maid, to Abraham so that Abraham can sire
an heir through her. Hagar conceives through Abraham, and this causes
friction between Hagar and Sarah. God intervenes, tells Hagar that she will
bear a son, Ishmael, who will become a mighty nation; and tells her to live in
submission to Sarah. Ishmael is born when Abraham is 86 years old.
When Abraham is 99 years old, God again appears to Abraham and tells
him yet again that he will be the father of a mighty nation. This nation will be
set apart to God, and as a sign of that relationship, God institutes the practice of
circumcision, starting with Abraham and his family. Further, He tells
Abraham that he will father a nation not through Ishmael, but through a son
born from Sarah.
Immediately subsequent to this revelation, three mysterious strangers
show up at Abraham’s tent. By the way they speak, it is clear that these three
strangers represent, or are, God. They announce in Sarah’s hearing that she
will bear a son, and she laughs. They then announce that they are on their way
to investigate Sodom and Gomorrah, and to destroy it if the reports of its
wickedness are true. Abraham “negotiates” with one of them, getting God/the
mysterious stranger to promise that He will not destroy the cities if there are 10
righteous men there. Alas, there are not 10 righteous men. An angel of the
Lord arranges for Lot and his family to escape, and the cities are destroyed
through “brimstone and fire.” Lot and his two daughters take refuge in a cave.
The two daughters determine they will never get married, and decide to get their
father drunk so they can have sex with him and bear children. From that evil
act came the forefathers of the Moabites and Ammonites.
Finally, Abraham and his family travel to Gerar, and Abraham pulls the
same trick of calling Sarah his sister. The king of that land takes Sarah for
himself, but God intervenes to keep the king from touching Sarah, and thus
protects Abraham and his household.
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 16:1-21:7 again.
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3.
What observations do you have of Genesis 16:1-21:7? What most stands out to
you about what you read this week?
Remember, God inspired these words to be written for a reason. By observing
the things that stand out or seem noteworthy, we aim to discover the lessons that
God wants us to learn.
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
“Why” questions are always great questions to ask, because they get at the
lessons God wants us to learn. Questions such as, “Why was it important for
God to work through Isaac (the second son), and not through Ishmael (the first
son)?” And, “Why did God wait until Abraham and Sarah were so old before
having her conceive Isaac?” What questions did YOU come up with?
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read Genesis 16:1-16.
Biblical Note: It was a common practice in Abraham’s time and culture that a
wife could give her slave to her husband for the purpose of securing a child. The
child conceived in this manner would be legally considered the child of the wife
(cf. verse 2, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my
maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her”). Note that the same
practice is employed in the later biblical account of Jacob and his wives (cf.
Genesis 29:31-30:23).
2B.
How old was Abraham when Ishmael was born?
Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.
2C.
Read Genesis 12:1-4.
2D.
How old was Abraham when God first promised that he would have descendants?
Abraham was 75 years old when God first promised him descendants.
2E.
Approximately ten years had passed since God first promised Abraham
descendants.
More recently, God had reiterated his promise of a
child/descendants (cf. Genesis 15:4,5). Given Abraham’s circumstances, do you
think there was anything “wrong” with Sarai’s/Sarah’s plan to have a child
through Hagar?
No, Sarah’s plan was perfectly reasonable given the circumstances.
3A.
Read Genesis 17:15-22.
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3B.
How do you think God viewed Abraham’s attempt to fulfill His promise of a son?
God does not reprimand Abraham for attempting to fulfill His promise on his
own. In his direct interactions with Abraham, it is as if God ignores Abraham’s
attempt as irrelevant and just proceeds with His own plan. On the other hand,
we know from elsewhere that Ishmael is going to cause a lot of trouble, so that
this attempt by Abraham and Sarah to help along God’s promises ultimately
has the effect of being a bad thing (cf. Genesis 16:11,12).
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 21:1-7.
3.
According to Genesis 16:1-21:7, which one of Abraham’s sons, Ishmael or Isaac,
could be called the “child of promise?”
Isaac is the “child of promise” (cf. Genesis 21:1).
4A.
Read Galatians 4:21-31.
4B.
In Galatians 4:21-31, the author (the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit)
states that Ishmael and Isaac are associated with two “covenants.” As best you
can, elaborate on the characteristics of the two “covenants” in the space below.
Ishmael represents the first covenant, and this covenant is associated with terms
like “flesh,” “slavery,” “bondwoman,” and “Mt. Sinai” (the place where the
Law was given to Moses by God). Isaac represents the second covenant, and
this covenant is associated with terms like “free woman,” “promise,” “free,”
and numerous children.
4C.
In the space below, explain how the births of Ishmael and Isaac illustrate the key
characteristics of these two “covenants.”
The birth of Ishmael consisted of Abraham and Sarah trying to produce
something which they could not produce on their own. While legally Ishmael
was the child of Abraham and Sarah, he certainly was not that in substance.
On the other hand, Isaac was produced supernaturally, by the grace of God,
using a man and woman who were powerless to produce life on their own.
In this way, the two births illustrate the key characteristics of the “Old
Covenant,” represented by the Law; and the “New Covenant,” characterized by
grace. Under the Old Covenant, man was commanded to live righteously, yet
was unable to produce true righteousness on his own. Under the New
Covenant, man is empowered through Jesus Christ apart from his own abilities
and efforts, to be righteous.
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5A.
The New Testament (= New Covenant) draws a fundamental distinction between
“living by flesh/law/human effort” versus “living by faith/grace/Spirit.” For
example, consider the following verses from Galatians 3:1-3:
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus
Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing
from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what
you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now
trying to attain your goal by human effort?”
5B.
In the space below, explain how Abraham’s effort to produce a child, resulting in
Ishmael, is an example of “living by flesh/law/human effort.”
Abraham’s effort to fulfill God’s promise through Ishmael is an example of
trying to do something in the flesh that he was never intended to do. God
intended all along to produce life through Abraham’s body, “as good as dead.”
Yet Abraham tried to do that on his own. That is exactly the example of how we
try to produce righteousness through our own strength, rather than counting on
God to do it through us.
5C.
In the space below, explain how Abraham’s effort to produce a child, resulting in
Isaac, is an example of “living by faith/grace/Spirit.”
Abraham’s part in producing Isaac consisted of having faith that God could do
that miracle through him, and trusting Him to do it in the manner and way
which God intended. In the end, there was no doubting Who had made the life
that had come our of Abraham’s “dead body.”
6A.
Can you think of an example from your life where you attempted to “produce
righteousness” by “flesh/law/human effort?” Elaborate in the space below.
I think an example of attempting to produce righteousness by human effort is
when I do my Bible study with the mental image of me doing all the “work” of
Bible study. When I see Bible study primarily as a thing that I do, then I am
doing Bible study in the flesh.
6B.
Using the example from (6A), contrast living by “faith/grace/Spirit” with your
efforts to produce righteousness by “human effort.” In other words, explain how
you could have applied the principles of “faith/grace/Spirit” in this part of your
life.
In contrast, when I do Bible study by “faith/grace/Spirit,” I start from the
proposition that I can’t make anything spiritual come out of my Bible study. It
has to be a gift, given from God to me. Therefore, my attention is focused on
God, that He would teach me, that He would empower me to live the things that
I learn. So Bible study becomes “spiritual feeding time” for me where I am
empowered by God to know Him better and live how He wants me to. First and
foremost, learning spiritual truth is not something I do, but God does, and I
need to see it, and believe it, that way.
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Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 17:9-14 and Genesis 17:23-27.
Biblical Note: “Circumcision was an ancient institution not limited to the family
tribe of Abraham and was practiced in Egypt in the Old Kingdom period. But
there it was carried out during boyhood rather than at infancy. A sixth dynasty
Egyptian tomb relief depicts a boy being circumcised and two prisoners of a
Canaanite king depicted on a 12th century BC Megiddo ivory were also
circumcised. But it is clear that in Abraham’s family tribe general circumcision
was not practiced up to this point, and it was not generally practiced in
Mesopotamia from where Abraham came.”
(SOURCE: www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis7.html)
Biblical Note: Dr. Peter Pett, in his commentary on Genesis, has this to say about
circumcision: “By being … circumcised with a view to membership in the
covenant community, they showed their response to God’s covenant with His
people and their commitment to the God of the covenant. We note here that …
[it] is God who ‘establishes’ the covenant (verse 7). It is Abraham who ‘keeps’ it
(verses 9-10). Circumcision is not the making of a covenant but the response to a
covenant already established by God” [emphasis added].
(SOURCE: www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis7.html)
3.
Note that for most recipients, circumcision was not a voluntary act: it was
performed on male children when they were eight days old (Genesis 17:12).
Thus, circumcision was primarily a command on the parents to place a physical
mark on their male children identifying them as “Abraham’s descendants.” Why
do you think God instituted this practice? What do you think was the purpose
behind it? (NOTE: This is a tough question. If you can’t think of anything, don’t
sweat it. We’ll pick it up again below.)
What do you think? My answer is given below.
4.
Read Romans 3:1,2. What does this verse say about the benefit of circumcision?
It says that the benefits were “great.” Primary was that it made them trustees of
the “oracles of God.”
5.
Circumcision was part of God’s efforts to create a consciousness among
Abraham’s descendants that they had been endowed with a special purpose: to be
the trustees of God’s revelation (the “oracles of God” [NASB] / “the very words
of God” [NIV]). Clearly, God views His words, our Bible, as being incredibly
important. Why do you think that is? What is so important about the Bible?
The Bible is our spiritual food. It is what draws our mind away from the things
of this world, and allows us to see the “world that is unseen” (2 Corinthians
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4:,17,18). It also, in some supernatural way, works within our spirit to produce
spiritual fruit:
1 Thessalonians 2:13: “And for this reason we also constantly thank God that
when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as
the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, WHICH ALSO
PERFORMS ITS WORK IN YOU WHO BELIEVE.”
6.
How about you? How important is the Bible to your life? Be honest now! How
do you think your life would be different if you weren’t familiar with God’s
Word? Elaborate in the space below.
The Bible is the rock on which I build my faith in the following sense: It
teaches me the things I am called upon to believe. It provides the objective
truths which I cling to. Yes, I love Jesus, but not just Jesus the warm, fuzzy
feeling, but the Jesus that is supernaturally revealed in God’s Holy Word. The
Bible is the primary way by which we come to know the person of God. It is
also a primary mechanism by which God does His work in me (cf. 1
Thessalonians 2:13).
7.
How important is it to you that other people know God’s Word? Elaborate in the
space below.
I think it is crucial. That is why I wrote this Bible study. That is why I want to
be a part of teaching and making God’s Word known the rest of my days. How
about YOU?
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
NOTE: While the main story line in this section of Genesis is Abraham, this account in
Genesis also includes insights into three other groups/individuals: (i) the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah, (ii) Lott, and (iii) Abimelech. Unfortunately, we don’t have time
to explore all three. Instead, we’ll focus on what we can learn from the biblical account
of Abimelech.
2.
Read Genesis 20:1-18.
Biblical Note: A remarkably similar account can be found in Genesis 26:1-11,
involving Abraham’s son Isaac. This leads one to believe that there is something
that God wants us to learn from this story!
3.
Why do you think God included this story about Abraham and Abimelech in His
Word? What do you think He wants us to learn from this? (NOTE: This is a
hard question. If you are at a loss of how to answer it, no worries. We’ll continue
to pursue this question below.)
You’ll have to read below to find out what I think? How about you? Why do
YOU think God included this story?
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4.
In this account of Abraham and Abimelech, who comes out looking better? Who
seems to be the more “righteous” person? Elaborate your answer in the space
below.
There is no question that Abimelech comes out looking better. Abraham resorts
to deceit, and doesn’t trust God to take care of him (though note that it was God
who kept Abimelech from touching Sarah – cf. Genesis 21:6). Further, God
affirms Abimelech’s “integrity” (Genesis 21:6). In contrast, Abraham shows a
complete lack of integrity. Even in his response, he resorts to a Clintonesque
technique: Technically, Sarah was his sister, although clearly she was first and
foremost his wife; and to call her his sister was deceitful.
NOTE: There is no reason to think that Abimelech was a follower of God (cf. Genesis
20:11). So here we have a “godless heathen” behaving more righteously than Abraham,
the great patriarch of God’s chosen people, the Jews! Which raises the question…why
did God choose Abraham in the first place?
5A.
Deuteronomy 7:7-9 addresses a similar question, why did God choose the people
of Israel to be “His people?” Read these verses and summarize the biblical
answer to this question in the space below.
While Deuteronomy 7:7-9 addresses the question, it doesn’t really give an
answer. It just says, God loved Israel not because of any inherent special
characteristic of theirs, but just because He did!
5B.
Consider what the NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Software
has this to say about Deuteronomy 7:7-9: “It is the character of God rather than
any excellence in the people that accounts for the choice. This is more evident by
the reiterated assertion that the Lord their God was God, was faithful and true in
himself and true to his covenant-treaty, and would be true in his covenant love
toward his people into the distant future--"to a thousand generations of those who
love him and keep his commands."” In other words, the answer to the question of
why God chose Israel (and by extension, Abraham) is because He did! He just
loved them. Not because of who they were, but because of who God is.
6A.
Read Romans 8:38,39.
6B.
If you are a Christian, the ultimate answer to why God loves you is the same as
why God chose Abraham (cf. Romans 5:6-8) – not because of any special merit
that you possess, but because of who God is. How does that make you feel? How
can that knowledge give you great confidence that God will love you and be
faithful to you no matter what?
It makes me feel rock solid secure. I know that my God will never leave me.
You might think that it would make me feel insecure. After all, if I knew God
loved me because of my dashing looks, tremendous sense of humor, or stunning
musical talent, God’s love would make more “sense,” and in that way would be
easier to understand and believe. However, in the end, I couldn’t help but
wonder, are my looks/humor/musical talent/whatever sufficient to hold God’s
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love? Maybe He would find somebody else with more of those things, or maybe
over time I would lose those things. In contrast, if God loves me because of
who He is, while it is more difficult for me to understand His love, it also makes
it so that I know it will never change, because He never changes.
How does that make me feel? GREAT! And how about YOU?
7.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
This has been my favorite week so far. I love the picture of Ishmael and Isaac
as representing the two covenants. I just find that amazing. It is a tremendous
encouragement to me to “live by faith,” and not by “human effort.” I also love
being reminded about the truth of immutability and certainty of God’s love.
What about YOU? What most impacted you this week?
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WEEK SIX: Genesis 21:8-25:18
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read Genesis 21:8-25:18.
3.
In the space below, briefly summarize the main events/actions/ideas contained in
Genesis 21:8-25:18. (For an example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
Once Isaac is old enough to be weaned, Sarah sends Hagar and Ishmael away.
God tells Abraham to allow it, and intervenes to keep Ishmael from dying in the
wilderness. While living in the land of the Philistines, Abraham has a dispute
with the locals over well rights. They make a covenant to preserve the peace,
and Abraham builds a testimony to the Lord for protecting him. Later on, God
tells Abraham that He wants him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham takes him into
the mountains but, at the last second, God stays Abraham’s hand and provides
a ram to sacrifice instead. Sarah dies at the age of 127, and Abraham buys
land in Canaan to bury her. With Sarah gone and Abraham feeling old, he
sends a trusted servant back to his homeland in Mesopotamia to find Isaac a
wife. The servant is led by God to Rebekah, the daughter of Abraham’s
nephew, Bethuel. Rebekah agrees to return with the servant and marries Isaac
back in Canaan. Abraham remarries, and has other children, and dies at the
age of 175. And Isaac carries on his father’s blessing.
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 21:8-25:18 again.
3.
What observations do you have of Genesis 21:8-25:18? What most stands out to
you about what you read this week?
What most stood out to you in this week’s reading?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”13
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
13
One question which you may have, and which unfortunately we do not have time to address, has to do
with the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic covenant. Genesis 22:15-18 seems to indicate that God
would fulfill His promises of descendants and land because of Abraham’s faithful response (Genesis 22:16:
… “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your
son, your only son…”. This seems to conflict with what we learned earlier about the Abrahamic Covenant
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Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
2B.
2C.
2D.
2E.
Read Genesis 16:1-16.
Read Genesis 21:8-21.
Read Genesis 25:12-18.
Review Week5/Days 3 and 4.
The Bible gives considerable attention – a surprising amount of attention – to
Ishmael, especially since he is not the “child of promise” around which the
biblical storyline develops. Why do you think God had so much written about
Ishmael in His Word? What do you think He wants us to learn from this?
By rights, Ishmael should have been the son who received Abraham’s blessing.
He was the first born, and every indication is that Abraham cared deeply about
Ishmael. Yet, the Scriptures go out of their way to make it clear that God chose
Isaac, not Ishmael, to be the carrier of the blessings. For example, Genesis
22:2 records that God said the following to Abraham: "Take now your son,
your only son, whom you love, Isaac…” Isaac was NOT Abraham’s only son,
nor is there reason to think that Abraham didn’t love Ishmael. So why would
God say this? I think it’s because God wants to emphasize that, from His
perspective, Ishmael did not exist. Ishmael was the product of Abraham’s flesh,
not the child of promise, and therefore, from a spiritual perspective, it is as if he
was not a legitimate “fruit” from Abraham’s body. In other words, the Bible
has a lot to say about Ishmael precisely because God wants us to pick up on this
point, that living in the flesh counts for nought in God’s economy.
3A.
3B.
3C.
Read Genesis 16:7-9.
Read Genesis 21:9-14.
The first time conflict entered Hagar’s and Sarai’s/Sarah’s relationship, God
gently intervened and led Hagar back to her mistress. The second time it arose,
God allowed (directed?) Hagar to be driven out of Abraham’s household. Why
do you think God acted differently in these two instances? What do you think He
wants us to learn from this? (NOTE: This is a tough question. We’ll continue to
deal with this question below.)
My answer is given below. Do YOU have any ideas?
(see the Week4/Day6 study). However, note that none of the promises that God makes in Genesis 22:15-18
add anything to what He had previously promised to do unilaterallyl/unconditionally (e.g., descendants,
land, nations will be blessed through Abraham). Interestingly, Genesis 18:19 states [God speaking]: “For I
have chosen him [Abraham], in order that he may command his children and his household after him to
keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; in order that the LORD may bring upon
Abraham what He has spoken about him.” In other words, God implies that He Himself engineered
Abraham’s obedience to bring about God’s plan. In this sense, Abraham’s obedience, and subsequent
“reward,” parallels the Christian’s obedience, and subsequent “reward,” even though it is God who is doing
the work through us (cf. Philippians 2:13). This lies well beyond the purview of our Genesis study! The
main point of this discussion is this: The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional, based on God’s doing, and
a careful study of Genesis 22:15-18 does not alter this conclusion.
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4A.
4B.
Consider how the Holy Spirit (through the apostle Paul) interprets Ishmael’s
expulsion for us in the later, New Testament revelation of Galatians:
Galatians 4:28-31: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At
that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power
of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of
the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the
inheritance with the free woman's son." Therefore, brothers, we are not children
of the slave woman, but of the free woman.”
According to the New Testament, Isaac and Ishmael – though real, historical
figures – are also “types.” That is, they represent ideas about how God wants us
to live. As we learned in the Week5/Days 3 and 4 study, Isaac represents “living
by faith/grace/Spirit,” while Ishmael represents “living by flesh/law/human
effort.” With this in mind, what lesson can we learn from the conflict between
Ishmael and Isaac? What does this conflict have to say to the Christian who tries
to live his/her life through a combination of “living by faith” and “living by
flesh?”
I believe the lesson is that the “child of flesh” and the “child of promise”
cannot coexist. In other words, the two “systems” of living, law and grace, are
inherently incompatible. The Christian needs to understand that this is not a
little matter, of small consequence, but is huge for living the way God wants us
to. One cannot hope to grow in faith through a combination of “living by
faith” and “living by flesh.” One needs to wholly rely on Jesus if he/she wants
to be empowered and transformed.
4C.
The first time Hagar left Sarai/Sarah, Isaac was not yet born. By bringing them
back, only to have conflict break out again, God illustrates that coexistence
between the “child of promise” and the child born through human efforts is not
possible. What lesson can you learn from this?
I need to (i) be convinced that this issue of promise/grace versus human
effort/law is really important, and (ii) learn to stop living by human effort and
start living by faith!
5.
One frequently hears that “God helps those who help themselves.” Do you think
there is an application in today’s lesson for this saying? Elaborate in the space
below.
This statement is wrong! God helps those who realize they are inadequate to
help themselves and desperately need His help.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 22:1-19.
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3.
What do you think about this story of Abraham’s “test?” What do you think God
wants you to learn from this?
My answer is given below. What do YOU think?
4.
Is there anything about Abraham’s “test” that confuses/bothers/disturbs you?
Elaborate in the space below.
The thought that God would even ask Abraham to do this is unsettling, because
it seems so harsh.
5A.
Before taking up the purpose behind Abraham’s test, let us address parallels
between Isaac’s sacrifice and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the space below,
elaborate on similarities/differences between the sacrifices of Isaac and Jesus.
A similarity is that they are both considered “only sons” whom are loved by
their fathers. Another similarity is that the fathers are the ones who put their
sons up for sacrifice. A huge differences is that God did not allow Isaac to be
sacrificed, but did allow His Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed.
5B.
Certainly one reason for Abraham’s “test” is that it illustrates God’s character.
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
What God was not willing to impose on Abraham, God imposed on Himself, in
that He sacrificed His own Son, Jesus, so that our sins might be forgiven.
6A.
Consider three possible reasons for Abraham’s test:
REASON #1: That God would learn whether Abraham loved Him so much that
He would be willing to sacrifice his son for Him.
REASON #2: That Abraham would learn how far he was willing to trust God.
REASON #3: That we would learn something about the nature of real faith.
6B.
Genesis 22:12 (“now I know that you fear God”) seems to support REASON #1,
but there is a problem with this. Can you identify what it is? In the space below,
elaborate why REASON #1 cannot be the reason for Abraham’s “test.”
REASON #1 suggests that God had to do this test to find out what Abraham
would do. In other words, God is not all-knowing. Once we go down this road,
then God is no longer God. He is just as clueless about the future and what it
holds as we are. So this eliminates REASON #1 as a reasonable possibility.
6C.
REASON #2 is a possibility, but it is interesting to note that there is nothing in
Scripture to suggest that this was God’s purpose in putting Abraham through the
test. In contrast, there IS support in Scripture for REASON #3. Consider the
following:
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James 2:21-24: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered
up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and
as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which
says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM
AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man
is justified by works, and not by faith alone.”
Note that the Holy Spirit (through the New Testament writer James) uses
Abraham’s offering of Isaac as an example of real faith (“faith was working with
his works”). In the space below, explain how this provides support for REASON
#3.
The fact that this incident is used by James to illustrate a spiritual truth
suggests that that is the very reason God put it there in the first place: so that
we might see that real faith is not just lip service, but a conviction that flows out
in the form of actions.
7.
Recall that in the beginning of Chapter 15, God promised Abraham that a “son
coming from his own body would be his heir” (Genesis 15:4). Abraham
“believed God,” and God “credited righteousness” to Abraham as a result of his
belief (Genesis 15:6). In the space below, explain how Abraham’s willingness to
sacrifice Isaac illustrates “real faith.”
It illustrates “real faith” because Abraham faced a “fork in the road:” On the
one hand, it made no sense for him to kill the very child that God told him
would become a great nation. On the other hand, God said to do it. Abraham
had to choose between second-guessing God’s decision because it didn’t make
sense, or doing what God said. He chose to trust God, and that illustrates “real
faith.”
8A.
What (do you think) was Abraham’s rationale when he walked up the hill to
sacrifice Isaac? In other words, why did he do it? After you think about this for a
moment, read Hebrews 11:17-19 to get a deeper glimpse at what Abraham was
thinking. Write below what you think Abraham was thinking as he walked Isaac
up that hill.
According to Hebrews, Abraham considered the possibility that God had the
ability to resurrect Isaac from the dead, and thus fulfill His promise of making
a great nation out of him.
8B.
Abraham was believing specific truths about God and His character as he walked
by faith up that mountain to sacrifice Isaac. God clearly “delivered” consistent
with the truth Abraham was believing. Do you see any parallels to this for your
Christian life today? Are there places in your Christian life where God’s Word
asks you to do something which sounds difficult or “radical” to you? How does
this passage give you a clue as to how to walk by faith in those areas of your life?
I think these verses say that I should follow God, even if all the pieces don’t
make sense to me.
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Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Review yesterday’s study.
3.
Read Hebrews 11:6. What does this verse say about the importance God attaches
to “real faith?”
From God’s perspective, faith is huge. More than anything else, it is what God
wants from us.
4.
Given the importance that God attaches to “real faith,” it is important for us to
think about the connection between what we say we believe, and what we really
believe. In the space below, consider some things that Christians frequently say
they believe. In the corresponding space next to that statement, explain the kinds
of “works” / “actions” that would evidence that they really believed this:
Christians say they believe:
Actions that evidence that Christians really believe this:
“The Bible is God’s Word”
If I really believe this I will spend significant time and
thought reading and meditating on His Word.
“A person needs to trust
Jesus to forgive their sins in
order to have eternal life”
If I really believe this, and if I care about the people
around me, I will share this news and encourage people
to receive Jesus’ forgiveness.
“The purpose of my life is
to glorify God”
If I really believe this, I will be willing to be about the
business of glorifying God at the cost of personal
comfort.
“God will provide all of my
needs”
If I really believe this, I will be willing to take some risks
in being about God’s business, knowing that He has me
covered.
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5.
Now think about your own life. On the left column in the table below, identify an
important Christian/religious belief that you have. In the column to the right,
write down some “works” / “actions” that would evidence that you “really
believe” this.
I say I believe:
Actions that would evidence that I really believe this:
This is all about YOU! Your thoughts go here.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
2B.
2C.
2D.
2E.
Read Genesis 13:14-17.
Read Genesis 15:7.
Read Genesis 15:12-21.
Read Genesis 17:7,8.
Read Genesis 23:1-20.
Biblical Note: A common theme in Genesis is the promise of “land” that God
made to Abraham and his descendants. Prior to purchasing the burial cave for
Sarah and adjoining field, Abraham was a nomad, wandering throughout the land
that God had promised him. In Genesis 23:1-20, Abraham took the first step
towards possessing the “Promised Land,” though the ultimate fulfillment would
not be realized in his lifetime.
3.
3A.
3B.
3C.
3D.
5.
Interestingly, this picture/type of Abraham wandering on earth as a “stranger and
sojourner” (NASB) / “alien and stranger” (NIV) (cf. Genesis 23:4) is applied to
God’s followers throughout the Bible.
Read Psalm 39:12.
Read Hebrews 11:13-16, along with Hebrews 13:12-14.
Read 1 Peter 1:1.
Read 1 Peter 2:11.
Explain how a “stranger and sojourner” lives life differently than a permanent
resident/landowner.
I think the difference is like the difference between a renter and a homeowner.
The renter is not overly concerned with making improvements in the property,
because he/she knows that they won’t be staying there for a long time. In
contrast, a homeowner is willing to invest in improving his/her property,
because he/she knows that they will be around long enough to enjoy the
associated benefits.
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6.
In the space below, illustrate through an example how a Christian who viewed
themselves as a “stranger and sojourner” would live differently compared to how
they would live if they were a “permanent resident/landowner.”
A Christian who viewed themselves as a “stranger and sojourner” would be less
willing to use his time and money to improve his property and make his life
more comfortable. This is because he wouldn’t view this world as his real
home. He’s just “passing through.” In contrast, he would spend more of his
time and money building up God’s kingdom, because that is where he plans to
live the “rest of his days.” In contrast, a “permanent resident/landowner”
would spend a lot more time and money worrying about his career, home
improvements, retirement, and having a comfortable life for himself and his
children.
7.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
Great stuff this week! The story of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his
son, and then backing off, certainly was an interesting “plot twist!” It provides
a beautiful “tease” of God’s future plan of sacrificing His Son for our sins.
That which he would not let man do, He was willing to do to Himself because of
His love for me and you. It certainly gives me greater motivation to live as a
“stranger and sojourner.” How about YOU?
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WEEK SEVEN: (Isaac and Rebekah)
Excerpts from Genesis 24:1-35:29
NOTE: Over the next few weeks, we will be looking more in depth at the Genesis
accounts of the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. As we do this, the Scripture passages
in each week will overlap some. That is why you may find passages in this week’s section
that you wonder why we are not talking more about. Be patient! We will cover some of
those passages that deal more with Jacob in the next two weeks. The scope of this week’s
study is to see what God would want us to see from Isaac and Rebekah’s life.
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 24:1-35:29:
-Genesis 24:1-24:67
-Genesis 25:19-25:28
-Genesis 26:1-26:33
-Genesis 26:34-26:35
-Genesis 27:1-27:41
-Genesis 27:42-28:5
-Genesis 35:27-29
3.
In the space next to each of the Scripture excerpts below, briefly summarize the
main events/actions/ideas contained in the respective biblical passages. (For an
example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
-Genesis 24:1-24:67 Abraham sends his trusted servant to his homeland in
Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac among his people. The servant meets
Rebekah by a watering well and God answers his prayer and makes it clear that
this is the woman for Isaac. Rebekah takes the servant back to her family,
where he asks permission to take Rebekah away to marry Isaac. The family
and Rebekah agree, and she travels to Canaan and becomes Isaac’s wife.
-Genesis 25:19-25:28 Rebekah cannot get pregnant. Isaac prays that God
would give them children, and God gives them twins! Esau is red and hairy
and is born first. Jacob is the second son. Isaac loved Esau, while Rebekah
loved Jacob.
-Genesis 26:1-26:33 A famine strikes Canaan, and Isaac goes to Philistia to
preserve his family. God appears to him and tells him to stay there and He will
prosper him. Isaac tells the Philistines that Rebekah is his sister. They are
found out, but the result is that the king issues an edict protecting them. Just as
God promised, Isaac prospers mightily in the land. His crops and flocks greatly
expand. Eventually, he encounters problems from the locals, and is forced to
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move further away from them. God appears to him again and tells him not to
fear, for He is with him.
-Genesis 26:34-26:35 Esau marries two Canaanite women, and they bring Isaac
and Rebekah much grief.
-Genesis 27:1-27:41 Isaac thinks he is close to death and calls Esau to him. He
tells him to prepare his favorite meal, and then Isaac will bless him. Rebekah
overhears the conversation and sets up Jacob to pretend he is Esau. Isaac falls
for it, and gives Jacob his blessing, effectively making him the head of the
household after Isaac. Esau vows revenge.
-Genesis 27:42-28:5 Rebekah intervenes to protect Isaac. She arranges for
Isaac to send Jacob to Mesopotamia to find a wife amongst his family back
there.
-Genesis 35:27-29 In fact, Isaac lives on for many years after that. He
eventually dies at the age of 180, and is buried by his sons Esau and Jacob.
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 24:1-35:29 again.
-Genesis 24:1-24:67
-Genesis 25:19-25:28
-Genesis 26:1-26:3314
14
No doubt you have noticed that this account of Isaac and Rebekah in the land of the Philistines, where
Isaac passes off Rebekah as his sister, has several similarities with previous stories of Abraham and Sarah
(cf. Genesis 12:10-20 and 20:1-13). Dr. .Peter Pett’s commentary on Genesis has this to say regarding the
question, Is this story a duplicate?: “Those who delight in seeing duplicate narratives everywhere there is a
coincidence and have a bias against anything that seems like a coincidence when it comes to ancient
records, try to tell us that this story is simply a duplicate of chapters 12:10-20 and 20:1-13, but on careful
examination there is no essential where the stories are similar, apart from those which are totally explicable
and likely.
It is true that each depicts men as licentious, but then that has ever been the case. In those days a
woman’s virtue was ever at risk, especially a “foreign” woman, if she was not closely watched and
guarded. And they all depict the profession that a wife is a sister. But as this is in fact stated to be
Abraham’s regular policy it would clearly happen again and again. The only other “coincidence” is
explained by the fact that Abimelech is a throne name (or a family name) and therefore passes from one
generation to another. Thus the similarities are easily explained and happened often.
What is striking is the differences. In 12:10-20 we have a situation well known in those days of servants
of Pharaohs ever seeking beautiful women to satisfy him, something they did regularly, and the account is
accurate in the way it presents how Sarah is brought into one of his households. But she escapes because of
Yahweh sending a plague. In 20:1-13 we have a petty king misusing his authority to take possession of a
beautiful “foreign” woman for his pleasure. He probably did it regularly, but this time it did not work
because he was dealing with Yahweh, who gave him a vivid and unpleasant dream. In this third episode
with Isaac no attempt at all is made on the woman and no supernatural activity is recorded, although we can
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-Genesis 26:34-26:35
-Genesis 27:1-27:41
-Genesis 27:42-28:5
-Genesis 35:27-29
3.
What observations do you have of these excerpts from Genesis 24:1-35:29? What
most stands out to you about what you read this week?
There was a lot of reading this week! What struck you as being something that
might be spiritually significant?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
Your questions go here.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 24:1-35:29 again.
-Genesis 24:1-24:67
-Genesis 25:19-25:28
-Genesis 26:1-26:33
-Genesis 26:34-26:35
-Genesis 27:1-27:41
-Genesis 27:42-28:5
-Genesis 35:27-29
3.
In the space below, give a character description of the kind of man Isaac was.
Was he a godly person? Was he strong-willed? A man of great character? Did
you pick up on any noteworthy character flaws? Elaborate in the space below.
see Yahweh’s hand behind events. The one common factor of any importance is thus the activity of
Yahweh.
With regard to duplicate names, history is littered with them, for names tended to be passed on in
families within a generation. And as we have suggested throne names were automatically passed on.
We consider how in Egyptian inscriptions Khnumhotep, the governor of Menat-Khufu has certain
privileges under Amenemhet, and how in the next generation another Khnumhotep, governor of MenatKhufu has the same privileges under another Amenemhet, and it is clear that these cannot be duplicates. Or
how Tuthmosis campaigned into Northern Syria, left a victory stela by the Euphrates and hunted elephants
at Niy, and so did Tuthmosis his grandson.
So once we have discounted man’s constant propensity to evil where women are concerned (especially
if they are vulnerable foreigners), and their being ever on the watch for such opportunities, and the
patriarchal practice of continually representing wives as sisters because of this propensity, what should
surprise us is how totally different the stories are. The only really common feature is the protecting power
of Yahweh and even this is exercised in different ways. Thus we have every grounds for accepting that the
events happened each time as described.”
(SOURCE: http://www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis9)
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I’ll have more to say about this below, but there is clearly a difference between
Abraham and Isaac. While Abraham had his slip-ups, he also had great
moments of faith. Isaac’s life is notable for the lack of these. Further, it
doesn’t seem to have bothered Isaac in the slightest that Esau had totally
assimilated into Canaanite culture. Abraham was proactive in sending his
servant to find Isaac a wife from among his people. In contrast, Isaac backed
into this position because Rebekah, and circumstances, caused him to send
Jacob to Mesopotamia to find a wife. All in all, Isaac cuts a very different
spiritual picture than Abraham.
4A.
4B.
4C.
Read Genesis 17:19-22.
Read Genesis 26:2-5.
Read Genesis 26:24.
5.
What great act of faith did Isaac do that caused God to extend His covenant to
Isaac and Isaac’s descendants?
No great act of faith is recorded from Isaac’s life. God extended His covenant
to Isaac not because of anything Isaac did, but “for the sake of [God’s] servant
Abraham.” In other words, God extended His covenant to Isaac because of His
initial promise to Abraham.
6.
It is noteworthy that there is not much that is spiritually admirable about the life
of Isaac. Isaac lies about his relationship with his wife, calling her his sister (cf.
Genesis 26:7).15 He does a good thing in sending Jacob back to his home country
to get a wife, but that only comes about through the nagging of Rebekah (cf.
Genesis 27:46-28:2). And he had to be manipulated and deceived in order to get
him to do the right thing and give Jacob his blessing (cf. Genesis 27:2-4). Yet
even so, God blesses Isaac and continues His covenant relationship with him.
6A.
What does this say about the character of God?
It is a great illustration of God’s “election”.
Romans 9:15,16: “For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it
does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who
has mercy.”
6B.
What, if anything, can you learn about YOUR relationship with God by learning
about God and Isaac’s relationship?
God will accomplish His purposes in my life, whether or not I follow through
on my part. The advancement of God’s kingdom does not depend on the good
will of men, but on the unshakable faithfulness of God.
While it is true that Abraham acted similarly, there is an important difference: Sarah was Abraham’s
sister (cf. Genesis 20:12), the daughter of his father, but not his mother. In contrast, Rebekah was Isaac’s
cousin, and could in no way rightfully be called his sister.
15
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Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read Genesis 25:21-23.
2B.
Do you think Rebekah would have shared this prophecy with Isaac? Why or why
not? (HINT: We can only speculate here, but use your common sense.)
My answer is given below. What do YOU think?
2C.
Read Genesis 25:27,28.
2D.
Which one of the twins did Rebekah favor? Which one of the twins did Isaac
favor?
Rebekah favored Jacob. Isaac favored Esau.
2E.
Do you think that during the many years that Isaac and Rebekah parented the
twins, that Rebekah might have had occasion to emphasize to Isaac that God had
prophesized Jacob to dominate over Esau? Elaborate your answer in the space
below. (HINT: Again, we can only speculate here, but use your common sense.)
Given that Jacob was her favorite, it seems reasonable to imagine that it would
have bothered her that Isaac was partial to Esau. On those occasions where the
parents clashed over the parenting of the boys, it seems likely that Rebekah
would have repeated this prophecy from God to provide divine support for her
position of favoring Jacob.
3.
Read Genesis 27:1-27:40.
4.
Compare Genesis 27:29 with Genesis 25:23. Do you notice anything unusual
about the fact that Isaac wanted to give the blessing of priority to Esau, even
though God had previously prophesized that Jacob and his descendants would be
favored over Esau? Elaborate in the space below.
It is very odd that Isaac would have been willing to bless Esau over Jacob, given
that God Himself had announced that the blessing would go through Jacob, for
he would have precedence over his brother.
5.
It is difficult to know for certain whether Isaac was deliberately bucking God’s
will when he attempted to bless Esau over Isaac, though that is certainly a
possibility.16 The alternative is that Rebekah never shared the prophecy of
16
Hebrews 11:20 states that “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.” Since Isaac
clearly intended to give Esau the better blessing, the faith that is being commended here probably refers to
Isaac carrying out his responsibility to bestow a blessing, and not specifically on whom the blessing was to
be bestowed.
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Genesis 25:21-23 with her husband and that Isaac didn’t know any better when he
attempted to bless Esau. However, if that were the case, one wonders why God
didn’t communicate directly with Isaac to let him know that the blessing should
run through Jacob. Whatever the reason, God orchestrated events so that Jacob,
not Esau, would receive Isaac’s blessing.
5A.
What does this teach us about God’s will?
God’s will cannot be subverted by the will of man.
5B.
How can you apply this truth when you are wrestling with knowing God’s will for
your life?
These verses provide great encouragement that I cannot screw it up! Even
though Isaac tried to bless Esau, yet God worked circumstances so that His will
would be done through Isaac, the very one that was, unwittingly or not, trying
to undermine God’s will. If God can do THAT, then He can certainly make
sure that His will shall be done through my life.
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read Genesis 27:1-27:40.
Biblical Note: This practice of a “deathbed blessing” is prominently mentioned
later in the book of Genesis (cf. Genesis 48:10-49:28).17,18 The Peter Pett
commentary on Genesis states that “Deathbed words were considered to be
especially effective, and even prophetic, and were treated seriously. (See …
Deuteronomy 33:1ff; 2 Samuel 23:1ff.)”
(SOURCE: http://www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/genesis9)
2B.
If you think about it, there are some similarities between (i) Isaac’s blessing of
Jacob and (ii) evangelism, by which Christians share the gospel with nonChristians and lead them to salvation. In both cases, God uses humans to achieve
His purposes in building His kingdom. In the space below, elaborate on the
similarities, and differences, between Isaac’s blessing of Jacob and evangelism.
In both cases, God uses humans to perform what is essentially a supernatural
task. In the case of the blessing, a person announces God’s plans for the people
17
Interestingly, while Isaac thought he was close to death, he was wrong. He ended up living many more
years (cf. Genesis 35:27-29).
18
Whether Isaac’s blessing had some real “power” associated with it, or whether it was just a cultural thing
that was merely perceived by the people at the time to have special meaning, is unclear. If people
perceived the blessing to have special meaning, then Isaac’s blessing of Jacob would have provided further
validation of Jacob’s priority as Abraham’s spiritual descendant, and as a progenitor of the line of
descendants that would form the future nation of Israel. What is clear is that God used these words/actions
of Isaac to further his plans for Jacob and the nation of God-worshippers He was building.
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receiving the message. In the case of evangelism, a person announces God’s
plan for the people receiving the message. Both efforts amount to nothing
when people do them in their own power. They are meaningless exercises
unless God is really behind them.
2C.
How about you? Are you being used of God to share the gospel and bestow His
blessing on others? Are you actively involved in evangelism? If not, do you want
to be? Elaborate in the space below.
What is YOUR answer.
3A.
3B.
3C.
3D.
Read Genesis 11:30.
Read Genesis 25:21.
Read Genesis 29:31.
Do you notice a similarity connecting Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel? What is it?
All three of them were barren and required supernatural intervention to
produce children.
3E.
Do you think there is any spiritual significance to the fact that these three
prominent Old Testament women were all initially barren, and yet God was able
to produce “fruit” in their lives such that their children became the patriarchs of
the future nation of Israel? Elaborate in the space below.
I definitely think that there is spiritual significance here. It shows that, left to
their own devices, these women could never have produced progeny to fulfill
God’s promise of a great nation.
3F.
Do you think this spiritual lesson, illustrated by the picture of barrenness and
subsequent “fruit” of these women’s lives, has an application to your life?
Elaborate in the space below.
God had to work through these women, supernaturally, in order to produce that
which they were incapable of producing on their own. In the same way, we are
incapable of producing “spiritual fruit” on our own. God as to work through
us, supernaturally, to do that.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
2B.
Read Genesis 24:1-24:67.
Read Genesis 28:1-28:5.
3.
In the accounts above, Abraham and Isaac arranged for their sons to marry wives
from their “own people.” Why do you think that was important to them (and
God)?
God was about the business of establishing a nation of God-worshippers. He
had worked with all of humanity in the past, but this effort did not produce a
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world of God-worshippers. Now God was going to work with a small group of
people and build in them the knowledge and worship of Him. It was imperative
that there be no “enemies in the midst.” In other words, it was crucial that the
people entrusted with the advancement of God’s kingdom not have
“infiltrators” that would discourage this work.
4A.
4B.
Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.
Why do you think it is important to God that Christians not be “bound together”
(NASB) / “yoked together” (NIV) with non-Christians?
It is important to God that Christians not be “yoked together” with nonChristians because God wants to build a community where the worship of Him
is encouraged and nurtured.
4C.
Do you think that these verses teach that Christians should not marry nonChristians? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
I do not believe that these verses explicitly single out marriage between
Christians and non-Christians. However, I do believe that the general principle
applies in this specific area. How can one create a household where the
worship of God is encouraged and nurtured, if one of the parents does not hold
allegiance to God?
5.
Do you think that these verses teach that Christians should not date nonChristians? Elaborate in the space below.
I’ve got my thoughts. What do YOU think?
6.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
Your thoughts go here.
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WEEK EIGHT: Excerpts from Genesis 25:19-32:2
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 25:19-32:2:
-Genesis 25:19-25:26
-Genesis 25:27-25:34
-Genesis 27:1-27:41
-Genesis 27:42-28:5
-Genesis 28:10-28:22
-Genesis 29:1-29:30
-Genesis 29:31-30:24
-Genesis 30:25-31:2
-Genesis 31:3-32:2
3.
In the space next to each of the Scripture excerpts below, briefly summarize the
main events/actions/ideas contained in the respective biblical passages. (For an
example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
-Genesis 25:19-25:26 Rebekah was barren, and Isaac prayed that God would
give her children. He gave her twins, Esau and Jacob. While still in the womb,
Rebekah felt the twins struggling and inquired of God what this was about.
God announced to her that the two children would become two nations, and
that the older one would serve the younger.
-Genesis 25:27-25:34 Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. One day,
Esau came in from the fields, and was starving, and asked Jacob for some food.
Jacob agreed to give him food if Esau would deed over his birthright to him.
Esau did, and so he “despised his birthright.”
-Genesis 27:1-27:41 Isaac calls Esau into him and tells him to prepare a meal
for him, for he is old and will surely die soon, and he wants to bestow a blessing
on him. Rebekah overhears the conversation, and sets up Jacob to pretend he
is Esau, for Isaac is blind, and may fall for the deceit. Jacob does as his mother
tells him, and comes to Isaac with a meal to receive the blessing. Isaac is
suspicious, but eventually blesses Jacob, telling him that he will be master over
his brothers. When Esau hears about this, he is furious, and pledges to kill his
brother once Isaac dies.
-Genesis 27:42-28:5 Rebekah arranges for Isaac to send Jacob back to her
family in Mesopotamia to find a wife.
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-Genesis 28:10-28:22 While on his journey, Jacob has a dream. There is a
ladder extending to heaven, and angels are going up and down on it. God is at
the top of the ladder, and promises Jacob that He will protect him while he is on
his journey, and that He will give him many descendants, and they will occupy
the land on which Jacob currently lies. Then Jacob makes an altar to God, and
pledges that if God is faithful to keep him safe, he will make God his God.
-Genesis 29:1-29:30 Jacob goes back to his mother’s family and falls in love
with Rachel, the daughter of Laban, Rebekah’s brother. He agrees to work for
Laban for seven years in order to win her hand in marriage. At the end of the
seven years, a wedding feast is held, and Laban tricks Jacob into marrying
Leah, Rachel’s sister. When Jacob finds out what has happened, he has no
choice but to agree to work another seven years in order to get Rachel, whom he
loves more than Leah.
-Genesis 29:31-30:24 Rachel and Leah start having “baby wars” as they
compete for Jacob’s affection through child-bearing. Leah jumps to an early
lead by having four children. Rachel counters by having Jacob sleep with her
maid, Bilhah, who bears Jacob two children. Leah counters by having Jacob
sleep with her maid Zilpah, who also bears Jacob two children. Then Leah
bears two more children for Jacob. Finally, God gives Rachel a son.
-Genesis 30:25-31:2 Jacob and Laban arrange a plan for Jacob to continue
working for Laban. According to this plan, Jacob keeps all the flocks that are
speckled, striped, etc. The result is that Jacob acquires large numbers of goats,
sheep, and lambs, and becomes quite rich. As Laban sees Jacob’s flocks
expand, and his own flocks diminish, he becomes angry at Jacob.
-Genesis 31:3-32:2 Seeing Laban’s hostility towards him, Jacob decides to take
his household and return to Canaan. He secretly escapes. When Laban finds
out, he goes after him to force him back. However, God appears to Laban and
tells him not to interfere. Laban catches up to Jacob, but he is restrained by
what God has told him, and he and Jacob make a covenant to preserve peace
between them.
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 25:19-32:2 again:
-Genesis 25:19-25:26
-Genesis 25:27-25:34
-Genesis 27:1-27:41
-Genesis 27:42-28:5
-Genesis 28:10-28:22
-Genesis 29:1-29:30
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-Genesis 29:31-30:24
-Genesis 30:25-31:2
-Genesis 31:3-32:2
3.
What observations do you have of these excerpts from Genesis 25:19-32:2? What
most stands out to you about what you read this week?
One observation that I find intriguing is that the favored one in all these stories
is the younger child, and not the older child. Isaac, not Ishmael, was favored.
Jacob, not Esau was favored. Rachel, not Leah, was favored (by Jacob, though
one could argue that God blessed Leah more abundantly because He gave her
more children). This happens so much that you just wonder what it is that God
is trying to teach us through this. That’s an example of one of my observations.
How about YOU? Did you have any observations?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
Your questions go here.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the excerpts from Genesis 25:19-32:2 listed below:
-Genesis 25:19-25:26
-Genesis 25:27-25:34
-Genesis 27:1-27:41
-Genesis 27:42-28:5
-Genesis 28:10-28:22
3.
In the space below, give a character description of the kind of man Jacob was
based upon what we know about him from this section of Scripture. Was he a
godly person? Was he strong-willed? A man of great character? Did you pick up
on any noteworthy character flaws? Elaborate in the space below.
Let’s see: Steals his brother’s birthright. Lies to and deceives his father. Runs
away when faced with danger. Marries more than one woman. Shows a
complete lack of wisdom in dealing with his wives. And is, at least at this point
in the narrative, still adopting a “wait-and-see” approach with God. Jacob’s
spiritual state is well-summarized in Genesis 28:20,21, where Jacob says, “If
God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give
me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father's house in
safety, then the LORD will be my God.” In other words, at this point, Jacob is
trusting in himself. However, he is at least open to God. If God will show
Himself by taking care of him, then Jacob is prepared to make God his God.
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4A.
Go back over the Bible verses in (2) again, and, in the space below, write down
all the ways that God had blessed/interacted with/intervened in behalf of Jacob
through this period in Jacob’s life.
-Genesis 25:19-25:26 God prophesizes that Jacob shall be master over his older
brother.
-Genesis 27:1-27:41 While God’s hand is not explicitly seen, Isaac’s blessing of
Jacob over Esau is a confirmation of God’s earlier prophecy regarding Jacob.
-Genesis 28:10-28:22 God appears to Jacob in a dream and tells him that He
will give the land of Canaan to Jacob’s descendants, and that He will be with
Jacob and will protect him, and will safely bring him back to the land of his
birth.
4B.
Read Genesis 28:20-28:22. What do these verses say to you about the state of
Jacob’s faith in God?
Despite seeing a partial fulfillment of God’s prophecy about Jacob being
preeminent over Esau, and having an incredible vision where God appeared to
him in a truly supernatural way, Jacob was still uncertain about God. Could
He really be trusted? These verses indicate that Jacob was adopting a wait-andsee approach before deciding whether to really trust God.
4C.
Despite all the ways that God had already worked in Jacob’s life, Jacob was not
quite ready to embrace “the Lord as his God” (cf. Genesis 28:21). Can you relate
to Jacob’s reluctance to fully embrace God? Elaborate in the space below.
There were enough other things happening in Jacob’s life that made this Godthing confusing. While he had received Isaac’s blessing, he was also on the
run for his life. Life seemed out-of-control and chaotic, which was hard to
reconcile with the idea that God was in control and taking care of him. Yes, I
can relate to Jacob’s reticence in embracing “the Lord as his God.”
4D.
What would it take for you to get to the point where you had complete confidence
and trust to fully follow God?
For me, in the end, it doesn’t depend on some external event. I have seen
enough to know God is faithful and true. What’s left is my part: choosing to
place my confidence and trust in God, even when I don’t necessarily feel that
way.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read the excerpts from Genesis 25:19-32:2 listed below:
-Genesis 27:1-27:40 and Genesis 27:41-45 Jacob, at Rebekah’s prodding,
deceives Isaac and gains his blessing over Esau. When Esau learns of this
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deceit, he decides to kill Jacob. As a result, Jacob has to flee Canaan to save
his life. Jacob “messed up” by not being honest.
-Genesis 29:16-29:30 and Genesis 29:31-30:24 Jacob comes up with a plan to
marry Rachel, Laban’s daughter. However, Laban pulls a deceit on Jacob and
tricks him into marrying Leah instead. Jacob must work 7 more years to “pay
off” Rachel. As a result of Jacob’s plan gone awry, he finds himself with two
wives, and in the center of a tremendous tug-of-war for his affections. Jacob
messed up by not paying a little more attention to whom he was marrying!
-Genesis 30:29-31:2 and Genesis 31:17-31:23 Jacob arranges a plan to have
Laban pay him for his service directly in livestock: all animals born speckled,
striped, mottled, etc. belonged to Jacob. The plan was successful in making
Jacob rich. However, it stoked Laban’s anger towards him so that eventually
Jacob felt he had to run away. Laban pursued him. This situation had the
potential to turn real ugly, real fast. Jacob messed up by not thinking through
the consequences of how his efforts to enrich himself at Laban’s expense would
cause Laban to turn on him.
3B.
Each of the preceding excerpts describes a situation where Jacob’s
scheming/inconsiderate/deceptive ways got him into a difficult predicament. In
the space next to each of these excerpts above, briefly summarize how Jacob
messed up and the trouble that subsequently followed.
4.
Now read the following excerpts. In the space next to each of these, briefly
summarize how God intervened in Jacob’s life to take care of him:
-Genesis 28:10-28:15 God appears in a dream to Jacob and assures him He will
take care of him and bring him home safely.
-Genesis 29:31-30:24 Despite Jacob’s shaky marital situation, God turns the
marital discord into a “baby competition,” and the resulting boom of children
becomes the foundation for the nation of Israel.
-Genesis 30:25-30:30 It is God who blessed Jacob’s service to Laban and
allowed him to prosper despite coming with no goods of his own.
-Genesis 31:3 God tells Jacob to leave before Laban can act on his resentment
of Jacob’s success at his expense.
-Genesis 31:4-31:9 God protects Jacob despite Laban constantly trying to
change the terms of his employment.
-Genesis 31:22-31:29 God appears to Laban in a dream and tells him not to do
anything to hurt Jacob.
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-Genesis 32:1-2 On his return trip home, the angels of God meet Jacob and
encourage him.
5.
What had Jacob done to deserve such blessed treatment from God? Elaborate
your thoughts in the space below.
Jacob doesn’t seem to evidence a great deal of interest in knowing and serving
God. Mostly, Jacob is looking out for Jacob. Even so, God showers blessings
upon him and causes him to prosper.
6.
Why do you think God went to such extraordinary measures to protect and bless
Jacob?
I think God’s blessing of Jacob had nothing to do with Jacob, and everything to
do with God. God had chosen Jacob to be His beloved, and He was going to
bless him because of who He is, not because of who Jacob is.
7.
What can we learn about God’s character through seeing how He dealt with
Jacob? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
God extends blessings to those whom He chooses. God’s affections aren’t won.
They are given freely, despite man’s lack of responsiveness to God.
8.
If you are a child of God, what confidence does this give you as you look ahead to
what lies in store for your life in the years ahead? Elaborate in the space below.
God has chosen me as well. I don’t have to earn God’s blessings, just as Jacob
didn’t have to earn his. God will bless me, for His glory, because of who He is,
and not because of who I am. I can have confidence that God will be there for
me no matter how poorly I respond to Him in the future.
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
2B.
Read Genesis 29:31-30:24.
Read Genesis 35:16-35:20.
2C.
In the space below, write the names of Jacob’s 12 children.
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun,
Joseph, and Benjamin.
3.
Read the Book of Numbers 1:1-1:16. This listing gives the names of the twelve
founding tribes of the nation of Israel. Write their names in the space below.
Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun,
Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
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Biblical Note: The list of names in the Book of Numbers is close, but not
identical, to the list of names in the Genesis excerpts above. Levi becomes a
“special tribe” dedicated to the Lord; and Joseph is replaced by his two sons,
Ephraim and Manasseh, which we shall read more about later. However, this
only reinforces the fact that Jacob’s 12 sons represent the founding fathers
(“patriarchs”) of the nation of Israel.
4.
A lot of famous stories of the beginning of nations emphasize the heroic character
of their founders. For example, legend has it that the twins Romulus and Remus,
founders of Rome, were sons of the god Mars. Likewise, the first king of Athens
was said to be Cecrops, a half-man, half-serpent. And the founder of the ancient
city of Ninevah, a capital of the Assyrian Empire, was said to be Ninus, the son of
the god Belus.
4A.
How does Genesis 29:31-30:24, which recounts the story of the births of the
founders of the nation of Israel, stack up against the mythical beginnings of other
ancient nation/states? Do you think it inspired pride amongst the Jews as they
looked back at their forefathers?
The story of the births of the founders of Israel is comical, almost farcical. It is
hard to imagine how this could have inspired “pride” in the Jewish nation.
4B.
Why do you think God chose to found the nation of Israel with such ordinary,
unimpressive individuals? What do you think He was trying to communicate to
us today?
The success of the nation of Israel had nothing to do with the special prowess
or wisdom of its human founders. It had everything to do with the God who
called it out by promise and caused it to come into being by virtue of His
supernatural intervention.
5A.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
5B.
If you are a Christian, what do these verses have to say about what God needs
from you in order to advance His plans on earth? How does that make you feel?
Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
These verses tell me that God doesn’t need somebody special to advance His
plans on earth. In truth, He doesn’t need anybody at all. But He has chosen to
work through people. These people don’t have to be special-powered, highoctane, supermen and superwomen. They can be, and often are, ordinary
people with hang-ups, issues, foibles, weaknesses, and foolishness. In fact, God
appears to prefer to work with people like these, because His successes are less
likely to be attributed to them, but to Him.
This makes me feel good, because it tells me that I don’t have to be a
“super Christian” to be used by God. All I need to do is to trust in Him who is
able to accomplish His purposes through my weaknesses.
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6.
God is very interested in the development of the nation of Israel. Throughout the
entire Bible, God’s special promises and special dealings with the nation are
detailed, including several mentions of Israel in the book of Revelation, as God
shows His people what the future will be like. So, God has been very interested
in Israel from the very beginning (Genesis), all the way to the very end
(Revelation), and yet God uses such common means to form this nation, even
using the sinful jealousy of Rachel and Leah as the fuel to produce these 12 boys.
What does this tell you about our God? What does this tell about His ability to
work through our lives to accomplish His purposes, even in areas which are of
extreme importance to Him?
It should give me great confidence that God can do great things through my
life. In other words, I shouldn’t allow my fears, self-doubts, and inadequacies
keep me from undertaking tasks or getting involved in situations where I know I
would fail on my own.
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
An interesting theme throughout the Book of Genesis is how God confounds the
plans of man and replaces “man’s choice” with His own choice. Consider the
following examples below:
-God chooses Isaac (the second born) over Ishmael (the first born)
-God chooses Jacob (the second born) over Esau (the first born)
-Later on, we will see a similar scenario as God causes Ephraim, the second-born
son of Joseph, to be blessed above Manasseh, the first-born son (cf. Genesis 48:848:20).
These examples are even more noteworthy in that they fly in the face of the wellestablished cultural system of primogeniture, in which the first-born son was
given rights and privileges of preeminence above the other sons.
2A.
We know from later revelation that God arranged many of the historical events of
Genesis to serve as “pictures” of spiritual truths (for example, see Galatians
4:28f.). Thus, it is reasonable to presume that when God consistently chooses the
second-born son over the first-born son, He is illustrating a spiritual truth. What
is that truth? What do you think He is trying to teach us?
My answer is given below. What do YOU think?
2B.
Some commentators see in God’s favoring of the second over the first, a preview
of the “New Covenant”, wherein God chooses a second, “younger” covenant to
have preeminence over an “older” covenant. Consider the following verses:
Jeremiah 31:31-33: “Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will
make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the
hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke,
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although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. But this is the covenant
which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD,
"I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man
his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they shall
all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD,
"for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Luke 22:15-20: “And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until
it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." And when He had taken a cup and given
thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will
not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."
And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to
them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of
Me." And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup
which is poured out for you is the NEW COVENANT in My blood.”
Hebrews 8:6-7,13: “But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry,
by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been
enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there
would have been no occasion sought for a second….When He said, "A NEW
COVENANT," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete
and growing old is ready to disappear.”
What do you think? Do you think this is reading too much into the Bible to see
God’s choosing of the second over the first as a preview of the New Covenant
being chosen by God to replace the Old Covenant? Elaborate your thoughts in the
space below.
It makes a lot of sense to me. What do YOU think?
3.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
Remember: it’s not just a bunch of stories. These are stories that God inspired,
even crafted, that we may have pictures of who He is and what He is like. With
that in mind, what did YOU learn about Him this week?
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WEEK NINE: Excerpts from Genesis 32:3-49:33
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 32:3-49:33:
-Genesis 32:3-32:21
-Genesis 32:22-32:32
-Genesis 33:1-33:20
-Genesis 34:1-34:31
-Genesis 35:1-35:8
-Genesis 35:9-35:15
-Genesis 35:16-35:20
-Genesis 35:21,22
-Genesis 35:23-35:29
-Genesis 37:1-37:36
-Genesis 38:1-38:30
Then skim Genesis 39:1-49:33, paying special attention to the following passages:
-Genesis 42:1-42:4
-Genesis 42:29-42:38
-Genesis 43:1-43:14
-Genesis 45:25-46:7
-Genesis 46:26-46:30
-Genesis 47:7-47:10
-Genesis 48:1-48:16
-Genesis 49:28-49:33
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
In the space next to each of the Scripture excerpts below, briefly summarize the
main events/actions/ideas contained in the respective biblical passages. (For an
example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
-Genesis 32:3-32:21 Jacob gets close to Canaan, and sends messengers to his
brother Esau to let him know he is coming. Upon hearing that Esau is coming
out to meet him with 400 men, Jacob fears for his life and the lives of his
household. (Remember, it was because he thought Esau was out to kill him
that he originally left Canaan.)
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-Genesis 32:22-32:32 During the night before Jacob is set to meet Esau, he
encounters a mysterious man. They wrestle for hours. Jacob won’t let go of
the man until the man blesses him. The identity of the man is hinted at when
Jacob states, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”
Thus, in some undisclosed way, this man represented God to Jacob.
-Genesis 33:1-33:20 All goes well with the meeting between Esau and Jacob.
Jacob discovers that Esau’s intentions were favorable to him, so that he no
longer needs to fear for his life. Even so, Jacob decides to keep a safe distance
from Esau and have little to do with him. Jacob then travels on to Shechem, in
Canaan, and purchases land there.
-Genesis 34:1-34:31 While in Shechem, Jacob’s daughter Dinah goes out and is
raped by the local prince. The prince falls in love with Dinah and wants to
marry her. Jacob’s sons propose the following deal: If all the men of the city
will circumcise themselves, then they will allow Dinah to marry the prince. The
local men follow this advice. While they are in pain and recuperating from
their operations, Jacob’s sons kill them in a great slaughter, and loot and
pillage the city.
-Genesis 35:1-35:8 God tells Jacob to pick up and move to Bethel (where God
first appeared to Jacob in a dream). Jacob does what God tells him, disposing
of all the foreign idols that his household had accumulated. Upon arriving in
Bethel, he builds an altar to God.
-Genesis 35:9-35:15 God appears to Jacob in a dream, and reiterates the
promises of the covenant, specifically mentioning the land and descendants that
He had originally promised to Abraham and Isaac.
-Genesis 35:16-35:20 While traveling away from Bethel, Jacob’s wife Rachel
dies in childbirth, giving birth to the last of Jacob’s 12 children, Benjamin.
-Genesis 35:21,22 Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son, sleeps with one of his father’s
concubines/wifes.
-Genesis 35:23-35:29 The twelve sons of Jacob are listed here. In addition,
Isaac (finally) dies at age 180 and Esau and Isaac bury him.
-Genesis 37:1-37:36 Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son. His brothers hate him, not
the least because Joseph retells a pair of dreams he had wherein he is lord and
master over them. Joseph’s brothers go off to pasture the flocks, and after some
days, Jacob sends Joseph to check up on them. They see him coming and
devise a plan to kill him. At the last second, they switch plans and sell him to a
group of local traders who take Joseph to Egypt where they sell him into
slavery.
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-Genesis 38:1-38:30 This is a seemingly weird side-story about Judah. Judah
arranges a wife, Tamar, for his son. The son is an evil man, and God takes his
life. By local custom, one of the other sons is supposed to provide children for
the line, but he “wastes his seed” and God takes his life as well. At this point,
Judah keeps Tamar shut up with the promise that he will provide another son
when the boy is old enough. But Judah doesn’t keep his promise when the boy
comes of age. So Tamar remains childless. Later, Judah goes off on a
“business trip.” Tamar finds out and disguises herself as a temple prostitute
and sleeps with Judah. When Judah finds out that she is pregnant, he goes to
have her put to death, but she produces proof that Judah is the father. The
result of this union are the twins, Perez and Zerah.
-Genesis 42:1-42:4 Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain during a famine,
but keeps behind Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, lest he fall into danger.
-Genesis 42:29-42:38 Jacob’s sons come back from Egypt, but they had to leave
Simeon behind as insurance. In order to get Simeon back, they have to take
Benjamin back to Egypt to show Joseph. Jacob refuses to let them take him,
because he is afraid of losing him.
-Genesis 43:1-43:14 The famine gets real bad, and Jacob finally relents and lets
Judah take Benjamin back to Egypt in order to get more grain.
-Genesis 45:25-46:7 The sons come back from Egypt and tell Jacob that Joseph
is alive and ruler, under Pharaoh, of Egypt. God appears to Jacob in a dream
and tells him to move to Egypt with his sons, there to have God make a great
nation of them.
-Genesis 46:26-46:30 Jacob moves his household to Goshen, in the land of
Egypt, and Joseph meets him there. They embrace in joyful tears.
-Genesis 47:7-47:10 Joseph brings Jacob to meet Pharaoh. Jacob blesses
Pharaoh after telling him that his years have been “few and unpleasant.”
-Genesis 48:1-48:16 Jacob is close to death and Joseph brings his two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim to him. Jacob “adopts” them as his own children.
Further, he goes to bless them, but (now following a biblical “tradition”)
blesses the younger (Ephraim) above the older (Manasseh).
-Genesis 49:28-49:33 After giving his deathbed blessing to his twelve sons,
Jacob dies, and leaves the request that he be buried with Abraham and his wife,
Isaac and his wife, and his wife Leah.
3.
What observations do you have of these excerpts from Genesis 32:1-49:33? What
most stands out to you about what you read this week?
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This was a LOT of reading!! What most struck YOU in your reading from this
week?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
Your questions go here.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 32:22-32:32
Biblical Note #1: “Peniel” means “the face of God” in Hebrew. The NIV Bible
Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Library has this to say about Jacob’s
struggle with God: “The importance of the name "Peniel" is that it identifies the
one with whom Jacob was wrestling as God. Jacob's remark that he had seen God
face to face did not necessarily mean that the "man" he wrestled with was in fact
God. Rather, when one saw the "angel of the LORD," it was appropriate to say
that he had seen the face of God (e.g., Judges 13:22; but cf. Hosea 12:2-4).”
Biblical Note #2: “Jacob” means “supplanter” or “deceiver’ in Hebrew. “Israel”
means “one who wrestles with God.”
3.
Do you think Jacob’s struggle with God is meant to be an illustration for how
Christians are supposed to interact with God? Elaborate your thoughts below.
The key question here is why was Jacob “wrestling with God?” If he was
struggling against God, then this is not something Christians should emulate!
However, there is reason to believe that Jacob was wrestling with God because
he wanted something from him. In Genesis 32:26, Jacob says that he will not
let the man go until he has been blessed. This is a picture of clinging onto God
until we get a spiritual blessing from him. I think this idea of not letting go of
God until we get what we need from Him is an illustration of how Christians
are supposed to interact with God.
4.
Consider the following verses:
Luke 11:5-8: [Jesus speaking] “And He said to them, "Suppose one of you shall
have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, `Friend, lend me
three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have
nothing to set before him'; and from inside he shall answer and say, `Do not
bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I
cannot get up and give you anything.' "I tell you, even though he will not get up
and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he
will get up and give him as much as he needs.”
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Luke 18:1-7: [Jesus speaking] “Now He was telling them a parable to show that
at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "There was in a
certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man. "And there
was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, `Give me legal
protection from my opponent.' "And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward
he said to himself, `Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because
this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming
she wear me out.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said;
now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and
night, and will He delay long over them? "I tell you that He will bring about
justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith
on the earth?"
5.
In Jacob’s wrestling with God we have a picture of a man who is scared, needy,
and desperate. He clings to “God” for all he’s worth in order to secure God’s
help. The fact that God rewards Jacob’s behavior suggests that God wants us to
cling to Him for help. Why do you think that is? Why do you think God wants us
to be “dependent” on Him?
God wants us to be dependent on Him because (i) He knows that we can’t live
the right way in our own power, and (ii) it glorifies Him. When we are
dependent upon God and are able to live successfully, it brings glory to God
because we all know that any success we achieve in our lives is because of Him.
6.
How about you? Do you see yourself as being needy and desperate for God’s
help? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
I do sometimes. How about you?
7.
Suppose a Christian doesn’t “feel” needy and desperate for God’s help. Is there
anything they can/should do about that? Elaborate your thoughts in the space
below.
While a Christian might not “feel” they are needy and desperate for God’s help,
they can convince themselves that this is how God’s Word describes them.
Once they are convinced that this is what God’s Word says, they can choose to
believe that by faith. One way a Christian can do that is by going to God in
prayer and affirming/confessing their weakness to God and asking Him for
help.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 32:22-35:29. Next to each passage,
write down the geographical location where the “action” occurs:
-Genesis 32:22 “the ford of the Jabbok”
-Genesis 33:17 Succoth
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-Genesis 33:18 Shechem
-Genesis 35:6 Bethel
-Genesis 35:16-35:19 between Bethel and Bethlehem
-Genesis 35:21 “beyond the tower of Eder”
-Genesis 35:27 Hebron
2B.
Use the map attached to the end of this week’s study to track Jacob’s return from
Paddan-aram to his father Isaac’s home.
NOTE #1: You should be able to find all of the locations, except for Eder (“tower
of Eder”/“Migdal Eder”). It’s not clear where the “ford of the Jabbok” is, but you
should be able to locate the Jabbok River.
NOTE #2:
Paddan-aram, the beginning of Jacob’s journey, is located
substantially northeast of Damascus, off the map.
3A.
Based on your reading of Genesis 32:22-35:29, how much time do you think
elapsed between when Jacob wrestled with God before crossing the Jabbok, and
his eventual return to his home in Hebron? Go ahead, take a guess!
My answer is given below. What’s yours?
3B.
While we don’t know exactly how much time elapsed, most commentators are
agreed that it was a period of many years. We know this because Jacob spent 20
years with Laban in Paddan-aram. He married both his wives after his seventh
year of service to Laban. Over the next 13 years (most likely during the first half
of those years) he had 11 sons and at least one daughter, Dinah. Dinah was the
daughter of Leah, and was born after she had already given birth to Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Thus, at most, Dinah was 8 or 9
when Jacob left Paddan-aram. By the time that Jacob and his clan moved to
Shechem (Genesis 33:18), Dinah was apparently in her teens -- old enough to
venture into the city by herself and sufficiently grown up that the prince of the
land (Shechem, the son of Hamor) wanted to marry her. This implies that Jacob
spent several years in Succoth (notice also that Jacob built a house in Succoth –
cf. Genesis 33:17). And of course, it was only later that Jacob finally returned to
see Isaac. This leads to the following question: Do you find it strange that Jacob
took so many years to return to his father Isaac and his childhood home in
Hebron? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
I find it very strange. God has clearly identified Jacob as the one who would
carry on the family line and be the recipient of the promises that were made to
Abraham and Isaac. That being the case, I would think that Jacob would have
quickly returned to his father and established himself as the head of the family
after Isaac. Instead, he plays the “lone ranger,” setting up his household away
from the family compound in Hebron. It is as if Jacob is trying to avoid his
destiny as the carrier of the blessing and the one chosen to form a new nation
of God-worshippers.
4A.
Read Genesis 33:18-34:31.
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4B.
Genesis 33:18-34:31 provides evidences (more than one) that Jacob was planning
on living permanently in Shechem, and was okay with his sons/daughters
marrying into the local community. Find these evidences and report them in the
space below.
Genesis 33:19: Jacob bought land on which to live.
Genesis 34:5-10: Jacob is silent – i.e., does not object – when Hamor pitches
his idea that the two clans intermarry and peaceably assimilate to each other.
Genesis 34:30: Jacob makes clear that he was not a party to the plans of his
sons to destroy the local people. Thus, he reveals that he was agreeable to
having his household become assimilated with the local people.
4C.
Look up the following verses: (i) Genesis 24:1-4; (ii) Genesis 27:46; and (iii)
Genesis 28:1,2.
4D.
In the space below, explain how these verses imply that Jacob should have known
better than to consider living among, and marrying into, the Canaanite community
at Shechem.
It should have been clear to Jacob that it was important to God to have his sons
marry women who were God-worshippers.
Abraham went back to
Mesopotamia for a wife for Isaac. And Isaac went back there for a wife for
Jacob. Further, Jacob should have seen how Esau’s assimilation into the local
culture did not please God. Bottom line: Jacob should have known better.
5A.
Reread Genesis 33:18-34:31, paying particular attention to the subject of
circumcision. Was Jacob okay with having the Canaanites circumcised in order
to facilitate the mingling of these two communities? Write your answer and how
you know it in the space below.
I think Jacob was okay with the intermingling of the two communities. I say
this because he agreed to the plan to have the Canaanites circumcised in order
to facilitate the joining of the two communities. His rebuke of his sons after
they slaughtered the local men means that he was unaware of their plans. In
other words, he took the proposal to unite the two communities at face value,
and agreed to it.
5B.
Consider the following discussion concerning circumcision from the NIV Bible
Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Library: “…the rite of circumcision
was to be a sign (cf. Genesis 17:11) of the unity of the covenant people and their
separation from the rest of the nations. Circumcision was not limited to
Abraham's descendants but was rather given as a sign of one's joining in the hope
of God's promises to Abraham. It was, in fact, a sign given of the covenant
promise that Abraham would become the father of "many nations" (Genesis 17:5).
But in the way the sons of Jacob carried out the request that these Canaanites be
circumcised, it offers a curious reversal of God's intention. They offered
circumcision as a means for the two families to become "one people." The
Canaanites were not joining the offspring of Abraham; rather, the descendants of
Abraham were joining with the Canaanites. This point is stressed in Hamor and
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Shechem's report to their countrymen: "Won't their livestock, their property and
all their other animals become ours?"”
6.
Genesis 35:1 reports how God appeared to Jacob and tells him to move from
Shechem and go to Bethel. The subsequent account in Genesis 35:2-35:5 gives
one more piece of evidence that all was not spiritually well with Jacob and his
clan. Identify that evidence in the space below.
Many members of Jacob’s household possessed idols, “foreign gods.” Jacob
was aware of this, but apparently didn’t do anything about until he realized he
was at risk of getting wiped out by the local people, and that he really needed
God to help him.
7A.
Review today’s Bible study.
7B.
Taken together, today’s study provides compelling evidence that -- despite all of
God’s interventions in his life -- Jacob had wandered far from God’s original
design of being the progenitor of a people who would constitute a nation of Godworshippers, and serve as representatives of God to the rest of the world. In the
space below, summarize this evidence.
The three main pieces of evidence are: (i) it took Jacob many years to return to
the family homestead in Hebron; (ii) Jacob was prepared to have his household
become assimilated into the local, Canaanite culture; and (iii) Jacob tolerated
spiritual adultery among his household.
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Read Genesis 35:6-35:15.
2B.
What is significant about Jacob’s return to Bethel? What happened there many
years previously which makes this a very special event (cf. Genesis 28:11-28:19)?
Elaborate your answer in the space below.
It was at Bethel that God appeared to Jacob for the first time. Jacob was
escaping his brother Esau, and had just started on his journey to Paddan-aram.
While he lay sleeping, God gave Jacob a dream in which He told him, “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.”
Upon waking, Jacob vowed, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this
journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I
return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.” Therefore,
what is significant about Jacob’s return to Bethel is that it is a reminder that (i)
God has been faithful in providing for Jacob and protecting him during his
journey, and that (ii) Jacob had said if God did that, the Lord would be his God.
One more thing: note that Jacob’s original vow called for him to return
to his father’s house. Yet now that Jacob is back in Canaan, it seems that this
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is not his intention. In other words, there is something about returning to his
father’s house that Jacob wants to avoid.
3A.
3B.
Read Genesis 35:16-35:29.
Read Genesis 28:20-22.
3C.
After many years, Jacob finally returns to Isaac, his father, and his birthplace
home. This journey of Jacob’s, and his subsequent return, is symbolic of Jacob’s
larger spiritual journey. In the space below, sketch out the “spiritual meaning” of
Jacob’s journey and the return to his family “roots.”
God had a plan for Jacob’s life. That plan called for Jacob to be the leader of
his family and the one from whom a new nation of God-worshippers would
arise. Further, that plan saw him as receiving the blessing that was first given
to Abraham, and then to his father Isaac.
For whatever reasons, Jacob did not want to embrace his calling. His
wandering in Canaan indicates that he did not want to take up the mantle of
family leadership, association with Isaac, and joining with the community of
God-worshippers that existed back at the family homestead. His return home
indicated that he was, finally, prepared to accept the call that God had given
him.
4A.
Read Genesis 35:11,12.
4B.
God’s statement to Jacob is a reiteration of a theme that has run throughout the
Book of Genesis. What is that theme? Elaborate your answer in the space below.
The theme is descendants and land. God promised that He would raise up a
nation from Jacob’s descendants. These descendants would no longer be
wanderers, but would have a place/land of their own – specifically, the land in
Canaan that God had first promised Abraham, and reiterated to Isaac.
5.
Go back and re-read Genesis 33:18-34:31. Upon reflection, these events,
repugnant as they are, provide an illuminating account of how God managed to
get Jacob to where he needed be, despite Jacob’s spiritual backsliding. In the
space below, discuss how the events of Genesis 33:18-34:31 were necessary to
get Jacob to return to “his father’s house’ (cf. Genesis 28:21).
Note that Jacob intended to live in Shechem. The first thing he does when he
arrives is buy land to live on. He shouldn’t be doing this, because he is
supposed to return to Hebron, to Isaac and the family homestead. Were it not
for the rape of Dinah, and the subsequent atrocities by Jacob’s sons, Jacob
probably would have made Shechem his permanent home, and never returned
to Hebron.
Instead, these events forced him to move. As Jacob says to his sons in
Genesis 34:30, “You have brought trouble on me, by making me odious among
the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my
men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me
and I shall be destroyed, I and my household.” In other words, once the word
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got out what Jacob’s sons had done, the neighboring Canaanite and Perizzite
tribes would want to seek revenge from Jacob. Therefore, it was no longer safe
for Jacob to stay there, and he was forced to move (i) away from there, and (ii)
to a place where he would have greater protection than his own few men could
provide – namely, the family compound back in Hebron.
6.
What spiritual lessons, if any, can you see for your own life in how God worked
through Jacob’s/Israel’s life?
Despite all that God has done for Jacob, Jacob behaves badly and does not take
up the destiny that God has laid out for him. However, God demonstrates that
He is able to work around Jacob’s obstinacy and get him where he needs to be.
This is a beautiful illustration of the truth taught in the following verse.
Philippians 1:6: “For I am convinced of this very thing, that He who began a
good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
God will get me where I need to be, even if “Bob behaves badly!”
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
While Jacob/Israel finally got to the point of making God “his God” (cf. Genesis
28:21), his life ended up being very “messy.” He had lots of troubles, including
heartache from his sons (the patriarchs of the nation of Israel!). In the space next
to each Bible passage below, briefly describe the scandals caused by
Jacob’s/Israel’s sons:
-Genesis 35:22 Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, sleeps with one of Jacob’s
concubines/wives.
-Genesis 37:19-37:28 Jacob’s sons plot to kill Joseph, and eventually decide to
sell him into slavery to some Canaanite traders who were passing by.
-Genesis 38:1-38:26 Judah sleeps with a woman that he thinks is a “temple
prostitute,” but is in fact his daughter-in-law.
3A.
Kid problems, wife problems (the constant struggle between Leah and Rachel),
financial problems caused by famine, heartache caused by the supposed death of
his “favorite” son, all of these were earmarks of Jacob’s/Israel’s life. Look up the
passages below and try and get a feel for Jacob’s/Israel’s attitude towards
adversity in life:
-Genesis 31:36
-Genesis 34:30
-Genesis 37:31-35
-Genesis 42:1,2
-Genesis 42:36
-Genesis 43:11-14
-Genesis 45:25-28
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-Genesis 46:30
-Genesis 47:7-47:10
3B.
Based on the passages above, how would you characterize Jacob’s/Israel’s
attitude towards adversity in life? Was he a cheery, positive mental attitude, “turn
lemons into lemonade” kind of guy? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
It seems to me that Jacob was more of a “woe is me” kind of guy. When faced
with adversity, he often blamed others and stewed in self-pity. Despite God’s
abundant provision and clear hand in his life, Jacob took a fatalistic attitude to
his difficulties. His attitude towards life is aptly captured by his words to
Pharaoh: “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and
unpleasant have been the years of my life” (Genesis 47:9).
4.
Jacob/Israel saw God work in some powerful ways in his life. Yet he had a “bad”
attitude. How could that happen? Where did Jacob/Israel go wrong?
Being “elected” by God does not mean that one is never going to have adversity.
While Jacob saw God’s hand working in his life in a very explicit way, he also
saw difficult situations that didn’t make sense to him. For Jacob, he had to
decide what he was going to believe. Was God in charge of the events in his
life? Or was He not? It seems that Jacob was not willing to believe that God
was fully in control and that He had good plans for Jacob’s life. Thus, when
Jacob met adversity, he became fatalistic, pessimistic, and hope-less, leading to
a “bad” attitude.
5.
What lessons do you think you can learn from Jacob’s/Israel’s failures in the area
of attitude in the face of adversity? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
I think the greatest lesson for me is that it emphasizes the importance of faith. I
can choose to believe that God “works all things together for good.” Or I can
choose to believe that life is out of control and nothing makes sense. The
former leads to joy and peace and God’s power in my life. The latter leads to
discouragement, despair, and fleshly living. The choice is mine.
6.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
Great stuff this week! I have been richly blessed from realizing that these lives
that we read about in Genesis are not just accidents. They are divinely
constructed pictures of who God is and how he operates. I hope you, too, have
been blessed by God’s awesome Word!
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SOURCE: Atlas in Zondervan Reference Software.
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WEEK TEN: Excerpts from Genesis 37:1-50:26
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2.
Read the following excerpts from Genesis 37:1-50:26:
-Genesis 37:1-11
-Genesis 37:12-36
-Genesis 39:1-23
-Genesis 40:1-41:45
-Genesis 41:46-57
-Genesis 42:1-38
-Genesis 43:1-45:15
-Genesis 45:16-47:12
-Genesis 47:13-27
-Genesis 47:28-48:20
-Genesis 48:21-49:33
-Genesis 50:1-21
-Genesis 50:22-26
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
In the space next to each of the Scripture excerpts below, briefly summarize the
main events/actions/ideas contained in the respective biblical passages. (For an
example summary, see Week1/Day1.)
-Genesis 37:1-11 It was no secret that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son. The
other sons deeply resented this. Their resentment grows greater when Joseph
tells them about two dreams he has. The essence of the dreams is that Joseph
would rule over his brothers and parents.
-Genesis 37:12-36 Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery. They cover up their
act by taking Joseph’s tunic and making it look like Joseph had been devoured
by a wild beast. They present the tunic to Jacob, who goes into deep mourning.
In the meanwhile, Joseph is sold as a slave in Egypt to Potiphar, the captain of
Pharaoh’s bodyguards.
-Genesis 39:1-23 Potiphar soon recognizes that Joseph is a remarkable slave.
Everything he gives him to do, God blesses so that it goes well. Eventually, the
entire household is placed under Joseph’s charge. However, all is not well,
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because Potiphar’s wife has designs on Joseph, and propositions him. Joseph
resists her advances, but this makes her mad. She eventually trumps up a
charge against him, telling her husband that Joseph tried to seduce her. Her
husband believes her story and has Joseph sent to prison. However, God again
blesses all that Joseph does, so that he soon becomes in charge of the
administration of the jail.
-Genesis 40:1-41:45 While in jail, Joseph is joined by Pharaoh’s cupbearer and
baker, who are currently in Pharaoh’s disfavor. They each have a dream.
Joseph interprets their dreams, telling the cupbearer that he shall soon be
restored, but that the baker will be put to death. Everything occurs as Joseph
says. Sometime later, Pharaoh has a dream that nobody can interpret. The
cupbearer tells Pharaoh that Joseph interpreted his dream for him, and might
also be able to do the same for Pharaoh. Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him.
Joseph tells Pharaoh that God is telling him through his dreams that there will
be 7 years of abundance, followed by 7 years of severe famine. Pharaoh is so
impressed with Joseph that he appoints him second-in-command to
administrate the kingdom.
-Genesis 41:46-57 After being appointed second-in-command under Pharaoh,
Joseph has two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph administers the kingdom
during the 7 years of abundance. The good years pass, and the famine comes,
and the people come to Joseph to buy food.
-Genesis 42:1-38 Jacob sends his sons, minus Benjamin, to Egypt to obtain
grain. Joseph sees and recognizes them, but they do not recognize him. He
accuses them of being spies. Joseph forces them to leave Simeon behind, and to
fetch Benjamin and bring him to him. However, when the brothers return to
Jacob, Jacob refuses to let them take Benjamin.
-Genesis 43:1-45:15 The famine becomes very severe, and Judah is finally able
to convince his father to let Benjamin go with them to buy food in Egypt. The
brothers go back to Egypt and see Joseph again. They buy grain and begin
their journey home, but Joseph has a valuable cup placed in Benjamin’s
possessions. Joseph then sends his servant to overtake his brothers and accuse
them of stealing Joseph’s cup. Benjamin is found with the cup, and they all
return to Egypt to face Joseph. Joseph tells them that the rest of them may
leave, but Benjamin will become a slave for what he has done. At this point,
Judah speaks up and volunteers to become a slave in place of Benjamin.
Joseph is moved by his brother’s response, and reveals himself as Joseph to
them. After overcoming their fears, Joseph tells his brothers to go back to their
homeland to get their possessions, and move to Egypt where he can protect
them.
-Genesis 45:16-47:12 Pharaoh hears that Joseph’s brothers have come, and
calls for them to all move to Egypt, where they can enjoy the best of the land.
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They go back to Canaan and fetch Jacob, who is incredulous, but is finally
convinced. The whole household picks up and relocates to Egypt, in the land of
Goshen, where Joseph provides for their needs.
-Genesis 47:13-27 As the famine continues, the people come to Joseph for
grain. First, they sell their livestock in return for grain. When that runs out,
they sell themselves into slavery. The end result is that Pharaoh ends up
owning virtually all of Egypt.
-Genesis 47:28-48:20 As his death approaches, Jacob starts to make final
preparations. First, he makes Joseph promise that he will bury him in Canaan,
at the family homestead in Canaan, and not in Egypt. Next, he adopts Joseph’s
two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Then, in an interesting twist, he blesses the
younger, Ephraim, over the older, Manasseh.
-Genesis 48:21-49:33 Jacob gives his deathbed blessing to his sons, singling out
Judah and Joseph for future blessing and glory. He then dies, after giving a
last charge that he be buried with his ancestors at the family homestead.
-Genesis 50:1-21 All of Jacob’s family, along with a contingent from Pharaoh,
go up to Canaan to bury Jacob. Afterwards, the brothers become concerned
that with Jacob gone, there will be nothing to stop Joseph from exacting
revenge upon them. But Joseph assures them he holds no grudge, as he
recognizes that all that has passed came from God’s hand.
-Genesis 50:22-26 Joseph dies at the age of 110. Upon his deathbed, he
charges his brothers with returning his bones to Canaan when they return to
their homeland.
3.
What observations do you have of these excerpts from Genesis 37:1-50:26? What
most stands out to you about what you read this week?
Another LONG week of reading. What struck you as you read God’s Word
these past two days?
4.
Think of some questions that might lead to an important spiritual “discovery.”
(For examples, you could review questions from last week’s study.) Write your
questions in the space below, then pray that God would answer your question(s).
If you were writing your own Bible study, what questions would YOU have?
Remember, in order for God to give us answers, we first need to have questions!
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Review Day2/Question2 in this week’s study.
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3A.
God had a specific purpose for placing Joseph in a position of high authority in
Egypt. What was it?
God placed Joseph in Egypt to provide protection for the incipient community
of God-worshippers that God is nurturing.
3B.
In the space below, list the verses that substantiate your answer to (3A).
Genesis 45:4-11: “Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to
me." And they came closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you
sold into Egypt. And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because
you sold me here; FOR GOD SENT ME BEFORE YOU TO PRESERVE
LIFE. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still
five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And GOD
SENT ME BEFORE YOU TO PRESERVE FOR YOU A REMNANT IN THE
EARTH, AND TO KEEP YOU ALIVE BY A GREAT DELIVERANCE. NOW,
THEREFORE, IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD; and
He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler
over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, `Thus
says your son Joseph, "God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me,
do not delay. And you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near
me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks and
your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are
still five years of famine to come, lest you and your household and all that you
have be impoverished.’”
Genesis 50:19,20: “But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in
God's place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but GOD MEANT IT
FOR GOOD IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT THIS PRESENT RESULT, TO
PRESERVE MANY PEOPLE ALIVE.”
4.
Joseph had a lot of “ups and downs” in his life leading up to being appointed “in
charge of the whole land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:41). In the space below, briefly
summarize the (“up and down”) events that took Joseph from living with his
brothers in Canaan to becoming Pharaoh’s right-hand man.
UP: He was Jacob’s favorite son and the one most blessed by his father.
DOWN: He was sold into slavery by his brothers.
UP: He became Potiphar’s slave, the chief of Pharaoh’s bodyguards, and was
elevated with great responsibilities within Potiphar’s household.
DOWN: Potiphar’s wife ruined everything by falsely charging him with
seducing her, so that Joseph was thrown into prison.
UP: Joseph was soon placed in charge of the administration of the jail and
received great favor from the chief jailer.
DOWN: Joseph successfully interprets the cupbearer’s dream, who promises
Joseph that he will tell Pharaoh about him and get him out of jail, but the
cupbearer does not follow through on his promise, so that Joseph languishes in
jail.
UP: Pharaoh has a dream from God and Joseph is able to interpret it, which
leads to Joseph becoming second-in-command of all of Egypt.
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5.
It is evident that God orchestrated the events in Joseph’s life. In the space below,
identify all the ways that God intervened/arranged events to get Joseph to where
He wanted him to be.
Here are some of the ways:
WAY #1: God arranges for Joseph to be sold into slavery. While we don’t
explicitly see God’s hand in this circumstance, we are directly told this in
Scripture (cf. the answer to Question 3B above).
WAY #2: God arranges for Joseph to be sold to Potiphar, the chief of
Pharaoh’s bodyguards. NOTE: This is key for Joseph later having contact
with Pharaoh’s cupbearer, because they don’t meet in a regular jail, but in a
special jail for high-level servants (cf. Genesis 40:7—“…Pharaoh’s officials
who were with him in confinement in his master’s [Potiphar’s] house.”).
WAY #3: God prospers Joseph while he was Potiphar’s slave, so that everything
he did turned out successful (cf. Genesis 39:2-5).
WAY #4: God “gives Joseph favor in the sight of the chief jailer” (cf. Genesis
39:21-23).
WAY #5: The cupbearer and baker are given dreams that they cannot
understand.
WAY #6: Joseph is given the ability to interpret their dreams.
WAY #7: Pharaoh is given dreams.
WAY #8: Joseph is given the ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
6.
Don’t you think God could have arranged to take care of Israel and his clan in a
more straightforward manner? If you were God and were looking to preserve
Israel during difficult times, how do you think you would have done it? Write
some ideas in the space below.
The most straightforward way is simply to not have allowed the famine to affect
Canaan in the first place. God could have caused the flocks of the young
community to prosper, as he did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (when he
served with Laban). And he could have put fear into the local community to
protect them from attack, as he did when Jacob left Shechem after the slaughter
by Jacob’s sons.
7.
Why do you think God chose His way of preserving Israel rather than use your
ideas? Elaborate any thoughts you may have in the space below.
Great question! Because Scripture does not come right and tell us, we cannot
be sure of the answer. However, I will share one possibility in tomorrow’s
study.
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Review Day2/Question2 in this week’s study.
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Biblical Note: The following addresses the question of whether Joseph was a
“prophetic figure” that foreshadowed the life of Jesus Christ: “Typology is a
special kind of symbolism. (A symbol is something which represents something
else.) We can define a type as a ‘prophetic symbol’ because all types are
representations of something yet future. More specifically, a type in scripture is a
person or thing in the Old Testament which foreshadows a person or thing in the
New Testament. For example, the flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 6-7) is used to
typify baptism in 1 Peter 3:20-21. The word for type that Peter uses is figure.
When we say that someone is a “type” of Christ, we are saying that a person in
the Old Testament behaves in a way that corresponds to Jesus’ character or
actions in the New Testament. When we say that something is “typical” of Christ,
we are saying that an object or event in the Old Testament can be viewed as
representative of some quality of Jesus. Scripture itself identifies several Old
Testament events as types of Christ’s redemption, including the tabernacle, the
sacrificial system, and the Passover.”
(SOURCE: “www.gotquestions.org/typology-Biblical.html”.)
3.
Whether or not we want to formally identify Joseph as a “type” of Christ, it is
clear that there are many interesting parallels between the life of Joseph and the
life of Jesus Christ. In the space below, identify as many parallels as you can
between Joseph’s and Jesus’ lives. (HINT: If you are not very familiar with the
life of Jesus, you can “cheat” and check out the following internet resource:
“www.freeessays.tv/d9693.htm”.)
The following list borrows heavily from the website, “http://biblia.com/
jesusbible/genesis6.htm” (cf. Item 51: “Joseph is the type of Jesus Christ”):
- Both Joseph and Jesus had “miracle” births: Joseph was born to Rachel, who
was barren until God supernaturally opened her womb. Jesus was born to
Mary through the supernatural conception of the Holy Spirit.
- Both Joseph and Jesus had a unique and special relationship with his father:
Gen. 37:3, Matt. 3:17;
- Both were rejected by their brothers;
- Both were sold for the price of a slave: Gen. 37:28, Matt. 26:15/Exodus 21:32;
- Joseph forgave those who tried to kill him, and went on to be their savior,
Jesus forgave those who crucified Him and went on to be their savior;
- People came to Joseph to receive food, Jesus fed the multitudes in the
wilderness, and was known as the "bread of life:” Jn.6:48-58;
- Both Joseph and Jesus spent time in Egypt: Gen. 37:28, Matt. 2:13;
- Both began their ministry at the age of thirty: Gen. 41:46, Luke 3:23
- Both were falsely accused: Gen. 39:14, Mark 14:56
- Both were silent before their accuser: Gen. 39:20, Mark 15:4
- Both were condemned between two prisoners: Gen. 40:2-3, Luke 23:32;
further, in both cases, one prisoner was saved and the other died.
- Both were not recognized by their own brethren: Gen. 42.8, Luke 24:37. Both became a lord / Lord: Gen. 45:8, Rev. 19:16.
- Both were sent to save God’s people and preserve a remnant.
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- Though it is never stated explicitly, Joseph is presented as flawless and
without sin, Jesus is without sin and is righteousness embodied;
- In addition, in Joseph we have a “picture” of the resurrection: He was
lowered into a “pit,” taken for dead (by Jacob), but “rose” from the pit and then
appeared to brothers/father in glorious form.
4.
There are many ways that God could have chosen to preserve Israel and his clan
during the famine (and afterwards), none of which would have involved Joseph
being sold into slavery and eventually rising through the ranks to become
Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Do you think the reason God chose the “Joseph
approach” was to give us an Old Testament “prophetic picture” of the life of
Jesus? Or do you think that is trying to read too much into the events of the Old
Testament? Elaborate your thoughts in the space below.
This definitely fits in the category of speculation. However, we know that God
had SOME reason for choosing the “Joseph approach” to preserve and nurture
his fledgling community of God-worshippers. One possible reason, and it is
difficult to think of others, is that God chose this way to give us a picture of the
coming Messiah. One of the marks that distinguish the Bible as a supernatural
book are the many “signs” and “types” that God has placed in His Word that
point to Jesus. In this we can be encouraged that God’s Word is true.
Accordingly, we can have confidence that the truth presented in God’s Word is
sufficiently reliable that we can build our lives on what it tells us.
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Review Day3/Question4 in this week’s study.
3.
Joseph faced a lot of adversity in his life. We could certainly understand if there
were times when he had difficulty trusting that God was going to work everything
out for good. In the space below, list some of the difficult situations faced by
Joseph and, for each one, explain why he might have had good reason to doubt
God.
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Difficult Situation
Reason to doubt
Hard to believe his God-given vision
of being a ruler would come true.
Hard to believe that his name would
ever be cleared, given that he was
being charged by an influential
Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife of
Egyptian official and he was only a
seducing her.
slave. Difficult to not believe that he
would spend the rest of his days in
jail, at best, or be put to death.
Hard to believe that he would ever be
Chief cupbearer forgets his promise to
released from jail when his one big
talk to Pharaoh and clear Joseph’s
chance to be released appeared to
name.
flame out.
Sold into slavery by his brothers.
4.
All of us have had difficult times in our lives where we wondered where God was
and doubted that the circumstances in our life could ever amount to anything
good. In the space below, describe an event(s) in your life that caused you, and
may still cause you, to doubt God’s love and protection of your life.
This is between you and God. Be honest and unafraid to identify circumstances
that make it hard for you to believe that God is really taking care of you.
5.
Write out the following verses:
Genesis 50:19,20: “But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in
God's place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for
good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.’”
6.
Do you think Joseph’s faith in the midst of adversity can help you to better trust
God through your own difficult times? Elaborate your thoughts in the space
below.
Yes, I believe that a major reason that God has given us this story of Joseph is
so that we can believe that circumstances that are the result of ill intentions of
others can still be used for good purposes. God can use the evil acts of others to
accomplish His purposes. Therefore we can believe that God causes “all things
to work together for good” (Romans 8:28).
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read the excerpts from Genesis listed below. Pay special attention to the
character of Judah. Next to each listing, write any impressions you have of the
kind of person Judah was.
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-Genesis 37:23-27 Judah takes the lead in having Joseph sold into slavery. On
the bright side, this may have saved Joseph’s life. On the other hand, he didn’t
argue against doing harm to Joseph. In fact, his intervention undermined
Reuben’s plan to save Joseph. Judah’s willingness, even leadership, in having
Joseph sold into slavery reflects badly on his character.
-Genesis 38:1-26 After his wife dies, Judah goes on a “business trip” and sleeps
with a prostitute. It turns out that the prostitute is his daughter-in-law, to whom
he has unfairly denied the “services” of his son to carry on the family line
through her. This is an ugly incident that shows (i) that Judah was not an
honorable man who kept his word, and (ii) that Judah was sexually immoral.
-Genesis 43:1-10 Judah takes the lead in convincing Jacob to let them take
Benjamin with them to Egypt where they can buy grain. He offers himself as
surety for Benjamin’s safety. In this incident, Judah shows himself to be a
“take charge” kind of guy who does what it takes to get the job done. In this
case, that meant giving himself as surety for Benjamin’s safety.
-Genesis 44:14-34 Stolen goods are planted with Benjamin, and he is charged
with stealing and sentenced to a life of slavery. Judah stands up and offers
himself in Benjamin’s place, to be a slave so that Benjamin can go free. This
incident shows a good side of Judah, both in his willingness to stand up for
Benjamin, and in his tenderness towards his father.
-Genesis 46:28 Judah is sent as the “leader” of the family to meet Joseph and
arrange the family’s arrival in Goshen. This demonstrates that Judah has
become the de facto leader amongst Jacob’s sons.
-Genesis 49:8-10 Judah receives the prophecy that he shall be supreme over his
brothers (“Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.”)
3.
You might get the impression after reading the Scripture for this week’s study that
God’s plan for building the nation of Israel centered on Joseph. Actually, not!
According to Genesis 49:8-10 (and later developments), it is clear that Judah
would be the favored line through which God would develop Israel. Consider
what the NIV Bible Commentary in the Zondervan Reference Library has to say
about this: “Two lines that have thus far run parallel are about to converge, and
out of them both will emerge a single theme. Jacob has two wives, each
representing a possible line through which the promise will be carried on. Just as
Abraham had two sons and only one was the son of promise, and just as Isaac
had two sons and only one was the son of the blessing, so now Jacob, though he
has twelve sons, has two wives (Leah and Rachel), and each has a son (Judah and
Joseph) who can rightfully contend for the blessing. …in the end it was Judah, the
son of Leah, not Joseph, the son of Rachel, who gained the blessing….As
important as Joseph is in the structure of the Genesis narratives, his role is
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subordinate to that of Judah. Consequently, not the blessings of the sons of
Joseph, but the blessing of Judah plays the dominant role in the continuing story
of the promise and the blessing. From Judah comes the house of David, and from
David comes the Messiah.”
3.
If you were picking which of Jacob’s sons to be the “chosen one” of God, who
would you have chosen, Joseph or Judah? In the space below, identify your
choice and elaborate your reason(s).
I would have picked Joseph. In everything he does, he evidences a strong faith
in God and seems to be the “perfect man:” eminently capable, humble,
forgiving, faithful. Judah, while he shows strong leadership skills, never once
references God in his various dealings. Further, his incident with prostitute is a
gross incident in which he commits (albeit unknowingly) an abominable sin –
sleeping with his daughter-in-law.
4.
Joseph was a godly man of impeccable character. Judah did a lot of scummy
things in his life, and was hardly the picture of righteousness. Why do you think
God chose Judah? What lesson do you think God wants us to learn from this?
God will accomplish His plans through His elect. He doesn’t always choose the
most godly people with whom to work through. Why is that? Because there
might be the sense that the resulting accomplishments were done through the
efforts of extraordinary, godly men. By choosing the “Judahs of the world,”
God makes it clear that He is the one who gets the job done. All glory be to
Him!
1 Corinthians 1:26-29: “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were
not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has
chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and
the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that
are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast
before God.”
5.
Review this week’s study. Did God teach you anything that spiritually impacted
you this week? Elaborate in the space below.
How different is this God, and this “religion,” from what one would have
expected! How unpredictable, how surprising are the doings of God! He is not
what man would have invented. The very unexpectedness of God reminds us
that we need to find out for ourselves who He is, because our “common sense”
and humanly musings will not lead us to a knowledge of Him. Lord God, teach
us to know YOU, as You really are, in all Your glory. Amen.
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WEEK ELEVEN: Excerpts from Genesis 48:1-50:26
Day One:
1.
Prepare your heart to be taught by God. Pray that God would cause the “eyes of
your heart to be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) and that you would be responsive
to the things God wants you to learn.
2A.
2B.
2C.
Read Genesis 48:1-5.
Read Genesis 49:1-28.
Read Numbers 1:1-16.
3.
Complete the table below:
Names of 12 sons of Jacob/Israel
(from Genesis 49:1-28)
1. Reuben
Names of 12 tribes of Israel
(from Numbers 1:1-16)
1. Reuben
2. Simeon
2. Simeon
3. Levi
3. Judah
4. Judah
4. Zebulun
5. Zebulun
5. Issachar
6. Issachar
6. Dan
7. Dan
7. Gad
8. Gad
8. Asher
9. Asher
9. Naphtali
10. Naphtali
10. Benjamin
11. Joseph
11. Manasseh
12. Benjamin
12. Ephraim
4.
What 2 names appear on the right-hand side of the table that are not listed on the
left-hand side?
Manasseh and Ephraim.
5.
Read Romans 11:1-18.
Note: Pay particular attention to Romans 11:17, which states that the Gentiles
were “grafted into” God’s chosen people, here represented as “the olive tree.”
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6.
Don’t you think this “grafting” of the two sons of Joseph into the 12 tribes of
Israel (and corresponding “breaking off” of two of the “branches” to make room
for them) is interesting?
It is REALLY interesting. What makes it even more interesting is that this isn’t
any old family history we’re talking about. These are the patriarchs – the
founding fathers of Israel. Yet God managed events so that amongst the
founding fathers are two who did not originally belong, who are then elevated
to full “citizenship” status amongst the chosen community of God.
And there’s something else that is remarkable: Recall that God
arranged for all of the other patriarchs to marry wives from the community of
believers. Isaac married Rebekah. Jacob married Leah and Rachel. In
contrast, Joseph married…an Egyptian woman, the daughter of “Potiphera,
priest of On” (Genesis 41:50). So not only were Manasseh and Ephraim
outsiders, they were born to a Gentile woman, whose father worshipped a god
other than the true God. Is this a picture of the “grafting in” of the Gentiles
into the “family of God” that Romans 11 is describing?
7.
By now in our study of Genesis, we have seen that God oftentimes uses people
and events to picture or foreshadow New Testament truths. Further, the Bible
itself tells us that many things in the Old Testament are meant to be “types”, or
pictures, of biblical truths/future events (cf. Galatians 4:24f.). In your opinion, do
you think this “grafting in” of Joseph’s sons is a “prophetic picture” that
foreshadows the “grafting in” of the Gentiles into God’s chosen people?
Elaborate your thoughts in the space below. (NOTE: While one always runs the
risk of “over-interpreting” the Bible, it is noteworthy that both of Joseph’s sons
had an Egyptian/Gentile mother – cf. Genesis 41:50-52).
I think it is. What other purpose could there be behind this strange set of
events. What do YOU think?
Day Two:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
Read Genesis 50:15-26.
3.
Why did God send Joseph into Egypt and arrange for him to achieve great
influence and authority under Pharaoh?
God sent Joseph into Egypt “to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
Joseph’s influence allowed him to create a protected environment where the
fledgling community of God-worshippers would not only be provided for during
the famine, but would also be protected physically against foreign aggressors.
4.
A significant portion of the Book of Genesis can be understood as a history of the
“beginnings” of the nation of Israel. However, there is a larger story-line that
runs through the Book of Genesis. With this in mind, answer the following
questions:
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4A.
God created Adam and Eve and fashioned a special place where they could enjoy
intimate fellowship with God. Something happened that upset this arrangement.
What was that “something?”(cf. Week Two of the Genesis study)
Adam and Eve sinned in the garden by eating from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. This unleashed a chain of events that began with them being
expelled from the garden. Even more consequentially, they acquired sin
natures. Sin soon consumed the descendants of Adam and Eve, so that they
turned from God and turned on each other.
4B.
Things got so bad that God had to destroy mankind through a great flood,
preserving the line of Noah in a “fresh start” for man. Something happened that
upset this arrangement. What was that “something?”(cf. Week Three of the
Genesis study)
Man’s sin nature survived the flood with Noah and his family. Once again,
man turned his back on God. The descendants of Noah acquired other
religions, and desired to become great apart from God, ultimately leading to
their bold act of idolatry/defiance against God, as they conspired to build a huge
tower that would ‘reach into heaven.”
4C.
Finally, God decided to create a “special people” whom He would nurture into a
nation of God-worshippers. Who were these “special people?”
These “special people” are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob/Israel. They would eventually form the nation of Israel, and be known as
the Jews.
5.
Imagine that you were trying to describe the Book of Genesis to a friend. In that
frame of mind, write a short paragraph in the space below briefly summarizing the
main story-line of the Book of Genesis.
The Book of Genesis is about God creating man and His efforts of establishing
a community of people who would worship Him and have fellowship with Him.
He started out with Adam and Eve, but they upset the arrangement God had
made for them by choosing to defy Him in the garden of Eden. This unleashed
sin into the world. God then started anew with Noah, but mankind soon fell
into sin again, defying God by acquiring other religions and falling into
idolatry, driven by a desire to make themselves great. Finally, God began a new
work, creating a people set apart for the ultimate purpose of worshipping and
fellowshipping with Him.
Day Three:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Review Week One of the Genesis study.
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2B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The main thing I learned from the Week One study is that God created the
world for mankind. Man (and woman) was not just a piece of God’s creation.
They are the centerpiece of His creation. He made man in “His image” to have
fellowship with Him. In other words, I have been uniquely crafted to have a
relationship with God. That is a truth I need to remind myself of as the cares
and concerns of daily living pull me in alternative directions.
3A.
Review Week Two of the Genesis study.
3B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
Something big that God taught me from Week Two is that true
fellowship/worship of God is based upon a sense of inadequacy before God.
Even in the garden, where God took care of all man’s needs, God saw fit to
plant the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” where man would pass by it
every day. I think God did this to remind man that only God is god, and man is
ignorant of even basic distinctions such as good and evil apart from Him. I
believe that this sense of being inadequate/ignorant/helpless before God lies at
the heart of true worship.
4A.
Review Week Three of the Genesis study.
4B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The lesson I learned from Week Three is that man is prone to deep sinfulness.
Unrestrained by a worshipful relationship with God, man will descend into
greater depths of depravity. Put man into a perfect garden and allow him to
fellowship with God? He will disobey and desire to be like God on his own (cf.
Adam and Eve). Start with a godly man, the most righteous man who had lived
up to that time, and even then it won’t take long for man to turn away from God
and pursue wickedness (cf. Noah and his descendants). Left to our own
devices, we would head straight downwards into sin, selfishness, and
wickedness. We need God to save us!
Day Four:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2A.
Review Week Four of the Genesis study.
2B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The main thing I learned (or was reminded about) from Week 4 is the
fundamental role of faith. Interestingly, the Hebrew words for “believe” and
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“righteousness” both make their first biblical appearance in Genesis 15:6.
Significantly, they are connected together in the same verse. In other words,
from the very beginning, God intended righteousness to be something received,
by faith, rather than something earned. Further, in Abraham’s great
profession of faith in Chapter 15, we see that faith can occur together with
doubts. Abraham had doubts that God would fulfill His promises. Yet, at the
end of the day, Abraham chose to believe what God said over his own feelings
of doubt. This is a great lesson for me that faith is not a feeling. It is a willful
decision to take God at His word.
3A.
Review Week Five of the Genesis study.
3B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The key lesson for me from Week 5 is the picture of law and faith represented
by the two children, Ishmael and Isaac. How amazing that God would have
superintended human events to provide a picture of living under the “old” and
“new” covenants! Ishmael represents the system of attempting to live
righteously by using good common sense and being disciplined and intentional
to do the right thing. Isaac represents the system of attempting to live
righteously by believing God. True righteousness comes from depending on
God to produce spiritual life within me. I can’t will it/discipline it/produce it
within me through my own power, no more than I can flap my arms and fly. I
need God to lift me up to make me spiritually soar. My job is TO BELIEVE!
4A.
Review Week Six of the Genesis study.
4B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The main lesson from Week 6 for me was the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of
Isaac. This provides a picture of genuine faith, something that is emphasized
by the Book of James. While God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son
made no sense to Abraham, he chose to believe God over his own evaluation of
what seemed reasonable. There is a way of the world that seems right:
maximize your pleasure, achieve success, plan for a comfortable retirement.
There is another way -- the way of faith -- that can cause one to put all these
things at risk. Yet in the final analysis, the first way leads to a slow but sure
spiritual death. Only the latter way, the way of faith, provides real life, but it
can only be had by being willing to place that which we hold dear “on the
altar.”
Day Five:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
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2A.
Review Week Seven of the Genesis study.
2B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
Week 7 is about the life of Isaac. In many ways, Isaac was like the nation of
Israel. He started from auspicious beginnings. He was the chosen one of God,
the “miracle child.” Yet despite his elect upbringing, Isaac morphed into
another lover of the world. He forgot his holy calling, and even tried to
undermine the will of God. His life is a testimony that God’s purposes will not
be thwarted. When I choose to place my life solidly behind God and the
building of His kingdom, I am not foolishly and recklessly risking my life. I am
placing my “bets” on the only sure thing in the universe. Nothing stops God
from accomplishing His will!
3A.
Review Week Eight of the Genesis study.
3B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The Week 8 lesson focused on God blessing Jacob despite Jacob’s lack of
interest in spiritual things. Yet, on reflection, Jacob at least gave God a crack
in the door. He did say, “If God would do this, …., then God would be my
God.” In other words, he was willing to give God a chance. Okay, he wasn’t
particularly impressive and did a lot of stumbling, and showed a lot of
selfishness and ungodliness. But that does not negate the fact that he gave God
an opening in his life. God took that small opening and eventually got Jacob to
where He wanted him to be. That is an encouragement to me. God can take my
feeble efforts of knowing and serving Him, and make something great out of
them. Not because of who I am. But because of who He is.
4A.
Review Week Nine of the Genesis study.
4B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
The main lesson that I drew from the Week 9 study comes from Jacob’s
wrestling match with the mysterious stranger. Did God place this incident in
His Word to be an example of how we are supposed to relate with Him? I think
so. I think God wants us to be needy and dependent. Jacob had a really hard
time with that. He was always looking out for Number One. God caught him at
a teachable moment and taught him a lesson about securing God’s blessings:
Hang tight and don’t let go. My biggest spiritual problem isn’t outright
disobedience or rebellion (though I’ve got some of that too!). My biggest
spiritual problem is self-sufficiency. God doesn’t want me being indifferent
towards Him. He wants me hanging on to Him for dear (eternal) life.
5A.
Review Week Ten of the Genesis study.
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5B.
In the space below, summarize the main things that God taught you from that
week’s study.
For me, the most impacting thing that I learned from Week 10 had to do with
the question, “Why Joseph?” Why this whole, long section of Scripture devoted
to Joseph? After all, from the perspective of the New Testament, it is Judah,
son of Leah, who is the preeminent one, the one through whom “the blessing”
will come. Not through Joseph, the son of Rachel. Could it be that this is a
picture of the coming Christ? That Joseph is a “type” of Jesus? That in this
story we can see evidence that the Bible is not the work of men, but the
supernatural work of God? I believe the answers to these questions is “Yes!”
Day Six:
1.
Prepare your heart before God. Pray that God would teach you from His Word,
and that you would be responsive to His teaching.
2.
In the space below, make up a title that captures the main idea for each week of
the Genesis study. Try and write your “titles” so that by reading them, one after
the other, you can “walk through” the main ideas in the Book of Genesis.
WEEK
TITLE
ONE
Creation and the Garden of Eden
TWO
Adam and Eve
THREE
Sin, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel
FOUR
The Life of Abraham, Part 1: God establishes a covenant
FIVE
The Life of Abraham, Part 2: Abraham believes God
SIX
The Life of Abraham, Part 3: Abraham grows in faith
SEVEN
The Life of Isaac: The “promise” cannot be thwarted
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WEEK
3.
TITLE
EIGHT
The Life of Jacob, Part 1: “If God will be with me…”
NINE
The Life of Jacob, Part 2: A life of ambivalent faith
TEN
The Life of Joseph (and Judah): Two men and a Messiah
Reflect on all the great truths that you have learned in your study of Genesis this
semester. What did you find most spiritually impacting in your study? Elaborate
in the space below.
This study of the Book of Genesis has caused me to worship God in a new and
fresh way. I was greatly encouraged! And hopefully you were too. May God
bless you and cause you to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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