Exegesis: Genesis

This page presents a 19-part exegetical study of the Old Testament book of  Genesis. This study is illuminated by the New Testament revelation that the Creator spoken of in Genesis is the divine Word (Logos) of John 1:1. The Word is the Son of God who, through the Incarnation, became flesh, uniting himself to us (John 1:14) so that we might be united to him in the love and life he shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit (John 20:30). This Word, Jesus Christ, reveals to us who God is, and the plan the triune God established from before creation for all humankind and, indeed, the entire cosmos. The task and privilege before us is to read and understand Genesis in the light of this revelation. Much of the material in this study is adapted from Gordon Wenham’s commentary on Genesis in the "New Bible Commentary." 

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Genesis #1: introduction and background

The title Genesis is the English transliteration of a Greek word meaning origin or source. This word was used in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) to translate the Hebrew word toledot, which has a prominent place in the structure of Genesis. Note, for example, Gen 2:4: “This is the account [toledot in Hebrew, geneseos in the Septuagint] of heaven and earth when they were created.”  The Hebrew title for Genesis is Beresit—the Hebrew word translated in Gen 1:1 as, “In the beginning.”  Both titles suggest the book’s subject-matter, which is the origin or beginning—the genesis of all things: the cosmos, humankind, human institutions (such as marriage), the nations and, above all, the people of Israel. Who God is (in his being) and what he accomplishes (in his actions) in generating all these, is the focus of the book. In this introduction to Genesis, we’ll address four background questions: Who wrote it? What is its theme? Is it history? What is its structure?

1. Who wrote it?

Another ancient title for Genesis is The First Book of Moses—a title highlighting that Genesis is viewed as the first book of a five-volume work, called The Law (Torah in Hebrew; also called The Law of Moses). In Greek, the Torah is referred to as The Pentateuch (meaning “five books”). Within Scripture and ancient tradition, authorship of this five-volume work is credited to Moses. This does not mean that Moses personally wrote every word—indeed, sections refer to events after Moses’ death (e.g. . Gen 12:6; 36:31). Moses probably wrote much of the material in each of the five books, sometimes incorporating other documents. His work was then edited following his death. Moses and the editor(s) were led by the Spirit to compile a work with a coordinated structure and a unified vision of God and his truth. This vision is presupposed throughout the rest of the Bible, including in the teachings of Jesus.

2. What is its theme?

As the first of the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch), Genesis puts the giving of the Law at Sinai (the subject-matter of Exodus through Deuteronomy) into historical perspective, providing a theological key to the interpretation of the laws and stories contained in these books. The theme of Genesis is thus primarily theological. Its purpose is to directly challenge the theology and worldview of the ancient pagan world, which held to various beliefs in multiple gods. The God presented in Genesis (and in all the Pentateuch) is not merely one of multiple localized gods, with limited knowledge and power. Rather, he is the one, almighty Creator God who is Lord and Judge of all. This one God speaks to Abraham, prompts him to leave his homeland (Ur), settle in Canaan (Israel) and bring up his family there. Genesis records how, despite numerous mistakes and setbacks by Abraham and his family, these promises are gradually realized. In the books of Moses that follow Genesis, a more complete fulfillment of these promises is described.

It is this divine perspective that gives Genesis, and, in turn the whole Pentateuch, its unifying theme and meaning. It is vital to note that Genesis is not interested in events for their own sake, but for what they disclose about God’s nature and purposes.  This theme is then worked out in Genesis in two parts: The first (chapters 1–11) focuses on the origins of the human race. The second (chapters 12–50) focuses on the origins of Israel.  The much greater attention devoted to the patriarchs of Israel shows that this is the chief concern of the author(s).  In reviewing the main theme of Genesis, we’ll look first at the theology of chapters 12–50 and then of chapters 1–11.

a) Theology of Genesis 12–50

The key theological theme of Genesis 12–50, and indeed of the entire Pentateuch, is set out in Gen 12:1–3: “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’" Here God makes four promises to Abraham:

1. he will be given a land
2. he will become a great nation
3. he will enjoy a covenant relationship with God
4. through him all nations of the earth will be blessed

Whenever God addresses the patriarchs in Genesis he refers to these promises, often making them more specific. For example, ”land” (12:1) becomes “this land” (12:7), “all the land you see…for ever” (13:15) and “the whole land of Canaan…as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you” (17:8). God makes the promises ever more specific and dogmatic as the patriarchs respond in faith and obedience. But even their misbehavior does not nullify the promises; it serves only to slow their fulfillment. Thus, in reading Genesis we must ask about every incident: How does it contribute to the fulfillment of these promises? We note here that this fulfillment does not occur in straight-line fashion. Rather, there are unexpected twists and setbacks in the journey. By the end of Genesis, Abraham’s descendants number only 70—hardly a “great nation.”Although they increase dramatically during the Egyptian slavery, the promise of innumerable offspring still seems incomplete even in Exodus. As to the promise of land, it is not until the book of Joshua that Canaan is secured.

Some of this slowness in the fulfillment of the promises is attributable to unbelief or disobedience by the patriarchs. But despite their flaws, God is faithful to the covenant—he is always with the patriarchs, blessing those who bless them; cursing those who curse them (12:3). Yet, within Genesis, the promises to Abraham are only partially fulfilled, leaving us to look outside Genesis—first to the broader history of Israel found in the rest of the Pentateuch and the entire Old Testament; and then to the New Testament and to Jesus, the true Son of Abraham, in whom the promises find their ultimate and complete fulfillment.

b) Theology of Genesis 1–11

Genesis 12–50 tell the details of Israel’s history, starting with Abram (Abraham)—grandfather of Jacob (Israel). Israel’s nearby neighbors are also descended from Abraham. But Genesis 1-11 provide the larger context for Israel in the larger Near East. This is seen in the table of nations in chapter 10. These chapters are not “history” per se, but Moses’ retelling of certain origin stories prevalent among pagan nations of the Near East. Moses’ intent is to challenge the polytheism of the ancient Near East—a belief in multiple gods of limited power, knowledge and morality. You could never be sure whether you had chosen the right deity, or whether he or she could bring you health and salvation. But the God presented in Genesis 1-11 has no equal—he is all-powerful, creating the whole universe (even the sun, moon and stars, often thought by the pagans to be gods in their own right) by his singular command.

Moses’ retelling of these stories is both new and revolutionary. He presents the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a God in relationship with his creation, including all humankind. Consider, for example, Moses’ retelling of the creation story. Unlike the Mesopotamian’s creation stories, which tell how the gods created humankind as an afterthought to provide themselves with food, Genesis declares that humankind is the goal of God’s creation, whom God provides with food (1:26–29). Yet, though humankind is the goal and crowning achievement of God’s creation, in Genesis, humankind is shown to be terribly flawed: “Every inclination of the thought of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time” (6:5). It is this human sin, (not human fertility as in some of the pagan flood stories), that provokes the Noachian flood. This pessimism about human nature and society distinguishes Genesis’ theology from that of other ancient oriental beliefs. Mesopotamians (like many people today), believed in progress. They held that the Babylonian civilization was the most advanced and enlightened of all time. But Genesis declares it to be one of the most decadent (6:1–4; 11:1–9). Indeed, Genesis traces an avalanche of sin, unleashed by Adam’s disobedience, aggravated by Cain’s murder and climaxed in the illicit marriages of 6:1–4, which eventually trigger the flood. This great act of de-creation is followed by a new creation as God stops the flood and a new earth emerges from the flood waters. Noah, a sort of second Adam, steps out to till the land. But like the first Adam he too falls; his son Ham acts even worse; and human sinfulness reaches another peak when, at Babel, men attempt to build a tower to reach heaven. This leads to another act of universal judgment in the scattering of the nations across the globe.

It is in this thematic context, presented by a radical retelling of ancient pagan stories, that Abram (who God renames Abraham) emerges in Ur (center of this corrupt pagan civilization). There God calls one patriarch (which means the calling of an entire tribe), to leave Ur, move to a new land and build a new nation. In doing so, all humankind will eventually find great blessing. Thus, despite much pessimism concerning the human condition, Genesis is fundamentally optimistic. It declares that God’s purposes for humankind, first hinted at in the creation accounts (chapters 1–2), will ultimately be achieved through the offspring of Abraham. Only later do we learn that Jesus—the incarnation of the God of Genesis who is the great I Am of the Pentateuch—is, himself, the offspring of Abraham in whom all people, and indeed the entire cosmos of his creation are blessed.

3. Is it history?

Many individuals pass across the stage of world history in Genesis. The record of their deeds concern primarily their families (tribes), not national or international affairs. The book’s emphasis in chapters 12-50 on birth and death, family disputes, grazing and burial rights, etc. point to that part of the book as being accounts of historical individuals (the patriarchs in particular). However, in chapters 1–11 we are treading different ground. These chapters are best understood as the telling of stories (narratives) that convey ‘proto-history’ or ‘primeval history’ that is given to convey profound theological truth. Though their arrangement suggests chronological flow, their primary emphasis is not chronology, but the ultimate cause and meaning of history. In particular, these chapters powerfully challenge the prevailing pagan worldview (view of causation), which rests on a belief in many gods (polytheism).

To try to uncover in these chapters an actual reconstruction of historical events, or specific “scientific” descriptions of the how and when of creation, is to misuse these chapters and therefore to risk missing their essential, God-given message. That message is focused on the who and why of creation.  Some Christians, of course, disagree with this assessment. But no matter what interpretive approach we bring to Genesis 1-11, we need not divide or fight. Indeed, all Christians agree that God is Creator of all, and that he creates for a specific purpose, and that his purpose is worked out through Abraham, then Israel, leading to the ultimate outworking in and through Jesus.

4. What is its structure?

Genesis is organized using a distinctive and beautiful literary structure. It begins with a prologue that describes who God is and how he relates to the world of his creation (1:1-2:3). The rest of the book is organized into ten sections—each presenting a new initiative on God’s part in the outworking of salvation history—“his-story.” Each of these ten sections begins with the heading, This is the account of….  In word for “account” in Hebrew is toledot, which means account, generations, source, race or descent. The first section is introduced with the words “This is the toledot of the heavens and the earth when they were created.” Then in 5:1 we have, “This is the toledot of Adam’s line.” Contrary to what one might expect, these accounts are not essentially about the ancestor noted in the heading, but about his descendants. The sections intermingle narratives and genealogies—all for the purpose of establishing the supremacy and purpose of God and the important place of Israel in the outworking of that purpose on behalf of all humankind.

Conclusion

Our journey through Genesis continues below with an examination of the book’s prologue. After that, we’ll look at each of the book's ten sections, all in the light of the person, plans and purposes of God revealed to us fully in the person of Jesus Christ, who is Creator and Sustainer of all.
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Genesis #2 (Gen 1:1-2:3)
Prologue: a hymn of praise to the one Creator

This section of Genesis serves as the prologue to the book (and all the Pentateuch). It is divided into ten sections, each beginning with the phrase: "This is the account of "(account of = Hebrew toledot). The prologue provides the interpretive key for the book. This key is theological, showing who God is and why he creates. It is also covenantal, showing that the God of the covenant (with Israel and through Israel with all humanity) is the same as the Creator of all the cosmos.

The prologue seems to be in the form of poetic liturgy—a sort of extended hymn of praise. It is artfully arranged with ten divine commands resulting in eight acts of creation spread over six days. The days are set in balanced, symmetrical correspondence: On day one God creates ‘light,’ then on day four ‘lights’ (sun, moon and stars). On day two, he creates the sky and sea, then on day five the dwellers in the sky and sea (birds and fish). On day three, he creates the land and vegetation, then on day six the land dwellers (animals and humankind), giving them plants to eat. Finally, on day seven God rests from this aspect of creation and enters a new phase—a never-ending new day of redemption.

The crowning feat of creation comes on day six when God creates humankind. The work of the preceding five days provides humankind with a home. This loving concern of God for  humankind is made apparent when the Genesis account is compared to creation accounts from ancient Near Eastern pagan cultures. Genesis rejects pagan beliefs in multiple gods and their relationship with the world. In the Genesis creation account there are no gods who fight, marry and bear children. There is but one God. He exists beyond time and sex and before all else. Out of nothing, he creates all things, even the sun, moon and stars, which pagans worshiped as gods. The one God of Genesis requires no magic to do what he does; his creative word is sufficient. This one God is the sovereign Creator to whom all the universe owes its being. Within that universe, God uniquely makes men and women in his image, giving them a place of honor as stewards of his good creation.

Let’s now enter into worship through this hymn of praise to our Creator.

1. Creation begins (1:1–2)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

In the Hebrew construction, “in the beginning” is a heading that sums up all that God is about to do in creation week to bring into being the “heavens and the earth” (the cosmos). Implied here (and clearly stated in John 1:1), is the idea that God creates out of nothing. The creation initially is formless and empty (unproductive and uninhabited—perhaps referring to the “stuff” of creation), but over the course of creation week it emerges in a well-ordered and populated form. ‘Create’ (Hebrew bara) is something only God does (this particular Hebrew verb is used only of God). Gen 1:2 notes the presence of the Spirit (spirit = ‘wind’) of God that hovers above the ocean. Perhaps we have here a hint of God’s triune nature.

2. Days 1 through 6 (1:3-31)

Now we are given details concerning God’s creating. The account uses as a literary/theological device the structure/metaphor of the seven-day week. It is the view of this series that creation week is not to be understood as a literal week of 24 hour long days. Why this view?  Several reasons:

• As noted in the introduction to the book above, there is a particular literary style, construction and context to this section. For example, Gen 1:1–2:3, unlike all other sections of Genesis, is not headed by the title This is the account of—the literary device which links proto-history (2:4–11:26) to patriarchal history (11:27–50:26). Thus 1:1–2:3 is to be viewed as a prologue to the rest of the book. This is an important clue that what we’re reading here is a different sort of material.
• Then we note that in Genesis, the Hebrew word used for day refers to a variety of periods: daylight (Gen 29:7), a 24-hour long day (Gen 7:4) and an indefinite period (Gen 35:3).
• That the days of creation week are different from ordinary days is shown by the non-existence of the sun until day four.
• God does not need time in which to create. Indeed, he is able to create instantaneously, by divine fiat.
• The use of “creation week” as a symbol to speak of creation was familiar to the original audience (the idea is used in other Near Eastern creation stories).
• As a literary device, the idea of a creation week speaks to how God sovereignly orders creation—a key concern of Genesis over against pagan creation myths.
• The idea of a creation week demonstrates God’s care in accommodating himself to our human frame of reference, so that we can relate to him. The frame of reference of the original audience for this book is pre-scientific. God accommodates himself to their knowledge of the cosmos at that time.
• This literary/theological device serves as a model of how God develops humanity through successive eras of history.

The idea of God creating in a “week” is thus a metaphorical literary device used to tell us about who God is and why he creates, not how or when. It is an artful and powerful tool to tell us profound theological truths concerning the fact that God creates and that his creation is orderly and purposeful.

Some Bible students object to reading the account of creation week in this symbolic way. They view it as a literal description of how God actually created, including how long creation took. Some following this approach, try to find a longer duration for creation by viewing the seven 24-hour-long days as lengthy eras. Others place a lengthy period of time between Gen 1:1 (the original creation) and 1:2 (re-creation). But these approaches ask this section to address what, in our view, it does not (and in so doing, tends to overlook, or at least minimize, its essential message). To those who hold to a literalistic view of creation week, we note that though we may disagree on this point, we do agree together that God is Creator of all and that he created the way he actually did (whatever that might be). One day, we will know exactly how and when. In the meantime, let us approach this matter with humility and grace, accepting each other as brothers and sisters who worship the one God, who is Creator of all. Let us not divide over non-essentials.

Let’s now look at creation week, beginning at day one with the creation of light:

a) The creation of light (vv3-5)

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-- the first day.

The dark world is illuminated when God says, “Let there be light.” More precisely, day (which represents good) is distinguished from night (which represents evil) by the creation of light. The point is that God brings light (goodness and order) to replace darkness (evil and chaos). The refrain God saw that [it] was good (cf. vv 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) affirms the intrinsic goodness of the creation and of its Creator.

b) The separation of the waters (vv6-8)

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning-- the second day.

God again shows his power by limiting the domain of the waters, which had covered the globe (see Job 38:8–11). Some of these waters were in the seas, the rest in the sky. The upper waters were kept there by the expanse. From earth, this expanse appears to be a sort of dome that prevents water in the clouds from falling to earth (Gen 7:11).

c) The creation of land and plants (vv9-13) 

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning-- the third day.

Even more important for humankind is the provision, on the third day, of dry land on which man and woman can live, and have plants to sustain their life (1:29–30). The distinct varieties of plants (vv11–12) bear witness to God’s generosity, creative genius and power.

d) The creation of the heavenly lights (vv14-19) 

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights-- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning-- the fourth day.

Here is an even more powerful proof of God’s creative power with great relevance to human existence: the existence of the sun, moon and stars. Pagan contemporaries of Genesis regarded these bodies as gods in their own right. To avoid any suspicion that the sun and moon were anything but created by God, Genesis calls them mere lights. What folly it is to follow the astrological charts of the Babylonians or to join in with the Egyptians in worshipping the sun god. These heavenly bodies are appointed by the God who creates them—his purpose in doing so is to regulate the rhythms of human life on earth by defining day and night and the seasons of the year. We are to worship God, not the heavenly bodies.

e) The creation of birds and fish (vv20-23) 

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning-- the fifth day.

The symmetrical/parallel construction between God’s work on the first three days and the second three days now becomes clear. On day one, light is created, on day four, the heavenly lights; on day two, sky and oceans, on day five, birds and fish. Once again, this account of creation is given to stress God’s sovereignty over the natural universe and his concern for order. Ancient pagans regarded great sea creatures as divine, but Genesis shows that they are merely part of God’s creation. Furthermore, God wants the waters and air to be filled with his creatures, and his command and blessing guarantee their fertility. No magic or fertility rites are needed to secure it.

f) The creation of animals and humankind (vv24-31)

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." 29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-- everything that has the breath of life in it-- I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-- the sixth day.

Here, on day six, creation reaches a climax. Note how much fuller the description of God’s work on this day is than for the preceding days. Note also the parallels with the words of day three (land).  Genesis here defines humankind’s purpose and place in God’s plan:

• Humankind is said to be made in God’s image and likeness. This means that men and women alike, though not God (they are in his likeness), do share his nature (image)—his life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, justice), and thus are granted the capacity for fellowship with God. In the New Testament, we learn much more about this fellowship and image-bearing. There we  learn that Jesus in his divinity and humanity is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15), and humans share that human image of God in union with Jesus, which means sharing Jesus’ relationship with his Father in the  Spirit.
• God says, Let us make man in our image (Gen 1:26). Along with 1:2, which seems to refer to the Holy Spirit, we may have here a hint of plural persons in the Godhead. It’s also possible that this refers to God conversing with his angels. Either way, the idea is that humans, by God’s design, are highly esteemed and granted great authority and creativity.

3. Day 7 (2:1-3)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

A dramatic change of style and structure in the narrative highlights the seventh day as different from the others—inviting humans into a relationship with this one God who creates all that is (humankind included). We note some interesting things. First, this day is not called the Sabbath (as it came to be designated under the Law of Moses, where the Sabbath is a sign that Israel is set apart for special covenant with this Creator God). What is stated here in Genesis is that by this day, God “had finished” his work of creating the heavens and earth (with its inhabitants), and now ceases (the literal meaning of the Hebrew word shabath, here translated “rested”). But to cease from this one activity, is to enter another. Note that there is no reference here (as on the other six days) to “and there was morning and there was evening…” On the seventh “day” God enters not a mere day, but a never-ending era in his unfolding plan. Concerning this era, Jesus says, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (John 5:17). Having ended the work of physical creation, God enters his work of redemption: Creating a new humanity and new heavens and new earth in which they dwell. Indeed, we are told in the New Testament that God’s plan for redemption/re-creation was established, “before the creation of the world” (1Pet 1:18-20). That plan, of course, comes to its climax with Jesus’ incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension. It will be fully revealed to all at the end of this era when Jesus and the new humanity is seen by all. Genesis will soon tell us why this new creation/redemption is a necessity.

Conclusion

And so we end of our study of this hymn of praise to the one Creator. The purpose of this prologue to Genesis is not to tell us when and how God created, but to tell us who God is (the one, Sovereign Creator), and why he created. Understanding this helps us see that Genesis and modern science are not hopelessly at odds. Rather, they address different questions.

Genesis addresses who God is and how he relates to the cosmos. It does so, not in the scientific language of the twentieth-first century, but using ideas current in the ancient Near East of over 3000 years ago. Over against the polytheistic world-view that held there were many gods, Genesis declares that there is but one creator God, and rejects the ancient pagan view that humankind was created as an afterthought which the gods later regretted. Genesis affirms that humankind is the goal of creation and that humankind’s welfare is God’s concern.

Science addresses the laws that govern the cosmos of God’s creation, and works backward to trace the course of its development according to those laws. By doing so, science helps us appreciate God’s power and creative genius. But science, by its very nature, does not seek to explain God’s purposes in creating, or his character in doing so—that is the purpose of Genesis (and all the Bible).
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Genesis #3 (2:4—4:26)
The account of the heavens and the earth

When God finished creating, he declared that all he had created, including humankind, was very good (Gen 1:31). How then do we account for all the evil and suffering in our world? Genesis now addresses this question in the first of its ten sections, under the heading, The account of [toledot] the heavens and the earth (2:4a). This section first addresses the origin of humankind, then the origin of sin (with its dire consequences for humankind and all of God’s good creation). It also hints at the solution (God’s redemption in Jesus Christ).

1. Creation and fall (2:4—3:24) 

The account begins by retelling the story of humankind’s creation. Like the creation narratives in the prologue, this one is highly poetic, using vivid symbolism to present the first man and woman as representative of all humankind.

a) The creation of the man (2:4b-7) 

4 This is the account of [Heb=toledot] the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground-- 7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

This account is of how the heavens and earth give rise to (generate) what we now see. A prominent place is given to God, using the name LORD God. God (Heb=Elohim) points to God as humankind’s creator; and LORD (Heb=Yahweh) points to God as humankind’s covenant partner (Yahweh is God’s covenant name revealed to Israel - Ex. 3:14; 6:3). The scene begins with a barren middle-eastern desert in need of human effort to bring productivity. From this arable soil, the LORD God, the Master Potter, molds the first man and breaths into him the breath of life—God’s own life. Genesis thus shows that people have a spiritual, God-breathed, element. Through this spirit they can relate, in covenant, with their Creator. The man (Heb=adam, meaning “ruddy” and sounding like adamah, meaning “arable ground”) is appropriately named Adam (Gen. 2:20).

b) The provision of the garden (2:8-17) 

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

God’s concern for human need, mentioned in Gen 1:29, is here emphasized. A delightful garden full of fruit trees, rivers, gold and precious gems is given by God to humanity for a home. It is located within a region called Eden (meaning delight). This garden is later replicated in the tabernacle/temple, suggesting that what is most important about this garden is God’s presence. Here God has intimate fellowship with humankind. In the middle of the garden are two trees: The tree of life, which is freely given to humanity, representing a free sharing in God’s own life. However, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is forbidden to humanity. Humankind is to rely on God’s knowledge of good and evil, not on its own. Eating this forbidden tree represents living a self-determining life apart from dependency upon God.

c) The creation of the woman and the provision of marriage (2:18-24) 

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, 'for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Despite the idyllic environment of the garden, something is missing. God says, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.’ This statement is shocking, considering that up to this point all that God created is said to be good (1:10, 31). Man, created in the image of the triune (relational) God, is created for relationship. And that will be found in intimate companionship with the woman. The charming account of woman’s creation from man’s rib, and her presentation to him as if at a wedding, sums up beautifully several aspects of God’s design for marriage:

• In Gen 1:28, marriage is focused on procreation. But here the focus is companionship with the husband and wife serving as complements one to the other. This is emphasized in Hebrew where the word for man in v23 is ish and the word for woman is isha. Adam names woman in relationship to himself.
• The woman is the man’s suitable helper (‘helper matching him’). This suggests mutual dependence, not male superiority. Matthew Henry says it well:  The woman is “not made out of [the man’s] head to top him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” Suitable translates a Hebrew word that means equal and adequate. Men and women equally bear God’s image.
• God designed marriage to be intimate and permanent: the husband is to be united to his wife, and they…become one flesh. Jesus (Matt 19:5) and Paul (Eph 5:31) quote this in decrying divorce. In this one flesh union, the husband will place his wife’s interests above all others, even his parents’. Marriage is thus shown to depict the primacy of God’s covenant relationship with his people (see Hosea 2:14-23; Eph 5:22-23).
• That the man names the woman (Gen 2:23), just as earlier he names the animals (v19), indicates that God gives the man responsibility to lead and care for his wife and family (see 1Cor 11:3; 1Pet 3:1–6). Sadly this appointment to male servant leadership in the home is often abused or abandoned.

d) The fall (2:25 - 3:7) 

2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

The idyllic harmony of humankind with God and one another, is now characterized as a lack of shame symbolized as being naked (Heb=arowm). This idyllic state is then destroyed by the entry of evil into the garden in the person of a serpent, who is said to be crafty (Heb=aruwm – note the play on words with naked/arowm). The serpent tempts the woman by first overemphasizing the strictness of God’s prohibition (God had put only one tree out of bounds), calling into question the God’s goodness and his provision for humankind (something the narrative in chapter 2 places beyond doubt). Eve rebuts the serpent’s suggestion, though inexactly (you must not touch it was not in the prohibition of 2:17). The serpent then challenges God’s instruction, claiming you will not surely die and promising instead sophistication (that their eyes will be opened) and spiritual advancement (that they will be like God—divine beings who will, in themselves, know good and evil).

Lured by this promise of instant pleasure (she saw that the fruit was good for food) and supposed maturity, the woman caves in and persuades the man to join her. In agreeing, he prefers the serpent’s suggestions to God’s command. Throughout Scripture, the essence of sin is putting human judgment above divine command. Immediately, guilt and shame grip them. Their opened eyes see only their nakedness, leading to a loss of innocence with a false sense of shame. They attempt to hide from each other and from God. Thus the consequence of sin is shown to be alienation from God and from other humans. God immediately goes to work on the solution…

e) Judgment and solution (3:8-19) 

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." 11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me-- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." 17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

“The cool of the day” (Heb=the spirit/wind of the day) symbolizes that God is present, despite the entrance of evil and sin. Unwilling to abandon the creation he loves, God goes to work to restore it. First he investigates—not because he is ignorant about what has happened—but to cast light into this new darkness, and in so doing to engender the confession of sin.  We see here the long-term effects of sin. God’s decision is that the serpent will be condemned to crawl and to engage in warfare with humankind, the offspring of the woman (v15). As a result, her offspring (and the implication is one of her offspring) will crush the serpent’s head. Here in God’s judgment on sin and evil is the provision of a Savior. Genesis will go on to show how this provision will come through Abraham, through whom all nations on earth will be blessed (Gen 22:18). Thus God’s judgment of sin is tinged with a hope for humanity that recurs throughout Scripture (6:5–8) as God makes provision in his Son (the second Adam) to reverse the fall. But here also a challenge here in the form of an open ended question: Will people side with the seed of the woman (Jesus) who crushes Satan? Or will they side with the seed of the serpent (Satan), living in self-determining rebellion against God?

The sentence on the woman blights her call to motherhood. Fulfillment of this call will bring her pain. Moreover, a woman’s God-given desire for her husband’s headship will often lead to heartache as that male headship turns to abuse. As for the man, his agrarian vocation will be filled with frustration (a battle with weeds). Through hard work he will survive, but it will not be the abundant life God intended. And eventually he will die. This hints that humanity is about to be expelled from the garden and thus deprived of access to the tree of life.

f) Hope amidst death (3:20-24) 

20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Hope here emerges in the midst of darkness and pain. Adam, apparently believing God’s promise that the woman will bear offspring that eventually will crush the serpent, names the woman “Eve” (Heb=life giver). God exercises his tender care, helping the man and woman in their fallenness by providing them a temporary “covering” to mitigate their sense of shame. And then, for their protection, God banishes them from the garden where they could partake of the tree of life and thus live in the pain and shame of fallenness forever. This proves the hollowness of the serpent’s promise that they would not die (v4). Though Adam and Eve will continue to live for a time, life outside the garden will be a mere shadow of the abundance they enjoyed inside. Their new life will be marked by a troubled conscience (vv7–8), marital squabbles (v12), pain in childbearing (v16) and drudgery in daily toil (vv17–19). But above all, it will be marked by the absence of intimate fellowship with God. All this will mean immediate death in the spirit, and eventual death in the body. How does this spiritual/physical death play out?  Genesis now provides vivid examples from the perspective of the first family, starting first with the line of Cain.

2. The line of Cain (4:1-24)

This next part of the first section of Genesis sketches out the story of Cain and his descendants. It vividly illustrates humanity’s worsening situation in a fallen world.

a) Cain and Abel (4:1-16) 

1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

In chapter 3 we saw how sin disrupts relations between God and humankind, and between husband and wife. Now we see how sin destroys the bonds of brotherhood. Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain is portrayed as a more hardened sinner than his father—he is of the seed of the serpent. Adam had to be persuaded to sin, but Cain could not be dissuaded, even by God himself (vv6–7). When questioned by God about his sin, Adam, though petulant, confessed. But Cain lies and jokes about his sin (3:9–11; 4:9). Adam accepted God’s judgment in silence, but Cain protests loudly (13–14) and has to be cast out of Eden (v16).

Eve then bears a second son, Abel (v2). He is of the seed of the woman. God accepts Abel’s offering because he gives his best. But God rejects Cain’s offering because it is a mere afterthought. These two approaches to the worship of God reflect underlying views of God (theology) and play out in personal behavior (ethics). The bottom line is that Cain is under the sway of sin, here personified as a crouching animal (v7). Sin leads him to murder and, as punishment, God casts him out of Eden into the “land of Nod” (Nod=wandering), representing alienation from God. What the mark set on Cain is we can’t say, but like the clothing given Adam and Eve (3:21), it has a double function, reminding Cain of his sin, while assuring him of God’s protection. Thus, his protest prayer (vv13–14) does not go unheeded. Even hardened sinners like Cain may pray for mercy and receive it.

b) Cain’s descendants (4:17-24) 

17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

Here in the genealogy of Cain we find both development and degradation. Such is the way of a world following after the seed of Satan. The cultural and technological advancements are significant: city-building (v17 – note that the Hebrew word for “city” means fortress), agrarian (Bedouin) life (v20), music (v21) and metallurgy (v22). But all these accomplishments are tainted by sin. The most attention is given to the gory details of the life of the seventh in line from Adam (through Cain), Lamech. A slave of passion, he marries two lovely wives, Adah (‘Jewel’) and Zillah (‘Melody’). This bigamy is a departure from the monogamy God established in Eden. We learn that Lamech is a blood-thirsty, vengeful man who disregards justice and is prepared to smash all who get in his way. Despite certain types of progress, society following after the seed of Satan is headed for moral chaos.

Conclusion—the line of Seth (4:25-26)

This first of ten sections in Genesis now concludes with a hopeful epilogue:

25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.

Adam and Eve’s son Seth carries forward the godly line, in contrast to what Cain is doing to carry forward the line of the serpent. Despite humankind’s sinfulness, God remains present, working to fulfill his promise to provide the seed of the woman who will destroy the serpent (3:15). Seth’s family is devoted to the worship of God (they call on the name of the LORD)—despite the evil around them. In a world beset with sin, some faithful ones continue in fellowship with God.

There are many lessons in this section.

• We learn of the inability of humans to keep covenant with God. Their only hope is to call out to God to save them. 
• We learn that the LORD God—the Creator in covenant with his creation—works, despite human sin and inability, to keep covenant. Here are hints of what God will eventually do to reverse the fall, crushing the head of the serpent (Satan) through the Son of Man who is the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ. Clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, humankind may reenter the garden in Eden.
• The focus of humankind as God’s image-bearers is on humans being God’s representatives on earth, who are to ‘rule…over all the earth’ (26). Psa 8:4–8 offers a marvelous comment on this idea. Rule implies lordship, however, it is not justification for exploitation. Humankind is to rule creation as God does—for the good of his creation. Though God legitimizes human use of the world’s resources, he gives no license to abuse or exploit any part of his good creation.
• God deliberately creates humankind in two genders so as to be fruitful and increase in number (Gen 1:26). He thereby blesses procreation and indicates its importance in his plan. Other ancient tales, hailing from urban Mesopotamia (which was worried by population growth), tell of the gods taking steps to curb human fertility by sending plagues, famine, flood and miscarriage. In contrast, the God of Genesis urges the first people to be fruitful (1:28; 8:17; 9:1, 7) and promises the patriarchs success in fathering innumerable children. Procreation is thus seen as a vital part of God’s very good creation (v31).
• God provides food for humankind in the form of seed-bearing plants and fruit trees (v29). Not until after the flood is meat-eating expressly sanctioned (9:1–3). Genesis, however, is not primarily interested in whether people were originally vegetarian but in the fact that God provides them with food. In Mesopotamian mythology the gods created man to provide themselves with food; Genesis affirms that it is the other way round—God graciously feeds humankind (cf. Psa 65; 50:7–15).

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Genesis #4 (5:1—6:8)
The account of Adam’s descendants

We now enter the second section of Genesis (Genesis is made up of ten sections, or “books”). This section bears the heading, The written account [toledot] of Adam’s line (Gen 5:1). It first outlines the genealogy of the covenant line of Seth—the lineage from which comes the promised seed who will crush the serpent (3:15). This lineage runs from Adam, through his third son Seth, to Noah. During this time, the population rapidly increases and spreads, and so does sin with its terrible consequences, including death.

What we are being shown in this section is that even the covenant line of Seth is unable to reverse human depravity. Like the serpent, sin is simply too strong for humankind to overcome on its own. Clearly, God’s intervention is needed, and this section concludes by introducing Noah and the hope that God will intervene.

1. The covenant line of Seth (5:1-32)

1 This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

This genealogy gives the ten generation continuation of Adam’s line, through Seth, to Noah. The “likeness of God” given humanity in Adam (v1), is now being passed on as Adam’s “likeness” and “image” (v3)—the likeness and image of fallen humanity. Though this image still reflects the image of God, it is terribly distorted.

For each of these ten generations, we are given the family patriarch’s age at his first son’s birth, his subsequent lifespan, the fact that he had other sons and daughters, and his age at death. The mention of other children implies the fulfillment of God’s command to humankind to ‘be fruitful and increase in number’ (1:28) and shows how humankind gradually populated the earth. As we’ll see in the next section, the results are disastrous.

How are we to understand the long life spans given here? In a similar pre-flood text, the Sumerian King List, eight kings are said to have reigned a total of 241,000 years! This makes the roughly 1500 years covered by these ten generations in Genesis seem rather modest in comparison. We don’t know for sure, but it is likely that these life spans are being stated symbolically—using for symbols the astronomical and mathematical systems of the era. For example, Babylonian mathematical tables made much of the factors of 60 (30, 20, 15 etc.) and their squares and multiples (note these patters here in Genesis). This symbolism is an artful way of showing that life spans before the flood were long, and then rapidly declined thereafter. Sin is exacting terrible consequences.

Despite the use of symbolic life spans, the Bible understands that these people actually lived and died (with an emphasis on death, which is the consequence of sin). But note that Enoch does not die! Because he walked with God (speaking of intimate fellowship with God), Enoch apparently was directly taken to heaven without experiencing death. Perhaps what we are to learn here is that even in a sin-sick world, those who “walk with God” experience life, not death (see Heb. 11:5). Fellowship with God is thus shown to be better than long life (Enoch’s son, Methuselah is said to have lived 969 years!).

This section ends with Noah and his sons. Here in the midst of much darkness is a ray of hope. As Noah’s father Lamech prophecies concerning Noah: “He will comfort us…” (the Hebrew name Noah sounds like the Hebrew word for comfort).

2. Human depravity, yet hope (6:1-8)

1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days-- and also afterward-- when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. 5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-- men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-- for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

The identity of these “sons of God” (v2) who marry the “daughters of men” is much disputed. However, linguistic and contextual evidence suggests that they are probably the male descendants of Lamech, who with demonic assistance (possession), become powerful political/military rulers. In Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Daniel 10:13 we are told that great kings of the earth have demonic “princes” ruling behind them. These pre-flood despots abuse their power, expressing terrible depravity in many ways, including building large female harems. The children of these harems (called Nephilim in v4) further multiply their evil (v5). Also likely in view here, is the spread of false religion, characterized by temple prostitution. For the benefit of his Israelite audience, the author of Genesis is thus showing how these practices, common among the Canaanites in the Promised Land, are an abomination to God (v5).

God is so grieved by all this, that he takes extraordinary action. First he sets out a lengthy time for humanity to abandon these evil ways (v3, and see 1Pet 3:20). Though God considers wiping out all humankind (Gen 6:7), he will not do so—he will not abandon his plan to restore humanity to full fellowship with himself. Thus this dire situation concludes with a ray of hope: God’s favor (Heb=chen=grace) will be bestowed upon humanity, and it will come through the outworking of his covenant in the time of Noah.

In this segment we are confronted with the awful reality of human depravity. And then we see God’s response.  God’s heart is filled with pain (v6b) for his creation. The Hebrew word for “pain” means “indignant rage.” This is the reality of God’s wrath. And note carefully that this wrath does not come from an aloof and angry God. Rather its source is a God who loves and is intimately involved with his creation. As an expression of that love, God holds white-hot anger against the evil that is hurting his loved ones. And so he moves to correct the situation—to bring a solution through the covenant line of Seth—now come down to Noah. With Noah will come comfort in the form of a new beginning.

Conclusion

In this second book of Genesis, we learn that depraved, sin-filled humans, even when backed up by demonic force, cannot overthrow God’s plan to save humanity. God is at work in this “eighth day” of creation to advance his plan by bringing about a new creation. And toward that end he is at work, one step at a time. Many steps lie ahead, so stay tuned.

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Genesis #5 (6:9 – 9:29)
The story of Noah and a new beginning

We now enter the third book (section) of Genesis. It bears the heading: This is the account [toledot] of Noah (Gen 6:9). Here we find the story of Noah, but it’s also the story of the Covenant God who through de-creation interrupts the spread of evil in the world, and then through re-creation grants humanity and all the world a new beginning.

1. Noah and the flood (6:9-8:22)

When we think of Noah, we appropriately think of the Flood, an event that raises all sorts of questions, but we’ll focus on what the text emphasizes—the purpose of the Flood. Through the Flood, presented as an act of de-creation, God interrupts the spread of the serpent’s corrupt seed in the earth, and returns the earth to its primordial state. And then in “remembering” Noah, God begins a re-creation of the earth, first sending a “wind” (Gen 8:1) as he did when the Spirit hovered like a dove over the initial creation (1:2). Then God once again separates the dry land and the waters (8:2-3), and Noah, the head of a renewed human race, emerges from the ark. Like the first Adam, he is told to ‘be fruitful and increase’ (9:1, cf. 1:28). But like the first Adam, Noah’s line brings forth the failed seed of the serpent, and the need for redemption continues. In covenant with humanity, God continues to work toward ultimate and final re-creation, one step at a time. 

This purpose for the Flood is seen clearly in the poetic, symmetrical literary structure of the story, which compares the acts of de-creation with those of re-creation:

  A Noah’s sons (6:10)              
          A1 Noah’s sons (9:18–27)

  B Enter the ark (7:1)              
          B1 Leave the ark (8:16)

  C Seven days (7:4)                      
          C1 Seven days (8:12)

  D Seven days (7:10)              
         D1 Seven days (8:10)

  E Forty days (7:17)                      
         E1 Forty days (8:6)

  F Mountains covered (7:20)      
         F1 Mountains uncovered (8:5)

  G Flooding for 150 days (7:24)
         G1 Water receding for 150 days (8:3)

  H God remembered Noah (8:1)  

Note how the structure highlights God “remembering” Noah. The focus of the story is how the covenant God works patiently and sovereignly, in grace, to save his creation (note that the word “covenant” is used for the first time in 6:18)

a) Command to build the ark (6:9-22)

9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark-- you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them." 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Commentaries on this section typically focus on how the ark was built, but the narrative itself focuses on why it was built, which is to keep alive all species of living creatures. Noah is selected as the human agent of this deliverance, because he is said to be “righteous” and “blameless” (6:9)—a reference to the wholehearted commitment of a man who “walks with God”—reminding us of Enoch (5:24) who was saved from death. Noah and his family are saved from the Flood. The orientation of Noah’s life and heart stand in stark contrast to the corruption of the world at large (6:12-13). “All people” in v12, should be translated “all flesh”—for the corruption includes humans and animals. Thus a new beginning is needed for all creation. God decides to start over through a covenant made with humankind in and through Noah. Through Noah and the ark, God will preserve a remnant of humans and animals. This is God’s gracious work, and Noah obediently joins in. 

b) Command to board the ark (7:1-5) 

1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

Noah’s faith in God, as evidenced by his building the ark, is spoken of here as his “righteousness.”  Now God gives further direction about the numbers of animals to be placed on the ark. Pairs suffice for unclean (non-sacrificial) animals; but seven (or seven pairs) of clean (sacrificial) animals are to be taken aboard. This will allow ample numbers for both repopulating the land and for the sacrifice of clean (“pure”) animals following the flood. The focus is thus on the worship of God. 

c) Entry to the ark and the onset of the flood (7:6-24) 

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month-- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in. 17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. 21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished-- birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath  of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. 24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Every stage in the flood is precisely dated. This is appropriate in that the flood brought the old world to an end, and from it a new world is born. Note as well that it is God himself who shuts the door to the ark (7:16b), showing that this deliverance is God’s work of grace. And then “the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened” (7:11). This poetic expression speaks to the unrestrained release of water in a cataclysmic act of re-creation, which returns the earth to its pre-creation state of chaos. 

Note on the date and extent of the flood. The Sumerian King List mentions a huge flood occurring in about 3000 B.C. However it did not inundate the whole area. Another possibility is that Noah’s flood occurred at the end of the last ice age (about 10,000 B.C.). The melting ice led to ocean levels rising 300 ft and swamping previously habitable land. In any case, it is not Biblically necessary to view the flood has having inundated the entire globe – the Hebrew word erets, here translated earth, is often used in the Old Testament to refer to a limited part of the world. For an in-depth discussion about this issue, see the article at http://www.reasons.org/astronomy/noahs-flood/noahs-flood-article-1. What’s important here is to note that the devastation of the Flood was huge, as was God’s deliverance.

d) The flood recedes (8:1-22) 

1  But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. 6 After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. 13 By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you-- the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground-- so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it." 18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds-- everything that moves on the earth-- came out of the ark, one kind after another. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

The new creation is prompted when “God remembered Noah” and the other inhabitants of the ark. This theological statement is the hinge of the entire story. The Hebrew term here translated “remembered,” especially in reference to God, signifies to act upon a previous commitment to a covenant partner. And that is what God now does, as he acts in accordance with his earlier promise to Noah (6:18), to save through a type of re-creation. Note that the land, vegetation, birds, animals and human beings reappear on earth in the same order as in the first creation (Gen 1). Ararat (v4) is a reference to the territory of ancient Urartu (2Kings 19:37), which is roughly modern Armenia and adjacent areas in Turkey and Iran.  Note that Noah’s first act upon disembarking is to worship God (Gen 8:20). On the basis of Noah’s worship (representing all humanity as the second Adam), God promises to spare humanity from any future event which would wipe out the human race, despite its continuing depravity.

2. God’s covenant with Noah (9:1-17)

1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. 7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you-- the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-- every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." 17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

Although the new era after the flood is in some ways like that after the original creation, there are differences. Noah, like Adam, is blessed and told to ‘Be fruitful’ (v1), but now for the first time meat eating is allowed (v3, compare 1:30)—apparently to protect human life by killing animals (though the blood must be drained out of respect for the life being taken). Pre-flood history was characterized by violence (6:11): Abel’s murder went unavenged, whereas Lamech overreacted (4:23–24). Now a law of capital punishment is introduced: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed (v6). The idea that punishment must match the crime is fundamental in Old Testament law (Ex. 21:23–25). Every human being is made in God’s image, so to protect that image, the ultimate penalty must be exacted. It was God’s purpose that the world should be filled with human and animal life (vv7–9), for the covenant symbolized by the rainbow was made with every living creature. Genesis does not suggest rainbows first appeared after the flood, only that at this time it became a ‘sign’, i.e. a pledge of God’s goodwill to humankind and all creation. 

3. Prophecies about Noah’s sons (9:18-27)

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth. 20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers." 26 He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27 May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave." 

This section focuses on Noah’s sons and future generations, giving a story to illustrate the virtue of the Shemites and the Japhethites and the moral degradation of the Hamites who include the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Canaanites (Israel’s enemies). In this story, Noah, in a drunken stupor, lays exposed while sleeping. This is a shameful thing, but the sin of his younger son Ham is greater. This situation shows that the new human race, (headed by Noah, who like Adam, is “a man of the soil”), like the old human race, is on a downward slide. Even wine, given by God to cheer humans when taken in moderation, is misused, leading to sin.  What was Ham’s sin? Apparently that he held his father up to ridicule (rather than discreetly covering his father’s nakedness). This may seem like a small thing to us, but in that culture, it was a terrible breach of filial duty. We are reminded that ‘honor your father and mother’ comes next to the Godward commandments in the ten commandments. As a result, Noah’s only words in Genesis (Gen 9:25–27), praise Shem and Japheth but place a curse on  Ham (or at least his offspring, Canaan). Noah predicts the dominance of the descendants of Shem and Japheth and the subjugation of Canaan. These verses thus serve as a trailer for chapter 10. Why is Canaan cursed for the sin committed by his father Ham? Possibly he participated in his father’s sin in some way. Or perhaps it was because Ham’s sin foreshadows the sins of the Canaanites, who were notorious for their immorality in the Old Testament.

Conclusion (9:28-29)

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died.

Thus ends the story of Noah.  The theme of his story is the annihilation of the seed of  the serpent’s kingdom and the earth they have corrupted and the preservation of the seed of the woman through it to a renewed (re-created) earth. This theme foreshadows what Jesus’ fulfills in his incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension, through which humankind is re-created, and the seed of the serpent completely defeated.  It also points forward to the new heavens and new earth which are ushered in at Jesus’ return.

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Genesis #6 (10:1 – 11:26)
From Noah to Abraham

The fourth and fifth books (sections) of Genesis give genealogies and stories related to Noah’s sons. These accounts set the stage for the story of Abraham. The fourth book, which bears the heading, This is the account [toledot] of Shem, Ham and Japheth (Gen 10:1), has two sections: the Table of Nations (10:1–32) and the Tower of Babel story (11:1–9). The fifth book, which bears the heading, This is the account [toledot] of Shem (11:10), gives added detail about Shem’s line, which brings us to Abraham.

1. The Table of Nations (10:1-32)

This section of book four defines Israel’s relationship to and God’s concern for all nations. It also explains the diversity of languages in the world. And it shows the continuing slide of the world deeper into sin. The stage is being set for Abraham’s call, which, ultimately, will lead to blessings for all humanity in the promised seed.

1 This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

Following this introduction comes a “Table of Nations,” which is a highly stylized account of Israel’s known world. The Table lists seventy nations—a symbolic number connoting completeness, thus representing all the world. It reads like a family tree, but it’s unlikely that all the relationships mentioned are strictly genealogical. In the ancient world, people called their treaty partners “brothers” or “sons.” The Table describes the relationship between these different peoples, but it’s not a lesson in historical geography. As always in Genesis, the emphasis is on theology—here relating the chosen line of Shem to the non-elect lines. The choice of Shem and the rejection of Ham, (already hinted at in 9:25–2), is here confirmed. Among the Shemites are the Arameans, with whom the patriarchs had close relationships and from whom they sought wives for their sons. Among the Hamites are Israel’s greatest enemies: Canaanites, Egyptians (Mizraim), Babylonians and Assyrians. The Japhethites are from the distant north-eastern Mediterranean region.

a) Japhethites (10:2-5)

2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim. 5 (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)

We don’t know who some of these people are. Gomer is probably the Cimmerians; Magog is from the far north (Ezek. 38:2); Madai is the Medes of northern Iran, Javan the Ionian Greeks, and Tubal, Meshech and Tiras in Turkey. Ashkenaz is the Scythians, and Togarmah is north of Carchemish. Elishah is probably in Crete. Tarshish is a Mediterranean city, possibly Carthage. Kittim is Cyprus and Rodanim is Rhodes. Verse 5 anticipates the dispersal of the nations described in 11:1–9.

b) Hamites (10:6-20)

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. 15 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The length of this section indicates its importance. Descended from Ham are some of Israel’s close neighbors and fierce enemies. Cush is south of Egypt. Mizraim is identified with Egypt, and Put with Libya. Canaan is defined further in vv 15–19. The sons of Cush are probably in southern Arabia. Nimrod’s interests in fighting and hunting are typical of Mesopotamian kings of that era. The identity of Nimrod is disputed, but the most likely candidate is King Sargon of Akkad (2350-2295 B.C.). The descriptions of Nimrod foreshadow the story of the Tower of Babel and explain the racial, political and spiritual origin of Babylonia and Assyria, the Mesopotamian powers that conquered Israel. Pathrusites are southern Egyptians. Philistines are Israel’s rivals for control of Canaan. Caphtorites are Cretans. Special attention is given to the inhabitants of Canaan whom Israel expected to displace. Sidon is the oldest Phoenician coastal city. The Hittites are different from the well-known Hittites in Turkey. Jebusites are residents of ancient Jerusalem. Amorites, Girgashites and Hivites are Canaanites.  Arkites and Hamathites are in Syria. Canaan reached from Sidon in the north to Gaza in the south and Sodom (by the Dead Sea) in the east.

c) Shemites (10:21-31)

21 Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. 24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. 25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. 26 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country. 31 These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

Since Abraham descended from Shem, Israel felt a special affinity for these people. However, few mentioned here can be clearly identified. Many of them seem to be Aramean or Arabian tribes. That Ham is Noah’s youngest son is clear (9:24), but whether Japheth or Shem are the eldest depends on how the verse is translated (see NIV margin). Elam is in south-western Iran. Asshur is probably a Sinaitic tribe. Arameans are in Syria, and presumably the sub-groups listed here live in that region. Joktan and his descendants are probably in Arabia. Emphasis in this genealogy is placed on the “dividing” of the earth at the time of Peleg. This probably speaks to the dispersal of the nations that occurred at the Tower of Babel. The line of Shem (like all humanity) was there divided.

2. The Tower of Babel (11:1-9)

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel --because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

This story brings the proto-history prior to the patriarchs to a horrifying conclusion. The new beginning given humanity through Noah is already jeopardized by his drunkenness and Ham’s indiscretion. Then the Table of the Nations shows the effects of the curse on Ham’s descendants. Indeed, 10:5, 18–20 and 31–32 already anticipate the division of humanity by languages and their dispersal. But now this division is made explicit as sin explodes and humanity tries to trespass on God’s own realm by building a temple reaching into heaven. This act of rebellion prompts another judgment from God, which affects all humanity. Humankind is scattered across the face of the earth and diversity of languages is introduced to impede cooperation between peoples and thus prevent further human efforts to storm heaven. The stage in thus set for another fresh start for humankind in the person of Abraham.

Throughout chapters 1–11 we have seen an implied critique of the polytheism of the Israel’s contemporaries. The creation and flood accounts in Genesis give a completely different view of God and his relationship to the world from that found in ancient oriental mythologies. Now this critique becomes quite direct—castigating the city of Babel, capital of Babylon. Babel was famed for its temple tower (ziggurat), whose foundations were thought to be in the underworld and whose top was said to reach into heaven. But Genesis destroys this pompous image, showing that not only does Babel’s tower not reach heaven, it can hardly be seen from there (in v5 the Lord has to come down to see it!). Babel means ‘gate of god’, and Babylon considered itself closer to god than anywhere else on earth. It regarded itself as the religious, intellectual and cultural capital of the ancient world and thus the showpiece of human civilization. ‘Rubbish’ says v9, Babel does not mean ‘gate of god’ but ‘confusion’ or ‘folly.’ Babylon’s ruined tower shows human impotence before the power and judgment of God.

3. From Shem to Abraham (11:10-26)

10 This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters. 12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters. 18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters. 26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

This account [toledot] of Shem is book five of Genesis. This genealogy of ten names (ten being the number of completion), is similar to the one we saw in chapter 5 (though the patriarchs’ ages are shorter). The purpose of the book is to link the history of Abraham to world history, thus providing a bridge between the proto-history of the world in chapters 1–11 and the patriarchal history of chapters 12–50. Though God scatters rebellious humanity to slow down the escalation of evil (11:1-9), he also acts, through Abraham, to preserve the seed that will save humanity. Though we know little about the men listed here, Luke 3:34–36 tells us of their importance.

Conclusion

Time marches on. Humanity spreads and sin increases, yet God does not abandon his creation—he continues to advance his covenant with humanity and all the cosmos. That covenant is now about to come into focus in the story of the patriarch Abraham. We’ve already seen that Abraham’s story falls within the context of all humankind. This helps us understand that Israel, who comes out of Abraham, exists not for itself, but for the whole world. From Abraham (of the line of Shem), via Israel (descended from Abraham), the promised seed (Jesus Christ) will be born. In Jesus, the last Adam, all humanity will be blessed—delivered from the curse brought on humanity by the evil serpent through the first Adam.

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Genesis #7 (11:27 – 14:24)
Abraham’s faith-journey with God (part 1)

The sixth book of Genesis bears this heading" This is the account [toledot] of Terah (Gen. 11:27a). It tells the story of Terah’s son, Abram (later renamed Abraham). The length of this story indicates its importance to the overall message of Genesis (and all the Bible). That message is about God’s love and what he does to redeem humankind. It begins with God creating humankind in his image. That image is horribly marred when Adam, humankind’s father, falls into sin. This precipitates a deluge of sinful acts, leading to the judgment of the Flood. Then Noah, the deliverer and new father of humanity, succumbs to sin, starting another deluge that leads to the rebellion at the tower of Babel. This brings upon humanity another judgment. But rather than rejecting humankind, God draws near and establishes a covenant with Abraham, a new father of humanity. Eventually this covenant leads to the reconciliation of all humankind to God in the person of Abraham’s descendant, Jesus of Nazareth. Let’s study Abraham’s story. It’s about a faith-journey with God.

1. Abram’s call: from Ur to Canaan (11:27-12:9)

The account begins by placing Abram in the context of his extended family, including his father Terah, and Abram’s wife Sarai:

27 This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.

Next, we learn of the beginning of Abram’s faith-journey with God:

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Abram’s wife Sarai is childless—a catastrophe in the ancient world, and a metaphor in the Bible for human hopelessness in the face of sin. The whole tribe of Terah sets out from Ur, a center of commerce and pagan moon worship. They settle in Haran, 550 miles Northwest of  Ur. Haran is also a center of moon worship. There Terah dies, but some time before his death, Abram moves on. The account explains why:

12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

This recounts Abram’s earlier call from God to leave his homeland and family and go to “the land” (Canaan), where he will grow into a great nation that will bless the whole world. To depart one’s homeland and family (tribe) in that culture and geographic situation meant risking everything. But a faith-journey with God is not by sight. And it is in this context of faith that we are given verses 2–3, which provide the theological key to understanding Genesis (and all the Pentateuch).

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Verse four seems to suggest that God calls Abram at Haran, but when we compare Gen 15:7, Neh. 9:7 and Acts 7:2 we conclude that the call actually came to Abram when he was in Ur. This means that Abram’s initial response to God’s call was not fully obedient. He did not leave his father as God commanded, nor, as commanded, go all the way to Canaan. Rather he “parked” for a long time in Haran. However, Abram’s faith did grow, and he did eventually make it to Canaan. Once there, he makes a grand tour of the land…

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

Abram consecrates the land to God by setting up altars where he offers his thankful worship (vv7, 8). But what Abram encounters in the land is not all milk and honey. It is inhabited by fierce Canaanites (v6b). Moreover, a famine is raging. As a result, he has to leave…

2. Into Egypt (12:10-20)

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. 17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Abram’s journey now hits a speed bump. Rather than trusting God to care for him through the famine in the land, he flees to Egypt, which takes him outside of God’s blessing. In Egypt, Abram’s fear of man supplants his trust in God. To describe Sarai as his sister is a misleading half-truth (20:12) designed to fend off potential suitors (24:55). Perhaps Abram planned to flee Egypt before any proposed wedding happens. But the plan fails, and Sarai finds herself in Pharaoh’s harem (v15). Though Abram’s behavior is less than faith-filled, God intervenes and rescues him by sending plagues on Pharaoh. This results in Abram’s mini-exodus out of Egypt, which foreshadows Israel’s future exodus out of Egypt (Ex. 12-14), and also that of Jesus (Luke 9:31). In the examples of Abram and Israel, we see that God is faithful to his covenant, even when our faithfulness is less than perfect (see Gen. 45:5–8; Rom. 8:28).

3. Back to Canaan: Abram and Lot separate (13:1-18)

1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. 3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. 8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left." 10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. 14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." 18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

Chastened by his failures in Egypt, Abram returns to Bethel and again worships God. But a new problem arises. Growing wealth leads to conflict between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. Abram appeals for harmony, and shows generosity towards Lot, allowing him the pick of the land. Lot picks the very fertile Jordan valley. But this is an unwise choice, for this area is filled with people who are greatly sinning against God (v13). Lot walks by sight, while Abram walks by faith. As a result, the covenant with Abram is now re-confirmed, and the covenant promises are stated in even grander terms. “This land” (12:9) becomes “all the land,” and it is given to Abram’s descendants “forever” (v15). His descendants will become not just a “great nation” (12:2) but as numerous as “the dust of the earth” (v16).

4. Abram rescues Lot (14:1-24)

1 At this time Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim 2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). 4 For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim 6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. 7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar. 8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar-- four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. 13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me-- to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."

Lot’s affluent life in the Jordan valley is disturbed when four eastern tyrants suppress a revolt by five kings in the Dead Sea area. The local armies of Sodom and Gomorrah resist, but they are defeated, their cities are sacked, and Lot and his family (who live in Sodom) are taken captive. Abram goes to Lot’s rescue, defeating the invaders, rescuing the captives and returning their pillaged property.  This story is told because it shows God’s favor upon Abram’s life and leadership. But not everyone acknowledges that favor. Sodom’s king, who has the most to be grateful for, offers no thanks, and demands the return of his people. Abram protests that he has no intention of profiting from Sodom’s misfortune (vv21–24). In contrast, Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem (probably Jerusalem), receives Abram royally. Melchizedek blesses Abram in the name of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. Responding to this reception, Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth (tithe) of the spoils of the war (v20).

This story contrasts the attitudes toward Abram of Melchizedek (a priest-king whose name means “king of righteousness”) and the king of Sodom. Their attitudes exemplify the two kinds of reaction to Abram predicted in 12:3. Melchizedek blesses Abram, whereas Sodom’s king “curses” (disdains) him. Consequently, Melchizedek is blessed by God, whereas the king of Sodom is cursed (the fate of Sodom recorded in chapter 19, is thus hinted at). It is not explained what blessing Melchizedek receives. However, Psa. 110:4 mentions God’s oath to David, ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’ – implying that Melchizedek’s memory had been venerated in Jerusalem as a forerunner of the Davidic line. As a result, the New Testament views Melchizedek as a type of Christ. His high status is acknowledged by Abram who gives him a tithe of the spoils of war (see Hebrews 5–7). Melchizedek never reappears in Genesis, but he stands as a reminder that all who acknowledge God’s hand at work in Abram will be blessed.

Conclusion

God’s call of Abram is a “sneak-preview” for the rest of the Bible, which is about God bringing salvation to all tribes and nations through his holy nation, fathered by Abraham, administered first by the Mosaic covenant, and then by the Lord Jesus Christ through a new covenant. For his part, Abraham grows in faith under God’s tutelage through both failure and success., becoming the “father of the faithful” (Hebrews 11:8-19). But the primary thrust of the story is not Abraham and his faith; but God and His faithfulness. Indeed, we come to understand here what Paul later states: “If we are faithless, he [God] will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). In the final analysis, the covenant is established and fulfilled by God himself through the God-man Jesus Christ.
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Genesis #8 (chapters 15–17)
Abraham’s faith-journey with God (part 2)

We continue in the sixth book of Genesis (11:27 to 25:11), which tells of Abraham’s faith-journey with God. We come now to a climactic point in the story.

1. The covenant reaffirmed (15:1-21)

1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." 2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." 4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-- if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." 8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

“After this” (v1) points back to the many disappointments and setbacks encountered by Abram. Abram does not yet own any of the land of promise. He does not yet have any children. His nephew Lot, whom he had hoped might be his legal heir, is now living in Sodom. In that culture, his next in line as heir would be his chief servant Eliezer. Must he settle for that?

No. God has other plans. He has not forgotten his promises to Abram, and now reassures him: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward” (15:1). Abram may not yet have received the promises, but he has something far better: God himself (17:8; Deut. 10:21). This reassurance prompts Abram to share with God his disappointment and frustration (vv2-3). Far from provoking his anger, God reaffirms and deepens the covenant promises. Abram will father a son, and his descendants will be as countless as the stars (vv4-5). God encourages Abram to “look up” (v5)—to fix his eyes on him and his greatness, not on earthly troubles and disappointments. 

Abram response is to have faith (trust) in God (see v6). And God credits (reckons) this trust as Abram’s righteousness (6b). The word translated “righteousness” references behavior aligned with God’s requirements. This is amazing, for as we know, Abram’s behavior has been far from perfect. The Apostle Paul points to this incident to illustrate how it is faith in God, not works, that is the basis for our justification with God (Gal. 3:6–14). Paul also notes that the faith that justifies is ultimately not our own, but the faith of Jesus on our behalf (see Gal. 2:20, KJV translation). Paul thus presents Abraham as a type of Jesus, the true and ultimate faithful heir (son/seed) of Abraham.

Abram knows well his imperfections. He has been humbled in the school of “hard knocks” (remember Egypt!). And so he asks God for reassurance (Gen 15:8). God answers by reaffirming the covenant. Abram sets out five sacrificial animals (representing the people of Israel to come) and cuts them in two. This ceremony follows treaty customs of the time. Abram shoos away predatory birds (representing the enemies of Israel). Then as the sun sets, God gives Abram a vision detailing how the covenant promises will be fulfilled in Israel’s future, including a long sojourn as slaves in Egypt. God “makes” (the word means “cuts”) the covenant with Abram (v18) by manifesting his presence in a smoking brazier and a blazing torch that pass between the pieces of meat. This reminds us of God’s presence with Israel in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day (Ex. 14:24). This ceremony and vision are meant to reassure Abram that God will keep his promises, though the timeframe will be very long. Abram is losing patience because little has happened in ten years (Gen 12:4; 16:16), but God is thinking in terms of 400 (15:13)!  This reminds us of the need for faith that patiently endures (see 2Pet 3:3–10).

2. Ishmael born (16:1-16)

1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me." 6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. 7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. 9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." 11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." 13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Abram is encouraged by God’s assurances. But not his wife Sarai. She blames God for her infertility (v2) and takes matters into her own hands. She resorts to an ancient custom called “surrogate marriage,” wherein a barren wife bears a child through a hand-maiden. But the conceitedness of Hagar and the anger of Sarai show that this scheme, though culturally acceptable, is not God’s plan. Nevertheless, God is compassionate and faithful to his promises. He sends a message to Hagar through an angel who assures her that descendants through her child will be multiplied, just as promised to Abram (13:16). The child’s name will be Ishmael (‘God has heard’) and he will live bedouin lifestyle, typical of the later Ishmaelites (vv11–12). At God’s urging, Hagar returns to Sarai and there gives birth to Ishmael. Though Sarai had hoped Hagar’s child would count as her own, vv15–16 make it clear that Ishmael is to be considered the son of Abram with Hagar. Thus Sarai’s scheme fails, and we are left wondering if Ishmael is to be Abram’s promised son. Apparently Abram thinks so (see 17:18). His trust in God is growing, but is not yet mature. God is about to kick it up a notch.

3. The covenant amplified, ratified & sealed (17:1-27)

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." 3 Abram fell face down, and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." 9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-- those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." 15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." 17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" 19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. 27 And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

This is a key turning point in the story. The covenant is now amplified in scope, ratified, and sealed through the sign of circumcision, indicating it’s permanency. The chapter begins with a reminder of the lapse of time since Ishmael was born (he is now thirteen, v25). Sarai has lost all hope of becoming a mother (18:11), and Abram apparently believes that Ishmael, son of Hagar, is the promised son (17:18). Due to a lack of hope, they were settling for less than the fullness of God’s promises. But God has not lost confidence in his own promises—he comes now to Abram, addressing him as “God Almighty” (El Shadai). He calls upon Abram to “walk before me and be blameless” (v1b, reminding us of the description of Noah in 6:9). God orders Abram (and his family after him) to live in such a way that every step is made with reference to the God who has bound himself to them in covenant. The essence of the covenant is relationship, and to walk “blameless” speaks not to perfection of behavior, by wholeness of relationship. It is in relationship that God “confirms” (and the word in Hebrew is better translated “gives”) the covenant promises. The covenant is not about a transaction where God gives rewards in exchange for right behavior. Rather, the covenant is entirely a gift from God, that Abram and his descendants will enjoy as they live life in covenant relationship with God.  Abram’s response to El Shadai is to fall face down in humble worship (v3).

God then enlarges the covenant promises to Abram: he will not father just a “great nation” (12:2) but “many nations” (17:5). As the pledge of this promise, God changes Abram’s name (meaning ‘exalted father’) to ‘Abraham’ (meaning ‘father of a multitude’).  God then promises (v7) that the covenant with Abraham and his descendants will be “everlasting” (the Hebrew word means “most distant time”) and that his descendants will possess “the whole land of Canaan” (v8).

The essence of the covenant is clearly set out in these words: “I will … be your God” (v8b). Abraham and his descendants are placed in a unique covenant relationship with God. Circumcision is given as the distinctive and permanent mark (sign) of this covenant relationship (v10). All males in Abraham’s household, whether free or slave, are to be circumcised. Those who refuse will be “cut off” (v14), meaning they will die prematurely and mysteriously. Circumcision was a fairly common practice in the ancient Near East, but only the Old Testament invests it with such significance, making it a unique and distinctive mark of Israel’s covenant status with God.

Sarai’s name is now changed to Sarah (both names mean ‘princess’), heralding the announcement that she will bear a child in her very old age (v15-16). Incredulous, Abraham laughs (v17), and pleads that Ishmael should be the child of promise, but God insists that the chosen child will be born of Sarah and be named Isaac (meaning “he laughs”). It’s as if God is saying to Abraham, “You may laugh, but I will bring about my promises with joy.” God also reassures Abraham that Ishmael, son of Hagar, will not be overlooked. After this disclosure of God’s purposes, Abraham obeys God and circumcises himself, Ishmael and all the men of his household. Once again (see 12:4–9), Abraham obeys God’s command despite the pain it brings. This act of obedience seals the covenant once and for all (compare chapter 22).

Conclusion

In this section of Genesis, we encounter profound truths about God and his covenant relationship, through Abraham, with humanity.  Here God commits himself forever to be the God of Abraham and his descendants. From Abraham, thru Israel, to Jesus, God is moving to include all humanity in covenant relationship with himself. Each step of the way on this long journey will be in the presence of the God who makes promises binding himself to humanity. This covenant God never falters; never fails—despite our failures. This God is the great Covenant Maker and Covenant Keeper. And the invitation to us is to trust him, and, in trust, walk with him in covenant relationship.  It is in this walk that we enjoy the benefits of God’s promises made with Abraham that have been, in Jesus (the new covenant), extended to all humanity.
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Genesis #9 (chapters 18-20)
Abraham’s faith-journey with God (part 3)

We continue in the sixth book of Genesis (11:27 to 25:11). It tells of Abraham’s faith-journey with God. Genesis 18 and 19 give an inside look at a jam-packed, consequential short span of time in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, and the residents of the city of Sodom (including Lot and his family). As the scene opens, God shares with Abraham his plans for Sodom. What Abraham learns, leads him to intercede with God on behalf of the city (including Lot and his family). God accepts Abraham’s intercession, though the city’s fate is sealed shortly thereafter due to Sodom’s terrible, willful wickedness (19:4). Although Lot is initially delivered, in the end he identifies more with Sodom than with Abraham and his fate is sealed.

These events set the stage for what will happen to the Canaanites. Because of prolonged wickedness, they are conquered and displaced by Israel, fulfilling the land promise made to Abraham (Gen. 15:16). Sodom thus becomes a symbol of evil standing against God, and against Jesus in particular (Mat. 11:20–24). 

1. Promise and judgment (18:1-19:29)

1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way-- now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. 9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There, in the tent," he said. 10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."

In Gen. 17:19, Abraham was told of Isaac’s birth. Now Sarah is told. This doubling of the birth announcement indicates its importance and its certainty. But Sarah’s response is hardly faith-filled. Thankfully, God’s promise is not dependent upon the perfection of human response. 

Who are the “three men” (v2) who meet Abraham at Mamre (20 miles south of Jerusalem)? Eastern churches typically view them as the three persons of the Trinity (as portrayed in Rublev’s painting, below). The text seems to identify them as the Lord (appearing in human form) with two angels. The Lord promises that Sarah will bear Abraham a son. Nothing is too hard for God. But Sarah laughs.

 The three visitors invite Abraham into deeper fellowship with God. Abraham responds positively to this invitation by offering typical Near Eastern hospitality. God opens even more of his inner counsel to his covenant partner and friend Abraham… 

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing-- to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." 33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Abraham is here portrayed as a great prophet of God, being made aware of God’s innermost secrets—and turning that knowledge into intercession for others. Abraham’s intercession is for Sodom, which earlier had treated him so unkindly. Abraham is learning to share God’s heart at an increasingly deep level of communion. We now go to Genesis 19:

1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

Lot greets these visitors as warmly as did Abraham (18:2–8). That Lot is alone in offering this greeting is rather ominous.

4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom-- both young and old-- surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." 9 "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

Sodom’s reputation for wickedness is confirmed (note that all the men of the city are involved). No greater flouting of Near Eastern hospitality can be imagined than what is portrayed here. Lot’s commitment to his guests was total, as the offer of his daughters shows. Happily, the offer is rejected by the attackers, and the angels strike them with temporary blindness.

12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here-- sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

Lot’s sons in law thus reject Lot’s invitation to escape.

16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" 18 But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it-- it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." 21 He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar.) 23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah-- from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities-- and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot fails to appreciate the urgency of the situation, and the angels drag him and his family out of the city. To this day, the Dead Sea region reeks of sulfur, and strange rock formations recall the fate of Lot’s wife. She is even more attached to Sodom than is Lot (see Luke 17:32).

2. Lot’s daughter’s compromise (19:27-38)

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. 29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. 30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father." 33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. 34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. 36 So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

Because of Abraham’s faithfulness, Lot and his daughters are delivered from Sodom’s destruction. But now they are on their own. Instead of trusting the God of Abraham, they rely on their own devices. Lot’s daughters place their desire to preserve the family line above principle and plot to have intercourse with their father. The sons born of this incest become the patriarchs of the Moabites and Ammonites who figure prominently in later stories of God’s dealing with Israel. 

We go now to Genesis 20.

3. Abraham’s compromise, Abimelech’s obedience (20:1-18)

1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman." 4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." 6 Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die." 8 Early the next morning Abimelech summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said, "What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done." 10 And Abimelech asked Abraham, "What was your reason for doing this?" 11 Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother." '" 14 Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, "My land is before you; live wherever you like." 16 To Sarah he said, "I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated." 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, 18 for the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelech's household because of Abraham's wife Sarah.

Sadly, Abraham once again compromises. During his earlier sojourn in Egypt (12:10–20) he allowed Sarah to be taken into Pharaoh’s harem. Now Abraham once again jeopardizes Sarah, this time with King Abimelech in Gerar, a town in south-eastern Canaan. Why, after enjoying such intimacy with God in chapter 18, does Abraham falter? Probably fear. However, God in his faithfulness does not abandon Abraham. He intervenes and protects both Sarah and Abraham by warning Abimelech, who, in horror, avoids violating Sarah. Abimelech, a Canaanite, is shown in this incident to be more responsive to God than is Abraham. This shows us that totally faithful or completely evil people exist only in fiction. In real life, people are a mixture of good and evil. The only totally pure and faithful one is God himself. And that’s the point. Despite Abraham’s failings, God is faithful to who he is and thus to his covenant promises. In his faithfulness he restores his covenant partner, Abraham (who stands in at this point for all humanity, thus pointing us to Christ).

God protects Abraham and Sarah and blesses them by granting them grazing rights in the land (v15). Abraham responds by interceding for Abimelech and his wife and slave girls. God hears and heals their temporary infertility (vv17–18). This leaves us wondering: if God can answer Abraham’s prayers for Abimelech’s infertile wife, what about Sarah? Will she have a child as God promised?  Stay tuned.

Conclusion

These events remind us that God deals with people as they are—imperfect, even at their best. God’s covenant, beginning with Abraham and leading to Jesus (the promised seed), includes all people. But we are reminded (particularly in the incident of Sodom and Lot’s wife) that those who willfully repudiate God’s covenant will not experience its benefits. And so the question before us is this: do we trust God to be faithful? Do we trust him to, in grace, to secure the covenant on our behalf? Abraham is learning to trust. Are we?

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Genesis #10 (chapters 21-23)
Abraham’s faith-journey with God (part 4)
Covenant Promises

We continue in book six of Genesis (11:27 to 25:11). It tells the story of Abraham’s faith-journey with God. In chapter 21, we come to a climactic place in the fulfillment of the promises that God has made to Abraham. The account begins with the birth of the promised son and moves to partial fulfillment of the land promise.

1. The birth of the promised son (21:1-21)

1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." 7 And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." 8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." 11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring." 14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy die." And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. 17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

After excruciating tension and delay, the birth of Isaac, the promised son, now occurs. Though described only briefly, this event’s importance is emphasized by the reminder in vv1-2 that the Lord … did what he had promised.  Without this promised son, none of the long-term covenant promises to Abraham of land, numerous descendants or blessing to the nations will be fulfilled. Isaac’s birth to a very old couple proves the reliability of God’s promises and that nothing is too hard for the Lord (18:14). He gives birth from barren wombs!!  Abraham and Sarah both keep covenant with God, responding in faith and obedience to this gracious and miraculous intervention from God. As instructed (17:9, 12), Abraham names his son Isaac and circumcises him on the eighth day. For her part, Sarah responds with praise that break into laughter at God’s goodness (21:6 and note that Isaac means ‘he laughs’, see 17:19).  

By verse 8, Isaac is about age three (the typical age for weaning a child in that culture). Sarah’s joy turns sour when Ishmael (Abraham’s son by Hagar—by this time about age 16) mocks Isaac (there is a play on words here in Hebrew, where “mock” is literally “Isaac,”—Ishmael “Isaacs” Isaac).  Like the king of Sodom (12:3; 14:21), Ishmael is guilty of mocking (‘disdaining’) Abraham and now his heir, Isaac. As a result, God endorses Sarah’s demand that Ishmael be expelled (vv10–12). Abraham, however, being fond of Ishmael (17:18), is deeply distressed at Sarah’s proposal (v12). Only God’s reassurance that Ishmael will become a great nation persuades Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. They are given as much food and water as they can carry, but these supplies are soon exhausted, and they are lost and near death. Ishmael starts to pray, perhaps regretting his behavior toward Isaac. His prayer is heard, and an angel calls to Hagar, repeating the promises (v18) and pointing out a well—God’s grace is not restricted to the son of promise, but extends to all humanity. And thus Hagar’s and Ishmael’s life lives are spared, and once again the aptness of Ishmael’s name (‘God hears’) is demonstrated. However, the preeminent status of Isaac as the son through whom the promises made to Abraham are to be fulfilled is fully established.

Paul later allegorizes this story (Gal 4:21-31), associating Judaism (and legalistic perversions of Christianity) with Hagar and Ishmael, symbolizing the way of human effort and so failure, and Christianity with Sarah and Isaac, the way of sovereign grace and promise embraced by faith and so success. God’s promises will not be fulfilled through human effort but supernaturally, through God’s own gracious intervention in human affairs—an intervention that eventually brings blessing to all humankind.

2. A foothold in the promised land (21:22-34)

22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you." 24 Abraham said, "I swear it." 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. 26 But Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today." 27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. 28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?" 30 He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well." 31 So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there. 32 After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

Here two treaties are made between Abraham and Abimelech, the Philistine king. The first is a non-aggression treaty, asked for by Abimelech (and compare this to Prov. 16:7). This event suggests that Abraham had grown in power and prestige. Now negotiating from a position of strength, Abraham asks for and receives a treaty that is a small, yet decisive step towards fulfillment of the covenant land promise from God to Abraham. Under the treaty, Abraham secures rights to a well near Beersheba (meaning, in a play on words, both “well of the oath” and “well of seven”). Such a treaty is hugely important for a herdsman totally dependent on access to water for his flocks. It is a vital foothold for Abraham in the land of promise (Canaan). In thankfulness to God, Abraham plants a tree as a landmark of God’s grace and symbol of God’s shading presence, and there worships God (v33).

3. The promise guaranteed (22:1-19)

1 Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." 15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." 19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

This event is one of the most theologically significant ones in all of Genesis. The commitments of both the Lord and of Abraham are tested to the limit. God’s command to Abraham is called a “test”(v1)—not in the sense of temptation to sin, but a test of the quality of who Abraham is as God’s servant. Though we know that God never requires human sacrifice, this event for Abraham is a very real test. It’s significance is underscored by presenting God’s command to him in the language of God’s original call to Abraham (12:1). For Abraham, what God is asking is unthinkable. Isaac is his dearly beloved son, and fulfillment of the covenant promises rest on Isaac’s survival. Abraham’s agony is extended through three days as he journeys some 50 miles to the place of sacrifice. However, Abraham continues to trust in God—now willingly surrendering to God his promised son. The knife is raised to slay Isaac, and at that moment, the test ends. Abraham passes with flying colors. God provides a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place. An angel speaks to Abraham a message from God (vv16-18). These are the last words spoken by God to Abraham in Genesis, and their significance is huge. From now on there is no doubt about the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, for the covenant is guaranteed by God’s own oath. 

The profound meaning of this incident is underscored in the New Testament, where it is not only upheld as the supreme example of commitment to God (Heb. 11:17–19); but also presented as a picture of God’s own sacrificial love. Just as Abraham gave in his heart his only son as a sacrifice, so the Father ‘did not spare his own Son’ for the world (Rom. 8:32; John 3:16). Moreover, Isaac’s ready submission to Abraham’s will is a picture of Jesus, the Son of God, who says to his Father, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

This climactic event occurs at Moriah (Gen 22:2)—traditionally understood to be the hill in Jerusalem where the temple later was erected (2Chron. 3:1). Thus, Abraham’s sacrifice of the ram foreshadows animal sacrifices at the temple, and later the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, the one ‘Lamb of God’ (John 1:29). Moriah means The Lord Will Provide (Gen. 22:8, 14). Here on the temple mount, God makes his own provision in our stead—first providing the ram to stand in for Isaac; and then his Son to stand in for all humanity.

4. The promise extended (22:20-24)

20 Some time later Abraham was told, "Milcah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel." 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham's brother Nahor. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.

After the climactic event at Moriah, the rest of book six of Genesis turns to the succession of the patriarchs in the line of Abraham. Here a brief account points forward to the providing of Isaac with a wife. We see here that God makes arrangements far in advance. Note as well that Bethuel, the father of Rebekah (the wife chosen for Isaac), is not a first born son. Time and again in Genesis the emphasis is on God’s election, not on the natural rights of the firstborn. 

5. The promise partially secured (23:1-20)

1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. 3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." 5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 "Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." 7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you." 10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 "No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead." 12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there." 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 "Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead." 16 Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. 17 So Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre-- both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field-- was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

Sarah dies at Hebron, near Mamre (see 18:1), where Abraham received many of the promises (13:8; 18:1). This account shows us two things: First, that Sarah, grandmother of the nation of Israel, is held in high esteem. She deserves a proper place of burial.  Second, this account shows us Abraham’s struggle to secure ownership in the promised land. As an “alien and a stranger” (a resident alien; v4), Abraham would not normally be able to get title deed to property except through intermarrying with the resident owners. But the Hittites were notorious for their immoral practices. And so the negotiations described here to purchase property are quite extraordinary. The negotiations proceed in three stages: First, Abraham asks the Hittites to give him (the NIV’s sell is too precise) land. They immediately offer him any of their grave sites. Second, this kindly response prompts Abraham to request that Ephron sell him the cave of Machpelah. Ephron then offers to give Abraham the cave and the surrounding field (vv7–11). But a gift does not secure ownership in perpetuity as does a purchase, so, third, Abraham, acting with faith and long-term vision, insists on buying the property. Eventually he persuades Ephron to name his price. Maybe the price is high, but Abraham does not quibble (vv12–16). Now the land with its burial cave is unquestionably his and his family’s forever. Thus Abraham and his heirs become legal owners of a part of the promised land, and Sarah is given a proper burial. Yet another aspect of the covenant promises is partially secured, setting the stage for Israel’s long struggle to secure ownership of the rest of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.

Conclusion

What we are learning is that the covenant promises are secured by God’s faithfulness, not Abraham’s. Yet Abraham participates as a real partner. In this participation, Abraham is far from perfect—his trust in God ebbs and flows, his performance is sometimes heroic and sometimes flawed. Yet he continues to trust God.  Here we see ourselves as participants with God as disciples of Jesus—sharing with our Lord in his faithful fulfilling of the Father’s mission in our world. In this participation, our confidence is in Jesus, not in ourselves. Jesus is responsible, and our calling is to be responsive. And so we trust in him, journeying forward in the Spirit with Jesus. In doing so, we follow in the footsteps of father Abraham.

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Genesis #11 (24:1-25:11)
Abraham’s faith-journey with God (part 5)
Conclusion of Book Six

We have come to the end of book six of Genesis, which tells the story of Abraham’s faith-journey with God. The last section of this book tells two stories: the story of Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah, and the story of Abraham’s death. Throughout, God’s faithfulness in fulfilling his covenant promises is emphasized.

1. Isaac’s marriage (24:1-67)

God promised Abraham immeasurable seed that would bless all humanity. In fulfillment of this promise, God gave Isaac through a miraculous birth. Moreover, God preserved Isaac into adulthood. But how will God provide Isaac a wife so that Abraham’s line may continue?  Here is the amazing story: 

1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." 

5 The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" 

6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 7 "The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'-- he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. 

10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. 

12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-- let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." 

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. 

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." 

18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 

24 She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." 25 And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night." 

26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives." 

28 The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels." 

32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say." "Then tell us," Laban said. 

34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35 The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys. 36 My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me swear an oath, and said, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38 but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.' 

39 "Then I asked my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?' 

40 "He replied, 'The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father's family. 41 Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you-- you will be released from my oath.' 

42 "When I came to the spring today, I said, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar," 44 and if she says to me, "Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too," let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master's son.' 

45 "Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' 

46 "She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also. 

47 "I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' "She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' "Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn." 

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed." 

52 When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. 

When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master." 55 But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go." 

56 But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master." 

57 Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?" "I will go," she said. 

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies." 

61 Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. 

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. 

66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

This is a marvelous example of how God furthers salvation history through perfect timing and faithful people.  The story opens with Abraham apparently on his deathbed and ends with Isaac marrying Rebekah as leadership of the family passes to the next generation. 

The story begins with Abraham commissioning his faithful servant to go and find Isaac a wife. This is a prerequisite if the covenant promise of numerous descendants is to be realized. This wife must not be a Canaanite but come from Abraham’s relatives. Like Abraham, she must be a person of faith—willing to leave her homeland and settle in the land of promise (Canaan, vv5–9). 

Abraham’s servant is a model of loyalty and persuasive speech, who commends his master’s interests by word and deed. His speeches are carefully crafted to persuade Rebekah’s family to give her in marriage to the unknown Isaac (vv34–49). When they stall about letting her go, Abraham’s servant refuses to take no for an answer and insists that they depart (vv54–58). 

Despite his many natural gifts, the servant is a man of prayer who relies on God, not on chance or his own ability. Arriving at the well, he prays ‘O Lord … give me success today.’ As is often the case, his prayers are answered more quickly (before he had finished praying) and more fully (a daughter of Bethuel … and very beautiful) than he anticipates (Eph 3:20). 

As for Rebekah, she not only exceeds Abraham’s servant’s expectations—she is the perfect wife for Isaac. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she is energetic (running to draw water for ten camels; v20), hospitable (eager to welcome the servant; v28) and, above all, a woman of faith (like Abraham, willing to leave home and family for the land of promise; v57, and see Mat. 19:29).

2. Abraham’s death (25:1–11)

1 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. 7 Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

In verse 1, “Abraham took” is better translated “Abraham had taken”—25:1-4 refers to an earlier occasion when Abraham wed a woman named Keturah. She then bore Abraham six sons. However (v5), all that Abraham possessed went not to these (and other) natural sons, but to his one supernatural son of promise, Isaac. The purpose of this genealogy of Abraham’s sons with Keturah is to link Israel (via Abraham) with various tribes and peoples living on the fringes of Canaan. This shows Israel’s affinity with these peoples and how the promise that Abraham would father many nations (17:4–6) is being at least partially fulfilled.

We then learn in verse 8 of Abraham’s death—he is gathered to his people.  This phrase is not a reference to his burial (he was not buried with his ancestors). Rather this phrase is an idiom which is unique to the Pentateuch which testifies to a belief that humans possess an immortal element that survives death. Thus death is looked at as a transition to an after-life where one is united with one’s ancestors. Abraham is buried in the cave which Abraham purchased for Sarah’s burial.  The story ends with God relating in blessing with Abraham’s son and heir, Isaac. Through Isaac, God will now work to fulfill the covenant promises.

Conclusion

Abraham is a central figure in Genesis, and indeed in the whole Bible. The New Testament book of Hebrews presents Abraham as the premier example of faith. Indeed, he was a man of great faith, though as we have seen in the story, a man who was quite human; with many faults. Just like us.  In the end, what the story focuses on is the faithfulness of God. Abraham’s story is about God’s covenant faithfulness. And now with Abraham gone, the story of God’s faithfulness continues into a new generation.

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Genesis #12 (25:12-28:9)
The journey continues: Ishmael, Isaac, Esau and Jacob

We will now look at book seven of Genesis and begin book eight. Here we find accounts of Abraham’s non-elect descendants (Ishmael and Esau) and elect descendants (Isaac and Jacob). Once again, we are reminded that the progress of God’s plan for salvation depends on God’s mercy, not on human merit.

1. Ishmael (25:12-18)

Book seven of Genesis is a short account of Ishmael and his descendants.

12 This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

Here we see the outworking of God’s promises concerning Ishmael (see 16:10, 12; 17:20). Though not of Abraham’s elect line, Ishmael (as a descendent of Abraham and Hagar), does have a God-ordained destiny. From him will come the Ishmaelites—twelve tribes (v16, fulfilling 17:20), inhabiting the area south and east of Israel (v18, and note that many of the names in vv13–14 are places or tribes in Arabia or Sinai).  The point seems to be this: If God fulfills these fairly minor promises concerning Ishmael, how much more surely will he fulfill the much greater promises concerning Isaac (the son of promise) and his descendants Isaac and Jacob? It is no accident that the descendants of Ishmael and Jacob each form into twelve tribes. The number twelve represents God’s ordering of creation and history. God is shown to be sovereign among both the promised seed and all humanity, typed by the Ishmaelites.

2. Isaac, Jacob & Esau (25:19-28:9)   

Book eight of Genesis extends from 25:19 through 35:29. It is the account of Isaac and his descendants, concerned mainly with the story of Isaac’s twin sons, Jacob and Esau. It begins with the twins fighting in the womb, and continues with Jacob cheating Esau out of his birthright. In danger of his life, Jacob flees, lives for a long time with his cousins, and eventually returns home to reconcile with his brother. This account traces the relationship between Israel (Jacob) and neighboring peoples (Esau representing Edom) and the fulfillment of the covenant promises of land, blessing and descendants through Abraham’s line that extends through Isaac to Jacob (Israel). 

a) Jacob & Esau (25:19-34)

19 This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

Isaac and Rebekah were married when Isaac is 40. Though childless for 20 years, Isaac continues asking God to help Rebekah get pregnant. Finally, when he is 60, God answers Isaac’s prayers. Rebekah bears twins. The babies nearly crush each other in the womb (the NIV’s jostled is too gentle), foreshadowing a life-long struggle. In distress, Rebekah turns to a prophet who interprets her condition: ‘Two nations are in your womb, … the older will serve the younger’. Even in birth, the struggle is evident: Esau the firstborn, whose names means hairy, comes out red (admoni) and hairy (sear)—a condition that anticipates his future homeland known as Edom and Seir.  Jacob, born second, comes out clutching Esau’s heel. The name Jacob means ‘clutches at the heel’ (a metaphor for being a grasping, cheating, deceiving competitor). The character of the two boys is thus expressed from the beginning. The story continues…

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." 32 "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" 33 But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. 

Though twins, their characters develop differently. Jacob becomes a cool, calculating stay-at-home; and Esau an impetuous, active outdoorsman. One day, Jacob exploits Esau’s hunger, exchanging some lentil stew for his birthright (the privileges of status and inheritance and responsibilities as family protector and leader given to the firstborn son). Here is the fulfillment of the prophecy that the older (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob). We also see here that though imperfect, Jacob has faith in the promises made to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. Esau is blind to these promises. But Jacob has the vision of faith.

b) Digression: relations with foreigners (26:1-33)

The flow of the story is now interrupted to tell of three encounters between Isaac and the Philistines. These stories reinforce Isaac’s legitimacy as the promised line of Abraham.

1 Now there was a famine in the land-- besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time-- and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." 

6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful." 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her." 10 Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." 11 So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." 

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us." 17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. 

19 Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land."  

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham." 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. 

26 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?" 28 They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, 'There ought to be a sworn agreement between us'-- between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD." 30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32 That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We've found water!" 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.

God gives Isaac extraordinary promises and blessings—in some respects greater than those given to Abraham. In 22:16–18, the promises given to Abraham had become guarantees. But now (26:3), what had been guaranteed to Abraham is expanded—Isaac is given not just Canaan, but all these lands. And the promise is not just to Isaac, but through Isaac to all his descendants. It is noted that these promises were given to Abraham because of his responsive obedience to God (26:5), but we are reminded that the emphasis is not on human obedience/perfection, but on God’s faithfulness. Like Abraham, Isaac is a man of faith, but he is far from perfect. Like his father Abraham, Isaac pretends that his wife is his sister. But despite these flaws, God grants Isaac extraordinary prosperity (v12). 

Isaac’s prosperity provokes jealousy among the Philistines. They prevent Isaac from using the wells dug by Abraham (legal rights to these wells had been acquired by Abraham, see  21:22–34). Isaac gets pushed around by the Philistines, but God reassures him: ‘Do not be afraid, for I am with you.’ The promise of children is reaffirmed. As if to confirm these promises, a delegation from the Philistines arrives asking Isaac to make with them a security pact, because ‘We saw clearly that the Lord was with you.’ Now at last, Isaac enjoys peace and secure water supplies. Through these incidents we see how God’s promises made to Abraham are even more abundantly fulfilled in Isaac. This occurs despite Isaac’s character flaws. The point for us is this: the bearers of Christ’s kingdom are sometimes strong and sometimes weak. The faithful celebrate God’s grace and are not overcome with self-guilt or destroyed by self-contempt. The do not trust in themselves, the trust in God.

c) Jacob cheats Esau (26:34—28:9)

Though, at times, Isaac relied on God and was blessed, his faith often waned. As we will now see, the cost to his family was great.

26:34  When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.  

27:1  When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. 2 Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your weapons-- your quiver and bow-- and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." 

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." 

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." 

13 His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." 

14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. 

18 He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" 19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing." 20 Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The LORD your God gave me success," he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24 "Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied. 25 Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing." Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me." 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. 28 May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness-- an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." 

30 After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing." 32 His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau." 33 Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him-- and indeed he will be blessed!" 34 When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me-- me too, my father!" 35 But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." 36 Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" 37 Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" 38 Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. 39 His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." 

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" 

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."   

28:1  So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. 

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

This story has great drama. Will Jacob’s disguise deceive his father? Will he receive the blessing before Esau returns? But this story also poses moral and theological questions. Does God approve of Jacob’s cheating? Will he endorse a blessing gained under false pretence? On first reading, we tend to see Rebekah and Jacob as rogues who exploit Isaac’s blindness to gain advantage over Esau. But the situation is not so black and white. Esau has married two wives (26:34)—both Hittites (Canaanites). Why had not Isaac arranged a suitable match for Esau? Worse still, Isaac shows favoritism toward Esau. When patriarchs knew their death was near, they were expected to summon all their sons and bless each one. Instead, Isaac summons only his favorite, Esau. No wonder Rebekah, who had long preferred Jacob (25:28), is incensed. 

It is not clear if Jacob approves of Rebekah’s scheme to outwit Isaac and obtain the blessing. In any case, Isaac understands that his blessing, now pronounced on Jacob instead of Esau, is irrevocable (v37). Esau’s anger forces Jacob to flee to the land of his mother’s brother, Laban. And despite Rebekah’s hope that he will only be gone a short time (v44), she never sees him again. However, despite the devious way Jacob obtains the blessing, it is still valid. The promises made to Abraham and repeated to Isaac, are passed to Jacob (28:3–4). As predicted by Isaac, Jacob (Israel) will dominate Esau (Edom). Israel will enjoy a settled agricultural existence, and Edom will be a nomadic people in a dry wilderness (27:28–29, 39–40). 

Conclusion

In these dramatic accounts, we see the fulfillment of God’s plans despite the weakness of the chosen family line. Isaac depends on his fallible senses and his faith is found lacking. His wife Rebekah acts by domination and deception. His son Jacob deceives and lies. As is often the case in the outworking of God’s plan of salvation, steps forward are set against the backdrop of human weakness. Once again, we are reminded that God’s mercy, not human merit, is the ultimate hope of the world’s redemption.

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Genesis #13 (28:10-32:2)
Jacob’s journey

As we continue in Genesis, book eight, God gives both promises and discipline to Jacob. In both ways, God is preparing Jacob to father the twelve-tribe nation of Israel. Out of this nation will come the chosen seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. As with Abraham, then Isaac, God now works through Jacob to further prepare the “womb” for the Incarnation!

1. Jacob encounters God (28:10-22)

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

In travelling the long and arduous road from Beersheba to Haran, Jacob retraces (in reverse) Abraham’s journey of about 125 years earlier, and the journey of Abraham’s servant to find Isaac a wife.  Jacob also seeks a wife, but God has other things in mind as well. Jacob’s journey will be about the transformation of Jacob’s heart, and his “baptism” into the “waters” of salvation history. 

As night falls, Jacob lies down to sleep. At his head is a large stone that reminds us of the temple of Israel. God gives him an amazing dream—a stunning revelation in which God shows  Jacob not his many failures, but a revelation about who God is—and a revelation about Jacob’s future with this God. Jacob is shown a stairway (or ladder) that connects heaven and earth. It was common in that culture to think of a ladder by which people could ascend to heaven (remember the tower of Babel!). But to think of heaven descending to earth was unheard of.  What Jacob is being shown in a vision is the reality of the communication God has provided between heaven and earth—a gift of God’s grace alone. It does not come through human effort (Jacob is asleep!). That angels (who are spirits sent by God to minister to humans, see Heb. 1:14) are seen ascending and descending speaks to the connection established by God between the human and heavenly (divine) realms. Like Eden, this place of Jacob’s vision is an axis between earth and heaven. Despite the fall of man, God has not isolated himself from our situation. He has not abandoned us (nor Jacob). The NIV translation says the Lord stands “above” this stairway. A more accurate translation is that God stands “beside” it. God is not distant or aloof, but with humankind, and at this juncture enters intimate communion with Jacob. 

This ladder imagery points us to the incarnate God-man Jesus Christ who, in his own person, is the ultimate “ladder” (connection) between God and all humanity (John 1:51). Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and humanity (1Tim. 2:5). In his own person, he is the full and final atonement (the at-one-ment) of God with humanity.  Jesus is the both the “ladder” and the person who (in the Incarnation) descends from heaven to earth and (in the Ascension) ascends from earth to heaven, 

In this dream, God reiterates to Jacob the covenant promises made to Abraham and Isaac. God reminds Jacob that these promises, as God’s gift of grace (“I will give” v13b), do not result from human merit (or manipulation, as Jacob tried). God expands the promises, saying that Jacob’s descendants will be “like the dust of the earth.” God also promise Jacob that, “I am with you” (v15). This is stunning and new—God promises to be Jacob’s God—to cast his lot with this man, standing with him no matter what. Similar promises are later made to other leaders of Israel (see Ex. 3:12; Joshua 1:5; Judges 6:16), and then by Jesus to his followers (Mat. 28:20; Heb. 13:5–6).  This promise of God’s accompanying presence is the basis for other great promises made to Jacob in v15: to “watch over” him; to secure his homecoming (“bring you back”) and never to leave him (God is omnipresent, unlike the pagan gods who are limited to a particular location). Next morning, Jacob sets up as a sacred pillar the stone that had served as his pillow (Gen 28:18). The pillar witnesses to God’s presence and celebrates his promises. Jacob calls the place Bethel, which means “house of God” (it is located about 12 miles north of Jerusalem). Upon this pillar, he pours oil of consecration and vows (v20) to tithe his income if God will bring him back in peace to Bethel (and thus the Promised Land). This vow shows Jacob’s willingness to reorient his life from being a deceiver and grasper (a “Jacob”) to a “giver” who faithfully carries forward God’s agenda.

2. Jacob encounters Laban (29:1-30)

1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they replied. 5 He said to them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?" "Yes, we know him," they answered. 6 Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?" "Yes, he is," they said, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 7 "Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture." 8 "We can't," they replied, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep." 

9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and blood." After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be." 

16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel." 19 Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her." 22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?" 26 Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work." 

28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

God makes good on his promise by getting Jacob safely to Haran and the family of his uncle Laban. There God shows Jacob his wife-to-be, Laban’s daughter Rachel. In a display of amazing strength, Jacob rolls aside the stone covering the family well, and waters Rachel’s sheep. He kisses Rachel and her family and weeps with great emotion. Soon thereafter, Jacob asks Laban for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Because Jacob cannot pay the customary bride price, he offers to work seven years for Laban. God’s providence thus leads Jacob into hardship. God is disciplining Jacob, even as he blesses him. The goal is the transformation of Jacob’s character.

When the seven years are up, Laban schemes to keep Jacob in servitude.  Jacob the schemer, is now the victim. He is pushed by Laban to proceed with the wedding to Rachel (v21). A seven-day party was the main event of most weddings in that culture. On the first evening the veiled bride was brought to the groom. In this case, the veil, darkness and alcohol prevent Jacob from realizing that Laban has tricked him, substituting for Rachel her older sister, Leah. But God is using Laban’s trickery to advance his plan. Out of Leah will come six of Israel’s twelve tribes, including Judah out of which comes Jesus. And out of Leah’s and Rachel’s handmaidens will come other Israelite tribes (30:3-13). Laban does make one concession to Jacob, he allows him to marry Rachel immediately, but cruelly demands an additional seven years’ service.

3. Jacob’s children (29:31—30:24)

29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." 33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. 

30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" 2 Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" 3 Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan. 7 Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So she named him Naphtali. 

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad. 12 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will call me happy." So she named him Asher. 

14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes." 15 But she said to her, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes." 16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night. 17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. 21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 

22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." 24 She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."

Talk about a dysfunctional family!  No wonder God’s will is that marriage be between one man and one wife. Jacob does not love Leah, but Leah is desperate for his affection (29:32). And Rachel is consumed with jealousy because Leah succeeds in bearing children while she remains childless. The desperation of these women is further illustrated in vv3–16. First, Rachel resorts to surrogate marriage through her maidservant Bilhah. Leah responds by putting forward her maid-servant Zilpah as a second surrogate wife to Jacob. This, however, does not end the struggle. Reuben (Leah’s oldest son) finds mandrakes (an ancient aphrodisiac and fertility drug). There follows a bizarre negotiation in which Rachel offers Leah a few nights in Jacob’s bed as trade for some of the mandrakes. Leah hopes to gain Jacob’s love and Rachel hopes to become pregnant. The result is another three children being born to Leah, but no success for Rachel. Only when God remembers Rachel does she become pregnant (vv22–23). It is God’s grace, not human effort (and mandrakes!), that meets her deep need. God at work in this terribly dysfunctional family paves the way for the twelve patriarchs of the tribes of Israel to be born and for God’s promises to Abraham to move forward. 

4. Jacob outwits Laban (30:25-31:1)

30:25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done for you." 27 But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you." 28 He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." 29 Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" 31 "What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." 34 "Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." 

35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban's flocks. 37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys. 

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father."

The birth of a boy to Rachel signals Jacob that it is now time to head back to Canaan and home. He asks Laban for permission to leave. But Laban wants to continue exploiting Jacob’s amazing ability to create wealth for Laban’s clan (“I have learned by divination” in v27 is best translated “I have become rich”). So Jacob makes a proposal that seems to cost Laban nothing. Jacob the manipulated once again becomes Jacob the manipulator!

Normally in the Near East goats are black or dark brown and sheep are white. But Jacob asks to be paid by Laban with all the abnormally colored sheep and goats. Laban deems this to be a great deal for him and agrees to Jacob’s request. At that point, Jacob should have been given all the abnormally colored sheep and goats, but, instead, Laban leaves him with only the normally colored ones and thus with nothing for himself.  But God has plans to prosper Jacob despite Laban’s scheme. At mating time, Jacob puts poplar, almond and plane tree branches in front of the strongest animals and they bear abnormally colored lambs and kids that, by agreement, become Jacob’s. Some think that these types of branches enhanced animal fertility. Jacob probably has some sort of superstition in mind. But what happens is God’s intervention, coupled with Jacob’s understanding of animal genetics. Through these, God, in his grace, makes Jacob exceedingly prosperous (30:43). Though Laban’s sons feel cheated by Jacob (31:1), Jacob has been faithful to his agreement with Laban.

5. Jacob leaves Laban (31:2-32:2)

31:2 And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." 4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me. 

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' 12 And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'" 

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you." 

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, and crossing the River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead. 22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." 

25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You've deceived me, and you've carried off my daughters like captives in war. 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? 28 You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by. You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?" 31 Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it." 

Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. 33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he entered Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. 35 Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period." So he searched but could not find the household gods. 

36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. "What is my crime?" he asked Laban. "What sin have I committed that you hunt me down? 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us. 38 I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you." 

43 Laban answered Jacob, "The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let's make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us." 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me." 51 Laban also said to Jacob, "Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." 

So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. 55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home. 32:1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.

In another low point in his life, Jacob’s brothers-in-law plot against him. God tells Jacob to return home with a reassuring promise: ‘I will be with you’ (v3; and see 28:13–15). But it is difficult to leave, for Jacob has four wives, thirteen children and large flocks and herds. He is part of Laban’s clan, and disengagement is not easy. Nevertheless, Jacob has grown into a man of faith, who is now promptly responsive to God. Jacob gets to work, first persuading his wives to leave. Then he picks a time for his getaway when Laban is not around (vv19, 22). But Laban catches up with them, and a big confrontation ensues (including a dispute about Laban’s pagan idols (images of either gods or ancestors), which Rachel apparently sees as good-luck charms—and may have been related to inheritance rights. If God had not appeared to Laban in a dream, warning him not to harm Jacob, there would have been a war between the two clans (v24). Again, God shows himself to be with Jacob, fulfilling the promise he made some 20 years before to bring Jacob back to the land of promise (see 28:15). 

Conclusion

Time and again in Genesis we learn that God incorporates the most fallible and fallen people into his gracious plans. The chosen nation of God (Israel) has its genesis in oppression, family dysfunction, and bitter rivalry. In spite of Jacob’s prayerlessness, Laban’s scheming, the rivalry of Jacob’s wives, God blesses this family with twelve sons. His grace is greater than our sins, and his purposes will not be thwarted by them. There is cause for great hope in the midst of trouble, barrenness, envy and strife, for God is in charge!

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Genesis #14 (32:3-35:29)
Jacob’s journey

This issue completes Genesis book eight, which extends from 25:19 through 35:29. It gives the account of Isaac and his descendants—concerned mainly with the story of Jacob and Esau. We pick up the story in 32:3 with Jacob and Esau’s reconciliation.

1. Jacob and Esau reconciled (32:3-33:20)

32:3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them: "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.'" 6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." 

7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 8 He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape." 9 Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,' 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'" 

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds." 17 He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?' 18 then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.'" 19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: "You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.'" For he thought, "I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me." 

21 So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp. 22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon. 

33:1 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. 2 He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these with you?" he asked. Jacob answered, "They are the children God has graciously given your servant." 6 Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down. 8 Esau asked, "What do you mean by all these droves I met?" "To find favor in your eyes, my lord," he said. 9 But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself." 10 "No, please!" said Jacob. "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it. 

12 Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I'll accompany you." 13 But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir." 15 Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you." "But why do that?" Jacob asked. "Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord." 

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth. 18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

Jacob’s return to the land of promise brings him back to Esau. Despite God’s encouragements, the reunion seems very dangerous. Has Esau forgiven Jacob? Or is he seeking revenge? All of Jacob’s actions are designed to soften the encounter. He sends ahead a delegation to make contact (vv3–5). They return with the alarming news that Esau is headed their way with 400 men. Fearing the worst, Jacob goes to God in prayer, reminding God of three things: God’s command to Jacob to return (v9), God’s generosity in fulfilling past promises (v10), and of Jacob’s present plight, entreating God for deliverance so that the promises may be fulfilled. In all three, Jacob grounds his plea on God’s faithfulness. But prayer is not an excuse for inaction, so Jacob divides up his flocks and servants and sends ahead a series of generous presents to Esau hoping to pacify his offended brother (v20).

That night, Jacob ferries his family across the River Jabbok (a tributary that joins the Jordan about 20 miles north of the Dead Sea). Unexpectedly, Jacob finds himself wrestling with an unnamed “man.” However, it is clear to Jacob that this man is God. With a mere touch, this God-man puts Jacob’s hip out of joint, and then changes Jacob’s name to Israel, because Jacob has “struggled with God” and “overcome” (v28). 

This incident is shrouded in mystery. Not only does it take place at night, but what is God doing attacking Jacob and yet being unable or unwilling to defeat him? Here the paradox of the human condition is summed up. On the one hand, God allows, even puts his people into, difficult or impossible situations. But the same God delivers his people out of these situations. Jacob’s experience at the River Jabbok sums up his personal career. It is God who has brought him to this crisis, confronting Esau, but it is the same God who now brings him through victoriously. His successful struggle at the Jabbok, is a pledge that his confrontation with Esau will have a happy outcome. He is a new man, as the change from his name Jacob (meaning “supplanter”) to Israel (meaning “prevailer”) indicates—he is a victor with both God and man. No longer able to rely on his great physical strength, Jacob has learned instead to cling to God’s grace.  What a spiritual metamorphosis this is!

The next day, Jacob limps out confidently to meet Esau, going ahead of his wives and children (33:1–3). Esau suddenly appears and runs to meet Jacob and embraces him (v4). This gesture of forgiveness and acceptance overwhelms Jacob, who can not quite believe it. Indeed he compares his brother’s forgiveness to God’s (v10). Jacob seeks to return to Esau the blessing he had many years before swindled him out of (v11). Esau reluctantly accepts, and then urges Jacob to come and live with him in Edom. Jacob politely declines (was it loyalty to God’s command or lurking doubts about Esau’s sincerity?). They go their separate ways. Jacob enters Canaan and purchases a piece of land. This is the second piece of real estate in Canaan acquired by the patriarchs. Slowly but surely, the land promises are being fulfilled. This prompts Jacob to worship God (v20).

2. Dinah avenged (34:1-31)

1 Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife." 

5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home. 6 Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter-- a thing that should not be done. 8 But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it." 11 Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife." 

13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, "We can't do such a thing; we can't give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will give our consent to you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we'll take our sister and go." 

18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored of all his father's household, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to their fellow townsmen. 21 "These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. 22 But the men will consent to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. 23 Won't their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us give our consent to them, and they will settle among us." 

24 All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised. 25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." 31 But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

The peaceful coexistence of Jacob with the sons of Hamor (33:19) is shattered by this appalling incident. Jacob has survived 20 long and hard years in Paddan Aram, and now finally is happily settled in Canaan. But with this incident of savagery, his future is placed in great danger. Who is to blame? Genesis presents a complicated situation and widely shared guilt. Dinah should not have socialized with the Canaanites (28:7–8). But her offense is trivial compared with that of Shechem. Premarital intercourse is always wrong according to the Bible, and here that offense is aggravated by rape. Nevertheless, Shechem’s lust and violence turns to love, though Jacob and his sons doubtless do not know this, for Dinah stays willingly or unwillingly in Shechem’s home (v26). Surprisingly, Jacob seems unconcerned at Dinah’s fate (because she is Leah’s daughter?). But her brothers are appalled—not merely at Dinah’s plight but by their father’s unconcern. “If our father will not stick up for our sister, we must” is their reaction. Elaborate and deceitful negotiations follow, and the attack of Jacob’s sons goes way beyond what is just. Then Jacob’s objection seems rather hollow when we learn that it is his own skin that most concerns him (v30). 

Despite all this, Jacob’s family is greatly enriched, and the assault of his family on the Shechemites foreshadows Israel’s later conquest of Canaan. The Canaanites are doomed because of their sexual immorality (Lev. 18:24–25). But this does not mean that Israel deserves the Promised Land. According to Deuteronomy, “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations … to accomplish what he [the Lord] swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Deut. 9:5). The sins of God’s chosen people may delay, but they do not ultimately frustrate, the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham.

3. Journey’s end (35:1-29)

1 Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau." 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." 

4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. 6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 8 Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So it was named Allon Bacuth. 

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. 11 And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. 14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel. 

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you have another son." 18 As she breathed her last-- for she was dying-- she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb. 

21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons: 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram. 

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Paralyzed by fear of attack from the Canaanites, Jacob heeds God’s command to go on to Bethel, where Jacob had made a vow when running away from home (28:10–22). Bethel (meaning “house of God”) is a holy place, and those who have been polluted by war and idolatry must purify themselves before proceeding. Then they set out, and remarkably no one attacks them, for a terror inspired by God has befallen the Canaanites. Yet again the promise “I am with you and will watch over you” (28:15) is fulfilled.

Just as Abraham’s three-day pilgrimage to Mt. Moriah was crowned with the richest statement of the promises he ever experienced (22:16–18), so now the promises given at Bethel (vv11–12) sum up and exceed all those previously made: Jacob will father nations and kings, and his descendants will inherit the land promised to his Isaac and Abraham. Only the promise of God’s presence with him is not repeated, for that has obviously been fulfilled by his safe arrival in Bethel.

Jacob’s elation is followed by tragedy. Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, dies giving birth to her longed-for second son, Benjamin (see 30:24). Then Jacob’s eldest son, Reuben, has intercourse with Bilhah, perhaps in an attempt to prevent her from replacing Rachel as Jacob’s favorite wife, and also to claim leadership of the family. Jacob does not comment until later (49:3–4), but there is no doubt that the incident further undermines relations between Leah’s sons and their father. This mutual antagonism is evident in chapter 34 (Dinah, Simeon and Levi are Leah’s children) and ruins Jacob’s closing years (see chapters 37ff). Nevertheless, all of Jacob’s sons are born in fulfillment of God’s promise, and Jacob’s failure to accept them all does not affect their status. At least the hostility between Jacob and Esau appears to have been laid to rest as they join to bury their father in the family tomb at Machpelah (see 49:31).

Conclusion

What a journey!  Here we’ve seen the transformation of Jacob into Israel—a journey from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. The key to this transformation, and, indeed, all the blessings received, is God’s presence—his supernatural, transformative presence. 

God’s covenantal love and commitment to Jacob (Israel) is truly amazing. In spite of Jacob’s many flaws, God does not deny his elect partner. Quite the contrary, he embraces him, and through a series of events (sometimes quite difficult for Jacob), hones this man’s character—preparing him for his role in salvation history. Jacob rises to the occasion, and lives out of his new identity, though many of his flaws remain and continue to haunt him. 

In this account we learn about Israel’s sons. The oldest (Reuben, Simeon and Levi) are disqualified from leadership, paving the way for Judah’s key role in salvation history. 

And so ends book eight of Genesis.

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Genesis #15 (36:1-38:30)
God’s work in the families of Esau & Jacob

We come now to the ninth and tenth books (“accounts”) of Genesis. Book nine is about the non-elect family of Esau. Book ten is a long and climactic account of the elect family of Jacob. In this issue of Sermon Series, we’ll cover all of book nine and the first part of book ten. We’ll see God at work in two families, advancing his plan and purpose, despite human folly.

1. Esau’s family (36:1-37:1)

36:1 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite-- 3 also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan. 6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. 

9 This is the account of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. 10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. 12 Esau's son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Adah. 13 The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath. 14 The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam and Korah. 15 These were the chiefs among Esau's descendants: The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah. 17 The sons of Esau's son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath. 18 The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 19 These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs. 20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. 22 The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan's sister. 23 The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24 The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 25 The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 26 The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29 These were the Horite chiefs: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir. 

31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned: 32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor succeeded him as king. 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 40 These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied. This was Esau the father of the Edomites.  37:1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

The accounts (“books”) of Genesis alternate between examining the descendants of non-elect patriarchs Ishmael and Esau, and descendants of elect patriarchs Terah and Abraham (chapters 12–25), Isaac (chapters 25–35) and Jacob (Israel) (chapters 37–50). As with the account of Ishmael’s descendants, this account of Esau’s descendants does not contain much apart from genealogical information. The opening summary notes that Esau, like Lot, migrated out of Canaan for economic reasons (vv6–8). This is followed by a list of Esau’s sons (vv10–14), chiefs descended from him (vv15–19), sons of Seir (vv20–28), Horite chiefs (vv29–30), Edomite kings (vv31–39) and more chiefs (vv40–43). The lists overlap—likely coming from different source documents.

As with the other accounts in Genesis, God is orchestrating events in order to fulfill his covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Esau’s migration out of Canaan is a case in point. It makes room for Jacob’s family to settle and grow in the Promised Land (37:1). We are reminded that Rebekah was told that the two “nations” in her womb would be at odds and the older (Esau), would serve the younger (Jacob) (25:23). The emergence of Edom as a kingdom, and its later subjection to the nation of Israel fulfills these predictions. If kings can come from Esau’s loins (36:31), how much more will Jesus Christ reign until his kingdom rules all creation (1Cor. 15:24-28; Phil. 2:11),

The point here is this: If these relatively minor predictions concerning Esau come true, how much more certain is the fulfillment of the central covenant promises to the chosen line! This thought prepares us for book ten of Genesis, which tells us of the chosen line continuing through the family of Jacob (who is renamed Israel). We also note that, in Christ, the remnant of Edom has been reconciled to Jacob, and has become a member of Christ’s kingdom (Amos 9:4; Acts 15:16-18); Rev. 7:9).

2. Jacob’s family (part one) (37:2–38:30)

37: 2a This is the account of Jacob….

This is said to be “the account of Jacob,” but like that of Terah (chapters 12–25) and Isaac (chapters 25–35), it is mostly concerned with the patriarch’s sons. In this account of Jacob we learn of the dysfunction of Jacob’s family—principally the relationship between Jacob’s son Joseph and Joseph’s brothers, Judah in particular. But what is being played out here is far greater than any one or two people (even as important as Joseph is).  Here were are seeing God at work to transform the sons of Jacob, as God advances his work under the covenant he has established with the line of Abraham, which includes the establishment of the nation of Israel, out of which will come the promised seed, Jesus Christ.

In the part of the account we’ll cover this time, we will learn of the falling-out between Joseph and his brothers due to Joseph’s youthful arrogance. Then we will learn of Judah’s foolishness. Both situations set the stage for the amazing way God guides the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Jacob’s (Israel’s) sons, despite all the dysfunction within the family in the line of promise. 

Here we are reminded that Jacob does not love the sons born to his wife Leah and to his two concubines. Jacob’s love is reserved for his sons Joseph and Benjamin—both born to Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. This situation creates a lot of tension in the family (as we saw in chapters 34–35). But now the tension boils over. Leah’s sons have had enough, and conspire to get rid of Joseph. But God uses this family feud to advance his plan. In later studies we’ll see how Joseph, through the hardships of slavery and imprisonment, rises to prominence in Egypt, and the broken family of Israel is eventually reconciled. Throughout, we see God using the misdeeds of sinful people to advance his plan. As Joseph will eventually say to his brothers, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish … the saving of many lives’ (50:20).  

Let’s now go to the text, starting in Genesis 37:2. Here we learn first of Joseph’s arrogance, then of Judah’s foolishness.

a) Joseph’s arrogance (37:2-36)

2b …Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." 8 His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them." "Very well," he replied. 14 So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?" 16 He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?" 17 "They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. 20 "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said. 22 "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe-- the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?" 31 Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe." 33 He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces." 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.

Here we see the piling up of dysfunction.  First there is Jacob’s favoritism toward his son Joseph. Doesn’t he see what this is doing to his other sons?  Then there is Joseph’s youthful immaturity that spills forth as bratty, pestering arrogance toward his brothers. To add insult to injury, there are Joseph’s dreams of dominating his family. All this is more than Joseph’s brothers can stomach. They determine to rid themselves of the problem by killing Joseph. But the opportunity to turn a quick profit changes their plan. Instead of killing Joseph, they sell him to a caravan of Midianite (Ishmaelite) merchants, who take Joseph into Egypt and there sell him to Potiphar, a captain in Pharaoh’s palace guard. More about that story next time. But back in Canaan, the news of Joseph’s apparent death reaches his father Jacob. Jacob is devastated, and his children’s efforts to comfort him are fruitless. Jacob declares that he will remain in mourning until his dying day. His family lies in ruins—hope seems lost. Yet, Joseph’s dreams stand, and Genesis expects that we will view those dreams as God’s own agenda. This leaves us wondering how the discrepancy between Joseph’s current situation and his prophetic dreams will be resolved. Stay tuned.

b) Judah’s foolishness, Tamar’s heroism (38:1-30)

1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him. 

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also. 

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. 12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. 13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. 18 He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. 20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. 22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.'" 23 Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her." 

24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" 25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." 26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again. 27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez. 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah.

This story about Judah at first seems a rather odd intrusion into the story of Joseph. But it adds information about how God works though human folly to advance his promises to the patriarchs. It shows how the hard-hearted son of Jacob, Judah is stopped in his tracks, and turned in a new direction (in chapter 44 a man of compassion emerges). This account to Judah also tells us of another twin birth in which the younger overtakes the older. We are being shown here a special intervention of God in advancing the promises through the family of Judah who is not the firstborn of Jacob, but is nevertheless chosen of God for a special role. Indeed, Jesus will be born of this line.

As modern readers, we are troubled by this account. We wonder how all these events could happen in such a short span of time. The answer is that in those days, people typically married upon reaching puberty. Thus it’s possible that everything in chapter 38 occurs in about twenty years. According to 37:2, 41:46–47 and 45:6, twenty-two years elapsed between Joseph’s sale into Egypt and his brothers’ discovery of him there.

We also wonder if the narrator of this story approves of the behavior of Tamar, Judah and his sons. It’s important to know of a custom of that day known as “Levirate marriage” where the brother-in-law of a childless widow was expected to marry her to produce children for his dead brother. In the time of Judah, the brother had an absolute duty to marry his widowed sister-in-law, and the father-in-law was expected to see this duty fulfilled. But Judah and his sons are reluctant to do their duty, and Onan practices a kind of contraception. This contravenes Levirate custom and the promises to the patriarchs, who have been assured that they will have numberless descendants.

So Onan dies (v10) because he has resisted God’s declared will. Judah, who should have been concerned to see his next son Shelah fulfill his legal duty and ensure the promise’s fulfillment, does nothing.  This leaves the widow Tamar with no legal redress against her father-in-law’s injustice. So she contrives to trap him. She outwits him and obtains her rights under Levirate law and two sons for the household of Jacob. Indeed, one of her sons is the ancestor of David and Jesus. In the process, Tamar exposes Judah as a fool and hypocrite. Judah is forced to confess, ‘She is more righteous than I’ (v26). This does not mean that God approves of Tamar sleeping with her father-in-law. Knowing this, Judah does not sleep with her again (v26; and see Lev. 18:15). But Tamar’s irregular behavior is, in this instance, warranted because of her father-in-law’s much greater negligence of morality and theology. Her outrageous act brings Judah to his senses, and thus advances God’s plan for the family. In the end, Tamar comes out the hero of faith—an instrument used of God in advancing his plan in the line of Abraham.

Conclusion

Sometimes we look at our circumstances and wonder how things can ever work out.  And then we’re reminded in Scripture that God is the master of working in and through messes!  God has a plan, and he works it out, sometimes despite us!  And so we have hope—because we know and are known by a God of grace, power and purpose. Let us trust in him, and not in ourselves. As we are admonished in Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

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Genesis #16 (39:1- 41:57)
Joseph in Egypt
(from Potiphar house, to prison, to Pharaoh’s palace)

We now continue in the tenth book of Genesis. Last time we ended with a short digression concerning Judah. Now we return to Joseph and the story of his time in Egypt. There he journeys from Potiphar’s house (39:1–20); to prison (39:21–40:23); to Pharaoh’s palace (41:1–57). The first two segments of this lengthy journey begin with the comment that the Lord was with Joseph (vv2, 23) and end with Joseph’s downfall, showing him thrown into prison (20) and there forgotten (40:23). The third segment is a complete contrast: it begins with Joseph in prison and closes with him as second in command over all of Egypt. 

The story is about God’s sovereignty in working in and through Joseph to advance his plan for his elect people who represent all humanity. 

1. Joseph in Potiphar’s house (39:1-20a)

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 

2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. 

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" 8 But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. 

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. 13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." 16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. 

20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined…

Joseph lands on his feet in Egypt, having been bought by Potiphar, an Egyptian captain of the guard—the one in charge of royal prisoners (see 40:3–4). In service to Potiphar, Joseph quickly rises from being an ordinary slave to being put in charge of Potiphar’s entire household (vv4–5). Joseph’s success is due not merely to his ability but to the fact that the Lord was with him, and that through Joseph, Potiphar enjoys God’s blessing (v5).

Joseph’s loyalty to his master is demonstrated when Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him. Joseph fiercely repudiates her advances, saying ‘How … could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ (v9). But the desperate woman gets revenge. She catches Joseph alone in the house and pulls off one of his garments. She then waves this before the other slaves and later her husband, accusing Joseph of attempting to rape her. Her accusations are a lie, but are sufficient to convince Potiphar. Or were they? He does not execute Joseph, as would normally have happened, so perhaps he doubts his wife’s claim. Nevertheless, Joseph is sent to prison—a tragic fate for Joseph, who now suffers for righteousness’ sake. Here Joseph is a type of Jesus who is unfairly condemned. Followers of Jesus often find themselves in similar situations (Mat. 5:10–12; 1 Pet. 2:21–25). 

2. Joseph in prison (39:20b-40:23)

39:20b  …but while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. 

40:1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men-- the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison-- had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?" 8 "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." 9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand." 12 "This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon." 16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." 18 "This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh." 20 Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, 22 but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

Joseph’s experiences in prison echo those in Potiphar’s house. He is rapidly promoted and becomes the personal attendant of the royal cupbearer and baker, who both are advisers to Pharaoh. Joseph has good reason to hope that the cupbearer will recognize the injustice done to him, but once released, the man forgets Joseph. What has happened? Weren’t we told that the Lord was with Joseph (39:23)? Yes, even in prison, God is with him, and Joseph’s skill in interpreting dreams is one indication (40:8). However, deliverance from prison eludes Joseph. That his suffering is the pathway to his glory is yet to be revealed.

3. Joseph in Pharaoh’s palace (41:1-57)

1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted-- thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. 

8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged." 

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." 16 "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up-- scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. 22 "In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted-- withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me." 

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. 28 "It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. 33 "And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." 

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. 

And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. 

50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." 

53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you." 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

Joseph’s suffering through thirteen years of slavery and imprisonment now come to an abrupt end. Joseph is removed from prison and taken into Pharaoh’s presence. But it is not just the surroundings that change for Joseph. The once brash teenager has, through suffering orchestrated by God, come to maturity and now is ready for his life’s calling. 

That God is in control of all this, is made evident in his sending to Pharaoh two disconcerting dreams. It becomes even clearer when Pharaoh asks Joseph to interpret those dreams. Note Joseph’s reply: ‘God will give Pharaoh the answer’ (v16). Then Pharaoh appoints Joseph his deputy (prime minister), with the words, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’ (v38). Joseph epitomizes a God-led prophet and wise ruler (king). He has divine insight into the future and governs Egypt with the Spirit of God, so that Egypt and the surrounding countries are saved from famine (see Psa. 72:16; Isa. 11:2). In this role, Joseph reminds us of Noah. Just as God instructed Noah to build an ark for saving creation, God leads Joseph to build storehouses to deliver nations from famine, and to bring the family of Israel into Egypt. We also see in Joseph a type of Jesus, the suffering servant who as both Prophet and King becomes Savior of all the world. 

This episode raises some important questions. Twice in consecutive episodes, Joseph interpreted two dreams, and here he observes that the reason for this pairing of dreams is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon (v32). What then about the pairing of his own dreams concerning the future of his family (37:5–11)? Is the fulfillment of these twin dreams also sure? The naming of his sons as Manasseh and Ephraim gives us a window into Joseph’s heart—he knows something is missing. These names are hints that Joseph’s appointment to serve as prime minister of Egypt is not the climax of the story—there is still more of God’s purpose yet to be revealed. Stay tuned.

Conclusion

These events seem to focus on Joseph. But a careful reading shows that the focus is actually God, and his faithfulness and sovereignty. God is shown to be responsible for all parts of Joseph’s journey—both the blessings and hardships. Throughout, God is faithful to Joseph and to the covenant. And Joseph learns to trust God, even while being treated unjustly. This is a marked contrast to Joseph’s father, Jacob, who wasted many years relying on his own strength and wit. In his faithful response to the faithful God, Joseph represents true Israel, and soon Israel as a nation will recapitulate Joseph’s Egyptian experience—going from exaltation to humiliation and back to exaltation. This experience of Joseph and of Israel point forward to the true Son of Israel, Jesus Christ.  It also tells us of our calling as followers of Jesus to walk the path of suffering that, one day, will end in our exaltation in glory (1 Pet. 5:6).

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Genesis #17 (42:1–45:28)
Israel’s journeys into Egypt (part one)

Continuing in the tenth book of Genesis, we enter a section where God orchestrates three journeys of the family of Jacob (Israel) into Egypt. In this issue, we’ll look at the first two of these journeys. God is at work bringing about the reconciliation of the family of Jacob, preparing a people to give birth to the promised seed of Abraham.

1. The first journey (42:1-38)

Last time we ended with 41:57: “And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.”  Now the suffering of this famine brings about a visit by Joseph’s brothers to Egypt, and first steps in the reconciliation of the family of Jacob.

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" 2 He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die." 3 Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 

6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food." 8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected." 10 "No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies." 12 "No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected." 13 But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more." 14 Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" 17 And he put them all in custody for three days. 

18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do. 21 They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. 25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" 

29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 "The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.' 33 "Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.'" 35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 

36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" 37 Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." 38 But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

At the very point when Joseph declares, ‘God has made me forget … all my father’s household’ (41:51), his brothers turn up in Egypt. Joseph immediately recognizes them, but they fail to recognize him. The scene is set. As Joseph looks upon his brothers, he remembers his dreams of 20 years before (v9; see 37:5–11). Are they being fulfilled?  Perhaps not, for only ten brothers bow before him, whereas the dreams showed eleven brothers and his parents. Where is the missing brother? Where is his father Jacob? 

This discrepancy prompts Joseph to question his brothers harshly, and he hatches a plot that, in essence, replicates what his brothers did to him 20 years earlier. Joseph gives them a taste of their own medicine, by holding Simeon hostage to see whether the other brothers will trade food for him, as they had exchanged cash for Joseph. Apparently sensing the analogy, the brothers’ consciences smite them. Seeing their predicament as divine judgment, they own up to their sins, describing details not mentioned before (vv21–22).  

Their contrition escalates when they find money in one of their travelling sacks (v28), and they continue to relive the events of 20 years ago as they arrive home. Once again, they have to explain to their father Jacob why they have lost one of his sons. But their plan to take Benjamin down to Egypt to secure Simeon’s release is rejected by Jacob, for Benjamin has replaced Joseph in his affection. Jacob’s suspicion about his sons’ tale is confirmed as they empty their sacks and money tumbles out. They must have sold Simeon! He makes this accusation indirectly by saying, ‘You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more’ (v36). He then declares, ‘My son Benjamin will not go down with you’ (v38). 

All the deep-seated bitterness and sorrow of the last 20 years has now surfaced. How will this torn family ever come together again? How will Joseph’s dreams be fulfilled? The first journey to Egypt leaves us with many unanswered questions.  Stay tuned.

2. The second journey (43:1-45:28)

Jacob is against a second journey of his sons to Egypt, but hunger and Judah’s promise to stand surety for Benjamin cause Jacob to allow his sons to go.

43:1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food." 3 But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.' 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'" 

6 Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?" 7 They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?" 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice." 

11 Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift-- a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." 

15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon." 17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house. 18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys." 19 So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 "Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver-- the exact weight-- in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks." 23 "It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them. 

24 The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. 26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?" 28 They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor. 29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." 

30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. 31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food." 32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him. 

44:1 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. 2 Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. 3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? 5 Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.'" 6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? 9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." 10 "Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." 11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city. 

14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?" 16 "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves-- we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup." 17 But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." 

18 Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' 20 And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' 21 "Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.' 22 And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.' 23 But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' 24 When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. 25 "Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more food.' 26 But we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27 "Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has surely been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.' 30 "So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, 31 sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!' 33 "Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father." 

45:1  Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 

9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me-- you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' 12 "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. 

16 When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.' 19 "You are also directed to tell them, 'Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'" 

21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" 

25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

Similar to how he faced the difficult reunion with Esau (32:7-21), Jacob now offers a generous present to the man in Egypt and prays to God for help. Jacob’s prayer shows that his faith is still a bit feeble. But God’s mercy goes beyond Jacob’s limitations. Whereas Jacob prays that God will let Simeon and Benjamin return (43:14), God has in mind retuning to Jacob these two sons and also his long lost son Joseph! 

Jacob is full of apprehension about Benjamin’s safety. And his sons are also in a panic (vv18, 23, 33)—their smitten consciences interpret each development as divine judgment. Yet their fears are unfounded, for in this second encounter with Joseph they are treated with great kindness. Joseph enquires gently about their aged father, blesses Benjamin (God be gracious to you, my son) and treats them to a sumptuous banquet. They accept Joseph’s hospitality, yet, there are hints that something is up. How does Joseph know the order of their ages (v33)?  

Next morning, as they congratulate themselves on being able to leave Egypt with Simeon, Benjamin and bountiful food, Benjamin is arrested for stealing the silver cup. They all must return to Joseph’s palace. 

A world built on hatred, lies and deception is, through these events, falling apart. God’s “severe mercy” is leading them to repentance. We see this particularly in Judah who is emerging as the leader of the brothers.  Judah was formerly the hard-hearted one. It was he who proposed the sale of young brother Joseph into slavery. It was he who demanded that his daughter-in-law be burnt (37:27; 38:24). But now a new Judah is emerging. In the longest speech in Genesis, Judah pleads eloquently for Benjamin’s release, touchingly describing the effects that Benjamin’s non-return will have on Jacob, and offering to take his brother’s place. 

Judah’s repentance, evidenced by his readiness to sacrifice himself, allows Joseph to reveal his own identity and the divine purpose behind his many years of suffering. Joseph understands that God has used his brothers’ evil deeds to save many lives: ‘It was not you who sent me here but God’ (45:8) sums up the whole purpose of the Joseph story. God overrules human deeds, whether good or evil, to achieve his saving purposes. The Lord had declared to Abraham that through his ‘offspring all nations on earth will be blessed’ (22:18). Through Joseph and his famine relief program this promise is now partially fulfilled.

When Joseph’s brothers reach home, their father Jacob is stunned. At first, he is unable to believe what his sons are telling him. But then he is persuaded. Now, after 20 years of mourning the loss of his dear son, he is able to say: ‘My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’ Next time, we’ll see the third journey of the sons of Israel into Egypt—and this time the whole tribe is involved, setting the stage for their reconciliation, and in Egypt, formation into a nation of people that become the “womb” of the Incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ, the Promised Seed of Abraham.

Conclusion

In these stories we see God’s sovereign control and human freedom (even the freedom to sin) existing side-by-side. This is particularly notable in Joseph’s behavior toward his brothers. Though God brings about the circumstances (and Joseph acknowledges God’s guiding hand), still Joseph holds his brothers accountable. At first, Joseph treats them harshly (vv14–15 and chapter 42). But Joseph’s response changes when Judah (the oldest son in good standing with his father), steps up as new leader of the family, confesses sin and offers himself in Benjamin’s place. Joseph walks through this door of reconciliation by offering his forgiveness and generosity. Through these human acts, God is working sovereignly to advance his plan. This is a key theme in Genesis (and all the Bible).

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Genesis #18 (46:1–47:31 )
Israel’s journeys into Egypt (part two)

We now continue in the tenth book Genesis. We’ve been looking at Israel’s journeys into Egypt. Last time we saw the first two and now we come to the third and most decisive. Jacob (Israel) now journeys with his sons and their families out of Canaan into Egypt. This is all God’s doing as he continues to prepare Israel to be the “womb” of the Incarnation of the Son of God—the promised Seed who will bless all humanity. The immediate story here is about Jacob and his family. The ultimate story is about Jesus and all humanity.

1. God leads Israel into Egypt (45:28 - 46:7)

45:28  And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

46:1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied. 3 "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." 

5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. 7 He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring. 

That Israel’s migration into Egypt is God’s doing, is seen in the vision recorded here. This is the only divine vision in book ten (the Joseph story). Jacob (Israel) is told ‘to go down to Egypt’ and assured that ‘I will go down … with you, and I will surely bring you back’ (also see 28:15). Surely Israel’s thought is that this sojourn into Egypt will be temporary. But God has other plans. We are reminded of what God said to Abraham many years before:

Genesis 15:12   As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

Here in chapter 46 we have the last recorded speech of God to the patriarchs. It forms a preview of Israel’s sacred history in the land of Egypt with the next recorded revelation being given to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-4:17), some 430 years later (Ex. 12:40).

2. A nation begins to form (46:8-27)

8 These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob. 9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel. 15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all. 16 The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel. 18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah-- sixteen in all. 19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. 22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob-- fourteen in all. 23 The son of Dan: Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. 25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel-- seven in all. 26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob-- those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives-- numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all. 

Jacob’s family (“the sons of Israel”) now numbers about seventy (v27). This number has great meaning—note the seventy nations in Gen 10:2–31. Israel as it goes into Egypt is, in embryonic form, the ‘great nation’ promised to Abraham (12:2), and reaffirmed to Jacob (46:3). Despite his troubles and often weak faith, Jacob (Israel) and his large family now enter Egypt. An ideal and complete nation in miniature begins to emerge. Some of those mentioned here as part of this nation were born in Egypt, including the sons of Perez (v12), the sons of Joseph (v20), and the sons of Benjamin (v21).

3. Israel welcomed in Egypt (46:28-47:10)

Jacob (Israel) and his family now enter the territory of Egypt. But what will happen to them? Jacob sends an advance guard to find out: 

46:28a  Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen….

How fitting that Judah, who was responsible for Joseph being sold into Egyptian slavery, is now responsible to lead Israel into Egypt.  Just as his father Jacob had faced reunion with Esau, who he had wronged, so now Judah faces Joseph.  Fortunately there is a good outcome.

a) Welcomed by Joseph (46:28-30)

28b  When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." 

It has been 20 years since Jacob has seen Joseph.  The scene is full of drama. Outfitted in royal regalia, Joseph ‘appears’ before Jacob as though in a vision. As Joseph throws his arms around his father, Jacob (Israel) experiences the truth that Joseph is very much alive. This overwhelming encounter completely transforms Israel’s attitude toward death. He is now ready to depart this life in peace, though we will learn that he lives another 17 years. 

Here we see foreshadowed the resurrection of Jesus, the ‘greater Joseph,’ who will give all humanity hope in the face of death (1 Pet. 1:3).

b) Welcomed by Pharaoh (46:31-47:10)

31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.' 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?' 34 you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians." 

47:1  Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen." 2 He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were." 4 They also said to him, "We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen." 5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock." 

7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?" 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. 

If reunion with Joseph is the epitome of Jacob’s desires, Joseph looks even further ahead. He was sent by God into Egypt to save lives, and now he must secure his brothers’ survival in Egypt. He coaches them to say to Pharaoh that they are not looking for jobs or food, but that they are herdsmen who have brought their livestock with them and just need grazing land and they will not be a burden to Egypt. This approach succeeds and Pharaoh is glad to give them Egypt’s best grazing land. He also invites them to become royal stockmen. Once again, God is at work in remarkable ways, for shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians (46:34). 

Then Joseph introduces Jacob to Pharaoh. The elderly Jacob is carried into the royal court and helped to stand before Pharaoh. Jacob is now a rather pathetic figure, but Pharaoh shows him great respect, asking about his great age. In a show of great respect, Pharaoh twice receives Jacob’s blessing. Despite the many sad episodes in Jacob’s life (47:9), he has become the man through whom all peoples on earth will be blessed (28:14).

4. Israel settles in Egypt (47:11-12)

11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children. 

The family of Israel is remarkably blessed with property and food.  The property they are granted is called the district of Rameses—an area nearby the royal city of Rameses (Ex. 1:14; 12:37), also called the land of Goshen (47:1).

5. Joseph’s administration during the famine (47:13-31)

13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace. 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up." 16 "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." 

17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock. 18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes-- we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate." 

20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. 

23 Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children." 25 "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." 26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt-- still in force today-- that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's.

 27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. 28 Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said. 31 "Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

God’s blessing on both the people of Egypt and Israel comes through Joseph’s wise administration during the prolonged famine. We might view what Joseph does to the Egyptian people as cruel exploitation, but that would be to misunderstand both the circumstances and the customs involved. Rather than exploiting, Joseph is taking merciful action to save lives (47:25). We see in Lev. 25:14–43 that it was considered charity to buy the land of the destitute and take them on as tenant farmers. These were not slaves as we might think of them in our North American experience. What Joseph provides the Egyptian people is a means of deliverance from the destruction facing them in their “self-employment.” It was also a means by which God rewards Pharaoh for his loyalty to Joseph and his generosity to the children of Israel.

As a result of Joseph’s radical though wise action, many Egyptian lives are saved, and the children of Israel are fruitful and they increase greatly in number (compare this to 17:2, 6; 28:3). This section also gives us a glance forward to what we’ll see next time: the death and burial of Jacob. 

Conclusion

We end this lesson having seen the three journeys of Israel into Egypt. There they are formed into a nation, delivered from famine, and given a place in which they will grow and prosper for a time. But Egypt is not their home—it is only a way-station on a journey that one day will take them back to occupy Canaan, the Promised Land.  Stay tuned.

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Genesis #19 (48:1–50:26)
Settling affairs and looking forward
(conclusion to Genesis)

As we now conclude book ten, we come to the end of our journey through the book of Genesis. 

Now near death, Jacob settles his earthly affairs. First, he passes the covenant promises on to his son Joseph by adopting and blessing Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (chapter 48). Then Jacob blesses all of his sons—the patriarchs of Israel’s twelve tribes (chapter 49). The account ends with the deaths of Jacob and then of Joseph—pointing us forward to Israel’s exodus under the leadership of Moses some 400 years later (chapter 50).

1. Jacob settles affairs with Joseph (48:1-22)

In this section Jacob settles affairs with his beloved son Joseph: First he adopts then blesses Joseph’s sons (Manasseh and Ephraim). Then he pronounces a blessing on Joseph.

a) Jacob adopts Manasseh and Ephraim

1  Some time later Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. 3 Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.' 5 "Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7 As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem). 

8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?" 9 "They are the sons God has given me here," Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them." 10 Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. 11 Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." 12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 

A patriarch’s adoption of his grandsons was not uncommon in that culture. The ritual grants to these two young men (now about age 20), full rights with the sons of Jacob in inheriting the covenant promises. Manasseh and Ephraim become the two largest tribes of Israel, on par with Simeon and Reuben (48:5). As a result of these adoptions, Joseph’s tribe will inherit two of the twelve portions of the Promised Land (Levi is not granted land in Canaan—see Joshua 14:4).

b) Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm--may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth." 

17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." 19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." 20 He blessed them that day and said, "In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. 

By reversing his hands in this blessing, Jacob deliberately promotes the younger grandson Ephraim over the firstborn Manasseh. This reversal of the normal inheritance rights occurs frequently in Genesis (4:1–8; 38:27–30; ch. 27). The point is that God’s covenant with humanity is based not on any law or custom, but on God’s sovereign grace. This is as true of the Old Covenant as it is of the New.  God always deals with humanity on the basis of grace. 

c) Jacob blesses Joseph

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow." 

Here in a blessing on Joseph, Jacob first prophecies that the nation of Israel will survive, despite his death, then declares Joseph to be “over” his brothers. Accordingly, Joseph’s is given a key piece of the Promised Land at Shechem. This property was acquired through Simeon and Levi’s violence. But now God gives it as a blessing to Joseph’s progeny. God is showing that he is able to turn evil for good. This is the way and the power of God’s redeeming grace.

2. Jacob blesses his twelve sons (49:1-28)

1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2 Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. 

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it. 

5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. 

8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness-- who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. 

13 "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon. 

14 "Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. 15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor. 

16 "Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward. 18 I look for your deliverance, O LORD. 

19 "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. 

20 "Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king. 

21 "Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. 

22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. 23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. 26 Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. 

27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." 

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

This passage, which is in the form of a poem, is often referred to as “The Blessing of Jacob.” In it, Jacob reflects on his sons achievements and failures (often referencing earlier stories in Genesis). Then Jacob looks into the future and prophecies what happens to his sons’ families as they become tribes and settle in the Promised Land. Here is a summary: 

• Reuben, like other older sons (Cain, Ishmael and Esau), will lose his privileged position because of his sin (see 35:22). 
• Simeon and Levi are mentioned together because they were involved together in the cruel attacks of 34:24–29. In Canaanite literature, leaders are sometimes referred to as ‘bulls’, so hamstringing oxen may refer to the killing of the leaders, Hamor and Shechem. The Levites are given no territory in Canaan of their own, just 48 cities with nearby pastureland. The tribe of Simeon is eventually absorbed by Judah (Joshua 19:1–9; 21). 
• Judah will have wisdom, prosperity, and supremacy among the tribes of Israel and over Israel’s enemies. It’s as dangerous to challenge Judah as to challenge a lion guarding its prey—this is the origin of the phrase ‘The Lion of Judah.’ Judah will always have a descendant (from between his feet) to rule the nation (scepter and staff are symbols of royal authority). A better translation of until he comes to whom it belongs is ‘until tribute is brought to him’ (NIV margin). Though interpretation of this line is difficult, there is wide agreement that it predicts a Davidic empire in which many nations will obey the king from Judah (Psa. 72:8–11). This king is forerunner of the ultimate Son of David, the Messiah, to whom all nations submit (see Phil. 2:10–11). The grape harvest will be so abundant in those days that the Davidic king will not worry about his donkey eating the grapes when tethered to the choicest vine. He will wash his garments in wine is another image of plentiful wine (see Lev. 26:5). Verse 12 is probably an image of this leader’s beauty. 
• Zebulun is given priority over his older brother, Issachar. Zebulun settled by the “seashore” of the inland Lake Galilee.  
• Issachar is enslaved to the Canaanites, rather than conquering them, as commanded.
• Dan will be known for military success, which will benefit all Israel (see Samson’s exploits in Judges 13–16; and the conquest of Laish in 18:27). 

Because the period after the conquest will be very difficult for the nation, Jacob prays for them (49:18), that...

• Gad will be a frontier tribe, often involved in war. 
• Asher will have fertile land that produces food fit for kings. 
• Naphtali will gradually settle in Canaan. 
• Joseph (which includes Ephraim and Manasseh) will be a “fruitful vine” (a metaphor for fertility and a pun on the name “Ephraim”—note that it might be better translated as “wild colt”—a symbol of vigor and strength). Jacob’s words here probably refer to the opposition Joseph faced throughout his life. But his opponents were eventually silenced by God. Note the mention of ‘bless’/‘blessing’ six times in these verses. This is one of the key words in Genesis. Divine blessing upon Joseph’s progeny will be especially manifested in abundant water supplies, i.e. rain (‘the heavens’), springs (‘the deep’), in many children (‘breast and womb’) and in fertile hilltops. 
• Benjamin will be known for the military exploits of its warriors (Judges 3:15–30; 5:14). This might also be a reference to Saul (1 Sa. 10–14). 

The book of Genesis opens with the divine word operative in creation. Now is closes with that same word expressed through inspired prophecy from Israel’s patriarch. Here we see God’s sovereignty over all things, including the affairs of all nations. And note that the blessings of God’s creation are now being focused on nation of his choosing: Israel. Here Israel is shown in its embryonic form with Judah and Joseph having preeminence among the tribes. 

These “Blessing of [from] Jacob” will be further expanded in the parallel “Blessing of [from] Moses” (Deut. 33) given at his death on the threshold of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. In Jacob’s blessing upon Judah, there is clear reference to the coming Davidic Messiah (see also Ezek. 21:27 and Rev. 5:5) who will bless the whole world and thus fulfill the covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

3. Jacob and Joseph die (49:29-50:26)

49: 29 Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites." 33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. 

50:1 Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. 4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 'My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.'" 6 Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do." 

7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him-- the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt-- 8 besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company. 10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim. 

12 So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them: 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father. 

15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. 

22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23 and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees. 24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." 25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." 26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

This story of Jacob’s death and burial celebrates the fulfillment of the promises made by God to Jacob.  Here Jacob reflects on how far these promises had already come true. He had never expected to see Joseph again, but now he has seen both Joseph and his grandsons (48:11). Jacob also celebrates his ownership of part of the Promised Land—the burial ground at Mamre (49:29–32) and a ridge of land captured from the Amorites (48:21–22). 

Jacob’s death raises again the question of relations between Joseph and his brothers, who wondered if he would use the opportunity to wreak revenge. Shocked by the suggestion, Joseph reiterates his view of the situation, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish … the saving of many lives’ (50:20; see also 45:5–8). In this statement we have the climax of book ten of Genesis, and, in a sense the whole book of Genesis: God’s beneficent blessings come about through his sovereignty. 

Jacob is greatly honored at his death: Joseph and his brothers deeply mourn their father’s death and faithfully carry out his instructions to bury him in the ancestral grave in Canaan. The Egyptians mourn him for two and a half months—just as they would mourn their own king. Egypt’s senior leadership (leading a large army of chariots and charioteers) then bear Jacob’s body to Canaan in a grand funeral procession. With these details, Jacob is shown as redeemed and exalted by God. What a journey of redemption his life has been! 

Jacob’s return to Canaan represents far more than his sons carrying out his dying wish. This journey is an enacted prophecy of the exodus of Israel that will come 400 years later. Even the route taken by Jacob’s funeral procession (skirting the Dead Sea and entering Canaan from the east) foreshadows the exodus of all Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. Joseph’s statement near death also serves as prophecy concerning this coming exodus. Joseph makes this statement in faith (see Hebrews 11:22), asking his brothers to swear to ‘carry my bones up from this place [Egypt]’ (Gen 50:25). 

Conclusion

Genesis thus ends on this note of great expectation---certainty that all the promises made by God to Abraham,, Isaac, and Jacob will be fulfilled. We have seen in these ten accounts that constitute Genesis a faithful God who works sovereignly, patiently and creatively in the midst of human weakness (and even evil) to advance his plan to deliver his people, and through his people, to deliver all humanity. We know, of course, that this ultimate deliverance of all humanity comes through Jesus Christ—indeed, he is the Promised Seed—the Messiah that will come out of Israel’s tribe, Judah. Genesis gives the “back story” for the ultimate his-story of Jesus Christ.