Genesis:

Meditations on Moses Mosaic

By Pastor Mark Driscoll Mars Hill Sermon and Study Series

www.marshillchurch.org

Introduction to Genesis ............................................................................. 5 Answers to Common Questions about Genesis ................................. 7 How to Read Genesis .............................................................................27 Answers to Common Questions about Creation ..............................31 Key New Testament Connections to Genesis ...................................55 Commentary and Study Tips ..................................................................63 Bible Questions for children from Genesis...................................... 181 Resources for further study ................................................................. 187

Acknowledgements
Thanks to: The Mars Hill staff, for stressing me out with tight but needed deadlines. Roger Friend, for building my home study and enabling me to research and write efficiently. Jen Dwyer, for hours of tireless copyediting; my rough drafts can be really rough. Jill House, for designing and laying out this book so beautifully. Graham Stinson, for consulting and overseeing the aesthetic of our publications. Bill Nieman, for getting the book printed quickly and keeping costs low. Mars Hill, for someone to teach.

The First Day of Creation

(Genesis 1:1-5)

God, for creation, covenant, and blessing

An Introduction to Genesis

The Fourth Day of Creation

(Genesis 1:14-19)

ur faith does not begin with the glorious truth that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Rather, it begins with the declaration in Genesis 1:1 that, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Arguably, there is no book which is more important to our faith than Genesis as in many ways it is itself a tree of life upon which the rest of biblical fruit hangs. In its pages we encounter God our Creator, meet our first parents, witness the fall of humanity into sin, hear the first promise of Jesus coming to conquer the Serpent, behold the first death as consequence for sin, see the judgment of sin in the Flood, and see Gods grace in the calling to Abraham and working through his family to bring forth Jesus Christ as the blessing to all nations of the earth. This book is my attempt to help our church study Genesis most effectively. In it I hope to introduce you to the book of Genesis, including its great themes and truths to better prepare you to study the book for yourself. Our church began as

a very small Bible study in 1996 and when our church was small I often met with people to answer their questions. But, as our church has grown from a few dozen to a few thousand people I am no longer able to meet with people as I once did, but I still hope to answer their questions. Therefore, much of this book will simply be answers to the most common questions that I receive about the book of Genesis and I hope they are beneficial to you. Lastly, I would like to thank the elders of Mars Hill Church for their great service to and partnership in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am very blessed by them to have both the time and resources to study so that I can preach, teach, and write most effectively. Additionally, I am grateful that they are willing to fund the publication and distribution of theological literature to our church so that the gospel of Jesus Christ might advance in our city and beyond.

Answers to Common Questions about Genesis tylistically, Genesis is one of the finest pieces of literature that has ever been written as evidenced by the fact that its stories, images, and metaphors remain perennially popular some three and a half thousand years after they were penned. Practically, Genesis is one of the most painfully honest accounts ever written about the life of a single family over many generations. Historically, Genesis provides for us the account of the origin of everything from Creation to humanity, sin, sex, family, death, and Resurrection. Theologically, Genesis reveals God as personal through His intimate involvement in the lives of His covenant people by loving them, protecting them, leading them, forgiving them, protecting them, and disciplining them. Genesis, the book of beginnings, is the first book of the Pentateuch, which means five-part book that also includes Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy which are often referred to in Scripture as one book (e.g. II. Chr. 25:4, 35:12; Ezra 6:18; Ne. 13:1; Mk. 12:26). Genesis accounts for about 25% of the content of the Pentateuch. The remaining four books of the Pentateuch, Exodus through Deuteronomy, focus on the life of Moses and account for about 75% of the content of the Pentateuch. The men are an interesting juxtaposition as Abraham did not have the law but obeyed it by faith, while Moses did have the law but was punished for not obeying it in unbelief. Each of the books in the Pentateuch was penned by Moses roughly 1400 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. To help you better understand the book of Genesis I will briefly answer some of the most common questions about the book. But, I would stress that reading comments about Genesis, mine included, are at best a supplement to simply reading Genesis repeatedly and prayerfully for oneself. What is Genesis? The name of the Bibles first book, Genesis, is taken from its first words, In the beginning Genesis is a book about God. And, while this simple premise might seem self-evident, it remains a fundamental truth that is often overlooked by its critics. In

The Sixth Day of Creation

(Genesis 1:24-28)

Genesis God is revealed as our Creator who judges human sin but sustains people and Creation by His grace. Genesis is also clear that God is not responsible for human sin because He is perfect, holy, good and all that He originally created was made good including the man and woman whom He declared to have been made very good. Two primary names for God appear throughout Genesis which have lead some Bible critics to conclude that multiple authors penned the book which is inaccurate. Rather, when Genesis uses the name Elohim it often refers to God in general relationship with all nations, including unbelievers. And, when Genesis uses the name Yahweh it often refers to God in His special covenant relationship with His people. Genesis is comprised of various types of literature, including narrative, poetry, law, and genealogy. And, the events in Genesis span such a lengthy time period (roughly 2000 years) that it may cover more history than the entirety of the rest of the Bible. Lastly, Genesis is a selective theological telling of history intended to not give us an exhaustive history as much as a theological lesson through historical people and events recorded as interpreted facts.

How is Genesis arranged? Genesis is brilliantly arranged according to multiple compositional forms. I will share a few of them with you to assist you in getting an understanding of the layout of this great book. First, Genesis 1-11 records God calling Creation into existence, and Genesis 12-50 records God calling people into covenant relationship. Second, both the major and minor sections of Genesis are introduced by the refrain This is the account of The major sections beginning with this refrain are found in 2:4, 6;9, 11:27, 25:19, 37:2. And, the minor sections within the larger sections that begin with this refrain are found in 5:1, 10:1, 11:10, 25:12, 36:1. Third, Genesis is arranged according to the revelation of God as is outlined below: Genesis 1-2 God is the Creator Genesis 3:1-6:4 God is the just judge of sinners and savior of His people Genesis 6:5-11:9 God punishes sin and rewards repentance Genesis 11:10-25:18 God calls people into covenant and promises to bless them Genesis 25:19-28:9 God provides for His people to fulfill His promises

Genesis 28:10-36:43 God elects and protects Genesis 37-50 God is the Sovereign who accomplishes His purposes despite human sin Is Genesis a myth? Some critics have postulated that Genesis is not literal history but rather a myth, like a legend or fairy tale, intended to communicate ideals but not meant to be taken literally as fact. But, this hypothesis has a number of flaws that I will briefly mention. First, the concept of myth or legend is completely foreign to Hebrew thought and life. Second, Genesis is consistently organized around historical places, events, and people (including many lengthy genealogies) which is completely unlike the telling of a myth. Third, when the rest of Scripture, particularly the teachings of Jesus, speak of people, places, and events in Genesis they are treated as straightforward fact and not myth. Therefore, the concept of Genesis being a myth is an imposition on the book by its critics that is not warranted from the book itself or the rest of Scripture which points back to Genesis as literal historical fact. What happened before Genesis? Genesis records the beginning of Creation and human history. How-

ever, Genesis does not record what happened in eternity past as Moses chose not to tell us about such things as the creation of angels, fall of Satan, or what the eternal God was doing before Creation. Therefore, it would be a mistake to view Genesis 1 as the beginning of history as it is instead an explanation that creation comes from God and was made habitable for human life. But, before Creation and mankind there was history independent of creation; before energy, time, space, or what we know of as the material world was brought into existence, God existed. And, the rest of Scripture gives us some clues as to that part of history in eternity past which preceded human life. In Genesis 1:26 we read, Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness Here is a reference to the Trinity which is the one and only God who exists equally as the three persons of Father, Son, and Spirit. And, it is this personal Trinitarian God who existed in eternity past before the creation of the world or humanity in a perfect and harmonious relationship of love and communication. This is important to note because other religions that wrongly do not believe in the Trinity are prone to believe that God made mankind because He

was lonely, insufficient, and longing for relationship. But, the Bible teaches that God is not with any need and is a personal God complete with love and relationship in His very nature. In the New Testament we do get some glimpses into what preceded Creation in eternity past through the words of Jesus, Paul, and Peter. In John 17:5 Jesus says, And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. In John 17:24 Jesus says, Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 says, For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight I Peter 1:20 says, He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. II Timothy 1:9b says, grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time Titus 1:2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time Therefore, before the creation

of the world and mankind in eternity past God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit dwelt together in glory and love. Additionally, God the Father chose God the Son to execute the plan of salvation by coming to earth to die for the sins of His people and rescue us from Satan, sin, and death. And, this plan of salvation that was executed by the Son was devised by God the Father before Creation and before we sinned. In this we see that though God is not responsible for human sin, He also was not taken by surprise when our first parents sinned, but rather foreknew it would occur and had already devised a plan to remedy our sin by redeeming us through Jesus. Who wrote Genesis? An academic debate has raged over the authorship of Genesis. And, to answer the question it is best to learn from Jesus because He is the most preeminent and trustworthy teacher by virtue of His deity, sinless life, and perfect instruction. Jesus did teach that Moses was one of the authors of Scripture (Mark 7:10). Additionally, Jesus taught that Moses wrote the Law which included the book of Genesis in John 7:19a when He said, Has not Moses given you the law? And, in John 7:22 Jesus said that Yes, because

Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it came from the patriarchs but was recorded by Moses), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Packed into this verse we discover that circumcision as was instituted in Genesis 17:12 by the Patriarch Abraham was written by Moses as the next verse of John 7:23 calls Genesis the Law of Moses. Therefore, Moses is the author of the first book of the law, Genesis. Lastly, John 1:17 echoes this saying For the Law was given through Moses Lastly, throughout the Pentateuch there are undoubtedly a few sections that were not originally penned by Moses for two reasons. First, the Pentateuch occasionally mentions other books that contained true information which may have been included in the inerrant books of the Bible (e.g. Genesis 5:1; Exodus 24:7; Numbers 21:14; Joshua 10:13). Second, some sections of the Pentateuch simply could not have been penned by Moses, such as the account of his own death and burial in Deuteronomy 34 which was likely added by Joshua who was also a Spirit inspired author of Scripture. Why was Moses able to write such a masterpiece? Genesis is such a rich literary

masterpiece that some have speculated that it could not have been penned by a primitive man such as Moses, or by any single author. And, while the arrogance to believe that a man who lived thousands of years ago could not possibly have the kind of insight that we see surrounding us as well educated people remain fools without wisdom is laughable, there are at least two reasons to believe that the one man, Moses, could and did in fact write Genesis. First, Acts 7:22 says Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. Therefore, Moses was not only well educated but also a brilliant and courageous man, the kind of man capable of writing Genesis. Second, II Peter 1:20-21 says, Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. And, in Deuteronomy 34:9 we also read that Moses was filled with the Holy Spirit which was passed from Moses to Joshua. Therefore, since Moses the prophet was filled with the Spirit of God he was able to know things (e.g. the creation of the earth) that can only be discov-

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ered by divine revelation, and able to record them faithfully by Gods power. Who originally received Genesis? Genesis was originally written some 1400 years before the birth of Jesus for the people of God who had been enslaved for four hundred years in Egypt, passed through the Red Sea, received the Ten Commandments at the Sinai Covenant, and spent forty years wandering in the wilderness as consequence for their sin. This nation of perhaps a few million people included worshippers of God who were both Jewish and people from other nations that also desired to worship their God (Exodus 12:38). Genesis, however, was also intended to be read by other generations of people as itself infers. For example, throughout the book of Genesis Moses takes the time to explain to future readers such as us portions of the story that we may not fully understand because we do not share some of the experiences of his original audience (e.g. Genesis 13:10, 35:19). What are the major themes in Genesis? There are numerous thematic threads that weave Genesis together. However, the major themes of blessing, covenant,

land, and seed are most prominent. And, the minor themes of good and evil, children, walking with God, and worship are less prominent though still very important. Blessing First, the word bless and its derivatives appear over eighty times throughout the book of Genesis which is more often than any other book of the Bible. Therefore, it seems best to consider Gods blessing as the primary theme of the book of Genesis. In Genesis Gods blessing includes such things as His presence, children, possessions, long life, friends, and the ability to persevere and prevail. Throughout Genesis the opposite of the blessing is the curse which comes in response to sin and includes separation from blessing and the Blessor, and judgments such as famine, oppression, and exile. God told Abraham that he and his descendants would be blessed by God so that they could bless the other nations of the earth (Genesis 12:2-3). And, Gods people were then supposed to mediate Gods blessing to others, a fact which is most clearly seen in Joseph who is the great blessing to many nations in the closing chapters of Genesis. Examples of Gods people bless-

ing others in Genesis include the following: Laban was blessed by Jacobs presence (30:27) Potiphar was blessed by Josephs presence (39:26) The prison warden was blessed by Joseph (39:20-23) Egypt was blessed by Joseph during the 7 year famine (47:13-26) Other nations were blessed by Joseph (41:56-57) Jacob blessed Pharaoh (47:7-10) Jacob blessed Josephs two sons Manasseh and Ephraim (48-49) The New Testament picks up this theme of blessing and connects it to Jesus Christ who is ultimately the blessing promised to all nations of the earth. This is what Luke records in Acts 3:25-4:2 which says, And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they

were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. And, this is what Paul teaches in Galatians 3:14 saying, He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Covenant Second, the theme covenant is central to Genesis. Covenant is the word God uses to explain His relationship and promises to such men as Adam (Hosea 6:7; Romans 5:12-21; I Corinthians 15:21-22), Noah (Genesis 6:18, 9:9-17), Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3, 17:2-21, Exodus 2:24), Moses (Exodus 34:10, 34:27-28; Leviticus 24:45), and David (II Chronicles 7:18, 21:7). The Bible also speaks of covenant relationships not just between people and God, but also people and people (e.g. I Samuel 18:3; II Kings 11:4; II Chronicles 23:1-3; Nehemiah 1:5; Psalm 55:20; Jeremiah 34:815). Perhaps the most sacred human covenant is the covenant of marriage (e.g. Proverbs 2:16, Malachi 2:14b).

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The Hebrew word for covenant is berit. A covenant is a particular relationship that binds people together as one (God and people, or people and people) by promised terms. Biblical covenants are often sealed with ceremonies that include the shedding of blood to show the solemnity of the covenant and to foreshadow Jesus shedding His blood to secure our New Covenant salvation. Throughout the covenants between God and the elect the recurring theme is that He will be their God and they will be His people because He will send Jesus to forgive their sins which is the essence of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; Romans 11:27; I Corinthians 11:25; II Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 7:22; 8:8-13; 9:15; 12:24). In each covenant there is a head who is responsible for the oversight and execution of that covenant. In the New Covenant this head is Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18, Colossians 2:10, Colossians 2:19; Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 4:15, 5:23). And, in each covenant there are terms that include consequences for sin which is the violation of the covenant (e.g. Deut. 29:1-29; Joshua 7:1126, 23:16; I Kings 8:23; I Kings 11:11; II Kings 17:35-38, 6:14;

Ps. 25:10; Jer. 11:2-10; Heb. 10:29). Therefore, Gods covenant with His people is one of the dominant themes that emerges in Genesis and continues throughout the rest of Scripture. And, while modern Christianity speaks of a personal relationship with Jesus, which is necessary, Genesis also highlights the covenant relationship we have with God as part of His redeemed people and not merely an individual who lives and worship in isolation from the rest of Gods people. Lastly, it is through His covenant that God seeks to restore humanity and Creation back to its original state and His original intentions through the redemption of both mankind and the rest of Creation. Land Third, an additional theme that appears throughout Genesis is land which is spoken of by various words on some 400 occasions throughout Genesis. Curiously, in an interesting play on words the first man is Adam, and the ground is called adama as there is a close relationship between the ground and the man who was made from the dust of the ground. Additionally, the man was made to work the land, but the ground was cursed on account of the mans sin, and the man was expelled

from the land of the Garden of Eden. Adams son, Cain, works the land (Genesis 4:2), and the land cries out to avenge Abels blood after his murder (Genesis 4:10-12). Noah is then born as a comfort from the toil of the land (Genesis 5:28-29) and a man of the soil (9:20) who builds an ark to save himself and his family from the flooding of the land. In Genesis there is also the Promised Land which God promised to the offspring/seed of Abraham (12:7, 13:15, 13:17, 15:7, 15:18, 17:8, 24:7, 26:3, 28:13, 28:15, 35:12, 48:4, 50:24). And, surrounding the question of who has the right to possess this piece of land has been an intense theological, political, and military conflict that rages in the Middle East to this day. On one side of the conflict are racial and cultural Jews who range from spiritually Jewish to atheists who claim that the land is theirs because they are the seed of Abraham through Abrahams wife Sarah. And since the land was promised to Abraham and his seed (or offspring as some Bible translations say) they believe that it rightfully belongs to them. On the other side of the conflict are racial and cultural Arabs who are generally Moslem. They likewise say that they too are Abrahams seed through

his Egyptian maidservant Hagar. Caught in the middle are a minority of racially Jewish and racially Arab Christians. At issue is Genesis 12:7 which says, The LORD appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring [seed] I will give this land. So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. The question from this text is simply, who is the seed/offspring that the Promised Land was pledged to by God? Is it the Jews? Is it the Arabs? Is it the Christians who are descendants of Abraham by new birth and not merely by birth? And, rather than running headlong into muddied current political debates about the Middle East we will be well served to keep reading the Bible to see who this seed of Abraham in fact is. First, the seed was first mentioned in Genesis 3:15 as Jesus who would defeat Satan. Second, the seed in Genesis 12:7 is singular and not plural meaning that it refers to the individual person Jesus just as it did in Genesis 3:15 and not the collective plural seeds which would refer to the nation of Israel as it does in Genesis 13:13-17 using the word offspring in the NIV translation, and 15:13-18 using the word descendants in the NIV translation instead.

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Therefore, the current debate and war over the land in the Middle East is being fought by Jews and Arabs who, for the most part, do not love Jesus (who is the seed/offspring of Abraham promised in Genesis) and have wrongly interpreted the Bible to believe that they are Gods covenant people who have a right to the Promised Land. In fact, the Promised Land belongs to Jesus alone because He is the seed/ offspring of Abraham to whom it was promised. And, while this interpretation may seem scandalous and shocking it becomes clear if we set our politics aside and continue to read Pauls Holy Spirit inspired interpretation of who this offspring/seed of Abraham is. In Galatians 3:1516 it says, Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say and to seeds, meaning many people, but and to your seed, meaning one person, who is Christ. Therefore, the seed/offspring of Abraham to whom the Promised Land was pledged is simply Jesus and not any nation of people who do not worship Him as God but would like to use His

land to dishonor Him. Lastly, God is clear that all land, including the Promised Land, is ultimately His and to be given by Him alone to whomever He pleases. In Exodus 19:5-6 God said, Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. And, in Jeremiah 27:5 God said, With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. In summary, the Promised Land in the Middle East belongs to Jesus and in the end He will share it with His covenant people who trust Him by faith and love Him by grace (Psalm 37:9; Matthew 5:5). Anyone who is not in covenant relationship with Jesus as the covenant head will not in the end dwell in the Promised Land, even if Abraham is their father, because they instead will dwell in the fiery torments of Hell. Seed Fourth, the word seed is also a primary theme that appears nearly 60 times in Genesis and only

The Fall of Man

(Genesis 3:1-6)

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about 170 times in the other 38 Old Testament books combined. The word can be interpreted a number of ways, most often dictated by the context in which it appears. Correspondingly, in the New International Version of the Bible the word is translated descendants, offspring, seed, children, family, grain, semen, line, and people. It can also be used in a singular sense (e.g. Genesis 21:13), or plural sense (e.g. Genesis 28:14) much like our English word sheep. In Genesis there is generally a correlation between a seed and that which produced it which explains why plants and trees make their own kind (e.g. Genesis 1:11-12), and children throughout the book often resemble their parents in attitude and action. Ultimately, all of the promises and blessings of Genesis given to Abraham and his many seed (those who like him worship God by faith) are fulfilled in Jesus who is the singular seed of Abraham. It is Jesus who is the promised seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15. In Matthew 1:1, 17 Jesus is described as the seed of Abraham through the family line of His mother Mary. In John 8:48-59 Jesus claims to be the God of Abraham and therefore greater than Abraham. And, in Galatians 3:16 Paul emphatically states that

Jesus Christ is the promised seed of Abraham through whom all nations of the earth will be blessed. Therefore, Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham and blessing to the nations of the earth. Good and Evil Fifth, the themes of good and evil are woven throughout Genesis and it is clear that good comes from God and evil comes from Satan and sinners who rebel against His creation and commands. The themes of good and evil are typified in the appearance in Genesis 2:9 of the tree of good and evil. To study the themes of good and evil throughout Genesis the following verses will be helpful; 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25, 1:31, 2:9, 2:17, 3:5, 3:22, 4:7, 6:5, 8:21, 13:13, 37:2, and 39:9. And, in beautiful literary fashion Moses resolves the conflict between good and evil in the final chapter of Genesis where we read of God being sovereign over evil in Genesis 50:20 where Joseph informs his brothers that God used their evil for His good saying, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Children Sixth, in Genesis 1:28 we read, God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, increase in numbers, fill the earth And, from this one couple all human beings trace their family origin beginning with the growth of human life through Genesis as demonstrated in the family genealogies. Genesis is careful to state, however, that when children are born it is by Gods gracious provision of blessing (e.g. Genesis 4:25, 21:1-2, 25:21, 30:22-24). Throughout Genesis children are an important theme which is also highlighted by the lengthy genealogies. Walking with God Seventh, walking with God is a theme that is important to Genesis. Throughout Genesis we discover that not everyone walks closely with God. Indeed, whole generations such as Noahs, as well as whole cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah, do not walk with God. But, Genesis is careful to make note of those people who did walk closely with God such as Enoch (5:24), Noah (6:9), and (Abraham 15:6). Worship Eight, the worship of God is an important feature noted throughout the book of Genesis. Examples include Abraham, Isaac,

and Jacob all building altars to worship God (Genesis 12:7-8, 13:18, 22:9, 26:25, 35:1-7). Additionally, Noah also offered a sacrifice in worship to God upon exiting the Ark once the flood had receded (Genesis 8:18-21). What are some of the literary patterns in Genesis? Moses who authored Genesis provides for us some literary patterns that will helps us make sense of the book if we are attentive to them. Therefore, the following literary patterns that I will briefly mention are given to help inform both your reading and studying of Genesis. Prominent names often appear together Throughout Genesis it is common to find prominent names spoken of together in couplets. Examples include, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Lot, Isaac and Ishmael, Esau and Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers Names of key people often describe much of their life Throughout Genesis it is also common that peoples names are indicative of their life as God sovereignly bestowed their names. For example, Adam means mankind, Eve means giver of life, Cain means wanderer, Enoch means dedication

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or consecration, and Isaac means laughter. Therefore, as you study Genesis it will be helpful to get a Bible dictionary and examine the meaning of the names of the prominent people in Genesis. Like father, like son Another literary pattern throughout Genesis is that sons often follow both the good and bad patterns of their fathers. For example, both Abraham and Isaac pretend that their wife is their sister (Genesis 12:10-20, 20:1-18, 26:1-35). Likewise, Abraham and Isaac both had a dispute with the people in Gerar over the ownership of a well (Genesis 21:22-34, 26:1725). And, both Abraham and Isaac entered into covenants with Abimelech (Genesis 21:22-34, 26:26-31). Also, Jacobs sons trick the trickster (Genesis 27:129), and Lamech is a murderer descended from the first murderer Cain (Genesis 4:1-24). Ultimately, the pattern of children being like their parents is a foreshadowing to the New Covenant in which God the Father adopts us into His family and shapes our character to be like Him one we are born again. What did Jesus teach about the events in Genesis? Opponents of the accuracy of Genesis are prone to concentrate their criticism on such events as

Creation, the Flood, and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the greatest teacher who has ever lived, Jesus Christ, consistently referred to the Genesis account of people and events as historically accurate. Some examples are listed below: Jesus taught that the Creation account of Genesis 1-2 was accurate in Luke 11:50 Jesus taught that the first marriage account of Adam and Eve recorded in Genesis 2:24 was accurate in Matthew 19:4-5 and Mark 10:6-8. Jesus taught that the Genesis 4 account of Cains murder of Abel was accurate in Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51 Jesus taught that the flood recorded in Genesis 6-9 was indeed accurate in Matthew 24:37-39 and Luke 17:26-27. Jesus taught that Abraham who looms large throughout Genesis beginning in 11:26 did actually exist in John 8:56 Jesus taught that circumcision instituted by Abraham and the patriarchs in Genesis 17:12 was factual in John 7:22-23 Jesus taught that the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah recorded in Genesis 19 did in fact occur in Matthew 10:15, 11:23-24 and Luke 10:12

Jesus taught that Lot who is spoken of in Genesis 11:27 through Genesis fourteen and again in Genesis 19 did in fact exist in Luke 17:28-32 Jesus taught that Abrahams sons Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs who appear in Genesis 21 and continue to loom throughout Genesis, did in fact exist in Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:28 In summary, it is impossible for someone to simultaneously claim to be a Christian and disbelieve the book of Genesis because to do so they would need to also believe that Jesus was at worst a sinful man who taught lies, or at best an ill informed imperfect man who simply made honest mistakes in his Bible teaching. Where is Jesus in Genesis? Some people prefer the New Testament to the Old Testament because they wrongly believe that only the New Testament is about Jesus. However, it was Jesus Himself who taught that the Old Testament was primarily about Him. In John 5:39-40 while arguing with the theologians in His day Jesus chastised them saying, You diligently study the Scriptures [Old Testament] because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the

Scriptures that testify about me yet you refuse to come to me to have life. And, in John 5:46 Jesus said, If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. Following His Resurrection, Luke 24:27 records an occasion where Jesus opened the Old Testament to teach about Himself saying, And beginning with Moses [this included Genesis] and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Likewise, in Luke 24:44-45 in speaking to His disciples we read that, He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses [this included Genesis], the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Simply, when Genesis is rightly interpreted it reveals Jesus to us. Therefore, to help you see Jesus in Genesis I would like you to note the following references to Jesus in Genesis: in Genesis 3:15 Jesus is referred to as the male seed (also translated offspring) of the woman who would crush Satan and in Galatians 3:16 Paul makes it clear that Moses was speaking of Jesus

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 in Genesis 9:27 Noah prophesies that God would tent with (meaning to come and dwell with) his son Japheth and in John 1:14 we see that Jesus ultimately fulfilled this prophecy when He became a man and pitched His tent among us in Genesis 12:1-7 God promised Abram that he would have a singular seed/offspring that would be a blessing to all the nations of the earth and this descendant of Abraham is Jesus according to Matthew 1:1-2 in Genesis 14:18-23 Abraham encountered Melchizedek who was the first priest in the Bible and also a king. Since Hebrews 7:1-28 says he had no parents, no beginning or end, was a Gentile and not a Jew, and was greater than Abraham many Bible teachers have believed that Melchizedek was actually an appearance of Jesus before His birth to Mary as Jesus is both our High Priest and the King of Kings. And, while it is possible that Melchizedek was an appearance of Jesus before his birth (a Christophony), the Bible simply does not make this clear so we cannot be dogmatic on this point as it also may have been a man, an angel, or a type foreshadowing

Jesus Christ. In any event, we can reasonably assume that at the very least Melchizedek pointed to Jesus Christ. in Genesis 16:7-16 the angel (meaning messenger) of the Lord came and spoke to Hagar, she called that messenger God, and the angel did not rebuke her for worshiping Him which indicates it was probably Jesus in Genesis 18:1-33 three men visited Abraham who bowed down to one of the men and called him Lord. Abraham then ate with the men before having a lengthy conversation with them about the fate of the sinful city of Sodom which one of the men who is referred to as the Lord stated He was going to destroy in judgment. This likely means that Abraham was speaking to Jesus and two angels in Genesis 22:1-19 we see the shadow of God the Father and God the Son as Abrahams firstborn son Isaac was born miraculously years after the promise of his birth was given, that the father loved his son and was to be sacrificed where the temple was built and Jesus was killed by carrying His wood on His own back and willingly laying down

His life as a burnt offering which is for sin. According to John 8:56-59 and Hebrews 11:17-19 this foreshadowing was fulfilled in Jesus in Genesis 22:11-18 the angel (or messenger) of the Lord spoke to Abraham blessing him and promising to make his seed/offspring (Jesus) a blessing to the nations of the earth. This angel appears to be Jesus because He says that Abraham was obeying Him and that He would bless Abraham in Genesis 28:10-22 Jacob had a dream that Heaven opened up to him with a stairway connecting Heaven and earth. And Jesus taught in John 1:51 that Jacobs dream is fulfilled in Him in Genesis 32:22-32 Jacob wrestled with God which was likely Jesus in Genesis 49:8-12 Jacobs family grew to twelve sons, but it was his fourth son, Judah, whom God chose to continue the messianic line through because he repented of what he had done to his brother Joseph by asking to be taken in place of his youngest brother Benjamin. This promised ruler will bring so much prosperity that men will tie their donkey to a vine without worrying about damaging it since they

will be so plenty. At his coming the harvest will be so abundant that people will wash their garments in wine, peoples eyes will be dark from drinking much wine, and their teeth white from drinking much milk. According to Numbers 24:17; Hebrews 1:8; and Revelation 19:15-16 this Last Days king is King Jesus In summary, the picture that emerges of Jesus from Genesis is a man born of a woman who would crush Satan, dwell with His people on the earth, be a blessing to the nations of the earth, rule as a priest, speak as Gods messenger, judge sinners righteously, willingly lay down His life for sinners, come down from Heaven, be the One whom believers wrestle with, and rule over all of Creation as the King of Kings. How are Moses and Jesus connected? In addition to the prophetic promises about Jesus penned by Moses throughout the Pentateuch, including those listed above from Genesis, Moses and Jesus are also connected theologically and relationally though they are separated by some 1400 years. Theologically, Moses was the author of the Law, also known at the Pentateuch. And, Jesus

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said He came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) Relationally, while on earth Jesus brought Moses down from Heaven (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:1-8). And, in this wondrous moment Jesus was transfigured upon a mountain as Moses had been upon Mount Sinai while receiving the 10 Commandments in Exodus 34:29-35. Who are the major characters in Genesis? Generally speaking, Genesis 1-11 covers the more universal events of Creation, Fall, Flood, and Babel while Genesis 12-50 focus in the history of one family descended from Abraham whom God entered a covenant relationship with. This seeming disconnect between Genesis 1-11 and the family of Abraham in Genesis 12-50 is intentional as Moses is seeking to portray Abraham as the beginning of a new humanity in covenant relationship with God. In Genesis 12-50 fourteen chapters are about Abraham, three and one-half are about Isaac, eight are about Jacob, and the final fourteen are about Joseph. And, while God clearly loved and blessed this family Genesis painfully portrays their imperfections and sins to demonstrate the grace of God to endure with us, and power of God to

write straight lines with our crooked sticks. Examples include Abraham who pimped his wife Sarah to Pharaoh to save his own skin, Jacob who was a trickster, the drunken Noah, and seemingly vain Joseph. Therefore, because of the honesty of Genesis we can see ourselves in the lives it exposes and take hope in the fact that by Gods grace we too can be in covenant relationship with Him even though we are equally undeserving of such kindness. As we read Genesis we realize that Gods intention to bless the nations of the earth had to begin with someone somewhere. And, God chose Abraham and what we now know as Israel as the person and place where He would begin His work of redemption on the earth. This does not indicate that a particular man or piece of land, are in any way superior to the other men and places in that day. Quite to the contrary, we know nothing of Abrahams life before God called him other than the fact that he was a seemingly very normal Gentile living near Babylon (Acts 7:2), and that the Promised Land is not as lovely or desirable as many other parts of the earth. But, God started His work of redemption humbly with a simple man in a simple place in the days of Abraham much like He later did when Jesus was born

as a seemingly regular man in a simple town. In the New Testament the significance of Abraham can hardly be overstated. In the great chapter on faith, Hebrews 11, roughly 1/3 of the entire chapter is dedicated to him (11:8-19). In Genesis 15:6 we read that Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness. This very important verse establishes that salvation and righteousness come not by human merit, but rather solely by faith in God who gives salvation and righteousness as a gift of grace. This concept is exactly

what the Apostle Paul taught throughout the New Testament as in Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6 where he quotes Genesis 15:6 to establish his doctrine of justification by faith. Likewise, Jesus brother James also quotes Genesis 15:6 to establish that faith produces good works just like Abrahams faith showed forth in his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22. Therefore, Paul argues that everyone is saved by faith after the pattern of Abraham in Genesis, and James teaches that if we truly have faith like Abraham our life will include visible good works as his life did.

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How to Read Genesis

his chapter will be significantly shorter than the other chapters because I want to stress the importance of simply reading the book of Genesis prayerfully, carefully, and repeatedly for oneself. While the reading of commentaries and related materials such as this book can be very helpful to the student of Genesis, nothing is more important than simply reading the book for oneself multiple times. In reading Genesis it is important to understand some of the most common features about the literary composition of the book. Therefore, the following principles will be helpful in assisting you to extract the most meaning from your prayerful reading of the book. Principle #1 Genesis is to be read chronologically It is very important to note that Genesis unfolds as a narrative written in chronological order with only a few minor possible exceptions. For example, the genealogy of Genesis 10 is placed before Genesis 11 for theological reasons and is not in chronological order. If this simple fact of chronology is overlooked then the cause and effect correlations

woven throughout the book will be ignored and the meaning of the book lost altogether. And, if the book is read by imposing any theological system upon the text rather than seeking the intended meaning of Moses who God inspired to write the book then will will likely fail to allow the book to inform our doctrine. Principle #2 Genesis is to be read eschatalogically Genesis opens with the words In the beginning which leans into the future anticipating the last days and end of history as we know it. And, nearing the end of Genesis in 49:10 we read about the coming of King Jesus who in the end will rule over all nations of the earth and establish His eternal kingdom. Therefore, Genesis which is the book of Creation beginnings points forward to the book of Revelation which is the book of the last days and new Creation ruled over by King Jesus. Principle #3 Genesis is to be read poetically Genesis is comprised of narrative, law, genealogy, and poetry. And, sprinkled throughout the book are poetic images that require

Cain Kills His Brother Abel

(Genesis 4:8-15)

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imagination to fully appreciate and understand. Examples include God seeing the goodness of His creation (1:2, 1:10, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25, 1:31), God making man with His hands (2:7), a talking serpent (Genesis 3:1), God walking with Adam in the garden (3:8), Abels blood crying out from the ground (4:10), Noah walking with God (6:9), God smelling Noahs sacrifice (8:21), God as a shield (15:1), Ishmael described as a wild donkey of a man (16:12), and Jesus portrayed as a king by a scepter and staff (49:10). It is important to note that simply because Moses occasionally writes in poetic imagery does not mean that he is being allegorical or mythical. Rather, Moses is communicating in a figurative literal fashion because he is a gifted writer who understands that sometimes an image or metaphor communicates a truth in the most clear, powerful, and memorable way. Principle #4 Genesis is to be read narrowly Genesis is not a record of world history. Rather, it is a selective and theologically arranged history of primarily a family of people and a piece of land. Therefore, as you read Genesis it is important to see the book through a narrow lens focused close up on

a handful of people and places. Genesis warrants this kind of reading because it simply does not speak about a wide number of people and places such as the great nation of Texas which does not appear anywhere in the book. And, the primary people in the book revolved around the family line of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Principle #5 Genesis is to be read descriptively In the Bible some texts are prescriptive, meaning they tell us what we should do. Examples would include the biblical command that Christians love one another, children obey their parents, and not steal. The Bible also includes descriptive texts that tell us what someone did and leaves it up to the reader to determine if they should do the same. Examples would include Lots daughters getting him drunk to have sex with him, Dinahs brothers slaughtering a town of men for the rape of their sister, and Judas hanging himself. Therefore, as you read Genesis it is important to determine what Moses the author of Genesis is trying to teach you through the narratives he writes. And, just because Cain killed Abel, Noah and Lot get drunk, and Abraham tries to murder his son does not

mean that you should too simply because its in the Bible. Rather, we must be careful to determine which stories are prescriptive examples for us to follow such as trusting God by faith like Abraham, and which descriptive stories are frightening examples for us not to follow such as Adam and Eve trusting Satan over God. Principle #6 Genesis is to be read patriarchally In Genesis, man was made first and given dominion over all Creation and woman was made to help him (2:15-18; cf. I Corinthians 11:8-9; I Timothy 2:13). Also, God calls the human race mankind because it began with the creation of a man as the head of the human race (Genesis 5:1-2). Additionally, throughout Genesis it is the men who are dominant, though the women are prominent. Particularly, the numerous genealogies throughout Genesis are traced through the male line in recognition of the headship of men over their families. Additionally, the genealogies are generally traced through the firstborn son though sometimes another son is chosen either because the oldest son sinned grievously (e.g. Cain killed Abel and so Seth passed him over in Genesis 4:1-25), or because of Gods sovereign choice (e.g. though Esau was

born first God chose Jacob in Genesis 25:23). Simply, in Genesis men matter. Principle #7 Genesis is to be read meditatively According to Deuteronomy 6:19 the wisdom of the Pentateuch in general, including Genesis in particular, is not just to be written on tablets of stone or scrolls of paper but also on the heart of those people who love God. And, the writing of Gods Word upon our hearts is accomplished as we meditate on Scripture throughout our day thereby allowing the Holy Spirit to impress His wisdom upon us. Therefore, it is important for you to not only read Genesis repeatedly, but also memorize those verses that stand out to you and take time throughout your day to contemplate the themes, images, and verses that God burdens you to better understand. And, the memory verses suggested for you in this booklet will also be helpful to you.

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Answers to Common Questions about Creation oday a debate rages about the question of origins and where Creation and humanity came from. Much of the passion which surrounds this question is because the question of origins has implications on everything else. For example, Genesis says that there was a beginning to history which means there will be an end. Genesis says that creation comes from God which means it belongs to God. Genesis says that people come from God which means that people will stand before God in the end. Within Christianity there had not been a widespread debate on the nature of Creation until the sixteenth century. Nor was there much of a debate about the length of the six days of Creation until the nineteenth century. This is because if someone simply read the account in Genesis 1-2 and primary summary accounts throughout the rest of their Bible (e.g. Exodus 20:11; Psalm 136:1-9) they would likely believe that God made Creation out of nothing in six literal twenty-four hour days. But, with the rise of modern science and evolutionary theory the Biblical account of Creation came under continual attack which caused some Christians to seek to reconcile science and Scripture. And, when done rightly science simply operates by the order God placed in Creation and therefore points back to Him so there need not necessarily be a bifurcation between science and Scripture. But, in an effort to accommodate bad scientific hypothesis that had gained credence some relatively new interpretations of Genesis 1-2 and view of Creation emerged. And, today there is a mountain of books written on these issues, some of which I have included in the back for further study in addition to some helpful websites on the matter. In this brief book I will seek to briefly address only a handful of the more common questions regarding Creation. Lastly, I would like to stress that Genesis was not written with the intention of being a scientific textbook. Rather, it is a theological narrative written to reveal the God of Creation which means its emphasis is on God and not Creation. Because of this, Hebrews 11:3 says By faith we understand that the universe was

The Prophecy of the Flood

(Genesis 6:13-22)

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formed at Gods command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Genesis is far more concerned with the questions of who made Creation, how He made Creation, and why He made Creation than when He did. Therefore, as Galileo said the Holy Ghost intended to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go. Therefore, at Mars Hill we want to be clear that there is a distinction between debates within Christian theology, and debates that are not Christian. For example, godly Bible believing and Jesus-loving people can and should graciously debate and discuss what Genesis 1-2 means without viewing one another in the same light as non-Christians who hold to atheistic evolution. This is because there is an enormous difference between discussing what the Bible says, and ignoring it altogether. It is in this spirit of loving dialogue about Scripture that I will seek to answer the most common questions about the Genesis Creation account. What does the Creation account in Genesis 1-2 reveal about God? While the facts of Creation in Genesis 1-2 are important, at least as important is what those facts reveal about God. As

Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20 declare, Creation is a sermon preached by God to us about His attributes and nature. And, as we read the opening pages of Genesis we see the following aspects of God: God is eternal and exists before the rest of Creation which He makes God is independent while the rest of Creation is dependent upon Him God is living and life comes solely from Him God is so powerful that He could make Creation out of nothing by Himself God is transcendent and separate from His creation God is beautiful and Creation reflects His beauty God is orderly and His creation reflects His order and remains orderly until sin brings chaos God is the creator and all else that exists is His creation God is sovereign and can do exactly as He pleases God is a prophet who shapes Creation by the sheer power of His Word, perhaps even singing creation into existence God is good as everything He makes He declares good God is personal and because we are made by Him we have personhood which would not

otherwise be possible had we evolved from impersonal matter God is gracious as He blesses His creation, including the man and woman God is a King who rules in dominion over all Creation What are some of the primary non-Christian views of Gods relationship to Creation? In addition to the biblical account of Creation there are innumerable other attempts to answer how Creation and mankind came into being. I will briefly chart and explain the five most popular nonChristian hypothesis and their shortcomings.

The below views of Creation fail both philosophically and biblically. Pantheism/Panentheism both have a god that is part of the creation, making it impossible for Him to be the creator. Their god remains either transcendent (Other) or immanent (Personal), but not both. He is unable to rule the creation He is part of. Matter is usually an illusion; matters of evil and good are seen as relative, and part of the same god nature. Other systems of belief struggle with how the universe is created. Naturalism and/or Materialism leave us with an infinite regress of cause and effect, or the incredulous doctrine that everything we

Thought
Deism Pantheism Panentheism/ Monism Process Theology/Open Theism

Central Idea
God creates but is not present in the workings of His creation. God is part of His creation. All in God. All is one. God is in process, growing in knowledge with His creation Matter comes forth from natural processes, without aid from any supernatural entity. In this worldview, matter and life are created by chance.

Emphasis
Gods transcendence Gods personal immanence Gods transcendent nature

Gods personal nature

Naturalism

Matter is either eternally existent, or it comes into effect ex nihilo (out of nothing).

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see came out of nothing with no causal force or purpose. Evolutionary theory recognizes that man came from matter already existent on the earth, but it is unable to determine how that process took place. Biblically, we realize that Gods power was able to do what is naturalistically impossible: bringing forth life from lifeless matter. God created the substance (matter) of the universe ex nihilo, or out of nothing. The biblical Creation story tells us that an eternal, necessary first cause (God), created the universe, and all that is in it. The law of causality demands that all effects (matter) need a cause, and that these changes take place in the current space dimension in which we live. God is eternal (Psalm 90:2) and is subsequently apart from His creation as the necessary first cause. What are some of the problems with atheistic evolution? Charles Robert Darwin (18091892) was an English naturalist who founded the modern theory of evolution. He published this proposal in 1859 in the book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. His lengthy original title is often shortened to The Origin of Species both

because of its length and racist overtones. Evolution seeks to explain the origin of life apart from God. As Christians we are free to accept the seemingly selfevident fact of micro-evolution that species can and do adapt to their environment. However, as Christians we are not free to accept the yet unproven and highly suspect thesis of macro-evolution that one species can evolve into another species entirely. And, though it reigned as the dominant paradigm for over 100 years Darwins theory of evolution has recently come under intense criticism by both Christian and non-Christian scientists who prefer what has come to be known as intelligent design. The reasons for the decline of confidence in macro-evolution are many, but the following are some of the most implausible faith leaps of macro evolution which seemingly require at least as much faith as believing in an eternal God: it postulates that the world sprang into existence from nothing for no reason, or that matter is basically eternal and has no origin but cannot explain how or why this occurred it postulates that impersonal matter created personal people it postulates that species evolved over long periods of

time from one kind of animal to another yet does not have the transitional forms between species that would demonstrate this has actually occurred it has been unable to replicate evolution after over 100 years of attempts to do so Because of these reasons, as well as the clear conflict with Scripture, Christians should reject macro-evolution as both flawed science and aberrant theology. What are the various Christian views of Creation? Among Bible believing Jesus-loving Christians there are at least six primary interpretations of the Creation account in Genesis 1-2. Among the elders at Mars Hill we find the first two positions to be the most persuasive biblically. But, we would like to stress that our Christian brothers and sisters who hold the other views listed below are welcome at our church. Or only request is that the Christians in our church would not become divisive over this matter and seek to make their view the litmus test for Christian orthodoxy. As Paul says, we now see only in part and one day in Jesus presence we will know in full and all be in complete agreement on this and other matters.

View #1 Historic Creationism In this view Genesis 1:1 records the making of all of creation by God out of nothing, or ex nihilo, through a merism of heavens and earth which means the sky above and land below, or totality of creation. Since the word used for beginning in Genesis 1:1 is reshit in Hebrew which means an indefinite period of time it is possible that all of Creation was completed over an extended period of time (anywhere from days to billions of years). Then Genesis 1:2 begins the description of God preparing the uninhabitable land for the creation of mankind. And, the preparation of the uncultivated land for and creation of Adam and Eve occurred in six literal twenty-four hour days. This view leaves open the possibility of both an old earth and literal six days of Creation. View #2 Creationism In this view God created the entire universe, including Adam and Eve, in six literal twenty four hour days. This view is almost always accompanied with a belief in a young earth as it seeks to be faithful to the Biblical text while not giving much credence to the scientific claims of such things as an old earth.

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View #3 - Gap Theory In this view Genesis 1:1 explains a first Creation that happened perhaps billions of years ago. Then, a catastrophic event, likely the fall of Satan from Heaven, left the earth in the destroyed condition of Genesis 1:2. God responded to this disaster by recreating the earth again a few thousand years ago in six literal days and repopulating the earth as is recorded in Genesis 1:3-27. According to this view the earth is old from the first Creation, and mankind is young because of the recent Creation. The problems with this view include the fact that nothing in the Bible speaks of two creations, and at the end of the six days of Creation God declared all that He had made very good which does not correlate with the claim that the earth had been destroyed and made very bad. View #4 Literary Framework View In this view Genesis 1-2 is intended to be read as a figurative framework explaining Creation in a topic and not sequential order. In this view the six days of Creation listed in Genesis 1 are also to be interpreted metaphorically as not literal 24 hour days. The Literary Framework view is outlined as follows:

Forming Day 1 light and darkness Day 2 sky and waters separated Day 3 dry land and waters separated Filling Day 4 sun, moon, stars (lights separated in Heaven) Day 5 fish and birds Day 6 animals and man plants and trees

But, there are some problems with this view. Most obviously, Exodus 20:11 clearly states that the six days of Creation are literal saying, For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. View #5 - Day Age View In this view God created the universe, including Adam and Eve, in six sequential periods of time that are not literal 24 hour days. The problem with this view is that the six days of Creation are seemingly clearly literal days as will be further explored in the next section. Also, Exodus 20:11 clearly states that the six days of Creation are

The Covenant of the Rainbow

(Genesis 8:20-22, 9:11-13)

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literally saying, For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. View #6 - Theistic Evolution In this view God essentially began Creation and then pulled back from working directly in Creation to instead work through the process of evolution. The only exception would be God involving Himself again directly in the making of human life. For the most part, this view accepts the hypothesis of evolution but seeks to insert God as the creator of matter and overseer of the evolutionary process. This view also believes that species evolved over a long period of time which requires an old earth. The biblical problems with theistic evolution are many. First, Genesis 1 repeatedly states that Creation and its species came into existence because God said and not because of evolutionary process. Additionally, Genesis 1 also continually states that after God commanded Creation to come into existence and it was so which shows that Gods commands brought about the instantaneous response of Creation coming into being and

not through a long evolutionary process detached from God. Second, evolution teaches that one species evolves into other species while Genesis 1 says that each species had offspring according to its kind (e.g. 1:21, 1:24, 1:25) and not another kind as evolution postulates. Third, the rest of Scripture portrays God as continually involved in the details of Creation including making the grass grow (Psalm 104:14; Matthew 6:30); feeding the birds (Matthew 6:26); and feeding the other creatures (Psalm 104:21, 25-30). This portrait of God from Scripture clearly does not paint Him as remote and involved in Creation only indirectly. What is Intelligent Design? Unlike creation science which begins with the Bible and then seeks to connect the teachings of Scripture with science, intelligent design seeks to primarily deal with matters of science. But, their findings point to the fact of an intelligent designer, or Intelligent Designer, who has purposefully arranged creation. Therefore, in many ways intelligent design is compatible with Christian faith and a bridge between disciplines of theology and science. As its name would indicate, intelligent design studies the signs of intelligence. By examining cre-

ation, intelligent design postulates that the only reasonable explanation for biological origins and development is to recognize that life on our planet was designed in a purposeful manner by an external designer. Their findings directly refute the teachings of Darwinism which attribute the organized complexity of life to time and chance. In this way, intelligent design is in many ways helpful to and compatible with the Christian belief in creation by God, though not all intelligent design theorists are Christians. Are the 6 days of Creation literal 24 hour days? While the six Christian views of Creation listed above are possible, the question remains which is probable. And, to answer that question we have to deal with the very important issue of whether or not the six days of Creation listed in Genesis 1 are in fact literal 24 hour days or not. If someone believes that the six days of Creation are literal 24 hour days then they must accept one of the first three views of Creation (Historic Creationism, Creationism, Gap Theory) and if they do not believe that the six days of Creation are literal 24 hour days then they can accept one of the last three views of Creation (Framework View, Day Age View, Theistic Evolution).

Those Christians who argue for a metaphorical view of the six days of Creation rightly point out that the word used for day in Hebrew, yom, often refers to an extended period of time that is more than a literal 24 hour day (e.g. Psalm 20:1; Proverbs 11:4, 21:31, 24:10, 25:13; Ecclesiastes 7:14). But, if we set science aside for a moment and simply read the Scriptures it is apparent that the six days of Creation in Genesis 1 are literal 24 hour days for the following reasons: Each day is numbered so that there is a succession of days which makes it clear that these are literal days, and each day is spoken of having morning and evening which is the common vernacular for a day (Genesis 1:5, 1:8, 1:13, 1:19, 1:23, 1:31). In Exodus 20:8-11 God says Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the

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sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Simply, God says that He made Creation in six days and on the seventh day He rested. Additionally, His work and rest is to be the precedent for us and explains why we have a seven day week with a Sabbath day. Should science or Scripture hold priority? The great theologians of the Protestant Reformation coined the Latin phrase Sola Scriptura which means that Scripture is the sole locus of our final authority. Simply put, there is nothing we are to believe above the Bible. This, however, does not mean that as Christians we should practice Solo Scriptura which means that we only read the Bible and reject any information that is not directly from the Bible. If we held to Solo Scriptura then we could not study anything but the Bible and I would have to, for example, put down my Chiltons manual when tuning up my old truck and try and take my auto repair cues from Deuteronomy. Therefore, as Christians we are free to explore all areas of study, including science. But, when the findings of any discipline stand in

contradiction to the clear teachings of Scripture we must side with Scripture because it is our source of highest authority. How old is the Earth? The general scientific consensus based upon radiometric dating is that the earth is very old, perhaps even 4.5 billion years old. Some Christians have sought to refute this finding by declaring that the universal flood in Genesis 6-9 altered the earths geology so greatly that the earth now appears old. But, non-Christian scientists have countered by arguing that they also have tested rocks and meteors that have come from the moon and landed on the earth which also date to the same age as the earth, roughly 4.5 billion years old. Many Christians have disregarded radiometric dating as flawed and inaccurate. The apparent old age of the earth causes many Christians concern as Genesis seems to indicate that the earth is comparatively young, perhaps 6,000 to 20,000 years old. For example, the year 2004 is actually year 5,764 of Creation according to traditional Judaism. In the seventeenth century Archbishop James Ussher dated Creation at 4004 B.C. which would make the earth roughly 6,000 years old. This date of a young earth was

arrived at by starting with the genealogies in such places as Genesis 5 and 10 to add the number of years between Adam, Noah, and Abraham to arrive at the total number of years creation had been in existence. But, they have at least three assumptions that may make their findings faulty. First, they assumed that the genealogies in Genesis were strict chronologies and assumed that there were no other generations that existed, an assumption that even conservative Bible scholars such as former Princeton professor B.B. Warfield doubted. Second, they assumed that Creation began in Genesis 1:2 and overlooked the fact that Genesis 1:1 could be a brief summary of a number of additional years, perhaps even billions as the word for beginning there in the Hebrew is a very broad word referring to various periods of time that preceded the six days of Creation in which the already made earth was prepared for the creation of mankind. Third, they assumed that Genesis 1:5 speaks of the first day of Creation, when it is perhaps best translated one day and not day one of history. If this is the case, which Exodus 20:11 seems to indicate, then their counting from the first day forward is off because they wrongly assumed a first day that may have in fact been preceded by many other days.

In the end, it must be admitted that the age of the earth is simply not stated in the Bible and it may be young or old. And, both young and old earth advocates are inferring from the Bible a position which the Bible simply does not clearly state. It must also be admitted that the age of the earth is not of great concern in the Bible as Augustine rightly said it is not a scientific textbook seeking to answer the ever changing inquiries of science, but rather a theological textbook seeking to reveal God and the means by which He saves us. Why does the earth appear old? The question persists as to why the earth appears to be old and many solutions have been offered including the following. #1 Though the earth appears old to most scientists it is in fact young and the scientists are simply mistaken. #2 The earth appears old because it was made mature like Adam was and did not evolve over time but gives the appearance of being aged. For example, if Adam had chopped down either the tree of life, or the tree of good and evil spoken of in Genesis 2 he would have likely found tree rings as the tree was made mature.

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#3 The flood in Genesis 6-9 universally covered the earth which compressed the geological layers and rearranged the topography so greatly that the earth appears to be old and have developed over a long period o time. #4 The earth is in fact old and the days mentioned in Genesis 1-2 are not literally 24 hour days but rather extended periods of time. #5 The earth may be, or likely is old, as Genesis 1:1 explains an indeterminate period of time during which God made creation out of nothing. This is supported by the Hebrew word for beginning which is reshit that can mean anything from days to billions of years as it is a general word (e.g. Genesis 10:10; Job 8:7; Jeremiah 28:1). Genesis 1:2 begins the account of the preparation of the land for human history on the earth in six literal days. The strength of this argument is that in Genesis 1:1 Moses used the Hebrew word bara for creation which means Gods orignal creation which was then prepared for human habitation. Moses then uses the Hebrew word asah for the six days of Creation which means to prepare and form the earth that He had already made but was not yet habitable for mankind. This is because the language used of

the state of Creation in Genesis 1:2 does not mean that there was unformed matter that God made creation out of, but rather that the earth was not yet in a state that could accommodate human life. When this same phraseology is used in other Scriptures (e.g. Deuteronomy 32:10; Isaiah 45:18) it refers to a barren wasteland unfit for sustaining human life. This may mean that God created the earth over an indefinite period of time that could in fact have been billions of years which would explain the seemingly old age of the earth. Then, in six literal days God prepared the earth for the creation of mankind and on the sixth day made the first man and woman. While our elders are split on this view, I personally find it quite compelling for two reasons. One, it permits an old earth while maintaining a literal six day interpretation of Genesis 1. Two, it was the most common view of early Christians such as Augustine that did not fall out of favor until the rise of modern science. What is ex nihilo? Ex nihilo is Latin for out of nothing and is commonly used to explain how God made creation out of nothing. The Bible teaches that God made creation ex nihilo in Hebrews 11:3 which says, By faith we understand that the

The Tower of Babel

(Genesis 11:1-9)

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universe was formed at Gods command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. This doctrine is important because it negates the possibility of evolution and there having been an eternal universe, or some form of matter out of which creation was made. Also, it means that the state of Creation as formless and empty in Genesis 1:2 cannot refer to some matter that God used to make creation out of, but rather that formless and empty simply means that the earth was created from nothing but was not yet formed in such a way that it could sustain human life and was therefore empty of human life as Augustine taught. Where did creation come from? Genesis 1:1 portrays God creating all of creation from nothing. Therefore, Creation came not from pre-existing matter but rather out of nothing. What God had made from nothing was then prepared for human habitation by the powerful word of God. Genesis 1 paints God as a prophet with the continual statement, And God said in 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:11, 1:14, 1:20, 1:24, 1:26. The rest of Scripture echoes this fact of Creation being prepared for us by Gods powerful word as the following examples prove:

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth Psalm 33:9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. II Peter 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Indeed, Genesis 1 portrays Gods Word as the most powerful force in all of creation. Therein, Gods word brings order, makes things good, creates an environment in which life can exist, separates things, comes with unparalleled authority, and accomplishes exactly what God intended for it to. Therefore, we are to not to dismiss or distort Gods Word as the Serpent sought to entice our first parents to. In summary, God brought creation out of nothing and prepared it for us because He cares for us. Because of this in Jeremiah 10:16 we read He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance- the LORD Almighty

is his name. And, as Francis Schaeffer has pointed out regarding this verse we are made by a loving and personal He and not an impersonal unloving it. The final act of creation in Genesis 1-2 is the making of our first parents, Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:7 and 2:22. Genesis artfully paints the creation of the man and woman who are Gods image bearers on the earth as a very special and personal event done by Gods metaphorical hands as He was intimately and delicately involved in the knitting together of human life. Psalm 139:13 echoes the sanctity of human life made by Gods hand saying, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. Was the entire Trinity involved in making creation? Genesis 1:1 teaches that God made Creation, saying, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:26 reveals that this God is the Trinity saying, Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is that there is one God (II Chronicles 15:3; Jeremiah 10:10; John 17:3; I Thessalonians 1:9; I John 5:20-21). And, this one God is three equal persons; Father, Son, and Spirit (e.g. Isaiah 48:16;

Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-20). Therefore, when Genesis says that God is the creator, it speaks of the entire Trinity. Likewise, the rest of Scripture also teaches that each member of the Trinity was involved in Creation as the following verses show: The Father created (Psalm 19:1; Acts 17:28; I Corinthians 8:6) The Son created (John 1:1-3, 10, 14; Colossians 1:16-17) The Spirit created (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13) Why did God make Creation? The Bible lists a number of reasons for Gods making of creation. Included among them are the following: God made creation to glorify Himself (Psalm 19:1) God made creation to show forth His love (Psalm 136) God made creation for Himself (Colossians 1:16) God made creation to show us His attributes (Romans 1:20) God made creation to worship Him (Revelation 4:11) How are men and women different than the rest of creation? In our day a pagan environmentalism that essentially worships creation as divine often fails to

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distinguish between human life and animal life. But, the Bible clearly distinguishes between the two without dishonoring creation and the animals which the man and woman were made with dominion over to steward. In Genesis 1:26-28 (cf. James 3:9) we see the reason for human dignity is simply because we were made by God in His image. Additionally, we see that both men and women have equality and dignity because they are both image bearers of God. This image of God that mankind bears makes us distinct from and superior to the rest of creation, including animals. As we read the opening chapters of Genesis we also discover that men and women were created for four relationships. First, we were made to have a spiritual relationship with God. Second, we were made to have a psychological relationship with ourselves. Third, we were made to have social relationships with other people. Fourth, we were made to have an environmental relationship with nature. As a result of our sin, the image and likeness that we bear persists but is marred by sin. Subsequently, as we read the effects of the Fall we see theological problems, psychological problems, social problems, and environmental problems that follow in our wake.

The great theologian Helmut Thielicke once said that history is in many ways like a good play. When going to a play one generally asks certain questions such as who wrote the play, who is the hero, who is the villain, and what is the plot? And, upon answering these questions we are able to make sense of and enter into the story in a meaningful way. Likewise, each day people are born onto the stage of history where they will say their lines and act out their part without any concept of who the Author of life is, what great cosmic struggle they find themselves in, who the Hero and Villain are, and how they relate to the plot of which they are a part. And, apart from revelation we are left with meaningless lives in which we seek to either do something significant to be a hero, or lose hope and simply accept that we are villains and live amidst that brutally despairing truth. Yet, as we read the Bible we uncover the source of both our dignity and depravity. As the mystic Thomas Merton rightly said, we are all angels and demons wrapped up in meat. Indeed, we were made in the dignified image of God. But, we have descended into the depraved pattern of Satan. Therefore, we are simultaneously both great and wretched which is the perplexing dilemma

of human nature. Those who do not read the Bible and take it to heart are prone to ignoring the complex dilemma of our dignity and depravity by favoring one aspect of our nature at the expense of the other. Genesis 1-2 clearly states that we were made between God and the animals as lower than God but higher than animals. Genesis also states that our position between these two is indeed closer to God than the animals because we bear His image and were handcrafted by Him. Yet, there is a propensity for those who do not heed the insights of Genesis to either elevate us to god-like greatness as the highest and greatest being capable of living well and doing good completely in and of our good and glorious selves. Conversely, others are prone to describe us as nothing more than yet another animal incapable of self control, beauty, truth, or goodness. An example would include Freud who reduced us to essentially slaves to our animalistic urges for such things as sex and food which drive our actions. But, Genesis alone untangles the great puzzle of our dignity in Creation and depravity in sin by pointing us to Jesus who in dignity died for our depravity and rose to redeem us as new creations with our dignity restored.

What is the cultural mandate? The cultural mandate was originally given before the Fall (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15), and later repeated to Noah after the Fall and the Flood as it was still in effect (Genesis 9:7). In the cultural mandate we see that the first ruling unit was a family which later became the foundational ruling unit for the governments of church and state. The cultural mandate was given to the man and the woman and included the command to have children, expand across the earth and represent God by ruling and serving so that a culture that glorified God would be cultivated. Because of this cultural mandate men and women continue to build societies and cultures today. But, because of sin and the marring of Gods image non-Christian societies and cultures show forth both the greatness and wretchedness of mankind. However, Christians are supposed to carry forth the cultural mandate as the church building a kingdom counter culture that honors God, obeys His Word, and expands His fame. Was anything made not good? In Genesis 1 God declared what He made good except the making of the man and woman which He declared to be very

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good. The only thing that we are told is not good before sin and the Fall is Adam being alone (Genesis 2:18). And, while this does not infer that there was sin in Gods original Creation, it does state that even in a sinless state we were made with the need for human contact, friendship, and love. And, though Adam had God above him, and Creation beneath him, he lacked an equal to be in community with that would enable him to function like the Trinity in partnership as one. Gods answer to Adams lack was the making of Eve as Adams wife and helper (Genesis 2:1925). It is important to note that Eve is not denigrated as a helper as God is also referred to as our helper (e.g. Psalm 10:14, 118:6-7; Hebrews 13:6). The first woman was taken from the side of the man, which beautifully illustrates that she belongs alongside him in partnership and not behind him in denigration, or in front of him in domination. It may also explain why cuddling alongside her man is the favorite pastime of many a bride as it for her a sort of homecoming. And, though the woman was taken from the man, in the sexual consummation of the marriage the two again become one. Importantly, it was God who created the covenant of marriage, thus He alone defines what it is.

And, His definition of one man and one woman eliminates the alternatives such as bestiality, homosexuality, and polygamy. At the first wedding God in His sovereignty brought the woman to the man, gave her away as her father, and officiated the ceremony as their pastor. Upon seeing his bride for the first time Adam responded to her beauty by singing her a beautiful song. Poetically, the words of Adam singing to his bride on their wedding day are the first recorded words of any human being, and have caused some theologians to speculate that perhaps we all sang until sin entered the world and we descended from poetry to prose. Genesis 2:24 then explains how a man can overcome this state of being single which is not good. First, a man should leave home and be his own man. Second, a man should marry a woman he loves who loves Him and loves the Lord. Third, their marriage should be consummated by sexual intimacy as they spend the rest of their life becoming one as the Trinitarian God is one in Deuteronomy 6:4. This process is repeated by both Jesus and Paul throughout the New Testament as the pattern God intends for prospective marriage and sexuality to follow (Matt. 19:5, Mk. 10:7-8, Ephesians 5:31).

What is the Fall? Genesis 3 records the fall of mankind from a sinless to a sinful state. The scene opens with Adam and Eve living in a perfect environment that was made for them by God to meet their every need. However, the serpent (or Satan in Rev. 12:9, 20:2) tempted Adam and Eve by twisting Gods Word. Eve spoke with Satan, though she was deceived by his clever arguments (Genesis 3:13; II Corinthians 11:1-4; I Timothy 2: 13-14). And, though Satan is a liar (John 8:42-47), he accused God of being the liar. Satan then tempted the couple according to a pattern he continues to use in our day (Genesis 3:6, cf. John 2:16 cf. Gen. 3:6, Matt. 4:3,5,9) 1. He tempted the lust of bodily desire - good for food 2. He tempted the lust of visible sight - saw the fruit 3. He tempted the lust of pride desirable for gaining wisdom Adam and Eve sinned by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which was the one and only tree they were forbidden to partake of (Genesis 2:16-17). In doing so they were seeking wisdom apart from God and proudly setting themselves

up to function as their own gods without need for the real God. In this way, Moses is showing that in a sense we have killed ourselves by disobeying God in a way that is not entirely unlike suicide. The account further shows that Eve sinned first as Adam stood passively by and watched his wife commit the first sin against God. Their sin immediately separated them, bringing shame, distrust, and separation. Adam was the representative and father of all mankind, and when he sinned and fell out of favor with God so did every person who would ever live (Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21-22). Now, every person since Adam and Eve is a sinner, both by nature and choice (Romans 3:23; Psalm 53:3; Isaiah 53:6, 64:6; I John 1:18). Graciously, God immediately began pursuing the sinners calling out for the man by name and holding him accountable for the sin in his family. But, rather than repenting the man and woman sought to excuse and blame their sin. Adam sought to blame both God and Eve for the sin, while Eve went with the perennially popular argument that the devil made me do it. In the Fall we see the reversal of the male-female roles and the genesis of the chauvinism and

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feminism that have plagued us ever since. Adam failed to lead and so with what were likely good intentions Eve stepped up to fill the void in well-intended navet. But, though Eve sinned first God held Adam responsible as the head of his family by calling out his name to give an account for the sin in his family, chastising Adam for listening to his wife when he should have listened to God, and pronouncing a death sentence on Adam and all of his descendants for the original sin. God then justly punished sin. First, God punished the Serpent and promised that one day Jesus would crush him on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15), and ultimately defeat him at the Second Coming (Revelation 20:10). Second, God punished the woman by increasing her pain in childbirth and noting that she will desire to rule over her husband as she had in the original sin but that he would ultimately be the dominant head as God intended. Third, God punished the man by cursing the ground under him which makes the mans job incredibly more difficult. And, though the man came from the ground it is the ground that will defeat him in the end as the men now die and return to the earth.

Did animals die before the Fall? In Genesis 2:17 God told the man that if he sinned he would die. But, nothing is said of the possible death of animals before the Fall so we do not know if animals died before the Fall, though it is possible. The command for the man to work the ground may infer that at least plant life may have died before the Fall thereby accounting for mans work. The man, however, was kept alive by eating from the tree of life in the garden (Genesis 2:9) and once he sinned was cast away from the garden and therefore eventually died. But, at the end of history we see that the new Creation again has the tree of life so that Gods people may partake of it and live forever (Revelation 22:1-2) What about dinosaurs? When it comes to explaining the apparent existence and now extinction of dinosaurs there are generally two answers. Those who believe in a young earth believe that the dinosaurs were among the animals Adam named in Genesis 2:19-20 and that they were wiped out in the Flood of Genesis 6-9. Those who hold an old earth position generally believe that the dinosaurs lived and became extinct before Adam was ever born.

God's Promise to Abram

(Genesis 12:1-8)

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Who did Cain marry? Adam and Eve were the first people in human history and their son Cain married somebody but nobody is certain who she was or where she came from. Some have postulated that maybe God made her as He did Eve. But, the Bible simply does not say this and if this were true then she would have been a sinless woman not descended from Adam and therefore she would have never died and be alive and well today to tell us exactly what happened. So, it seems most probably that Cain simply married his sister which would make them a sort of type for hillbilly rednecks. Why is sex and sexual sin so prevalent in Genesis? In his very insightful book The Genesis of Sex: Sexual Relationships in the First Book of the Bible O. Palmer Robertson does a wonderful thematic study on such topics as marriage, parenting, and sexual sin. And, Genesis is indeed replete with many real life examples of such issues because it is an honest book it speaks of the beauties and tragedies of human intimacy. Marriage the first marriage with Adam and Eve is in Genesis 2:18-25

God prearranging marriages are found with Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:18-25, and Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24:1-67 romance in marriage is found between Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24:67, and Jacob and Rachel in Genesis 29:20 the disaster of polygamy is found with Lamech and Adah and Zillah in Genesis 4:18-24, Jacob and Mahalath and other wives in Genesis 28:46-49, and Jacob and Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29:14-29 tragic love triangles are seen with Abram and Sarai and Hagar in Genesis 16:1-16, and Jacob and Rachel and Leah and maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah in Genesis 29:31-30:24 examples of disobedient marriages between believers and unbelievers is found to be widespread in the days of Noah in Genesis 6:1-2 a mismatched marriage that caused his parents Isaac and Rebekah much grief was the union between Esau and Judith and Basemath in Genesis 26:34-35 the sad account of a loveless marriage is noted in Genesis 29:31 where Jacob loved his wife Rachel and not his other wife Leah the pain of divorce is told when Abraham sent off Hagar and

Ishmael in Genesis 21:8-14 the occurrence of a second marriage is explained in Genesis 23:1-2 and 25:1 when after Sarah died Abraham married Keturah Parenting the tragedy of sibling rivalry is recorded in Genesis 4 where Cain killed his brother Abel the grief of barrenness is common throughout the patriarchs including Sarai in Genesis 11:30, 16:1-2; Rebekah in Genesis 25:21, and Rachel in Genesis 29:31 though God eventually answered each of their prayers and enabled them to conceive the hardship of single parenting is told in the story of Ishmael being raised by Hagar and God without the involvement of his father Abraham in Genesis 21:8-21

Sexual sins lust is described in Genesis 35:22 where Israels son Reuben slept with fathers concubine Bilhah adultery appears in Genesis 39:1-23 where Potiphars wife seeks to seduce Joseph who resists her advances rape occurs in Genesis 34:1-2 where Shechem raped Dinah a false accusation of rape is recorded in Genesis 39:1-23 where Potiphars wife wrongfully accused Joseph of raping here which leads to his imprisonment incest occurs with Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19:30-38, and Judah with his daughter in law Tamar in Genesis 38 homosexuality is culturally embraced and widespread in Sodom and Gomorrah as recorded in Genesis 19:1-92

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Key New Testament Connections to Genesis enesis is indeed the first book of the Bible, but indeed it is not the only book of the Bible. Therefore, it is important in clearly understanding Genesis to connect it to the teachings of the New Testament to aid us in making sense of both the Old and New Testaments as they are simply two hands serving the same God together. Therefore, to help you see the correlation of Genesis and the New Testament I will connect Genesis to Jesus and Paul who dominate the New Testament, and the great themes of gospel, worship, incarnation, and redemption. Adam and Jesus In the New Testament the first man Adam figures very heavily in Pauls teaching about Jesus Christ. Paul goes so far as to portray all of mankind as simply being either under Adam or under Jesus (Romans 5:12-21; I Corinthians 15:45-49). Adam is our original covenant head (Hosea 6:7) whose sin implicates us as his descendants who would have likewise sinned had we been in his position. Therefore, we are each conceived with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5, 58:4) and also separated from God because of our own sin. But, Jesus has redeemed all that Adam had lost through His perfectly sinless faithfulness and death in our place as a substitute for our sins. Therefore, through faith in Jesus we move from being under the condemnation of Adam into the salvation of Jesus who is the second Adam (I Corinthians 15:20). What is the theological correlation between Moses, Abraham, and Paul? While Moses is the towering author in the Old Testament, Paul is the towering author in the New Testament. And, while Paul is widely known as the great missionary bringing justification by faith to the non-Jewish Gentiles the truth is that he learned both his mission and message from Moses great book of Genesis which he meticulously studied as a Jewish rabbi. And, the correlations between the lives of Abraham and Paul are simply stunning. First, In Genesis we see that the formation of the Gentile nations precedes the calling of Abraham so that the people who are to be reached for God

Abram Receives the First Promise

(Genesis 15:1-6)

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precede Gods missionary Abraham. Likewise, in Pauls day the Gentile nations preceded him. Second, God called Abraham to bless the Gentile nations of the earth by bringing them the knowledge of God as a missionary. Likewise, God called Paul to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentile nations in accordance with Jesus restatement of the call of Abraham (Genesis 12:3) in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Third, some Bible teachers suggest that Pauls missionary journeys even follow the route of the Gentile nations mentioned in Genesis 10 which may further indicate that Paul saw his Christian ministry as a continuation of the ministry of Abraham. Fourth, before his conversion to the worship of Jesus Paul had prided himself in being a Jew descended from Abraham and not a Gentile like those people he despised (Philippians 3:2-11). But, Abraham was not a Jew but rather a Gentile whom God raised up to be the beginning of a new nation founded upon the 12 tribes of Israel that was supposed to worship Jesus and be a missionary team sent into the earth just like Jesus 12 disciples. Furthermore, in Stephens great speech in Acts 7:2-4 we find that God called Abraham from the geographic

area of Babylon which likely indicates that Abraham was not only a Gentile when God saved Him, but also a despised Babylonian. All of this is to show that God indeed loves all nations of the earth and can save anyone anywhere and it was this insight that transformed Paul to preach the gospel of free grace to all peoples. Amazingly, had the non-Christian Paul met Abraham before he was called by God as a Gentile and circumcised himself to become a Hebrew Paul would possibly have killed Abraham as a godless pagan enemy of God in the name of being a faithful son of Abraham. Fifth, Paul got his gospel of free grace and salvation by faith alone not solely from the writings of the biblical prophets as is often taught because the prophets got their insights from reading the Law/Pentateuch, and Paul received his insights from reading both the Law and the Prophets. And, in the Flood account of Noah in Genesis 6-9 we find that contrary to much popular opinion Noah was not spared from the flood because he was a righteous man. In Genesis 6:6-7 we read, The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 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. Simply, everyone on the earth in that day was evil all the time including Noah. But, in Genesis 6:8 we read, But Noah found favor [grace] in the eyes of the LORD. This is the first occurrence of the Hebrew word for grace in the Bible and what it tells us is that Noah was sinful like everyone else, but that God gave Noah grace while the rest of humanity received Gods justice in the Flood. In Genesis 6:9 we then read, This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. In what sounds to be very Pauline, Moses tells us that Noah was totally depraved, but that God gave grace to Noah and saved him from judgment, and it was Gods grace that made Noah a righteous man, covered his sins to make him blameless, and enabled him to walk with God. At the end of the flood in Genesis 8:20 we see that the first thing Noah did after exiting the Ark was to worship God for His grace and offer a burnt offering sacrifice of atonement for his sin which prefigured the atoning death of Jesus Christ for Noahs sin. Simply, upon seeing that God

had destroyed all of the sinners but himself and some family members Noah was keenly aware that he was as sinful and deserving of death as those who had perished in the flood and needed atonement and grace to cover his sin. Likewise, Pauls gospel throughout the New Testament is that no one is righteous, no one seeks God, and no one deserves to be saved from Gods just wrath. But, God in His kindness gives grace to some people that makes them righteous, saves them from His just wrath, has Jesus death atone for their sin thereby making them blameless before Him, and enables them to walk with and worship God humbly. Sixth, in Genesis 28:3 we read, May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community [church] of peoples. In this verse Gods intentions from Abraham is that there would be a community/church (the word here is the Hebrew word for church) of peoples from many nations. This same idea is again stated in Genesis 35:11, and 48:3 further showing that God wanted the nation of Israel that came from Abraham to be a team of missionaries bringing the good news of God to the nations of the earth so that there would be a universal church comprised of

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the tribes, tongues, and peoples of the earth as we see worshiping Jesus in Heaven in the book of Revelation. Lastly, Paul echoed Gods intentions to have a church of many nations worshiping Jesus from Genesis in Romans 16:25-27 writing, Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey himto the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. Creation and the Gospel Likely after meditating on the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, the Apostle Paul penned his magna opus, the book of Romans. And, to begin his articulation of the gospel of Jesus Christ he curiously spoke of God as Creator. Romans 1:18-20 says, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the cre-

ation of the world Gods invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Accordingly, Creation is a sermon preached by God to all people that reveals something of His essence through His works in the same way that artwork reveals something of the artist. Or, as John Calvin spoke of the world as a mirror in we ought to behold God. And, because we are a thread in His tapestry of Creation we are without excuse as everything from the dirt we walk upon to the air we breathe and beauty we delight in are gifts He has given. What is perhaps most striking about Pauls words is that Creation clearly and plainly reveals God the Creator. Indeed, our inability to see God proves that by sin we have all been blinded and are in need of a miracle of grace to enable us to see God through what has been made. And, once this miracle of redemption, or what Paul calls remaking us as a new creation, is wrought our eyes are opened to see the revelation of God through His creation. And, to aid our sight God has also given us the light of His Word to illuminate our darkness and teach us how to see Him in all that was made good.

Creation and Worship The concepts of Creation and adoration, or worship are closely linked in Scripture simply because we were created for the purpose of glorifying God by worshiping Him. The following New Testament verses help to connect the great themes of Creation and worship, often doing so by showing that Creation is evidence of Gods love. Psalm 136:1-9 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. who made the great lights-- His love endures forever. the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. Romans 1:21-25 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became

futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen. Revelation 4:11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Paul further argues that the opposite of worship is not atheism, but rather idolatry as we His creatures become so delighted with what He has made that we willingly choose to worship creation rather than Creator. Therefore, everyone is a worshiper devoted to someone or something and either giving themselves to God the Creator, or some aspect of His creation which is akin to thanking a brush rather

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than a painter for the strokes on a canvas. Examples would include the rampant godless pagan ecospirituality which treats creation as a sacred god of greater value than human life, and the incessant enjoyment of gifts such as food, drink, and friends without thanking the Giver. And, at the end of the tether of rebellion, Paul says in the following verses of Romans 1, we find sexual perversion of all sorts, including lesbianism and homosexuality. Simply, those who worship creation instead of Creator are prone to eventually worship the most beautiful aspect of creation, the human body, which unlike the rest of creation God shaped with His own hands and covered after sin entered the world. However, those who worship creation are not well-intentioned seekers who have strayed from the path of truth. Rather, God the Spirit who alone knows the human heart declares in Romans 1:18-19 that those who worship creation instead of Creator have willingly suppressed the truth, and exchange the clear truth of divine revelation for the fog of human speculation. Summarily, non-Christians are, frankly, willful rebels who continue to worship as they were made to, but refuse to worship God alone in favor of idolatry.

Creation and Incarnation While some religions and philosophies (e.g. Buddhism and Greek mythology) are prone to see matter as less than good, Christianity simply does not. This is because after God made the heavens and the earth He repeatedly called His creation good in Genesis 1. And, though creation has strained under the curse imposed upon it by God because of Adams sin ever since, God the Son was humble enough to incarnate into human history, live amidst His creation as a man, die at the hands of the people He made, and rose to conquer Satan, sin, and death (Philippians 2:511). And, in Jesus incarnation we see His love for us through His humble willingness to incarnate as a man and identify with us in our humanity to reconcile us back to God who is our Creator. Creation and Redemption As a consequence of Adams sin, creation was cursed by God (Genesis 3:17-19). Today, Paul says that creation is yearning for its redemption by Jesus (Romans 8:19-25) who was its Creator (I Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16). This redemption of all creation is made possible by Jesus death on the cross (Colossians 1:20; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 1:7-10). And, this lifting of the

curse and redeeming of creation will happen at the end of history when Jesus returns to usher in the new Heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1), that will include the tree of life from the Garden of Eden (Revelation 22:2; cf. Genesis 2:9, 3:22, 3:24). Lastly, in this way the Bible is a

story told in beginning-middle-beginning format. The opening book of the Bible, Genesis, begins with two chapters of Creation, followed by a chapter of judgment for sin. Likewise, the closing book of the Bible, Revelation, closes with two chapters of new creation preceded by judgment for sin.

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Commentary and Study Tips

Creation Days 1-5 Scripture to Read: Genesis 1:1-25 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Commentary: rilliantly, the Bible opens with the One True Eternal God as both the author and subject of history and Scripture. Consequently, everything else in human history and Scripture is dependent upon God and only good when functioning according to His intentions for it from creation. We then read about the beginning of history which leans into the future when history will end and be replaced by the eternal state of Gods new creation. In Genesis 1:1 the word used for creation is the Hebrew word bara." Throughout the rest of Genesis 1:1 the Hebrew word used for create is asah which means to make something suitable such as making ones bed which is not creating from nothing, but rather making it suitable for use. The only other things barad are human beings when God barad mankind from nothing. Therefore, in the creation account we see that God made creation and then prepared it for mankind. This is further taught in Genesis 1:2 where the creation is explained as being formless and void. Unfortunately, this verse has often been misinterpreted in light of Greek cosmology which believed that the world began as chaos (matter that was not gathered and organized) that became cosmos (ordered creation). Some Christian commentators have then taken this errant Greek view to teach that God made creation from existing matter which would negate the fact that He made creation ex-nihilo and contradict Hebrews 11:3. Subsequently, Genesis 1:1 explains God creating the heavens and the earth which is a way of saying everything from the skies above to the earth below,

The Sacrice of Isaac

(Genesis 22:2-12)

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or simply everything like saying from top to bottom or head to toe as the statement is likewise used throughout Scripture to mean (e.g. Isaiah 44:24, 65:17; Revelation 21:11). But, Gods creation was not yet ready for human life as Genesis 1:2 states, as do other Scriptures that use the same language to speak of barren wilderness unfit for sustaining human life (e.g. Deuteronomy 32:10; Isaiah 45:18; Jeremiah 4:23-28). This creation account occurred at some point in history past, though the text simply does not tell us when as the Hebrew word in Genesis 1:1 for beginning is reshit which means an indefinite period of time. Therefore, Genesis 1:1 leaves open both the possibilities of a young and old earth as the focus of the Scripture is on who made creation (God), how He made creation (from nothing),

why He made creation (for His glory and our good), and much less on when this occurred. What is clear from the first five days of creation is that God prepared creation for human life in five literal twenty-four hour days. And, He prepared creation for us as a prophet solely by the power of His Word as noted with the repeated phrases And God said and Let there be/Let the. Creation then obeyed Gods command as is repeatedly noted with the phrase, And it was so God then repeatedly pronounced the perfect and sinless nature of His creation in the phrase, And God saw that it was good Lastly, the Genesis account of creation was most likely revealed to Moses directly by the same Holy Spirit which was present in Genesis 1:2.

Creation Day 6 Scripture to Read: Genesis 1:26 2:4a Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Commentary: n Genesis 1:1 we discover that God made everything from nothing. In Genesis 1:2 we are told that creation was not yet ready for human habitation. And, in Genesis 1:3-25 we see Gods careful and loving preparation of our planet for human life in five literal days. Then, in Genesis 1:26-2:3 the sixth day of creation occurs as God makes the first man and woman, our parents Adam and Eve. In Genesis 1:26 we read, Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness which is a reference to the Trinity. We then see that men and women were both created as distinct though equal by virtue of the fact that they both bear Gods image and likeness which are synonymous terms. This image of God that mankind bears places them lower than God in creation, but much higher than animals who do not bear the image of God. Genesis 1:27 then summarizes the creation of the man and woman with the first poetry in the Bible. In Genesis 1:28-30 God then gave to the man and woman the cultural mandate to fill the earth with offspring that build a God glorifying culture and rule over the earth as Gods representatives. God then speaks in Genesis 1:31 declaring the creation of the man and woman as very good as opposed to the other days of His work which God simply called good. In Genesis 2:1-4a God then rested on the seventh day from His six days of work to enjoy His handiwork. And, this pattern of six days of work and one day of worshipful rest becomes the pattern for the seven day week and the Sabbath day as one of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:8-11.

Study Tips Note each of the five days of creation in your Bible. Note each of the occurrences of the phrase And God said Note each occurrence of the phrase Let there be/Let the Note each occurrence of the phrase And it was so Note each occurrence of the phrase And God saw that it was good Note what you learn about Gods attributes from these verses.

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Adam and Eve Study Tips What does it mean that we bear Gods image? What do these verses teach about the value of animal life compared to human life? What do these verses reveal about Gods intention for children? What is the cultural mandate and what does it say about Christian involvement in making culture? What do these verses reveal about God? What does Gods preparation of creation for us reveal about His heart toward us? Scripture to Read: Genesis 2:4b-25 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Commentary: hese Scriptures further elaborate upon Genesis 1:26-2:4a by giving greater details about the creation of Adam and Eve. First, that the man was made before the woman and appointed as the primary leader, a fact that Paul builds the doctrine of male eldership in the church upon in I Timothy 2:11-13, and also serves as beginning of male headship in the family. Second, the man and woman were handmade in a personal way by God unlike anything else in creation. Third, God breathed life into the man which made him a living person and explains why we have personhood as it was a gift from the personal God and not the work of impersonal matter working through implausible evolutionary chance. In addition to the making of the man and the woman, a number of additional facts are given about the environment God had spent five days preparing. First, a beautiful garden cultivated by God was given as a home to our first parents and the prototype for the man and his descendants to cultivate the rest of creation to resemble through their work. Second, in the garden was the tree of life which sustained Adam and Eves existence and may indicate that mankind was not made eternal but rather kept alive as long as they obeyed God and had access to this tree which appears again at the end of Revelation in Heaven. Third, also in the garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was in the middle of the garden and forbidden for consumption by God under penalty of death and used by God to test their faith in Him. In addition to the making of the man and woman, these verses also inform us of the marriage and the man and the woman. And, since this is the first and only marital and sexual relationship before sin entered the world it is perfect and therefore the prototypical pattern for us to follow.

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First, though all of creation was declared to be good and very good in Genesis 1, the only thing which is declared to be not good is Adams state as an unmarried single man. Simply, Adam could not reflect the image of God that he was created in by himself but needed a wife as his equal to represent the Trinitarian nature of God upon the earth. This fact is inferred in the text as the man and woman were declared to be one which is the Hebrew word ehad that is used in Deuteronomy 6:4 to also speak of the one God in three persons. It is also echoed in I Corinthians 11:7-9 which states that woman was made for man in a way that man was not made for woman. Second, Eve was made to be Adams helper which is not a denigration of Eves equality, since God is also called our helper (Psalm 10:14, 118:6-7; Hebrews 13:6). Third, the woman was made from the side of the man where she was made to dwell as his equal, lover, and friend and in lovemaking the two become one again. Fourth, it

was God who brought the woman to the man and gave her away as her father, and also officiated their wedding ceremony as their pastor. Fifth, it was God who created marriage as a union between one man and one woman which negates homosexuality, bisexuality, bestiality, and polygamy. Sixth, it was God who established the three-fold process by which a man is to take a wife that is repeated by both Jesus and Paul as leaving home, then getting married, and lastly enjoying sexual intimacy (cf. Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:7-8; Ephesians 5:31). Seventh, it was God who created sexuality and intended for it to be good, pure, and without shame within the marriage covenant. Upon seeing his bride Adam burst into poetic song to Eve. Since these are the only recorded words we have of any human being before sin entered the world some, have speculated that perhaps we were made to sing throughout life, like a musical, but because of sin have descended from poetry to prose.

The Fall Scripture to Read: Genesis 3:1-24 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 3:15 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. Commentary: his chapter is one of the most important in all of the Bible as it explains the source of and solution for sin and death. The scene is the beautiful and perfect garden made by God for our first parents to live in together without sin and its many effects. But, the entrance of the Serpent marks the beginning of chaos in creation. The Serpent is Satan according to Revelation 12:9 and 20:2. Satan began by tempting Eve to mistrust Gods Word by changing its meaning, just as He did when likewise tempting Jesus in Matthew 4:111. Rather than rebuking Satan, Eve entertained his lies (John 8:42-47) and was subsequently deceived by his crafty arguments (II Corinthians 11:3; I Timothy 2:14). Satan became so bold as to accuse God of being a liar and tempting the pride of Adam and Eve by declaring that if they disobeyed God they could in effect become His peer and gods themselves. Eve believed Satan over God and chose pride over humility by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in sin against God. Tragically, we further read that while all of this occurred Adam stood by silently, failing to lead his family in godliness. And, Adam then joined his wife in sin which brought shame, distrust, and separation between Adam and Eve, and between our first parents and God. Adam was the representative and father of all mankind, and when he sinned and fell out of favor with God so did every person who would ever live (Romans 5:12, I Corinthians 15:21-22). Consequently, every person since Adam and Eve, other than Jesus, is a sinner, both by nature and choice (Psalm 51:5, 58:3; Isaiah 53:6, 64:6; Romans 3:23; I John 1:18). God then came looking for the man, holding him responsible for

Study Tips What does Gods creation of human life reveal about His loving care for us? According to these verses what are the duties of a man? According to these verses what are the duties of a woman? What did you learn about marriage from these verses that encouraged and/or troubled you most? Why?

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the sinful condition of his family as its head. And, rather than repenting of his sin, Adam essentially argued with God by blaming Eve for his sin, and blaming God for making Eve. Eve, too, failed to repent of her sin and blamed the Serpent for deceiving her. God then cursed the parties involved as penalty for their sin. The serpent was cursed for what he had done and told he would be defeated one day by the seed of the woman who is Jesus according to Galatians 3:16. Theologians have long called the promise of Jesus in Genesis 3:15 at the protoevangelion (first gospel), as God preaches the gospel for the first time, whereas His angel will the last time (Revelation 14:6). The woman was given increased pain in childbirth and God notes that she would struggle with the feminist tendency to rule over her husband rather than submit to his leadership as God intended (note that the language her for Eves desire to rule over Adam sinfully is the same as sins desire to rule over Cain in Genesis 4:7). The mans work became toil for him because God cursed the ground. This means that as men seek to work their jobs and pay their bills they will continually be as frustrated with that which is supposed to

be under their dominion as God is with the rebellious man who is likewise supposed to be under His dominion. Adam was then given the privilege of naming his wife as he did the animals, calling her Eve which means life-giver. God then dealt graciously and kindly with the man and woman though they had sinned. God lovingly clothed Adam and Eve to protect them. God also banished the couple from the tree of life or they would have lived forever in sin with no hope of redemption. Today, though we still bear the image of God, it is marred and twisted by our pride and sin which accounts for the tragedies and evils in the world that proceed from us. Our only hope is redemption through Jesus who is God that became a man to live without sin in our place, die in our place, and rise as the pattern for our future. One day the seed of rebellion in us from Adam will be forever removed as we re-enter the second Eden in the new creation that will exceed that place in which Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect communion with God.

Study Tips Read Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-19 to gain further insight on the origins and fall of Satan. Read I John 2:16 to discover the three ways that Satan tempts us to sin which are also the same ways he tempted Adam and Eve. Read Romans 5:12-21 to note the effects of Adams sin. Because of Adams sin in Genesis 3 the Bible teaches that everyone who descends from him is a sinner both by nature and choice (e.g. Psalm 51:5, 58:3; Isaiah 53:6, 64:6; Romans 3:23; I John 1:18). What does this mean and why does it matter that we understand the origins and remedy for sin from Genesis 3? Read Colossians 2:13-15 and Revelation 19:11-21 and 20:7-10 to see how Jesus defeated Satan on the cross and will destroy Him in the end.

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Cain and Abel Scripture to Read: Genesis 4:1-26 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 4:26b At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD. Commentary: his episode of Genesis shows how quickly and tragically the sin of Adam and Eve spread to their sons. Importantly, this text also shows us that the first children in the history of the world were born after the fall which means that every human being but Jesus was thereafter conceived with a sin nature without exception. The account opens with Eve likely boasting that though she brought sin and death into the world, she was also going to fix it through birthing her son Cain which she wrongly thought would fulfill the promise of redemption through a son from Genesis 3:15 that was intended for Jesus to fulfill many years later. The brothers Cain and Abel worked as a farmer and herdsmen which are both honorable trades. The brothers both brought offerings to the Lord, but the Lord rejected Cains offering but received Abels. This greatly angered Cain and the Lord warned Cain to control his anger lest it consume him and lead him into sin. And, commentators have been perplexed to understand why God rejected Cains offering. Some have speculated that Abels gift was an animal fit for sacrifice, while Cains gift was not and thereby and unfit gift which explains why it was rejected by God. But, the text does not say there was anything wrong with either gift for four reasons. First, they brought offerings and not sacrifices as the text clearly states. Therefore, Cains offering was appropriate. Second, both men brought their offerings to God which is appropriate. Third, the men both brought offerings in keeping with their employment, which is also appropriate. Fourth, the men both brought firstfruits which means it was the first and best of their possession. Indeed, the problem with Cains offering was not what he brought to worship in his hands, but rather what he brought to worship in

his heart, namely sin. Cain was jealous of his brother (I John 3:12) and sought to worship God apart from faith (Hebrews 11:4). Therefore, this section of Genesis reveals to us that true worship must proceed from the heart of someone whose faith is in God otherwise all of their actions are an offense to God in the same way that a loving father is not pleased with an unrepentant and stubbornly unfaithful and unloving hard hearted child that seeks to manipulate and appease him with a token gift (Proverbs 15:8, 21:27) Cain yielded to his anger which God had warned him to control and murdered his own brother, Abel. And, like his father Adam, when confronted by God he fails to repent and instead seeks to cover his sin. God, however, named Cains sin as He had his father Adams and Cain responded to Gods rebuke in Genesis 4:13. And, how one interprets this verse determines how the rest of the chapter is to be understood. In Genesis 4:13 Cain is either whining to God about the punishment for murdering his brother which God relented to and spared his life. Or, Cain was lamenting the burden of his sin, or repenting of his sin by declaring it was more than he could bear to live with. In light of the way

that God and people respond to Cain throughout the remainder of Genesis 4 I believe the context of 4:13 makes it most likely that Cain indeed repented of his sin for three reasons though admittedly the text is not clear on this matter. One, God gives Cain grace by sparing his life and sending him to live in a city of refuge (Deuteronomy 19:1-14). This seems unlikely if Cain not only murdered his brother but then also lied to God about it and whined about being punished without having repented. Two, God placed a mark on Cain to notify others not to harm him. And, though we have no idea what this mark may have been, it in effect branded Cain as Gods possession to be spared harm. Again, this kind of loving provision seems unjust unless Cain indeed repented. Three, the chapter concludes by declaring that the people in that day began calling on the name of the Lord which seems to indicate that they were simply following Cains example as he is the focus of that chapter. In summary, it seems possible that Cain began as a sinful man who sought to worship God with a proud heart and murdered his own brother who worshiped God with a pure heart. But, when confronted by God face to face Cain repented of his sin crying out to

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God that he could not bear to live under the pain of what he had done and God therefore forgave him, spared his life, and protected him for the rest of his days in love. God also lovingly gave Cains mother Eve another son, Seth, for Cain to have in place of Abel. And, men began calling on the God of Cain because his story of Gods lovingly gracious forgiveness and blessing to even the worst of sinners compelled them to seek the Lord. In this way

Cain may be the Old Testament equivalent of the Apostle Paul who like Cain worshiped God with a proud heart, murdered his Jewish brothers who worshiped God with a pure heart, but was brought to repentance through a face to face encounter with Jesus and went on to tell his story of redemption as a great evangelist compelling other men to also call on the name of the Lord in forgiveness of sin as he had.

Noahs Ark Scripture to Read: Genesis 5:1 7:1 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 6:8-9 But Noah found favor [grace] in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Commentary: ods calling Noah to build the Ark begins with the lengthy genealogy of Adams descendants until the birth of Noah. The time span covered in this genealogy is at least 1600 years, and may be even longer if there are gaps in this genealogy with some generations missing as there are in other biblical genealogies (e.g. compare Genesis 11:31 and Luke 3:36). Both traditional Judaism and Christianity beginning in the seventeenth century with Archbishop James Ussher have sought to total the lifespan of each person listed in this genealogy and work backward to creation which is then dated at 4004 B.C. which would make the earth roughly 6,000 years old. But, this means of seeking to date the earth is uncertain for reasons further explained in How old is the earth? in the chapter titled Answers to Common Questions About Genesis. The primary theological point of the genealogy is to simply show that every generation and person descended from Adam were sinners who lived and died without exception in rather monotonous and unspectacular fashion. The genealogy opens with the first man, Adam, who was made and blessed by God who named the race man as Adam was made first as the head of the human race. Subsequently, this genealogy as well as the others in the Bible are all patriarchal, meaning they trace the family line through the men as they are the head of their family in each generation. The genealogy does include at least two curious features. One, the man Methuselah lived 969 years which is apparently longer than anyone else ever has. And in 5:22-24 we discover a brief biography of seemingly the only godly man who lived during this span of over 1600 years. Two, we

Study Tips To gain further insight on Cain and Abel it will be helpful to look up Jude 11; Hebrews 11:4; and I John 3:12. Do you think it is most likely in Genesis 4:13 that Cain lamented the punishment for his sin, or lamented the pain he had brought upon himself by his sin? What other Scriptures about the two topics of worship and a pure heart help to shed light on why Cains offering was rejected by God? Why are our motives equally important to God as our actions?

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are told that Enoch walked with God which means that he had a lifestyle of worshipful obedience to God and was historys first prophet who predicted the coming flood (see also Hebrews 11:5-6; Jude 14-16). Enoch is also the only man in the genealogy that did not die but was spared death (like Elijah who is the only other man in the Bible that did not die). In Enoch, Moses is showing us that the only way to avoid death and experience eternal life is to walk with God. The genealogy ends in 5:32 for a lengthy excurses on Noah, and then picks up again in 9:28 with the genealogy of Noahs death and the birth of his sons. Genesis 6 raises three of the most difficult questions in all of Genesis. They are the marriage of the sons of God and daughters of men, the meaning of 120 years, the Nephilim, and why God chose Noah to build the Ark. I will seek to answer each of them briefly and also encourage you to study them for yourself. The first question is what does Genesis 6:1-2 mean by saying that the sons of God married the daughters of men? Later in Genesis Noah gets drunk and from reading some of the answers to this question provided by Bible commentators one is given the distinct impression

that they have been joining him. Perhaps one of the most common and peculiar interpretations is that the sons of God were angels who came down to marry and have sex with earthly women. But, this interpretation fails for at least three reasons. One, the forthcoming judgment for sin in the flood was on people and not angels. Two, Jesus clearly taught that angels simply do not marry (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25). Three, Jesus taught that in the days of Noah which Genesis 6 describes people were simply getting married, which means that people were simply marrying one another and that is all is meant by Genesis 6 (Matthew 24:37-39). To answer this question we need go no further than the teachings of Moses and Jesus. In Genesis 5 we are given the genealogy of the sons of God as that is the line of the covenant people and they simply married the daughters of men who were the unbelieving families in that day. Therefore, among the great sins in the days of Noah which grieved God was the prevalent intermarriage between Gods men (the sons of God) who took unbelieving wives (the daughters of men). Genesis 6:3 then raises the second question of this section by saying that God would not allow human sin to continue and

therefore He would limit their days to 120 years. Two possible explanations exist for the meaning of this verse. One, God promised to no longer allow people to live as long as they had previously (as listed in Genesis 5) and instead determined that no human being would live beyond the age of 120. Curiously, the first man to die at this age was Moses (Deuteronomy 34:7) and today even the longest living people die around this age. Two, I Peter 3:20 says, God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water And, if Peter is referring to the 120 years then God promised His judgment through the flood and then waited patiently for 120 years to provide people an opportunity to repent of their sin, which apparently no one did, and Noah time to prepare for the flood and build the Ark. If this interpretation is correct, and I personally believe that it may be but cannot be certain, then Noah also preached during this 120 year period (2 Peter 2:5) though people were so wicked that they declined Gods invitation to forgiveness. In Genesis 6:4 the third question from this section arises, namely who were the Nephilim? In Numbers 13:33 the word

Nephilim is again used to refer to an apparently giant race of people which have caused many to speculate that the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6:4 were likewise an entire race of men who called NBA centers shorty. But, the Nephilim in Genesis are not the same people mentioned in Numbers, and Genesis does not tell us that they were large in stature. It does, however, tell us that they were large in fame and reputation saying, They were the heroes of old, men of renown. Therefore, the Nephilim were simply some of the great unbelieving men of that day who, perhaps, were celebrities like many athletes, rock stars, politicians, and business leaders in our day. And, in Genesis 6:5-8 the fourth question of why God chose Noah to build the Ark is given. I would stress that you will need to read this section of your Bible very closely as the story of Noah is widely misunderstood. Tragically, the story of Noah is commonly told that in the days of Noah all the men were wicked except for Noah who was a righteous man that God saved from His judgment in the flood. The application of this telling of Noah is that there are good people and bad people and that God loves and saves the good guys but kills the bad guys so we should

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be good guys so that God will love and save us. But, this false teaching about Noah is antithetical to the rest of Scripture and is simply not what Genesis 6:5-8 says. Therefore, it is imperative for you to closely read what Genesis says paying attention to the intentional theological order of events to properly understand what Moses is teaching. First, Genesis 6:5-7 states the total depravity of everyone on the earth with one of the most negative declarations about human sin in all of Scripture. We are told that God saw that every person was only evil all the time. God was grieved that He made mankind because they filled His heart with pain. This statement does include Noah who was simply one of the sinfully wicked men on the earth who grieved God. Second, Genesis 6:8 then explains the process by which God chose to save and bless Noah. It says, But Noah found favor [grace] in the eyes of the LORD. Noah did not begin as a righteous man, but rather he began as a sinner as bad as anyone else on the earth in his day. The only difference between Noah and the other sinners who died in the flood of judgment was that God gave grace to Noah. Beautifully, the word favor is the Hebrew word for grace which appears

here for the first time in the Bible and is echoed repeatedly by Paul throughout the New Testament in his teaching on salvation by grace through faith alone. Because everyone was a sinner in Noahs day, just like everyone is a sinner in our day, God had no good person to work through to accomplish His plan of redemption and so God worked, as He always has, by saving an undeserving sinner through grace thereby enabling them to live a righteous life as is taught in the next verse. Genesis 6:9 then explains the effects of Gods grace to Noah saying, This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Indeed, Noah was a blameless and righteous man who like Enoch walked with God. But, Noah was only this sort of man because God saved him by grace and empowered him to live a new life of obedience to God by that same grace. Once made a believer by Gods grace, God began to speak directly to Noah and give him commands to obey. God informed Noah that He planned to end sin by killing all of the sinners through an enormous flood as judgment on sinners. God then gave Noah orders to build an enormous Ark

that was some 1,400,000 cubic feet, shaped like a modern day battle ship, and big enough to house some 522 modern day railroad box cars. Noah obeyed Gods commands and built the Ark, likely with only the help of his sons. Hebrews 11:7 says that Noah did so in holy fear as a man of faith

who believed that God would bring the flood even while others continued in sin without repentance. And, upon completing the construction of the Ark, Noah placed his family on the Ark with the animals God had commanded him to and waited for God to fulfill His promise of judgment.

Study Tips What is a patriarch? What other Scriptures can you find which echo the universal and total nature of human depravity that is explained in Genesis 6:5-7? Compare Genesis 6:5-8 with Pauls teaching in the New Testament that we are saved by grace to good works in places like Ephesians 2:8-10. Why is it vital to the gospel that we recognize that Noah was not a godly man of his own effort who was chosen by God to build the Ark because he was a holy man apart from Gods grace? What does it mean that Enoch and Noah walked with God (see Hebrews 11:5-7; Jude 14-16 for further insight)?

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The Flood Scripture to Read: Genesis 7:1 8:22 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 8:20-21 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. 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. Commentary: fter Noah was saved by Gods grace, built the Ark according to Gods instructions, and loaded his family on board with the animals as God commanded him, God then sent what was likely the first rain ever. The rain continued for forty days until it covered the land drowning all of the sinners under Gods righteous judgment. The only people spared in the flood were Noah and his family because, as Genesis 6:8 stated, God gave them grace. The size of the flood has been widely debated and the two primary answers have been a local flood limited to the general area in which Noah lived, and a universal flood covering the face of the entire planet. And, at first reading the account of the flood certainly appears to be universal in nature covering the entire planet. But, upon further inspection there are at least four reasons why a less than universal flood are possible. First, the land is spoken of some 400 times in Genesis and means everything from the entire planet earth, to regions of the earth, to local areas. Therefore, in stating that the flood covered the land could mean anything from the known world in that day to the entirety of planet earth. For example, in Genesis 8:8-9 Noah sent a dove out of the Ark looking for dry land and we are told that the dove examined all of the land which obviously did not mean that the dove flew around the entire globe examining every inch in search of dry land amidst the flood. Second, since the account of the flood was likely handed down from the eyewitness account of Noah it is possible that Noah

Isaac is Deceived by Jacob

(Genesis 27:21-30)

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did not know what was going on across the earth, but rather only aware of what he could see with his own eyes. If true, this would mean that when the text states that the flood rose above the mountains it may refer to the highest mountains in that region which would make the flood bigger than a local flood but not necessarily universal. Third, the book of Genesis was written to the few million people who were essentially refugees wandering in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. And, since to them the totality of the known world was their region of the earth it is certainly possible that they would have understand the discussion of land to refer to the land they were seeking to find as their home. Fourth, if the flood was not universal then it is likely that there could have been animals that lived outside of the area covered by the flood that lived despite the flood. And, those animals could have over time returned to the land and help replenish the animal life which ended in the flood along with the animals spared on Noahs Ark. The question remains, how big was the flood? And, I would simply state that the flood was big enough. The point of the flood was to judge sinners. And, since the human race had not spread

out across the entire earth, the majority of the earth was not inhabited. Therefore, to accomplish Gods purpose the flood simply needed to be big enough to cover all of the people who lived on the earth. Subsequently, whether the flood was universal or simply covered the area in which everyone lived it was big enough to accomplish Gods purpose of putting an end to all sin and sinners except Noah and his family who were saved by grace. After the flood subsided and God dried the ground, Noah and his family exited the Ark. Then, Noah did a remarkable thing that we must be careful to note and appreciate. In Genesis 8:20 we read, 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. After recognizing the devastation that God wrought upon the earth Noah was convicted of his own sin knowing that he too should have been killed like everyone else. So, he offered a burnt offering for the atonement of his sin (e.g. Leviticus 1:4; Job 1:5). God was so pleased with Noahs offering of atonement that He responded by promising to never flood the earth again as the answer to sin would henceforth be atonement which foreshadowed the death of Jesus for sin.

Study Tips Do you believe the flood covered the entire earth, or was to some degree smaller than completely universal? In light of Genesis 6:5-7 and II Peter 2:4-9 why did God send the flood? What does the flood reveal about the inevitable fate of those who persist in sin without repentance? According to Romans 3:21-28 (especially 3:25) how is the Old Testament act of atonement ultimately applied to Jesus Christ? According to I John 4:7-21 (especially 4:10) how is Jesus atonement related to Gods love and ours?

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Gods Covenant with Noah Scripture to Read: Genesis 9:1-29 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. Commentary: fter the flood receded the land appeared out of the water like the days of creation for Adam. In this way, the account of Noah in many ways echoes the account of Adam with a sort of new creation and new humanity and new fall. The connections between Adam and Noah are many, including: both Adam and Noah are the fathers of all humanity that descend from them both worlds are brought forth out of a watery chaos both men are said to bear the image of God both men walked with God both men ruled over the animals both men are given the cultural mandate to increase in number and rule the earth both men work the ground both men sin against God both men experience shameful nakedness following their sin both men had their nakedness covered both men were in covenant with God (Adams covenant is found in Hosea 6:7) both have three named sons God then entered a covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:1-17 that was intended for all people of the earth. God promised that He would never again send a cataclysmic flood and that the seasons would continue by Gods provision. In this covenant we see that Gods answer to human sin would be a covenant of grace, beginning with Noah. The sign of the covenant was the rainbow to remind Gods people of His promise to never flood the earth again. Through the covenant God would restore His intentions to bless people. The terms of the covenant for human beings include respect for the sanctity of human life, and the freedom to eat animals as at this

point in history meat was added to the human diet. These commands further build upon teaching in Genesis 1 that while animal life is to be treated kindly it is inferior to human life which alone bears Gods image. The effect of the covenant is the renewal of Gods intentions in creation by distinguishing between those people, like Noah, in covenant with God from those who are not. In Genesis 9:18-28 Noah responded to Gods kindness by getting drunk and passing out naked in his tent like a Hillbilly Redneck on vacation. Noahs son Ham then walked in to Noahs tent to gaze upon his fathers nakedness. And, the text simply does not tell us much more than these bare details, but many people have inserted numerous speculations about what happened including Ham having homosexual intercourse with his passed out father. Whatever happened, one thing is sure, any sentence that basically states that a son walked in on his drunken naked dad to

check him out is bad no matter how the story ends. In the story of Noah we have a sort of second fall with God starting over with Noah who like Adam sinned. The point is simply that sin remains the human problem even after the flood. Genesis 9:25-27 then picks up Noahs declaration of cursing and blessing directed toward his sons. Hams son Canaan and the Canaanites who descended from him were cursed to serve the line of Gods people that would come from Hams brothers. It was also promised that Japheth would prosper as God would dwell with Him. Racist theologies have tried to claim that the curse of Canaan was a curse upon black people which is simply foolish and unfounded as from this man descended people of many races and nations, including Caucasians. Lastly, Genesis 9:28-29 picks up the genealogy from 5:32 as Noah dies and the human race again begins to grow though still sinful.

Study Tips What does covenant mean? Moses interrupts his lengthy genealogy between Genesis chapter 5 and 10 to focus in on the life of one man, Noah. Why do you think he did this? What was he trying to teach us through the life of Noah? Does Noahs sin surprise you? Why or why not?

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City of Babel Scripture to Read: Genesis 10:1 11:9 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 11:8-9 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 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. Commentary: enesis chapter 10 opens with a lengthy genealogy of people who will be important for the rest of the book. Genesis is basically written in chronological order with chapters 10-11 being the primary inversion as Moses intent is to establish the nations that were scattered out from Babel to best frame the story theologically. The genealogy breaks down into the descendants of Noahs three sons, Japheth, Shem, and Ham from whom the Egyptians descended. Throughout Genesis the concept of going east corresponds to getting farther and farther from God. For example, when Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden they went eastward (3:24) as did Cain (4:7). When people go eastward in Genesis they are walking away from God (typified by Eden and the Promised Land) and into ruin as places such as Sodom and Babylon lie eastward. Babylon (also referred to as Babel) is introduced as a nice city not unlike most in our own day where regular people simply sought to build a secular society apart from God. Some people only speak of the Tower of Babel which was a part of the city likely built to see incoming enemies but the focus of the story is simply not on the building of the tower, but rather the building of a city to house a secular society. The story does not mention any particularly heinous sins that the Babylonians committed other than the simple fact that their hope was to make their name great and not Gods. And, in the building of their great city their hope was to gather together as a unified people who would not be scattered but would apart from Gods covenant and blessing live for themselves by themselves. In fact, this may be

Jacob's Dream
(Genesis 28:10-17)

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the first great city in the history of the world and its purpose was to stand against all other people and God as a sort of secular seat of authority on the earth. God caused the Babylonian attempt at their sovereign secular kingdom as an affront that ignored Him. Worse still, their intent was to have sufficient power to do as they pleased by uniting together and defending themselves from everyone else. God rightly viewed this centralization of power in the hands of proud sinners apart from Him as a dangerous thing and saved them from themselves and saved others from the potential abuses of power by simply scattering them and confusing their languages. Ironically, this scattering of the people and confusing of the languages were two of the primary things these people were seeking to prevent from happening in the first place. The name Babel, or Babylon, is humorously akin to our English word babble which is what their communication sounded like once God confused their language. Beautifully, on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 through the power of the Holy Spirit the gift of tongues temporarily reversed this division as people who were saved from different nations and languages were supernaturally enabled to

hear the gospel and worship God despite their language barriers. The point of Babel and Pentecost is that the hope for our sin problem is not to be found in proud nationalism, technological advancement, and the working together of unrepentant sinners, but rather the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. And, rather than drowning the sinners as He had in the Flood, God instead saved them from themselves and graciously simply scattered them and confused their language to force them to live as He intended scattering and filling the earth (Genesis 1:28, 9:7). Subsequently, these scattered people become the nations listed in Genesis 10. Lastly, like the fall of Adam and mini-fall of Noah this is yet another fall of sorts. Here, to overcome their sin problem people do not turn to God but rather rely on one another and place their hope in military might, technological advancement, and the building of a good and decent society which is simply yet another sin against God that cannot remedy fallen human nature.

Study Tips What were the people seeking to accomplish through their building of the city of Babylon? What significance does Babylon play in the rest of Scripture both as a literal place and a metaphorical people in rebellion against God? What were the Babylonians putting their faith and hope in other than God? Were they any different than the typical non-Christian in our day? In light of Gods covenant with Noah to bless the earth why did God not justly end the life of these sinners as He did in the Flood?

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Call of Abraham Scripture to Read: Genesis 11:10 12:9 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 12:1-3 The LORD had said to Abram, Leave your country, your people and your fathers 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. Commentary: ods answer to the efforts of Babylon seeking to make their name great was the calling of Abram to be the father of a new nation with a name that God would make great. Genesis 11 closes with a continuation of the genealogy from Genesis 5 and 10 in an effort to connect Abram as a descendant of both Adam and Noah through Noahs son Shem. With the arrival of Abram in Genesis the book shifts from the theme of God calling creation into existence in Genesis 1-11, to God calling people into covenant in 12-50. God had not spoken since His covenant with Noah until He spoke to Abram to likewise again initiate a covenant relationship. At the time, Abram was called by God to become the father of a new nation, prototype of a life of faith, and one of the most important men in the Bible he was simply yet another sinner living among the scattered nations. In this way Abram was not unlike Noah had been before God likewise called him into covenant. We know very little about Abram before God called him other than his genealogy, barren wife, and temporary home in Haran after having been born in Ur of the Chaldeans (11:27-32). Since Nehemiah 9:7 and Acts 7:2-3 seem to indicate that God in fact called Abram in Ur of the Chaldeans he may have even been called out of Babylon as a Babylonian that perhaps even sought to help build that great city which God judged as the key city of the Chaldeans was Babylon (e.g. Isaiah 13:19, 48:14; Jeremiah 24:5, 25:12, 50:1; Ezekiel 1:3, 12:13, 23:15). Amazingly, Abram was apparently just a regular godless Baby-

lonian when, much like Noah, he too found gracious favor in the eyes of the Lord. Amidst Gods judging of the Babylonians by scattering them into various nations God raises up one of their own to conversely be the man through who Gods blessing will be sent forth to the nations. God simply told Abram to leave his homeland and father to journey to a new land that God would show him. God then promised Abram that thought his wife was barren he would be a father. Through Abrams son was promised a great nation blessed by God that would be a blessing to the nations of the earth through one of his offspring/seed. This promised seed is singular, meaning Jesus, and not plural meaning Israel (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:1, 1:17; Galatians 3:16). God also promised to make Abrams name great, the same thing the Babylonians failed to achieve as they pursued it apart from God. Abram was also told he would that his descendants would receive the Promised Land if he in faith made a radical break with his past leaving his home. This entry into the Promised Land was not fulfilled in Genesis as the book ends with Joseph requesting that his bones be taken from Egypt to the Promised Land in the day that Gods people finally entered that

place. Additionally, Exodus also ends with the expectation of one day entering the Promised Land (Exodus 40:34-38), a longing not realized until after the death of Moses in the opening chapters of Joshua. In faith Abram believed and obeyed God, doing as God commanded at the age of seventyfive. He took his wife Sarai, their household, and his Nephew Lot who becomes a troublesome figure later in the story. God then appeared to Abram who responded by worshiping God in faith by building an altar as he does throughout the book after encountering God (12:7, 12:8, 13:18, 22:9). Abram then settled in Bethel just north of Jerusalem which is an important city in the Old Testament mentioned more times than any other city but Jerusalem. The central point of the account of Abram is discovered when contrasting Abram with Babylon, both the story which preceded his call and the city that was the location he was called from. The Babylonians sought to be a great nation, blessed people, great in name, protected from their enemies, and the centerpiece of world affairs. But, they pursued their aims apart from faith and apart from God. So, God called one of them, Abram, out

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into covenant with Himself and promised to give to Abram all that the Babylonians had strived for by His gracious provision. Therefore, God is showing that our hope cannot rest in the efforts of sinners to save and bless themselves. Rather, our only hope is to be found in entering into covenant relationship with God by faith.

Abram goes on to dominate Genesis until his death in 25:11 somewhere around 2000 B.C. And, the lens of Genesis focuses in from this point forward on the descendants of Abram as Gods covenant people raised up to be blessed and a blessing to the nations as Abram, like Noah, is a picture of Gods divine election.

Abraham and Lot Separate Scripture to Read: Genesis 12:10 13:18 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 13:16 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. Commentary: hus far we have seen God call and bless Adam, Noah, and Abram. And, we have seen each man after their call from God sin against God. Adam ate the forbidden fruit, Noah got drunk, and now Abram who is the man of faith acts without faith in Gods promise to protect him. Thus far, the point Moses is making repeatedly is that there is not a man sufficient to remedy the sin problem which paves the way for God becoming the man Jesus Christ to remedy the sin problem Himself. The story of Abraham in this section begins with Abraham entering Egypt to escape a great famine. He feared that men would so desire his antique though apparently beautiful wife that she should lie and say that she was his sister so that he would not be harmed. The unsuspecting Egyptians believed Abrams lie, bringing the lovely Sarai to the great Pharaoh and rewarding Abram with great gifts for the right to pursue his wife whom they thought was his sister. Oddly, Pharaoh who is the godless man in the story appears more morally upright than the godly man Abram. However, God punished Pharaoh until the secret was revealed and Sarai was released to Abram though she had not been yet sexually violated. Abrams journey into Egypt foreshadows the four hundred year exile there in the book of Exodus in which God safely delivers Abrams descendants from the hand of Pharaoh as He had their mother Sarai and father Abram. In the next section Abram and his closest relative, Lot, had become so prosperous that they needed to separate because the land could not accommodate them both with all of their households and animals. Their affluence is evidence of the fulfillment of Gods promise to bless

Study Tips What additional light does Hebrews 11:8-12 shed on Abrams response to Gods call? In what ways did Abram demonstrate faith in Genesis 12:1-9? In Genesis chapters 1-11 the word blessing was used five times and in this call of Abram the word is again used five times. What does blessing mean and how does one receive Gods blessing? Abrams name (including Abraham) appears over 300 times in the Bible. Why is he such an important figure in Scripture? According to Galatians 3:16 who is the blessing that is the offspring/seed of Abraham?

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Abram and to cause others to be blessed by him. Abram allowed Lot to select which portion of land he would choose. The link between these two accounts is God sparing Abram from himself. God had promised to give Abram both offspring and the Promised Land and in the nearly giving away his wife to Pharaoh and the Promised Land to Lot, Abram would have ruined all that God had promised him. Fortunately, God did intervene and through inflicting diseases on Pharaoh and his household, and causing Lot to choose land other than the Promised Land, God made good on His promises in spite of His servant. While we cannot be certain, it appears that Abram acted in unbelief with Pharaoh. But, after doing so Abram called on the name of the Lord in worship (Genesis 13:4) which may have refocused his faith back to God after a good time in repentance. Since he did so at the place of his earlier worship when he began in faith it is likely that Abrams return to the place at which his faith was first evidenced in worship was also his return to trusting God by faith. This seems likely because after his worship we see Abram go from faithless with Pharaoh to a man of faith with Lot trusting God to give him the Promised Land.

The central theological point in these accounts seems to be that while Gods servants are imperfect it is His sovereign protection which saves us from ourselves and makes His promises become reality. Additionally, those who do belong to the Lord quickly learn from the unbelief, as Abram did with Pharaoh, and trust God by faith as Abram subsequently did with Lot. Since Abram was older than Lot he would have had the right to choose the best land first, but it seems that Abram allowed Lot to choose first in faith that the Lord would give him the Promised Land by pure grace and no effort of his own. This same pattern of Abram relaying solely on the Lord to provide for him again appears in the next chapter where in Genesis 14:22-24 Abram again rejects riches in favor of receiving it solely from God. Therefore, Abram apparently learned his lesson with the Pharaoh and returned to a life of radical trust in God to protect and provide which enabled Abram to live humbly so that the Lord could exalt him just like He did Jesus.

Study Tips What do the accounts of Abram and Pharaoh and Abram and Lot reveal to you about Gods sovereign protection of His people? According to these two accounts, how can we rest assured that Gods promises to bless His people will come to pass? Do you believe Abrams actions of allowing Lot to choose his portion of the land is an example of his faith in God or a foolish mistake?

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Abraham Rescues Lot, Meets Melchizedek Scripture to Read: Genesis 14:1 14:24 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 14:18-20a Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. Commentary: enesis chapter 14 includes both a harrowing and a mesmerizing account regarding Abram. The first account is about a great war. The second account is about a great man. Though Lot was a righteous man, he had taken up residence in the godless city of Sodom (cf. II Peter 2:7-8). And, when a war broke out and his city was overtaken Abraham's nephew Lot was one of the men taken captive in war. The report of Lots captivity is brought to Abram the Hebrew (the word Hebrew here appears for the first time in Scripture) from someone who had successfully fled the war. Abram was apparently very wealthy as he gathered his 318 trained men from his personal army and defeated the army holding Lot. And, while a personal army of 318 men is quite large, it is not large compared to the armies of entire nations. Therefore, Moses likely provides for us the number of Abrams warriors to demonstrate that Abram ultimately won his battle by the blessing of God who promised to protect him and curse those who cursed him. Melchizedek likewise recognized that it was God who was ultimately responsible for the defeat of Abrams enemies (Genesis 14:20). Abram the great warrior also recovered the stolen plunder and freed the men, women, and children as a blessing to both Lot and his fellow captives. Abram the warrior then appears to be something of a king as both the king of Sodom and King of Salem came out to meet with him. Mechizedek was the king of Salem which is short for Jerusalem (e.g. Psalm 76:2). And, Melchize-

dek is indeed a shadowy man enveloped in mystery for many. Some Bible commentators have believed that he was a Christophony (appearance of Jesus before His birth), while others believe he was everything from an angel, to a type of Jesus Christ, or perhaps simply a powerful man. In Genesis we read the following about Mechizedek. First, he was the king of Jerusalem. Second, he brought out bread and wine to fellowship with Abram not unlike communion. Third, he was a priest though the priesthood from Aaron had not yet been established. Fourth, he blessed Abram as God had, and he blessed Abrams God. Fifth, Abram recognized his greatness giving him a tenth of his possessions, or a tithe. Whoever Melchizedek was, Abrams response to him is one

of great faith. The powerful and wealthy Melchizedek offered Abram great wealth, but Abram rejected the offering. He did so because God had promised to bless him and make him prosper and Abram was unwilling to act in unbelief by gaining wealth through the hand of anyone but God alone as an act of faith. Additionally, Abram knew that if he accepted wealth from Melchizedek it could obligate him to the man which could lead to a conflict between his loyalties to God and loyalties to a man. Therefore, in faith Abram rejected the wealth and protection this great king offered him in favor of trusting God alone to provide for and protect him as He had promised. Again, we see Abram by faith leaving his fate in Gods hands.

Study Tips What do you learn about God from Abrams fight in a great battle and friendship with a great man? What changes have occurred in Abrams faith since he worshiped God in Genesis 13:3-4? For further study on Melchizedek see Psalm 110, Hebrews 5 and Hebrews 7. Who do you think Melchizedek was?

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Gods Covenant with Abraham Scripture to Read: Genesis 15:1-21 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Commentary: e now come to one of the most significant chapters in the Bible recounting Gods call of Abram. In this chapter the vital themes of faith and covenant appear. Genesis opens with God speaking and preparing creation for mankind by the power of His Word. Throughout Genesis God has thus far spoken to Adam, Noah, and Abram. And, in Genesis 15:1 God again speaks to Abram in a vision, preparing the man for covenant as He had prepared creation for the man through the shaping power of His Word. And, whereas later in Genesis 20:7 Abram is clearly called a prophet, here he is cast in that role as the Word of the Lord had come to him, a phrase repeated some 221 times throughout the Old Testament when God gives His Word to His prophet. In Genesis 15:2 we also witness the first time that Abram spoke to the Lord in response. Until this point when God spoke to him, Abram simply believed God and obeyed Him. But, as Abrams relationship with God has grown he now takes the liberty of respectfully inquiring of how God will provide for him. Abrams speech may indicate a wavering in his faith as when he is silent it appears Abram acts in faith and when he questions God it appears that doubt is creeping into his mind. If there is doubt, it may be in part because God had already promised Abram a son some time earlier (Genesis 12:2) and he had not yet had a son, and would not until some twentyfive years had passed from Gods promise of a son and the birth of that son, Isaac. God poetically promised to be Abrams protector and provider. God promised that though Abram was childless and his wife Sarai was barren they would have a son, and that through that son a nation of people would be born.

Genesis 15:6 reports Abrams response to Gods Word which is among the most important verses in the Bible saying, Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 becomes a verse that is central to the New Testament doctrine of faith in general, and Pauls doctrine of justification by faith in particular (Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6). Additionally, Jesus brother James quoted Genesis 15:6 to teach that true faith in God results in good works in life with God (James 2:23-24). Gods covenant with Abram was confirmed with a sacrifice and the shedding of blood. This, of course, foreshadows the New

Covenant of our salvation which was confirmed with Jesus sacrifice of His own life on the cross and the shedding of His blood. God then promised Abram that though his descendants would inherit the Promised Land, it would not be in his lifetime, but rather only after a future 400 year exile in Egypt. In this revelation, God foretold the entire account of the 430 year captivity in Egypt recorded in Exodus which is the next book of the Bible. God then marked out the boundaries of the Promised Land which the boundaries of which also coincide with the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14).

Study Tips What additional light does Nehemiah 9:7-8 shed on Gods faithfulness toward Abram? What additional light does Hebrews 11:11-12 shed on Abrams faith? Read Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23-24 in light of their surrounding contexts to discover the implications of Genesis 15:6 for you. What does Gods revelation of the Hebrews four hundred years of exile in Egypt tell you about both his knowledge of and rule over human history? What do you discover about God in Genesis 15?

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Hagar and Ishmael Scripture to Read: Genesis 16:1-16 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 16:11-12 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. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyones hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. Commentary: hroughout Gods dealings with Adam, Noah, and Abraham we have witnessed a pattern of God speaking to them, calling them into covenant, establishing them as the head of a new humanity, promising to bless them, and inviting the men to respond to Him in faith. We then see each man falter in faith and sin against the Lord despite His patient kindness to them. And, in Genesis 16 we see this pattern repeated in yet another mini-fall of sorts. After the establishment of Gods covenant in Genesis 15, Abram sought to take matters into his own hands by bearing a son with his Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. The faithless plot was conceived by Abrams wife, Sarai, who like her first mother Eve failed to trust the simple words of God and at least inferred that God had not kept His promise to her (Genesis 16:2). Their actions were likely motivated at least in part by the fact that they had been waiting ten plus years for God to give them a child since He had promised to do so and Abram was now eighty-six years old and his wife was perhaps sixty-five years old and barren. Abram married Hagar in addition to Sarai and the pattern of polygamy is here introduced for the first time in Scripture. The results of this polygamy are truly tragic, as is the case with other instances of adultery and polygamy in Scripture. Gods intention is that each man would have one wife (Genesis 2:18; Matthew 19:4-6). The first man to take more than one wife was the godless man Lamech (Genesis 4:19-24). And, when practiced

polygamy is wrought with favoritism, fighting, jealousy, and mistreatment (e.g. Genesis 25:28, 27:1-45, 35:22, 38:18-28; II Samuel 3:2-5, 13:1-29, 15:118:33; I Kings 11:1-4). This also helps to explain why in the New Testament church elders who serve as the pattern for Christian families are to be one woman men (I Timothy 3:2,12). Abram slept with Hagar and she bore him a son. And, in bitter irony Sarai blamed Abram for the rift in their family because he slept with Hagar as Sarai wanted him too. Much like his father, Adam, Abram then allowed Sarai to lead their family and do as she pleased to Hagar rather than leading his family and caring for his son. Sarai mistreated Hagar which caused Hagar to flee from her. Moses carefully paints this picture in very sad terms, showing the mistreated Hagar sitting alone and heartbroken near a spring in the desert. But, God intervenes as the hero of both this chapter of Genesis and the canon of Scripture altogether. And, just as God came searching for Adam and Eve in the Garden, the angel of the Lord came searching for Hagar in the desert. The angel of the Lord spoke to her to inquire of her circumstances. Hagar explained that she was running

from the abusive Sarai. The angel of the Lord instructed Hagar to return to Sarai and trust that God would protect her and provide for her and her son like He had Abram. God also promised that her son would become the father of a great nation because he was a son of Abram, though not the son of the promise as that would eventually be Isaac. God also told Hagar that his name would be Ishmael, which means God hears, because God had heard her weeping and responded with kindness. God then promises that Ishmael would be a wild donkey of a man and that he would be a warrior in hostility with his brothers who would descend from Abram. In this account, the birth of Hagars son is announced by an angel much like the birth of Jesus is proclaimed by the angel Gabriel in Luke 1. Both announcements are given to the mother (Hagar and Mary), both women are greeted, both are told that they will bear a son, God are given Gods favor, both are given their sons name, the future achievements of each son are promised, and the women both respond with thanks to God. Ishmael was born to a Hebrew father and Egyptian mother and became the father of the Arab nations that to this day are in hostil-

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ity with Jews and Christians alike as promised. And, they are also a very wealthy people as God has blessed them with the wealth of oil. Lastly, there is some question as to who the angel of the Lord is in Genesis 16. The word for angel generally means messenger. And, the Old Testament seems to distinguish between an angel of the Lord which refers to one of Gods angels, and the angel of the Lord which seems to refer to God Himself coming down (e.g. Judges 6:11-4, 13:22). In this section the angel of the Lord may in fact be Jesus because of Hagars response. In Genesis 16:13-14 Hagar named the angel of the Lord El Roi,

which means the God who sees me. Therefore, it seems likely that Jesus Himself came down to comfort and bless Hagar and she recognized that it was God who had appeared to her in love. If so, Jesus may here be sitting with a woman at a well much like He did during his incarnation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 who was likewise not a Hebrew but was a sexually sinful woman. Lastly, in this we see that God does love the Arabs who today are more likely to be Moslem than Christian in part because of this great family feud that began with Sarai and Hagar and continues to this day in great wars and conflicts throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East.

The Covenant of Circumcision Scripture to Read: Genesis 17:1-27 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 17:11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Commentary: ollowing Gods covenant with Abram in Genesis 15, and Abrams sexual sin with Hagar in Genesis 16, God then institutes circumcision of Abrams penis as the sign of the covenant in Genesis 17. The reason why God chose to mark his men on this part of their anatomy is not revealed to us but it makes sense as for men this is of great importance to them, the means by which they conceive children, and the cause of some of their most grievous sins. Circumcision was performed either with a sharp knife, or stone. Circumcision began in Genesis 17 with Abram who was ninetynine years of age as a sign of his covenant with God as the rainbow was the sign of Gods covenant with Noah. God spoke to Abram, and Abram responded to Gods command in faith, falling down on his face to worship God. God then changed his name from Abram which means exalted father to Abraham which means father of a multitude as the time for God to fulfill His promise of a son for Abram was very near. God then described His covenant with Abraham to include Abrahams descendants. God also gave Abraham the terms of the covenant which included Abraham and his descendants trusting God by faith in obedience by walking with God as Enoch and Noah had. The sign of their faith in God and membership in the covenant was to be circumcision of the male flesh of every generation and all of their household under their headship. Theologically, in the covenant of circumcision we are given significant insight into the doctrines of Gods sovereignty and human responsibility working together. In the covenant of circumcision God pledges to be a God and trustworthy God. He also calls His people to obey Him by faith

Study Tips In what ways is the story of Abram and Sarai a repeat of Adam and Eve? Who do you believe the angel of the Lord that spoke to Hagar was? What lessons can be learned about the implications of sexual sin from this chapter? God promised God both a son and many descendants. According to Romans 4 and Galatians 3:6-8 how are Christians the descendants promised to Abraham?

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as they are created by Him to be responsible moral agents. God then told Abraham that his wifes name would also be changed from Sarai which means contentious to Sarah which means princess. God also promised that through Sarah the princess would come kings with ultimate fulfillment to come with the birth of Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings promised to Sarahs great-grandson Judah in Genesis 49:10 God appeared to Abraham, something that happens on only a few occasions in Genesis (12:7, 18:1, 26:2, 26:24, 35:9). And, like chapter 15 Abraham spoke to God in unbelief rather than simply obeying Him by faith. Subsequently, in yet another minifall Abraham laughed at God in distrust that he and Sarah could conceive as God had promised. But, God kindly restated His promise to Abraham that he would have a son, even instructing Abraham to name him Isaac which means laughter as God would get the last laugh. Summarily, Gods portion of the covenant to Abraham consisted of offspring (Genesis 17:4-6) and eternal faithfulness (17:7-8). God also kindly answered Abrahams request to bless his other son, Ishmael, even though he was not the son of the promise or cov-

enant. God also promised that twelve princes would come from Ishmael in contrast to the twelve tribes of Israel and they are listed in Genesis 25:12-26. However, Abraham immediately obeyed God as Moses makes clear with the statement On that very day. Abraham was circumcised at the age of ninetynine along with every member of his household as God had commanded. He did this because God promised that any male who was not cut in circumcision would be cut off altogether by God. Since this occasion Jews have circumcised their sons on the eighth day as that was the day chosen for their father Isaac (17:12), and Arabs have circumcised their sons at the age of thirteen as that was the age at which Ishmael was circumcised (17:25). Gods covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17 has puzzled theologians because God had already entered a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. The two most likely reasons for both accounts are that God was either expanding the covenant of land in Genesis 15 with offspring in Genesis 17, or that God was again restating His covenant with Abraham after he sinned with Hagar in Genesis 16. Throughout the rest of Scripture the concepts of covenant and circumcision are expanded to

include we who are Christians as the descendants of Abraham by new birth. Circumcision pointed to the circumcision that God brings to our hearts through His covenant relationship with us (Deuteronomy 10:16, 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel 44:7-9; Romans

2:25-29; Colossians 2:11). And, those with hearts circumcised by the Holy Spirit are truly Abrahams descendants as they like him live in covenant relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 4; Galatians 3:6-8).

Study Tips Circle in your Bible each of the occurrences of the word covenant in this section. Make note of what God promises to do in the covenant. Make note of what is required of Abraham and his descendants in the covenant. What does Pauls teaching about God choosing Isaac over Ishmael reveal about election in Romans 9:6-9? Why does Paul stress that Abraham had faith first, and then the sign of the covenant (circumcision) in his commentary on Genesis 17 in Romans 4? According to I Corinthians 7:17-19 and Galatians 5:1-12, 6:12-18 do Christian men today need to be circumcized?

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The Lord Appears to Abraham Scripture to Read: Genesis 18:1-33 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 18:13-14a Then the LORD said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh and say, Will I really have a child, now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the LORD ? Commentary: n Genesis 18 three men appear to Abraham and since one is repeatedly called the Lord and worshiped by Abraham it was probably Jesus and two angels. The location at which Abraham is visited is the same place he had settled in 13:18 and had apparently remained there for a number of years as he stayed in the place God has called him obediently. In this we see a pattern that emerges as God reveals Himself in various miraculous ways throughout Genesis. They include speaking (1:3), visions (15:1), and angels (16:7). The account of Genesis 18 is about Gods visit with Abraham at which He again promised the birth of Isaac, this time within the year. Sarah was eavesdropping on the conversation between Abraham and the Lord and like her husband did in Genesis 17 she too laughed at the Lord. She likely did so because at this point her husband was nearing 100 years of age and she was likely around the age of 90, had been barren her entire life, and possibly had even completed menopause, all of which meant there was no possible way, humanly speaking, for them to have a child. God again kindly restated his promise that a son would be born within the year because nothing is too hard for the Lord. As the Lord and the two men traveling with Him got up to leave Abraham they then revealed to him the impending destruction of the nearby city of Sodom. This is likely because throughout both the Old and New Testament God requires at least two witnesses in the condemning of a sinner. And, the Lord remained to discuss the impending judgment as the two men went into the city to investigate it on His behalf. Knowing the justice of God

Abraham feared that perhaps the godly people in the city would be wrongly harmed amidst the destruction of the godless. But, the Lord assured Abraham that the city did not have more than a few righteous people and that

they would be spared as Noah and his family were in the days of the flood. Genesis 18 closes by setting the stage for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.

Study Tips How does Hebrews 13:2 summarize Genesis 18 and teach us about hospitality? Why does God treat Abraham and the inhabitants of Sodom so differently? How do Romans 4:19 and Hebrews 11:11-12 help shed light on why Sarah laughed at the thought of getting pregnant? What does Genesis 18 reveal to us about God, particularly His mercy and justice?

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Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed Scripture to Read: Genesis 19:1-29 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah-from the LORD out of the heavens. Commentary: n Genesis 19 the two angels whom the Lord had sent to investigate the sexual sin of Sodom and Gomorrah were welcomed for hospitality by Lot as they had been cared for by Abraham. As they rested in Lots home the perverted men of the city surrounded the home demanding that Lots guests be sent out for homosexual sex and possibly even to be gang raped by the crowd of men. Lot responded by offering the disgusting solution that he would send out his two virgin daughters to instead by gang raped by the crowd. In this we see the evil not only in the men but also in Lot who both chose to live in that city and was willing to hand his own daughters over to rapists. Fortunately, God intervened and blinded the perverted men. The two men then told Lot to get his family out of town before God rightly reduced the hellish town to ashes. Unlike Abraham who repeatedly obeyed God immediately, Lot was still in the city the next morning with his family and had to be literally walked out of town by the two men. Once safely out of the city one of the angels commanded the family to run for their lives without looking back or stopping. Lot then begged the angel to permit him to instead flee to a small nearby town called Zoar (which means small) and the angel kindly agreed to permit Lot and his family to do so. Lot and his family barely made it out of town in time as God rained down burning sulfur (literally burning asphalt) on Sodom and Gomorrah and killed all of the people, also destroying their land much like the days of Noah. Lots wife looked back in sin trying to save her own life in unbelief rather than trusting God to save her in faith according to Jesus in Luke 17:32-33. We

know nothing of Lots wife, but if she lived in Sodom it may explain why Lot settled there and why she looked back as they fled as she was regretting their departure. The account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah ends by stating that Abraham stood off to witness the smoke rise from the former cities and that Lot and his family was spared only because God blessed them for being associated with Abraham who prayed for Lot in Genesis 18:16-33. We are also told that God remembered Abraham as He had Noah (8:1, 18:29) Today, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is under great attack by people who desire to reconcile homosexuality and Christianity. These people seek to teach that God sanctions and blesses homosexual sex which directly contradicts Scripture (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9-11; I Timothy 1:9-10; Jude 17). They even go so far as to teach that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for reasons other than homosexual sin, often stating that God was angry because of the Sodomites inhospitality to the two men who were visiting the city. Such twisted interpretations are simply evidence that God

has handed them over to their sin and their minds have become so corrupted that they cannot see the truth as Paul clearly states in Romans 1:18-27. And, while God can and does forgive repentant homosexual sinners, the Bible is clear that homosexual conduct is deplorable to God who made us male and female, married us male and female, and intends sexual contact to only occur between one married male and his female wife and only a sodomite in the legacy of Abrahams day would fail to see this simple truth. Since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is the most graphic account of Gods response to sexual sin in general and homosexual sin in particular I want to briefly state the reasons why the sin judged in Sodom was homosexual sex. The sexual sin of Sodom and Gomorrah has long been held to be homosexuality as our English word sodomy indicates Earlier, in Genesis 13:12-13 when Lot chose to live in Sodom God warned Abram about its wickedness in the days preceding the visit of the two angels saying, Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched

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Jacob Wrestles with the Angel

(Genesis 32:24-31)

his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. Genesis 18:20-21 records Gods account of the great sin saying, Then the LORD said, The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 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. Even Lot said their sin was wicked which is saying a lot as his answer was the less sinful solution of offering his own daughters to be raped as in Genesis 19:7a-8a he says, No, my friends. Dont do this wicked thing. 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. In Genesis 19:5 it says, They [the men of Sodom] 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. Some have argued that the word rightly here translated sex does not mean sex, but when used elsewhere in Genesis it simply does (e.g. 4:1, 4:17, 4:25, 24:16). Even in this same chapter of Genesis 19 the

same word is used to explain that Lots daughters had not had sex with any men (19:8) which makes it abundantly clear that the men simply wanted to have sex with the men in Lots house. The parallel account of Genesis 19 in the book of Judges 19 likewise speaks of homosexual gang rape which is likewise condemned there also. And, if there should be any question as to whether or not the sin of Sodom was homosexual sex Jude 7 is emphatic on this point saying, In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In summary, the account of Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis 18:16-19:29 shows Gods righteous judgment of homosexual sin. And, in the account we also again see the faith of Abraham. Though Abraham knew that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed, and rightly feared that his nephew Lot and Lots family could be destroyed, Abraham did not run into town to warn them and save their life. Instead, in faith Abraham prayed

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to God for their lives to be spared and went to bed to sleep soundly in faith that God would answer his prayer. And, when he awoke the next morning to see the cities reduces to ashes

Abraham did not doubt that God spared Lot and did not venture into Sodom to investigate if he was indeed still alive but rather simply trusted God.

Lots Incest Scripture to Read: Genesis 19:30-38 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 19:36-38 So both of Lots daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. Commentary: n the closing account of Genesis 19:30-38 we witness one of the most troubling and bizarre stories in all of Scripture. There, the story of Lot closely resembles the story of Noah. After being spared widespread judgment that rained down from Heaven both Noah and Lot get drunk and end up naked and passed out. After seeing God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for sexual sin, and after God spared Lot though he sought to also commit sexual sin by offering to hand his two virgin daughters over to a crowd of homosexual male rapists, Lot actually impregnated both of his own daughters. After seeing the devastation that God brought to Sodom and Gomorrah and not trusting that God would protect him as he already had once, Lot moved into the mountains to live alone in a cave with his daughters. Lot had no wife as she had died, and the girls had no husbands as they were living alone with their father. And, fearing they would never get pregnant the girls got their father drunk and had sex with him. The sons they bore by their own father were the heads of the Moabite and Ammonite races that later became bitter enemies of Gods people (e.g. Numbers 23-25; II Kings 3). Lot is morally culpable for the incest because he is apparently a very poor head of his family. In Genesis 19:14 Lots sons-in-law laughingly mocked him when he told them that God was going to judge the sin in their town and his two daughters conspired to usurp his headship. And, in Genesis 19:30-38 he has his daughters living in a cave is oblivious to their desire to marry and have children, without a plan to give

Study Tips In Genesis 18:16-33 Abraham prayed for God to spare his nephew Lot and his family from the destruction in Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:29 says that God remembered Abrahams prayer which is why he rescued Lot. What things can you learn about prayer from this story? What light does II Peter 2:4-10a shed on the story of Lots rescue? What does this account reveal to us about God, particularly his holiness? What does this account reveal to us about Gods view of the severity of sexual sins? What other Scriptures are important to your understanding of the severity of sexual sin? According to Jude 7 what are we supposed to learn from Gods dealing with Sodom and Gomorrah?

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them in marriage as was his duty, and they have apparently learned to share his sexual disrespect for them as they together agree that getting their father drunk, having sex with him, and bearing his children is a good idea. Additionally, the girls share the values of the world and not the Lord (Genesis 19:31) which they learned growing up in the sinfully sick city of Sodom which Lot chose for them. The theological point of this story is that Lot was no more of a righteous man than the other men who perished in Sodom. But,

through Abraham Lot was given grace and spared the wrath of God. And, while we may protest Gods sparing of Lot the point is very simply that if God were not gracious everyone on the earth would end up going the way of Sodom. But, in time God uses what was evil for good as only he can. Eventually, out of the lineage of the godless Moabite race came a woman named Ruth, and subsequently Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:1822; Matthew 1:5).

Abraham and Abimelech Scripture to Read: Genesis 20:1-18 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 20:17-18 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, for the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelechs household because of Abrahams wife Sarah. Commentary: n Genesis 20:1-18 we read of the account of Abraham moving and again giving away his lovely antique of a wife as he had in Genesis 12:10-20. Fortunately, God intervened like one of the big guys in a mob movie through a dream that revealed to Abimelech who was king of Gerar that Sarah was in fact married and that God was going to kill him and his family if he touched her sexually. Moses tells the story in such a way as to stress the innocence of Abimelech (e.g. 20:6). In 20:7 God declares that Abraham is a prophet which is the first mention of a prophet in the Bible. And, God tells Abimelech that Abraham will pray for him, and that those prayers will be answered. The poor Abimelech who has been lied to and tricked asked Abraham why he had lied to him and put him in harms way with God. Abraham answered that he feared that Abimelech might harm him to take Sarah and so he sought to protect himself in unbelief rather than trusting for God to protect him as God had promised and demonstrated previously. Abraham then tried to weasel his way out of an embarrassing situation by telling a half truth that sounded more like Adams likewise lame excuse for sin instead of simple repentance. Amazingly, Abimelech was a kind man as he actually then blessed Abraham giving him sheep, cattle and slaves. He also invited Abraham to live wherever he pleased on Abimelechs vast land. To top it off, Abimelech also gave Abraham a thousand shekels of silver which is around twenty-five pounds. At this point in the story the godless Abimelech certainly appears as a bet-

Study Tips What wisdom can parents and children glean from the story of Lot and his daughters? What does the story of Lot reveal to us about God, particularly his grace?

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ter man than Abraham. Then, as God promised, Abraham prayed to God. We then read that God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his slave girls again so that they could again conceive children. God had closed the womb of every woman in Abimelechs household in punishment for Abimelech having taken Sarah. The point of this story is to again show that the fulfillment of Gods promise was accomplished solely by Gods sovereign and gracious provision. Up to this point in Genesis God has

repeatedly told Abraham that his son would come through his wife Sarah. Yet, for the second time Abraham gave essentially gave her away to marry another man. And, yet again, God had to fix Abrahams mess, prevent Sarah from having sex with another man, and return Sarah to Abraham so that they could have the son of the promise to fulfill Gods covenant with them and all nations of the earth. Simply, God is faithful to his accomplish promises even when his sinful people complicate his plans through disobedience.

Isaac Born, Ishmael Sent Away Scripture to Read: Genesis 21:1-21 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 21:1,3 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. Commentary: he book of Genesis has been building anticipation since chapter twelve for the birth of Abrahams promised son, Isaac. And, in Genesis 21 that longing is realized some twenty five arduous years later. Abrahams son was born just when and how God promised, and Abraham circumcised his son at eight days of age just as the Lord had commanded. Sarah responded with expected great joy as the elderly barren woman was given her son by a miracle of God not unlike her descendant Mary years later at the birth of the promised Son. Abraham and Sarah named the boy Isaac, meaning laughter, just as God has told them. And Sarah laughed. But, on this occasion she laughed in joyous worship for the grace of God which brought her a son which was quite unlike her previous laughter of unbelief that basically mocked the promises of God. As Isaac grew, tensions again escalated between Sarah and Hagar who had born Abrahams first son, Ishmael. When Isaac was about three years of age Ishmael who was in his late teens mocked and laughed at Isaac which infuriated Sarah, though it was in fact the same kind of laughter she had previously directed at God. Everyone in the story loves Ishmael (the Lord, the angel, Hagar, Abraham) except Sarah who despised him. But, God permitted Sarah to send them away and promised Abraham that though Ishmael was not part of the covenant that he would be cared for and protected. In this way God may not have been so much discarding Ishmael and Hagar as removing them from an increasingly tense and unpleasant family situation with Sarah. Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael out into the desert with only some food and containers

Study Tips What do you learn about God from this event recorded in Genesis? Why does it matter that we have a right view of God? Why does Moses continually reveal to us both the highlights and lowlights of Abrahams life?

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of water. And, while his actions appear to be thoughtless and cruel (which they may have been), it is also possible that Abraham simply believed Gods promise to take care of the boy and bless him as he already had blessed Abraham and those associated with him, such as Lot. Out of water and wandering in the desert with her son Hagar sat in despair anticipating that she and her son would die of thirst as he wept. But, as in Genesis 16 the angel of the Lord who is probably Jesus spoke to her. From Heaven he promised to care for her and her son and

make them into a great nation, and then provided a well for them to drink from. God remained true to his promise regarding Ishmael and the boy grew up in the desert as a skilled archer who ended up marrying an Egyptian woman which is a likely indicator that he did not worship God but lived by his own courage and strength. It would seem that the tensions in the story have now been resolved. But, as a master story teller Moses has reserved the climactic test of Abrahams faith for the near sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22.

Abraham Nearly Sacrifices Isaac Scripture to Read: Genesis 21:22 22:19 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 22:1-2 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham! Here I am, he replied. 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. Commentary: enesis 21 ends with the serene portrait that Abrahams life has finally all come together under Gods perfect blessing. Despite nearly losing his wife twice, Abraham still has Sarah. And, despite waiting for twenty-five years Abraham finally has Isaac. And, after residing near the Philistine king Abimelech for some time the land he had been using at the kindness of the king was given to him complete with a well to provide fresh water for his large household. And, the scene ends with Abraham planting a tree as a sign of rest as it appears the drama and uncertainty of his life has come to an end as he settles down to enjoy his days with his son and wife. However, Genesis 22 is then a brilliant literary contrast to the portrait at the end of Genesis 21. Some time later, when Isaac was likely a young man, Moses tells us that God tested Abraham. This statement clues us in that God intends not to lead Abraham into sin, but rather prove Abrahams faith as our old English word for test means. And, perhaps the point of this test was not for God to see if Abraham had faith, but rather for Abraham to demonstrate the depth of his faith in front of his son Isaac so that he too would learn to walk in faith as his father had. Echoing Gods initial call to Abraham in Genesis 12 God commanded Abraham to go and sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. This would have required that Abraham slaughter his son, dismember him, and burn his body. And, such a taking of a childs life was directly forbidden later by God (Leviticus 18:21, 20:2). Obediently, Abraham awoke early the next morning

Study Tips What light does Galatians 4:21-31 shed on why God allowed Ishmael to be sent away while Isaac remained with Abraham? When Abraham sent Isaac and Ishmael away into the desert with only minimal food and water do you believe he was acting in faith or cruelty? What do you learn about God from this story, particularly his kindness?

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without any noticeable hesitation and set out with his son to do as the Lord commanded. And, just before he murdered his son with the knife in the air above him the angel of the Lord (again likely Jesus) called to Abraham from Heaven commanding him not to harm his son. God then provided a ram to be sacrificed. And, the angel of the Lord again spoke from Heaven reiterating Gods covenant promises to give Abraham blessing, descendants, land, and blessing to all nations of the earth. The comparisons between this account and the death of Jesus are many. To help you see them I have listed them below: Isaac and Jesus were both sons of a promise that was given many years before their birth Isaac and Jesus were both born to women who could not have conceived apart from a miracle Isaac and Jesus were both firstborn sons Isaac and Jesus were both greatly loved by their father/ Father Isaac carried his own wood to the sacrifice just as Jesus carried His own wooden cross to his crucifixion Isaac and Jesus each willingly laid down their lives to their father/Father

Isaac and Jesus were both laid down as a burnt offering for sin Isaac was brought back from the dead figuratively and Jesus was brought back from the dead literally According to Hebrews 11:1719 Abrahams faith was so great that, By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. After having walked with God for many years and seeing God provide in very difficult situations Abraham had apparently learned to trust God no matter what. And, his faith in God was so resolute that he believed that even if he killed his son that God who gave him the son through a miracle could give him back through yet another miracle. After all, Abraham had also lost his wife on two occasions only to see God bring her back to him and Abraham believed that God would do the same with Isaac. Lastly, and I admit this is speculation, I believe that perhaps God

brought this test not to discover what was in Abrahams heart, as God would have already known that. But, God may have waited for this test until his son Isaac was a young man so that Isaac could see that Abraham loved God more than even his own

son whom he dearly loved, and trusted God with that which was most dear to him so that Isaac could see this event, experience the depth of his fathers faith, and love and trust God as his father did.

Study Tips What light does Hebrews 11:17-19 shed on this story? How do John 3:16 and Romans 8:32 echo this story? What does James 2:21-23 teach us about Abrahams act of faith as it relates to our lives?

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Sarah Dies Scripture to Read: Genesis 22:20 23:20 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 23:1-2 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 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. Commentary: t the end of Genesis 22 we discover that Abrahams brother Nahor (see also 11:26) had a total of twelve sons. Later, they would become the 12 Aramean tribes just as through Abrahams grandson Jacob would come 12 Hebrew tribes. Moses includes this brief note on Nahors family to set the stage for Rebekahs marriage to Isaac as she will be from the line of Milcah listed in 22:23-24. Then, Genesis 23 opens with the death of Sara at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven. To properly bury his wife Abraham purchased a sizeable piece of land with a large cave for her burial site. And, in a pretentious show of kindness Ephron charged Abraham an exorbitant fee which Abraham paid likely because he did not want to haggle over details while dealing with the loss of his wife. Ephron had offered to give Abraham the land for free, though the genuineness of his offer is suspect. Nonetheless, Abraham rejected the gift as he had the gifts from Melchizedek in Genesis 14 in faith that God would provide for him apart from obligating him to other men. This site became the eventual burial site for Sarah and Abraham, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah and Jacob (Genesis 49:30-32; 50:13). Today, it is believed that this cave is beneath the Mosque of Abraham which is a Muslim shrine in Hebron. With the sparing of Isaacs life and the death of Sarah Genesis now begins to shift its focus to Isaac and his son Jacob. Study Tips In Genesis 23 Abraham refers to himself as a wanderer living in tents. What light does Hebrews 11:9-16 shed on the home he was ultimately longing for? What have you learned through watching the life of Sarah in the pages of Genesis? According to Isaiah 51:1-2 how are we as Gods people related to Abraham and Sarah? Sarah found herself in some terrible circumstances because of her husbands leadership. But, what light does I Peter 3:1-6 shed on her godliness?

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Isaac Marries Rebekah Scripture to Read: Genesis 24:1-67 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 24:67 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 mothers death. Commentary: ith the death of Sarah and maturing of her son Isaac to the age of marriage Genesis now begins to focus not just on the God of Abraham, but also the God of Isaac and Jacob as Jesus taught in Matthew 22:32. Genesis 24 tells us that Abraham was old and had been blessed by God in every way as God had promised. And, in an effort to ensure that his son Isaac would marry a woman who would worship his God and not another, by faith Abraham sent his servant back to his home to find a wife for his son. Abraham did this trusting that the God who had blessed him in every way would be faithful to now provide a godly wife for Isaac by sending an angel ahead to arrange the details. Abrahams faithful servant did as he was told and went to the region of Abrahams brother Nahor. Stopping at a spring the servant prayed for God to provide. Before he had finished his prayer God had already answered it, sending the lovely virgin Rebekah to the spring. Rebekah drew water for Nahor and his animals and was clearly a very sweet and kind woman. When the servant inquired of her family she said her father was Nahor and that he was welcome to stay at their home. The servant was so overjoyed at Gods perfect provision that he bowed down and worshiped the Lord for answering his prayer. Upon returning home to her mother we are then introduced to the shady character Laban who was Rebekahs brother. Nonetheless, Rebekah agreed to go with Abrahams servant to be his wife. Upon arriving at Abrahams household Rebekah was brought into the former tent of Isaacs mother Sarah and married her. And, the account of Isaac and Rebekahs marriage ends with

the beautiful words that he loved her and she was such a delightful woman that he was comforted by her love after the death of his mother. Subsequently, Isaac is now positioned to take the place of Abraham and Rebekah is positioned to take the place of Sarah. Lastly, we learn a great deal about God in this section. And, we do so not through His speak-

ing, as he remains silent throughout the story. Rather, it is Gods unseen hand of providence that moves the story along showing that God is faithful to Abraham and Isaac, and that God answers prayer and can be trusted to provide even when he has not spoken but has been spoken to in prayer.

Study Tips What do we learn about the effectiveness of sincere prayer from the account of Abrahams servant? What do we learn about being a godly and reliable servant from the example of Abrahams servant? What do we learn about the importance of fathers ensuring that their children marry well from the story? What do we learn about the ability of God to provide a godly spouse from the story?

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Abraham Dies, Jacob and Esau Born Scripture to Read: Genesis 25:1-34 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 25:21,24 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. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. Commentary: ith Sarah now dead, and Isaac married to his lovely bride Rebekah, the stage is set for Abrahams life to come to an end. But, before he does Abraham surprisingly takes another wife (or possibly had taken this wife some years earlier) and apparently apart from any miracle the very old man fathered six more sons before dying at the ripe old age of 175. Abraham left everything to his son Isaac, and both of his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried their father in the land he had purchased for the burial of Sarah. Then, we are told of the account of Ishmaels sons to show that God blessed him as promised, even though he was not the son of the promise or the covenant. The inclusion of some Arab names among the descendants of Ishmael further indicates that he is the father of the Arabs. We then learn that Ishmael died at the age of 137 and his descendants lived in hostility with Isaacs, a family feud that continues to this day between racial Jews and Arabs. With Abraham and his wife Sarah and son Ishmael now all dead Moses moves the Genesis story forward to focus on the birth of Isaacs sons, Jacob and Esau. Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah and like Isaacs mother, she was unable to conceive a child. Isaac trusted that God could and would give Rebekah a son just as God had given him to his mother Sarah. So, Isaac prayed and God answered the prayer, giving the couple twin boys when Isaac was sixty years of age. Isaac married Rebekah at the age of forty and though he had to wait some twenty years for the birth of his promised son he did not make the same mistake as

Jacobs Reconciliation with Esau

(Genesis 33:1-7)

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his father Abraham and attempt to take matters into his own hands by fathering a child with a woman other than his wife. Curiously, while the other family lines in Genesis are usually quite large, Isaac only has two sons. But, while the twelve sons of Isaacs half brother Ishmael are mentioned in only a few verses, Isaacs sons Esau and Jacob receive nearly twelve chapters of attention in Genesis (25:19-37:1) because they relate to the promises of the covenant. The conflict between the boys began in the womb as they wrestled for preeminence. Curious as to what was occurring in her womb, Rebekah prayed to God for insight and He told her that the boys would struggle throughout their life as the older would serve the younger and each boy would grow into a nation in conflict with the other (Esau became the nation of Edom and Jacob became the nation of Israel). The first son born was Esau hairy who is also called Edom red who was a red and hairy child perhaps like Elmo on Sesame Street. The second son born was Jacob which means trickster as he came out of the womb grasping his brothers heel. As the boys grew, Esau was the mans man who hunted, ate wild game, and was favored by his

father. Jacob was a mommas boy who preferred to stay around the house and be doted over by his mother. This sort of favoritism became a damaging sin that Jacob also committed years later as a father himself (Genesis 37:3). As the firstborn, Esau was entitled to the family birthright which would grant him a double portion of his fathers estate and leave him as the head of the family upon his fathers death, as well as enable him to receive a special blessing from his father. One day Esau came home hungry and his brother Jacob the trickster got his brother to trade his birthright for a meal. In this account the younger brother displaced the older as had happened previously in Genesis with Cain and Abel, and Isaac and Ishmael. At the bottom of Esaus sin was an indifference about Gods covenant promise to bless the nations through the descendants of Abraham that would ultimately bring forth Jesus Christ as he flippantly dismissed Gods covenant for a meal. Amazingly, this struggle between two brothers in the womb continued well into the future. In fact, many years later it reached its climax when King Herod who was a descendant of Esau sought to slaughter Jesus Christ who was a descendant of Isaac (Matthew 1:1-2, 2:13).

Study Tips What does this story teach us about Gods sovereignty over the womb? What does this story teach us about prayer and Gods timing in answering prayer? What negative lesson do we learn about parents favoring one child over another in this story? What light does Hebrews 12:16-17 shed on Esau despising his birthright?

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Isaac and Abimelech Scripture to Read: Genesis 26:1-35 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 26:24 - 25a That night the LORD appeared to him [Isaac] 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. Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. Commentary: enesis 22:1-6 records the Lord appearing and speaking to Isaac as He had his father Abraham. Likewise, God promised to be with Isaac, bless him, and give him descendants and land according to the promises of the covenant. God notes that He blesses Isaac because his father Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws. Though Moses had not yet been born and the law had not yet been given he obeyed it by faith as a pattern of someone who had Gods laws written on their heart (e.g. Jeremiah 31:33). This is also precisely the same language which Deuteronomy 11:1 uses to explain those people who love God and demonstrate it by obeying the law given at the Sinai covenant through Moses. The rest of the chapter provides a number of similarities between Abraham and his son Isaac including: both men received Gods call and promise both lived during a period of famine both men dwelt in Gerar both men had lovely wives both men were cowards in the face of possible harm both men lied and said their wife was their sister both men were spared the consequences of their sin by Gods mercy both men were rebuked by more pious Gentiles for their lying schemes both men were pursued by Abimelech (Isaac may have actually dealt with Abimelechs son or grandson with the same name) for a covenant

both men were a blessing to their neighbors both men trusted God and lived peacefully with their neighbors Despite Isaacs unbelief that God would protect him and his wife, God blessed him nonetheless making him very wealthy. From the story it is apparent that Isaac was blessed solely because of Gods grace to him as he was a conniving and undeserving man. Much like his father, Isaac is far from perfect but God remains true to His covenant promises nonetheless. In Genesis 26:25 we then see Isaac build an altar and worship the Lord as his father had done which shows that he also shares the faith of his father. This scene closes by demonstrating how the unbelieving Abimelech recognizes Gods presence with and blessing of Isaac, something that God fur-

ther proves with the provision of a well that was essential to the survival of his household. Since Isaac accepted the piece of ground without a known well he may be acting much like his father Abraham did with Lot in Genesis 13 trusting God to give him the right piece of land and even provide him a well, as God did faithfully. The chapter then concludes with a brief note about Isaacs son, Esau. Like Isaac, Esau married at the age of 40. But, unlike Isaac he married two godless women rather than one godly woman. Esaus impetuous and foolish decision making that began with him foregoing his birthright apparently continued and was a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. But, the text leaves us to wonder why Isaac did not devise a wise plan to choose a wife for his son as Isaacs father Abraham had for him.

Study Tips How is the truthfulness of the truism like father, like son demonstrated in this story? Circle in your Bible the occasions in this chapter which note God blessing Isaac to discover why he prospered. In what ways does this chapter record Gods blessing to Isaac? What do we learn about God in this story? Carefully consider Genesis 26:25a to better understand what is truly in Isaacs heart, even though his actions do cause us to wonder if he truly loves God.

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Jacob Steal Esaus Blessing Scripture to Read: Genesis 27:1 28:9 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 27:36 Esau said, Isnt he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now hes taken my blessing! Then he asked, Havent you reserved any blessing for me? Commentary: rom this point until his death in Genesis 35:2829 Isaac is not mentioned again as he fades to the background and is replaced by his sons Jacob and Esau as the focus of the Genesis story. Early in their life Jacob the trickster took the family birthright from his foolish brother Esau. Now, this account reports how Jacob also stole Esaus blessing. Isaac was a very elderly man when he chose to bless his sons which would have in large part shaped the rest of their life because it granted them spiritual and physical blessings that were irrevocable because blessing is ultimately always in Gods hands. In this way the blessing served much more like a prophecy than a simple prayer. Because Esau was the firstborn and his favorite Isaac sought to bless Esau instead of Jacob. But, Rebekah, like Eve and Sarah before her, sought to take matters into her own hands because she favored Jacob over Esau. She devised a deceitful plan to rob her son Esau of his blessing and in her trickery we get a glimpse of where Jacob may have learned how to scheme. Isaac was duped by the plan and Jacob stole Easus deathbed blessing. And, while Esau understandably weeps bitterly the sad truth is that neither son appears very godly or worthy of the family blessings promised through Abraham. We then learn that Esau is so angry at his brother that he intends to kill him as Cain did Abel in Genesis 4. So, Rebekah sent her favored son Isaac back to live with Laban to allow Esau to cool down out of fear that she might lose her only two sons over her sin. Her hope would be that she would only lose her beloved son for a few days, but he remained away from home for some twenty

years because her brother Laban was conniving like her as the upcoming chapters explain. Before leaving, Jacob was blessed by his father and instructed to marry only a woman who belonged to God so that the promises of the covenant would continue through his family line. To spite his parents, Esau intentionally married yet another godless wife in addition to his other wives that had brought nothing but grief to his parents. Theologically, this section

raises the question as to whether or not human sin will continue to grow as it did in the days of Noah if a trickster like Jacob is the man acting as the head of the human side of the covenant. Since his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham both walked with God the question remaining to be answered is whether or not faith will continue into a third generation through Jacob or not. This sets the stage for the next events in Genesis.

Study Tips What sins do we see Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau commit in this section? In what way is Gods choice of working through Jacob or Esau truly the lesser of two evils? What do we learn about the importance of a man selecting the right wife from this section of Genesis? What do we learn about God from this section of Genesis, particularly his sovereignty to bring good through human sin?

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Jacobs Stairway to Heaven Scripture to Read: Genesis 28:10-22 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 28:12 He [Jacob] 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. Commentary: t this point in Genesis the covenant promises have been applied from the less than perfect yet faithful Abraham to his less than perfect but likewise faithful son Isaac to Isaacs sinfully deceptive son Jacob who stole both the birthright and blessing from his older brother Esau. Jacob who loved staying home was driven from his home out of fear that his brother would murder him and alone for the first time he possesses the covenant blessing but lacks the relationship with and faith in God that his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham possessed. Genesis takes a very important and dramatic turn when God appeared to Jacob at night to bless him with the promises of land, descendants, and blessing for all nations much like he had his grandfather Abraham in Genesis 15. After God appeared Jacob recognized God and named the place where God had met him Bethel which means house of God. Yet, it is questionable whether Jacob was yet truly converted as a believer because his prayer to God remains conditional and therefore lacks faith. Jacob in essence seeks to barter with God by promising that if God blessed him then he would worship Him. Theologically, the point of this section is to show us that for the first time in his life Jacob has encountered God. Subsequently, this is the beginning of Jacob not living under the faith of his parents but for the first time beginning his own relationship with God so that the God of Abraham and Isaac could also be known as the God of Jacob. The turn in Jacobs heart toward God first appears in his declaration that he will tithe to God which is the first instance of worship we have seen from him thus far in Genesis

and may indicate his conversion. As was the case with both Noah and Abraham before him, Jacob is likewise a sinner undeserving of Gods grace. But, though Jacob shows no interest in God it is God who seeks out Jacob for a covenant relationship which is the continual pattern for

all believers throughout human history. Indeed, as God stated in his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17 His blessing was to be responded to by obedient faith and He would have it no other way even though Jacob would like to have God bless him without him honoring God.

Study Tips What do we learn about the importance of someone having their own faith and not simply living under the faith of their parents? In Jacobs dream Heaven comes down to earth. How does Heaven come down according to Matthew 1:23 and John 1:51 and Revelation 21:2? What do we learn about God from His pursuit of the ungodly Jacob for a covenant relationship?

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Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel Scripture to Read: Genesis 29:1-30 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 29:20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Commentary: fter beginning his relationship with God on the way, Jacob finally arrives at the home of his uncle Laban who is the brother of his mother Rebekah. There Jacob is welcomed into the family. And, what transpires next is a fitting example of Jacob eventually reaping what he sowed. After tricking his brother Esau out of both his birthright and blessing Jacob seems to think his life is going pretty well as he escaped home before his brother could murder him, was welcomed into his uncles household, and met the woman of his dreams, the very lovely Rachel. Rachel had a sister named Leah who was fourteen years older. Both girls were unmarried, Rachel likely because of her younger age and Leah because she had a wandering crooked eye. Jacob wanted to marry one of the sisters, and not unexpectedly chose the younger and hotter sister with functional eyes. The tricky Laban made Jacob the trickster work for him for seven years to earn the right to marry his youngest daughter, Rachel. This was likely necessary because Jacob arrived empty-handed and would have to work to pay the bride price. Finally, Jacob got to marry Rachel. But, apparently Jacob had more than a few drinks in him, the face of his bride was covered during the wedding, and the candles were snuffed out in their bridal chambers that night because when Jacob rolled over to gaze into the eyes of his lovely wife he was staring into the crooked eyes of Leah instead of the lovely eyes of Rachel. Laban tricked the trickster and married off his oldest daughter. When Jacob confronted Laban for doing to him exactly what Jacob had done to Esau his uncle simply stated that it was customary for the oldest child to be

provided for before the younger. Labans reasoning was true even though his actions were wicked. And, in bitter irony the godless Laban was in fact acting more godly than Jacob who ended up in Labans household because he robbed his brother of the rights of the firstborn. In this we see that God did not look favorably on Jacobs deceitful actions and sought to teach him a lesson through fourteen years of hard work.

But, Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked another seven years for her father Laban to earn her hand in marriage. And, Jacob finally married Rachel after fourteen years of waiting and loved her more than her sister Leah. This sad truth will lead to many great troubles in the coming scenes of Genesis as the struggle between Jacob and Esau is echoed in the struggle between Rachel and Leah, as well as their sons.

Study Tips Note the occurrences of the word serve and work in your Bible that occur throughout this section. What is God trying to teach Jacob through all of this? How is the principle of Galatians 6:7-8 vividly illustrated in this account? How is God using Laban who is much like Jacob to change Jacobs character?

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Jacobs Sons Born Scripture to Read: Genesis 29:31 30:24 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 29:31, 30:22 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. Commentary: his scene of Genesis shows Gods blessing to Jacob through children despite the sin in his family. Because Jacob loved his wife Rachel but did not love his other wife Leah (literally hated her in the Hebrew) God chose to close the womb of Rachel and open the womb of Leah. In this we see the loved wife childless and barren woman like Sarah and Rebekah before her in the covenant family line. In very tragic words, Leah articulates her hearts desire that through bearing Jacob a son he would love her. God then gave Leah three more sons, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Leahs sister Rachel responded to the births with jealousy and anger much like Esau had responded to the blessing of her his brother Jacob. Rachel demanded that her husband give her children or she would die. And, these words later proved to be both prophetic and tragic in Genesis 35:16-19. And, in a demonstration of growing faith Jacob rightly stated that her womb was ultimately controlled by God. But, rather than trusting God as his father Isaac had in waiting twenty years for him to be born, or turning to God in prayer, the couple copied the sin of Sarah who gave her husband Abraham to sleep with her maidservant Hagar. Much like Eve, Sarah, and Rebekah before her Rachel took matters into her own hands rather than trusting God in faith and Jacob went along with the sin, ultimately conceiving Dan and Naphtali with Rachels maidservant. Rachel appears very godless in all of this as she is pushing her husband to have sex with another woman and she attributes the children born to that woman as God enabling her to beat her sister Leah whom she is very jealous of. Not to be outsinned, Leah too pushes her husband Jacob to

sleep with her maidservant. Leah named the son Gad which means luck and she failed to see that human life even comes from Gods hand. Jacob continued to sleep with Leahs maidservant and had another son which Leah named Asher because it made her happy (Asher means happy). And, the hillbilly soap opera gets even weirder when Jacobs firstborn son Reuben finds some mandrakes that he gives to his mother Leah. Rachel apparently really likes mandrakes as she trades sex with their husband Jacob for Leahs mandrakes in what reads like quasi-prostitution with Rachel playing the role of pimp. Happy to oblige, Jacob the gigolo had sex with Leah that night and conceived yet another son, Issachar. And, with bizarre reasoning Leah attributes the birth of this son to God blessing her for having her husband have sex with her servant which is a simple way of saying God was so happy about the adultery and

bigamy that He was blessing her. Leah went on to have another son, and eventually a daughter. Apparently somewhere in all of this drama Rachel prayed to God and He answered her prayer and gave her a son they named Joseph who was the youngest of the twelve until Rachel also conceived Benjamin in Genesis 35:18. The other ten sons and one daughter were conceived with his unloved wife Leah, and the maidservants of Rachel and Leah. And, the daughters of Laban appear to be a lot like their nutty deceiving father. But, through it all God would preserve his covenant through Jacobs sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel through whom Jesus would be born to deal with the human sin problem that was so evident in Jacobs family. The theme of this section as with the rest of Genesis and the Bible is that God is the hero that rescues self-destructive sinners from themselves by His grace and mercy alone.

Study Tips After seeing Gods sovereignty over the womb of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel and Leah what do we learn about motherhood? How does this help set the stage for Gods sovereignty over the womb of Mary also? How does this story demonstrate the great evils that occur from polygamy and adultery? What does Revelation 21:1-12 reveal about the importance of the twelve sons who came from the four scheming women in Genesis?

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Jacob Leaves Laban Scripture to Read: Genesis 30:25 31:55 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 31:42 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. Commentary: fter twenty years working for his father in law Laban, Jacob wanted to return home to his mother Rebekah and father Isaac. But, through demonic divination Laban learned that he had been blessed to become a wealthy and powerful man because of Jacobs presence, which was true because the covenant blessing of God accompanied Jacob. So, Laban the continual crooked deal maker sought to retain Jacob by offering to finally pay him a reasonable salary after twenty years of nearly free but fruitful labor. Like his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, Jacob entrusted himself to Gods in faith. Jacob rejected Labans offer and God honored Jacobs faith and made him into a very wealthy man. And, while it may appear as if Jacob is taking advantage of Laban in this account the truth is that God is simply righting a wrong and giving to Jacob what he had earned during twenty years of faithful work for Laban. God then spoke to Jacob in 31:3 as he had to his grandfather Abraham in Genesis 12:1, calling him to leave what had been his home for twenty years to return to his family. Jacob responded in faith, for the most part. He loaded up his family and left Labans home, but did so secretly without telling Laban perhaps because he feared that the clever Laban would find a way to keep him from leaving. Jacobs wives Rachel and Leah apparently have developed some degree of faith in God as they are willing to leave their own family like Rebekah had (Genesis 24:58) because they were ready to live by faith in God, trusting his blessing (31:16). Laban did not at first know that Jacob and his family had left

because he was busy in the height of sheep shearing season. When Laban learned that his daughters and grandchildren were gone he and his relatives pursued Jacob for seven days until they caught up with him. Humorously, the same Laban who tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters, became rich because of Gods blessing upon Jacobs twenty years of labor for him, and cheated Jacob by changing his wages ten times complained that Jacob had been deceptive with him. However, God protected Jacob by appearing to Laban commanding him not to harm Jacob in any way. Labans only other charge of wrongdoing against him by Jacob was accusing Jacob of stealing his household god, or idol. Jacob was unaware that his beloved wife Rachel had stole her fathers god and hid it under herself on her camel. Laban searched their goods looking for

his god to no avail. He asked to search the bags on the camel his daughter Rachel was riding, but she cleverly lied that she could not dismount the camel because of her period thereby using a long-standing female excuse that remains perennially popular and tricked her father the trickster. Jacob honored God by attributing all of the blessing he and Laban had received as having come directly from Him (Genesis 31:42). Then Jacob and Laban entered a covenant whereby Jacob agreed to take no more wives than Labans two daughters and would care for them both. Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren goodbye and the men parted company as Laban returned to his home, as did Jacob which sets the stage for Jacob to see the state of his brother Esau who twenty years earlier had vowed to kill him for stealing his birthright and blessing.

Study Tips What do we learn about God from this scene in Genesis, particularly his blessing? What parts of this story indicate that Jacob is growing in faith, that his wives have come to faith, and that Laban is still not converted? How has God been faithful to the covenant promises He gave to Jacob?

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Jacob Wrestles with God Scripture to Read: Genesis 32:1-32 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 32:28 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. Commentary: fter twenty years away, Jacobs homecoming journey was interrupted by two angels who met him at the border of the Promised Land. Not knowing if his brother Esau whom he had not seen for twenty years still wanted to kill him, Jacob sent messengers ahead to notify Esau that he sought peace and wanted to bless him with gifts intended to at least in part make up for the blessing he stole. The messengers returned to inform Jacob that Esau was comingwith four hundred men who were either an entourage to welcome Jacob or an army to slaughter him. To protect his household, Jacob split his people and animals into two groups hoping that one could flee and survive if attacked. In Genesis 32:9-12 we then see the faith of Jacob which has been apparently growing slowly over the twenty years since he first encountered God personally and prayed to God in faith that God would be faithful to His covenant promises to bless and protect him. Jacob then compiled a very large gift for Esau, and had it delivered to his brother. Before yet encountering his brother, God again appeared to Jacob in a very significant way. While alone one night a man who is called God came to Jacob, and it seems likely this was Jesus. Though Jacob was at this time an elderly man he wrestled with the man (either an angel or Jesus) all night unwilling to give up until he was blessed. At daybreak the men stopped wrestling and the man (either an angel or Jesus) changed Jacobs name (meaning trickster) to Israel (meaning wrestles with God and perseveres) as he has now transitioned from a man who excelled by trickery to a man of faith who trusted God to bless and protect him according to the covenant promises.

Jacob he had grown in faith to the degree that he had become a servant of God and was ready to reenter the Promised Land as a new man with a new name. The man with whom Israel wrestled touched his hip so that he would limp for the rest of his days to remind himself and everyone who

saw him that God had blessed him but could have harmed our killed him at any point justly and had been patient with him for many gracious years. The theological point of this account is that throughout his life Jacob was ultimately not wrestling with Laban or Esau, but rather God.

Study Tips Who do you think wrestled with Jacob? The word Israel appears over 1800 times throughout Scripture. What does this tell us about the importance of this man coming to faith as the link in the covenant chain preceded him with his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham? How is Jacobs life basically an illustration of II Timothy 2:13? What light does Hoses 12:2-6 shed on this scene in Genesis?

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Jacob Reunites with Esau Scripture to Read: Genesis 33:1-20 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 33:4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. Commentary: ow empowered as a new man by Gods blessing and his faith, Jacob/Israel no longer lingered at the back of his caravan hiding timidly from his brother Esau. Instead, he literally stepped up to the front line not knowing if the 400 men his brother was traveling with were an entourage to greet and protect him or an army to slaughter him. Either way, Jacob/Israel had sufficient faith in God to protect him to put himself in harms way for the first time in his life. Because he loved Rachel and their youngest son Joseph the most Jacob/Israel kept them at the rear to protect them from possible harm. The reunion between Jacob/ Israel and his brother Esau after twenty long years of separation is a beautiful portrait of forgiveness as Esau lovingly embraced his brother in forgiveness welcoming him home. Jacob blessed his brother with generous gifts that he attributed as provided by God, though Esau did not need them because he too had become a wealthy man, a fact he did not attribute to God like Jacob/Israel. Obviously, God had been working with great success in changing the hearts of both men. Because of his many animals and young children Jacob/Israel was delayed in making the journey all the way home. Esau offered to leave some men to protect Jacobs household, but by faith he declined stating that God would indeed protect him. Jacob then worshiped God by building an altar at Schechem which made sense as it was the first place that his grandfather Abraham had been visited by God and where Abraham built his own altar in Genesis 12:6-7. Genesis 33 closes with the wondrous portrait of the transformed Jacob worshiping the God not only of Abraham, and Isaac, but

also now the God of Jacob. And, much like the literary flow of the story of his grandfather Abraham though the story of Jacob/Israel appears to have climaxed as he is now an older man blessed by

God and ready to relax in peace his presence in Schechem is an ominous hint at what awaits in the following chapter because he was supposed to continue on to Bethel.

Study Tips What changes have you witnessed in Jacobs character as he transformed from the faithless Jacob to the faithful Israel? How has the arrogant and rash speaking Jacob become the thoughtful and wise Israel? What does Gods answering of Jacobs prayer in Genesis 32:9-12 teach us about prayer? What do we learn about God from this scene in Genesis, particularly his patience?

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Schechemites Slaughtered Scripture to Read: Genesis 34:1-31 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 34:25, 31 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacobs sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinahs brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. But they replied, Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute? Commentary: hen he was nearly finally home after a twenty year absence Israel (formerly Jacob) settled in Schechem. But, this decision proved to be as devastating as Lots decision earlier in Genesis to settle in Sodom as he should have continued on to Bethel as he was supposed to. Eventually, Jacob fathered thirteen children with four different women, two of whom were wives (the sisters Rachel and Leah) and two of whom were maidservants to his wives. At this point in his life Jacob had twelve children as his son Benjamin was not yet born. Therefore, he had eleven sons and only one daughter, a young woman named Dinah. Dinah went out to visit other women who lived in the area. And, while she was out the son of the man who ruled that area saw her. Whether he raped or seduced her is unclear, but the effect is in essence the same that he defiled her and took her virginity dishonorably. Worse still, he was a pagan man and then wanted to marry her. Intermarriage between believers and unbelievers is condemned throughout Scripture, and in Genesis Abraham was worried that Isaac would marry outside of the covenant as Ishmael had (21:21, 24:3-4), and Esaus intermarriage with the unbelieving Hittites which was a source of great trouble (26:34-35, 27:46, 28:8). Jacob kept quiet about the defilement of his daughter until her brothers came home. The boys were rightly grieved and furious, as well as disgusted by the thought of allowing their sister to marry the unbelieving vile man. Dinahs brothers then devised a plan to use the covenant of circumcision instituted by God with Abraham in Genesis 17 in a

Joseph Is Sold Into Egypt

(Genesis 37:23-28)

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deceitful manner to avenge their sisters defilement. Dinahs brothers told the unsuspecting men of Schechem a strategic lie, that they would happily intermarry with them and share all of their great wealth. But, the Shechemites would first need to be circumcised and take upon themselves the sign of the covenant. Three days after the men were circumcised and in great pain only two of Dinahs eleven brothers, Simeon and Levi, strapped their swords to their sides and entered Schechem to slaughter every man and deliver their sister home safely. Simeon and Levi then looted the entire city, taking for themselves all of the plunger including the women and animals. Seeing what his sons had done, Jacob rebuked his sons for putting his family in danger of attack from the other surrounding cities filled with allies of the Schechemites. But, his sons simply replied with the very poignant question, Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute? Theologically, the question begging to be answered is whether Jacob was right for rebuking his sons here, as well as in Genesis 49:5-7, or whether the brothers were correct in avenging their sister while their father sat idly by. And, though complicated it

seems that Jacobs sin of omission outweighs Simeon and Levis sin of commission for many reasons. First, at the end of Genesis 29 we read that Jacob hated his wife Leah. And, since Dinah was the daughter of Leah (30:1921) Jacobs patient silence and indifference to her defilement indicates that he was not much of a loving father to her. Second, because Jacob failed to step up and courageously lead his family he left a gaping need for leadership which his sons filled. Therefore, had he led his family and quickly devised an appropriate response the boys would have not had to. Third, in Genesis 34:30 Jacobs concern after the slaughter of the Schechemites is selfishly only for me as he makes no mention of his poor daughter. Therefore, it seems that Moses is trying to paint Jacobs actions in Genesis 34 as a temporary return to his old ways as he played favorites with his children as his mother Rebekah had. But, the actions of Simeon and Levi are not godly and honorable either. They acted out of rage, lied, tricked innocent men, committed murder, and looted an entire town. However, at least they loved their sister enough to avenge her honor which is more than Jacob did and while their

intentions are noble their actions are not which may explain why Moses allows them to have the last words in the account explaining their actions. Sadly, we see that the boys are tricksters like their father had been before God transformed him as his sin manifests itself in his sons. Therefore, in Jacob we see yet another mini-fall not unlike Adam, Noah, and Abraham. After enter-

ing covenant relationship with God, and seeing God save his life by gracious mercy Jacob responded in unbelief in sin. But, as is the case throughout Genesis human sin is used for Gods purposes as the line of the covenant family is protected from intermarriage with the Schechemites through the murderous actions of Simeon and Levi.

Study Tips What do we learn about Gods sovereignty in this account? Note the difference between how the young man who violated Dinah and her brothers viewed his actions (Genesis 34:3, 34:31). Though Jacob had not been involved in this trickery how do we see that his former ways have been learned by his sons? Do you think the brothers actions were noble, ignoble, or a combination thereof? Why?

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Jacob Returns Home Scripture to Read: Genesis 35:1-27 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 35:28-29 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 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. Commentary: acob had fled from his home as an unmarried man roughly forty years of age. Now, over twenty years later with two wives, twelve children, and great wealth Jacob had nearly completed his long journey home to Bethel. After seeing that his sons shared some of his former trickery and self-sufficiency rather than faith in God Jacob lead his family in righteousness in a way that he failed to with the account of the violation of his daughter Dinah in Genesis 34. God again spoke to Jacob to go to Bethel and like Abraham before him he obeyed. To purify his household that was apparently filled with spiritual lethargy and godless idols and superstitions Jacob commanded that all false gods and other spiritual paraphernalia be removed. In this act we see the progression of Jacobs faith. After wrestling with God and walking away with a more mature faith in Genesis 32 Jacob then witnessed the effects his weak faith had wrought among his children in Genesis 34. So, Jacob responded by rising to become the spiritual leader in his home before returning home to carry on the legacy of a faithful covenant keeper who obeyed God and raised covenant children who likewise obeyed God. After cleansing his household Jacob worshiped God. God responded to Jacobs faith by appearing to him again. God then blessed him and reiterated that his new name was Israel, though in Genesis 34 he had temporarily fallen back into acting like the old Jacob gripped by fear and self-preservation when he needed to live confidently by faith. God then reiterated His covenant promises of descendants, land, and blessing. Jacob responded by worshiping God and we are now seeing a rhythm of regular

worship and intimacy with God that had been lacking in his life until this point as his faith has greatly matured as is evidenced by Moses now writing of him as Israel rather than Jacob frequently throughout the rest of Genesis. As they were heading to Bethlehem Jacobs beloved wife Rachel died giving birth to Jacobs youngest son, Benjamin, who became the last of the twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. Shortly thereafter, Israels son Reuben slept with his fathers concubine, Bilhah. This great sin against his

father cost him his position as the firstborn son (Genesis 49:3-4; I Chronicles 5:1) Finally, after at least twenty long years away Jacob returned home to see his father Isaac, the same place where his father Abraham had also been as he now too had transformed from the young impetuous trickster to a patriarch of faith like his father and grandfather. Jacobs sons got to meet their grandfather, and then Isaac died at the age of one-hundred and fifty-eight. His only two sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Study Tips What changes has God patiently wrought in Jacobs character? What has Gods dealings with Jacob revealed to us about His faithfulness to his promises and his people? What evidence is there of repentance and faith in Jacob and his family in this account?

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Esau and the Edomites Scripture to Read: Genesis 36:1-43 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 36:6-7 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. 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. Commentary: t this point in the Genesis story, a number of peoples stories have been wrapped up. Rebekah and Isaac have died. Their son Jacob who was the son of the promise has returned home with his twelve sons, and without the wife Rachel he loved. All that remains is to conclude the account of Isaacs other son, Esau, and his descendants. This need is met by Genesis 36 which concludes the account of Isaacs sons so that the covenant promises can be further explored in the next generation of men, the twelve sons of Israel. There we discover that both Israel and Esau had been greatly blessed by God. The brothers were both so affluent that the land could no longer accommodate both of them which forced them to separate so that they could both continue to prosper. Their separation is friendly and beneficial to them both and told in a fashion similar to the occasion when Abraham and his nephew lot settled on different land for similar reasons in Genesis 13. In the genealogy of Esau there is a careful attempt by Moses to honor his family line and show that though he was not the son of the promise he had been blessed by God even though it seems unlikely that he is a believer. Throughout the genealogy of Esau we are repeatedly told he was the father of the Edomites, a nation that warred against Israel throughout history just as the boys had wrestled in their mothers womb. With the conclusion of Genesis 36 Moses has now provided a

complete though selective account of the lives of Isaac and his sons Esau and Jacob/Israel. Moses is then prepared to focus on the twelve sons of Jacob as they are the line of covenant

promise, and does so with paying particular attention to his second to youngest son, Joseph. In this way the remainder of Genesis is in effect still focused on Jacob through the life of his son Joseph.

Study Tips Note each time in the genealogy of Genesis 36 that we are told that Esau was the father of the Edomites? The struggle between Jacob and Esau that began in the womb of their mother Rebekah continued long after their death between the nations that proceeded from them. Read the book of Obadiah to see this severity of this conflict between the nations.

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Joseph Sold Into Slavery Scripture to Read: Genesis 37:1-36 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 37:3-4 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. 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. Commentary: n the story of Joseph the account of the families in Genesis greatly slows down as the book devoted only two chapters to creation and fully thirteen chapters to Joseph. If Genesis were a film this would be the lengthy closing scene of the movie where the camera pans in for an intensely dramatic closeup with a great deal of dialogue, tension, and drama building to a climax. In some ways, the book of Genesis essentially breaks into two parts. From Genesis 1:1-25:18 over two thousand years of human history are covered from creation to Jacob whose name was changed by God to Israel. Genesis 25:1950:26 covers the life of one man, Jacob, and Genesis chapters 3750 focus in on Jacobs twelve sons in general, and his one son Joseph in particular. Jacobs mother Rebekah and his father Isaac had tragically played favorites with him and his brother Esau which lead to great grief in Jacobs life. Jacob imitated the sinful pattern of his parents in Genesis 34 where he did not properly care for his daughter Dinah because she was born to Leah, the wife whom he hated. And, in the account of Joseph from Genesis 37-50 much of the trouble that occurs can be traced to Jacob. Unlike his father Isaac who fathered two children with one wife to whom he was faithful, Jacob fathered thirteen children (twelve boys and one girl) with four women, two of whom were maidservants and two of whom were wives. Jacob played favorites with his wives, loving Rachel and hating her older sister Leah. And, Jacob played favorites with their children, loving the first son he had with Rachel, Joseph, more than his

other sons. Jacob did not even seek to conceal his favoritism for Joseph, lavishly adorning the second to youngest son with an expensive coat of many colors which dressed him up in bling like some ancient Hebrew hip hop homie. Joseph also placed Joseph in authority over his older brothers by sending him out into the fields while his brothers worked to oversee their work and report back to their father which amounted to tattling in their eyes. To make matters worse, God had given the young Joseph dreams in which his whole family was bowing down in homage to him. And, rather than keeping that information to himself the young and perhaps impetuous Joseph told his brothers which only made matters worse. Throughout Genesis 37 we continually read that his brothers hated him, were jealous of him, and could not speak a kind word to him because they despised him

so intensely. The brothers wanted to simply kill Joseph, but the oldest brother Reuben who had forfeited his birthright by sleeping with his fathers maidservant sought to spare young Josephs life. But, while Reuben was away Joseph made the sixty-four mile journey to his brothers to check up on them for Jacob. The brothers stripped Josephs robe and tossed him into a well and then debated whether or not they should kill him or sell him into slavery. Lead by Judah the brothers agreed to spare Josephs life and make some money by selling him into slavery. So, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt. To cover up their sin the brothers then slaughtered a goat and sprinkled its blood on Josephs coat which they took back to his father Jacob. They tricked their father who had been a trickster himself at their age and Jacob mourned bitterly believing that his most beloved son had been torn apart by animals.

Study Tips Note in your Bible the occurrences of words such as hate, jealousy, could not speak a kind word and other terms that articulate how Josephs brothers felt about him. What do we learn about parental favoritism and sibling rivalry from the life Jacob?

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Judah and Tamar Scripture to Read: Genesis 38:1-30 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 38:15-16 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 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. Commentary: With the story of Joseph just getting under way in Genesis 37, the account of Judah and Tamar at first glance appears to be an unnecessary interruption to the thickening plot line. But, the focus of Moses at the end of Genesis is on Jacob primarily, and his son Joseph secondarily. Therefore, this section fits within the framework of the books conclusion as Judah is, like Joseph, one of Jacobs sons. This scene helps us to see the sinfulness of Judah as he is in many ways a young man much like his father was at that same age. And, over time God will transform Judah as He did his father Jacob from a godless to a godly man fit to be a patriarch carrying the covenant promises onto the next generations. The hillbilly redneck soap opera of Jacobs family takes a very daytime television trash talk show turn in Genesis 38. There, both Abraham and Isaac dreaded the thought of their sons intermarrying with Canaanite women as it would cause them to wander from God (Genesis 24:3, 28:1). But, Judah did just that and had three sons named Er, Onan, and Shelah. Er then married a woman named Tamar and without fanfare or details we are told that Er was a wicked man that God simply killed. It was customary in that time for a widow to then be married by her husbands brother who would care for her, protect her, and give her sons to ensure she had a stake in the families inheritance and to look after her in her old age (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). Therefore, the duty to care for Tamar fell on the next son, Onan. Onan was happy to have sex with Tamar, but refused to meet his obligation of impregnating and caring for her. So, he practiced coitus interrup-

tus, pulling out of Tamar at the moment of ejaculation in an effort to not impregnate her. Admittedly, I do not want to belabor the sin of Onan. But, many people wrongly teach that Onans sin was masturbation because they are fishing for a Bible verse to make it a sin and cant find one. This is because the Bible does not say a word about masturbation. But, one thing is certain, the account of Onan no more condemns masturbation than Ecclesiastes 9:10 condones it saying, Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Nonetheless, the sin of Onan was disobeying God and dishonoring Tamar by having sex without wanting to be obligated to her in any way or care for his widowed sister in law. Apparently Judah was not much of a father as Er and Onan were both godless men and God then killed Onan as he had his brother Er. Poor Tamar who had now lost in essence two husbands that were godless men was then taken into the home of her father in law Judah who sought to take care of her. He asked her to wait for his youngest son, Shelah, to grow up and promised to give her in marriage to him. Some years later Shelah had grown up but Judah failed in his promise to give Tamar to him as a wife.

So, like Eve who ruled over Adam, Sarah who gave Abraham to sleep with her maidservant Hagar, and Rachel who gave Judahs father Jacob to sleep with her maidservant Bilhah, Tamar took matters into her own hands rather than trusting God by faith. She dressed up like a prostitute and hung out on the street corner like the girls in my old neighborhood by the airport. Not knowing that it was his daughter because she veiled her face, Judah picked up Tamar and had sex with her. But, he did not have the resources on himself to pay for the trick so he gave her the equivalent of his credit card and drivers license to hold as collateral. Tamar became pregnant by the unsuspecting Judah. Three months later Judah discovered that Tamar had become pregnant by whoring around as a prostitute and became hypocritically self righteous demanding that she be burned to death. In this Judah demonstrated the same callous heart that compelled him to sell his brother into slavery, lie to his father, and not mourn at the death of his two oldest sons. Tamar then produced the items Judah had left with the prostitute he laid with, revealing to him that she was impregnated by him. Caught in his own sin Judah rightly declared that she

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was more righteous than he, that he had sinned against her by not providing her his son Shelah as a husband, and never slept with her again. Like Rebekah before her, Tamar gave birth to twin boys and named them Perez and Zerah. In an ironic plot twist Jacob the trickster had been tricked into believing his son Joseph was dead by his son Judah who was a trickster like his father who was then tricked by Tamar into becoming

the father of his daughter-in-laws children. The theological point of the story (that Judah is much like his father) was prior to his conversion and God has as much work to do in preparing Judah to become a covenant patriarch as He did with his father, Jacob, because through the descendants of Judah would come king David, and the King of Kings Jesus Christ.

Joseph and Potiphars Wife Scripture to Read: Genesis 39:1-23 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 39:6b-7 Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his masters wife took notice of Joseph and said, Come to bed with me! Commentary: n Genesis 39 we find Joseph working for Potiphar who was one of the great Pharaohs officials. Always faithful to his covenant promises, the Lord was with Joseph blessing him and causing him to prosper. Joseph proved to be such a trustworthy and godly man that Potiphar entrusted the managing of his entire household to Joseph, and God blessed Potiphar the Egyptian through Joseph the Hebrew in accordance with the covenant promise that God would bless His people so that they could be a blessing to other nations of the earth. We read that, like his mother Rachel, Joseph was very physically attractive. Potiphars wife was smitten with Joseph and sought to continually seduce him into bed with her. But, unlike his brother Judah, father Jacob, or great grandfather Abraham Joseph remained a chaste onewoman man like his grandfather Isaac had been. Joseph continually rejected the womans advances, declaring to her that he would never sin against his master or his God with such an evil act. This episode in the life of Joseph is an interesting turn of perspective in the book of Genesis. Until this point the emphasis has been on Gods faithfulness to His covenant people. But, throughout the story of Joseph we the human side of the covenant are emphasized through Josephs faithfulness to God in light of Genesis 18:19. In this the story of Genesis is gaining some hope. Until this point in the book each generation from Adam to the flood, from Noah to Babel, and from Abraham to Judah has seemingly become increasingly more godless. But, with Joseph we see that the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had finally been passed on to the fourth generation with Joseph whose character is perhaps

Study Tips What sins does Judah commit in Genesis 38? What does the inclusion of Tamar in Jesus genealogy of Matthew 1:3 and Luke 3:33 teach us about Gods ability to draw straight lines with our crooked sticks? Tamars son Perez became the head of the leading clan in Judah and the ancestor of David (Ruth 4:18-22), and ultimately of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-6). What does this reveal about Gods sovereign ability to bring good out of human evil by His power?

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matched only by Daniels in all of the Bible, and excelled only by the sinless Lord Jesus Christ. One day when Joseph was alone in the house with Potiphars wife she again tried to seduce him. Joseph ran away from the woman who grabbed his cloak. When he refused her advances the bitter woman accused him of attempting to rape her which caused Joseph, the innocent and godly man, to be thrown into prison not unlike the time he had been thrown into a well by his brothers. But, though everyone had abused and abandoned Joseph

we read that God remained with him and that God blessed him and caused him to prosper according to His covenant promises. And, we also read that Joseph fulfilled his obligations to the covenant relationship with God by serving the prison warden with humble godliness and honoring the Lord in all that he did. In this the theme of faith which dominates so much of both Genesis and the rest of Scripture is straining into the following chapters awaiting God to bless Joseph for walking with Him in humble faith like Enoch, Noah, and Abraham before him.

Joseph Interprets Pharoahs Dreams Scripture to Read: Genesis 40:1 41:40 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 41:39-40 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 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. Commentary: n this section of Genesis we witness the godly Joseph seemingly wasting away the best years of his life imprisoned in Egypt far from his loving father Jacob who believes he is dead after being sold into slavery by his own brothers. Worse still, he is an innocent man imprisoned by the false accusations of sexually assaulting the wife of his master Potiphar. Theologically, the point of this scene, as well as the rest of the Joseph story, is that the unseen hand of Gods providence is continually at work in our lives. Up to this point in Genesis God has often worked through his visible hand of miracle with such things as divine speech, appearing as a man, opening and closing even barren wombs, throwing fire and brimstone from the sky, and sending a flood. Now, God works in more subtle ways through His unseen hand of providence and dreams. In this we witness the freedom of God to work however he deems best to accomplish His purposes. By Gods providence the cupbearer and baker to the king of Egypt were thrown into the same prison as Joseph and placed under the authority of Joseph whom God had arisen to power in the prison. The men greatly angered the king for reasons that we are not given, but may include an evil attempt to put the king on a low carb diet. Nonetheless, God gave a dream to each man that they could not interpret. Knowing that Joseph was a godly man they sought him out to provide the meaning of their dream. God then enabled Joseph to interpret their dreams telling each man that their heads would be lifted up by Pharaoh. For the cupbearer it meant

Study Tips Thus far in the story Joseph has been continually obedient to God but has become an imprisoned failure in the eyes of the world while his brother Judah is apparently living freely with a much better life than he. What does this reveal to us about the often high price of godliness? In what ways is Josephs conduct basically an illustration of Jesus teachings in Matthew 5:43-48?

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that he would be returned to his previous post in honor, while for the baker it meant that his head would be hung in a noose off of a tree. On Pharaohs birthday, three days after Joseph interpreted the mens dreams, his interpretation came to pass exactly as God had revealed to him. Tragically, the chief cupbearer who was restored to working with the king forgot about Joseph even though Joseph had specifically requested that he not be forgotten. But, God did not forget Joseph or leave him abandoned in prison. Two more years passed until God gave dreams to the Pharaoh which troubled him because he could not understand their meaning. Subsequently, he called for his pagan magicians and interpreters to provide the meaning of his dreams which they could not because its meaning was known by God alone. God then enabled the chief cupbearer to remember how Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream and the dream of the now deceased baker in prison. Joseph was then summoned from his dungeon, bathed, shaved, and clothed in a matter fitting to meet the king. And, in astounding humility which gave all credit to God for his skills, Joseph told the king that he could not interpret the dream, but that God

could and would through him. Joseph then interpreted king Pharaohs dream according to Gods enablement. He told the king that seven years of abundance, which were to begin shortly, would be followed by seven years of severe famine. Subsequently, God in mercy also revealed to Pharaoh through Joseph a plan to save the abundance in preparation for the years of famine. Theologically, this account is very insightful. Politically, the Egyptian empire was the most powerful on earth for an amazing 1300 years, twice as long as the famed Greek and Roman empires. Geographically, Egypt was a long and narrow country of about 13,000 square miles isolated by the surrounding deserts, mountains, sea, and valley. Theologically, Egypt was ruled by a succession of mighty Pharaohs who were worshiped as a sort of mediator god who connected life on the earth to life in the spirit realm and alone walked between the two worlds. As deity, the Pharaohs had their pyramids built to ensure their safe passage from this world to the next, and viewed the pyramid as a sort of ladder transporting their soul into the next world. Simply, there was no nation on earth more powerful than Egypt, and there was

no man in Egypt more powerful than the Pharaoh whose will was supreme. But, in this account we discover that Josephs God was in fact supreme because He alone could give dreams, He alone could interpret those dreams, and the future that He promised could not

be thwarted by anyone, including the mighty Pharaoh. Therefore, Josephs God was supreme to even the Pharaoh and had sent Joseph to Egypt as a sort of missionary to bless that nation according to His covenant promise to bless the nations of the earth through His people whom He blessed.

Study Tips How is Josephs life essentially an illustration of Proverbs 3:1-7 and 22:4? In what ways do we witness Gods unseen hand of providential sovereignty in the life of Joseph? What do the insights of godless pagans in Genesis 39:3, 29:23, 41:39-40 reveal about the evidence of Josephs close relationship with God? What do we learn about God from this story, particularly His providence and supremacy?

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Joseph Encounters His Brothers Scripture to Read: Genesis 41:41 43:34 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 43:29-30 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mothers son, he asked, Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about? And he said, God be gracious to you, my son. 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. Commentary: ing Pharaoh clearly saw the Spirit of God at work in Joseph and in a sense borrowed his faith by obeying Gods commands. Recognizing that Joseph was both discerning and wise by Gods power he appointed Joseph to a position of rank over Egypt second only to his throne. In this way Joseph is ruling over Pharaohs kingdom as his viceregent in much the same way that God appointed Adam to rule over creation in the opening chapter of Genesis. At this point in his life Joseph was thirty years of age and had gone from a nomadic shepherd boy despised by his brothers to a ruler in Egypt with the Spirit of God in his heart enabling him to do the miraculous, and signet ring of the king on his finger enabling him to run the state affairs of that great nation with the authority of the Pharaoh. God also blessed Joseph with a wife and sons according to Gods covenant promises. Like his great grandfather Abraham, Joseph obeyed the Lord in faith. He stored up vast amounts of food during the seven years of plenty that God had promised would come. And, in the ensuring seven years of severe famine king Pharaoh entrusted to Joseph the distribution of food to the many nations coming to him with great need in partial fulfillment of Gods covenant promise to bless the nations through His people (Genesis 41:57). Meanwhile, back at Josephs home that he had not seen since he was a young man the famine had created dire circumstances. So, Josephs father Jacob sent

his sons minus the youngest, Benjamin, to Egypt to buy grain. Jacob likely kept Benjamin back because he was his only other son from his beloved wife Rachel and he feared that Benjamin might be taken from him by tragedy as Joseph had been. In a dramatic plot twist, Josephs brothers appear before him and bow down requesting grain just as they had in his dream for which they sold him into slavery in Egypt. And, though Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him perhaps both because he had aged and also now looked, acted, and sounded Egyptian. Cleverly, Joseph spoke to his brothers through an interpreter though he could speak both Egyptian and Hebrew. Therefore, not thinking that Joseph could understand them his brothers spoke openly in Hebrew in Josephs presence about their remorse for selling him into slavery. Wanting to see them again, and hoping to discover if his beloved father Jacob was still alive Joseph devised a plan to keep one brother, Simeon, in custody until they returned with their youngest brother, Benjamin, who was Josephs only full blood brother born by both Jacob and Rachel.

Upon returning home, the boys informed Jacob of their plight and the need to take Benjamin which greatly troubled Jacob. But, having apparently grown in faith and godliness over the years as his father Jacob had before him, Judah stepped forward and took responsibility for the safe return of Benjamin. Jacob/Israel then asked God to protect his sons and sent them to Egypt in faith that God would protect them but with fear of their fate. Upon returning to Egypt Joseph invited his brothers, including Benjamin to a meal during which he learned that his father was still alive which caused him to weep with joy. Though Joseph did not eat with his brothers, he did provide a feast for them, complete with portions five times larger than anyone elses for Benjamin. At this point in the story of Joseph the tension is building as Joseph has not yet revealed himself to his brothers, has not yet sought to see his father, and has not indicated whether he intends to punish or forgive his brothers. In this way, the Genesis story culminates in a way similar to the account of Josephs father Jacob. Jacob was likewise separated from his father Isaac for many years and upon moving toward the moment of reconcili-

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ation there was a great tension as it was uncertain whether Esau would forgive his brother Jacob or seek revenge against him. Likewise, with Joseph we

now await to see if Joseph will disclose his true identity to his brothers and whether he intends to forgive them or seek revenge.

Joseph Revealed to His Brothers Scripture to Read: Genesis 44:1 45:28 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 45:4-5 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! 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. Commentary: n this scene of Genesis we see the very wise Joseph carefully working his plan to get his father to Egypt so that he can disclose his identity, reunite with his father Jacob, and bless both his father and brothers. The plan included keeping the youngest son, Benjamin, in Egypt under the rule of Joseph until Jacob journeyed to Egypt. The thought of returning home to their father without Benjamin as they had years prior without Joseph was devastating to the men. Most curiously, it troubled the previously wicked and hardhearted Judah the most. He stepped forward to passionately plea with Joseph for the release of Benjamin while explaining the pain he had caused his father through his sinful selling of his brother into slavery, Joseph himself whom he did not know he was repenting to and pleading with! Judah actually offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin, passionately giving himself as a slave to Joseph. Joseph was so moved by Judahs impassioned plea and transformed heart that he broke down in loud weeping and revealed his true identity to his brothers. Immediately, Josephs first question was whether or not his beloved father Jacob/Israel was still living. The brothers were understandably both stunned and terrified as they were uncertain if Joseph would forgive or avenge their sin against him. Joseph then spoke kindly to them with pastoral words that are as endearing as any ever uttered in Scripture. Joseph not only forgave them, but also instructed them to not be angry with themselves be-

Study Tips How is this account truly an illustration of Jesus teaching in Matthew 23:12? What do Pharaohs words in Genesis 41:55 reveal to us about the degree of trust Joseph had earned through Gods blessing and his obedience? What lessons can we learn from Josephs life to apply to our own work? How is this account in many ways an illustration of what Paul teaches in Romans 8:28?

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cause God had used their sin to accomplish His will. Additionally, Joseph expressed the joy he had in now being able to share Gods blessing with them by giving them great wealth amidst famine and great land upon which to prosper and live under the blessings of the God of grace who had blessed Joseph to be a blessing to others according to His covenant promises.

Joseph then embraced his brothers and wept for joy before sending them home to retrieve his father, Jacob, with whom he still longed to reunite. The unsuspecting Jacob remained at home believing that Joseph had been dead for many years and likely worrying that he may lose yet another son, particularly Benjamin, on his sons long trip to Egypt.

Jacob Settles In Egypt Scripture to Read: Genesis 46:1 47:12 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 47:11-12 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. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his fathers household with food, according to the number of their children. Commentary: his scene opens with the now elderly Israel in faith leaving his home like his great grandfather Abraham had before him in faith trusting God to bless him in a new land. Along the way Israel as a man now filled with faith much unlike his early years stopped at Beersheba to worship God, the God of his father Isaac. This was the same place where the previous patriarchs, his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, also worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 21:33, 26:23-25). Then, in the only instance of a divine encounter in the story of Joseph God appeared to Jacob commanding him to move to Egypt and promising that he would be blessed after reuniting with his long lost beloved son, Joseph. Jacob then obeyed the Lord in faith and moved to Egypt with his family that numbered seventy people minus his sons wives. And, in one of the most touching occasions in all of Scripture, Joseph reunited with his loving father Jacob as the men embraced and wept for a long time. Joseph then brought five of his brothers before the Pharaoh to ask a favor on their behalf. Curiously, throughout this story Joseph does not ask of things for himself as he trusts God to bless him and reserves his request for the benefit of his brothers. The Pharaoh inquired of his brothers occupation. They replied that they were lowly shepherds, a despised lower class people among the Egyptians. Pharaoh blessed them because they were Josephs brothers, giving them the choicest of land. Then, Joseph brought his one hundred and thirty year old father Jacob to meet the mighty Pha-

Study Tips What does Josephs perspective of history in Genesis 45:7-8 teach us about Gods providential hand in human history? When the New Testament repeatedly admonishes Christians to treat one another as brothers what significance does this command take on in light of the Joseph story in Genesis? In what way is this account an illustration of the principle in Psalm 133:1-3? In light of the story of Joseph how does Proverbs 6:16-19 take on new importance? How is Josephs response to his brothers an application of Hebrews 13:1?

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raoh. Amazingly, the lowly old man actually blessed the Pharaoh twice (Genesis 47:7,10) as the blessing of God was given through him as the patriarch head of the covenant family. Theologically, there is a very important principle imbedded in this story. It is not uncommon for people to reduce their faith to a series of rules and steps by which they live. Subsequently, such people are often confused by the Bible as they are prone to not recognize the difference between universal and particular commands. The universal commands are applicable to everyone everywhere at all times, such as the command for us to love people. The particular commands are

applicable to a person or group of people in a particular place at a particular time in history, such as Gods command for Noah to enter the Ark with his family. Earlier in Genesis God clearly gave Isaac the prescriptive command to not leave the land. In this section of Genesis God clearly gave his son Jacob the prescriptive command to leave the land. The point of all of this is simply that each man must obey God if he hopes to have Gods presence and blessing with him. In this way, the key to living with a free God is to have a covenant relationship with Him in which we listen to him and respond in faith that is demonstrated in worship and obedience like Isaac and Jacob.

Joseph Rules in Egypt Scripture to Read: Genesis 47:13-31 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 47:27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. Commentary: n this scene we see the effects of both Gods blessing upon Pharaoh and Egypt because of Joseph, and Josephs wise business dealings which made the Pharaoh exceedingly rich during the seven years of famine. In this we see that God indeed blesses His covenant people and blesses those who bless them. During this time we are told that Jacobs family which numbered seventy people upon arriving in Egypt was growing. This too was because of Gods covenant blessing that included many children as one of its blessings. In both the prosperous blessing of Pharaoh and Josephs brothers we clearly witness the faithfulness of God to his covenant promises. Additionally, we witness the lavishness of his grace as neither the godless Pharaoh who himself believed he was a god, or the brothers who had sinned greatly against God, their father, and Joseph deserved the bounty which God had given to them. And, with Jacob now in Egypt and the covenant family growing in number the stage was set by Gods providential hand to fulfill the prophecy God had given to Abraham. In Genesis 15:12-14 God had previously promised to Abraham that his descendants would spend four hundred years enslaved in Egypt before God liberated them as a great nation. All of the prophecies given by God to Abraham are in the process of being fulfilled in Genesis which sets the stage for the book of Exodus which is the sequel to Genesis also penned by Moses. God got the family to Egypt through Joseph and the famine. And, this small family that begins increasing there in Genesis 47:27 is a nation of a few million people some four hundred years when God crushes the Pharaoh in that day for mistreating His

Study Tips How is the account Joseph and his family an illustration of the principles Jesus taught in Matthew 20:16 and Mark 9:35? According to I Peter 5:5-6 why is Joseph a wonderful example for aspiring young leaders in the church to emulate? What do we learn about God, particularly his grace, from this story as God has blessed everyone in it whether or not they worship Him?

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covenant people in accordance with His promise to Abraham to not only bless those who blessed His people but also curse those who cursed them. Knowing of Gods promise to his grandfather Abraham in Genesis 15 and trusting that it would occur as God said in faith, Israel called his son Joseph to his side. And, Israel made Joseph promise to not leave his bones in Egypt, but rather carry them back to the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and bury him with the other patriarchs

there together. Joseph agreed and the old man worshiped God in faith as a man completely transformed by Gods grace from the godless trickster he had been as a younger man. Today, Israels bones lie in the Promised Land as he wished along with the other patriarchs. One day Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will rise together and see Jesus Christ face to face with all of us who by faith are the offspring promised to them through Gods covenant of grace.

Israel Blesses His Grandsons Scripture to Read: Genesis 48:1-22 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 48:15-16 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, 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. Commentary: ome years later as Jacobs life was coming to an end and he was sickly Joseph took his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to visit their grandfather. The old man mustered up the strength to sit up in bed to remind his son and grandson of how El Shaddai (the name for God appearing here and five times previously in Genesis) appeared to him in Luz (the older name for Bethel) and blessed him with the promises of the covenant first spoken to his grandfather Abraham. Jacob likely did this to compel his son and grandsons to continue in faith so that the covenant family would continue on in faithful obedience to God after his death. During this visit Jacob elevated Josephs two sons to the position as tribes of Israel along with Joseph and his brothers. Additionally, Jacob basically adopted the boys as if they were his own sons in love for them. He did this to replace his first two sons who had fallen out of favor with him because of their great sins (Reuben in Genesis 35:22 and Simeon in Genesis 34:25, 49:5-6). Because of the great sins of the oldest two sons, the rights of firstborn were passed onto Judah and Joseph (Genesis 49:8-12, 49:22-26), and Josephs two sons Manasseh and Ephraim replaced them as the heads in the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob then blessed his grandsons, intentionally reversing his hands in order to bless the younger Ephraim over the older Manasseh as had happened repeatedly throughout Genesis, including when Jacob himself was blessed over his brother Esau by

Study Tips According to Ezekiel 37:1-14 what future awaits the bones of Jacob and Joseph? How do Jesus words in Matthew 22:32 correspond with Ezekiel? How do we see the truths of Deuteronomy 7:9 actually occurring as we near the end of Genesis? Read the incredible sermon that the early church deacon Stephen preached as Saul (later renamed Paul after his conversion like Abram who became Abraham and Jacob who became Israel) murdered him in Acts 7 to get an overview of the lives of the patriarchs and their connection to Moses in Exodus.

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his father Isaac. Grandpa Jacob then blessed his son Joseph and prayed over his grandsons, asking God to be faithful to them

in covenant as He had been with he, his father Isaac, and his grandfather Abraham.

Israel Prophecies over His Sons and Dies Scripture to Read: Genesis 49:1 50:14 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. Commentary: n this scene of Genesis Jacob is nearing death and gathers his sons around him as a prophet to reveal to them their futures. And, while Jacobs words are technically a death bed blessing, they do also include cursing for some of the sons. Some of the most intriguing prophecies are given to Reuben, Simeon and Levi, Judah, and Joseph. Jacob begins by cursing Reuben for having sex with his fathers concubine (Genesis 35:22), and Simeon and Levi for being violent men (e.g. Genesis 34). He then appoints Judah as the son of the promise as Judah has made the journey from godless to godly man in much the same fashion as his father had. And, Jacob prophesies a coming king from the line of Judah in Genesis 49:10 which included David (II Samuel 7) and was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings. After speaking, Jacob then instructed his sons to bury him next to his beloved wife Rachel and his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. He requested to be buried in the Promised Land as his final act of faith trusting that one day God would allow his family to return just as He had promised. Then, Jacob lay in his bed and his faith became sight as he died and went to be with the God who had additional covenant blessings awaiting him. Joseph and his brothers buried their father according to his instructions and returned to Egypt. Theologically, the centerpiece of Jacobs blessing at the end of the book of beginnings is the promise of a king coming to rule all nations in the end from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10).

Study Tips According to I Chronicles 5:1 why did Jacob take the rights of firstborn away from Reuben? What does Hebrews 11:21 state about Jacobs actions in this scene? Note in your Bible the occurrences of the words bless, blessed, and blessing in this chapter. According to Paul in Romans 10:12 how can Christians in the New Covenant get a blessing like Jacob gave?

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This great theme of the kingship of Jesus builds with the coming of Judahs descendant king David who was given a promise in II Samuel 7 that an even greater king would be coming in fulfillment of Jacobs prophecy in Genesis. The rest of the Bible contributes a great deal to our understanding of who this promised

coming king is. According to Matthew 1:1-3, 2:6; Luke 3:30-33; Hebrews 7:14; and Revelation 5:5 Jesus is the promised descendant of Judah. And, according to Numbers 24:17; Hebrews 1:8; and Revelation 19:15-16 Jesus Christ is the King of Kings who is coming again to rule all nations of the earth in fulfillment of Genesis 49:10.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers and Dies Scripture to Read: Genesis 50:15-26 Scripture for Memorization and Meditation: Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Commentary: he closing chapter of Genesis recounts the end of Josephs life in Egypt. Beautifully, Joseph ended his life just as he lived it, as a man of grace and kindness who reassured his brothers of his love for and forgiveness of them. Joseph lived to be one hundred and ten years of age, a blessed man who got to bounce his greatgrandsons on his knee. Before dying Joseph reiterated his faith in Gods promises to Abraham (Genesis 15:13) and in some four hundred years his family would leave Egypt under Gods mighty hand to return to the Promised Land which is explained further in the book of Joshua. Not wanting to remain in Egypt but instead to be buried with his father Jacob, grandfather Isaac, and great grandfather Abraham Joseph in faith instructed his brothers that when their small family had become a mighty nation of a few million people that their descendants would carry his bones to the Promised Land. Josephs request was fulfilled in Joshua 24:32 some four hundred years later. Joseph died and there was never a more godly or faithful man in human history until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like Joseph, Jesus loved those who hated him and suffered unjustly at the hands of those who were jealous of his fame and glory. But, like the days of Joseph, what sinners meant for evil was used by God for good as He originally intended creation to be, and the saving of many lives through Jesus (Genesis 50:20). At the end of his life Jesus, like Joseph before him, spoke words of kindness, blessing, and forgiveness from his cross to his enemies thereby making them friends and brothers. Jesus, like Joseph before him, was buried in a tomb. But, unlike Joseph who

Study Tips Look up the following verses in your Bible to see the development of the kingship promise in Scripture: Genesis 49:10 Numbers 24:17; II Samuel 7, Hebrews 1:8; and Revelation 19:15-16? Look up Matthew 1:1-3, 2:6; Luke 3:30-33; Hebrews 7:14; and Revelation 5:5 in your Bible to see which of Jacobs sons is Jesus Christ descended from? Throughout the New Testament Jesus is repeatedly called the firstborn (e.g. Luke 2:7, 2:23; Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15, 1:18; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5). As you have seen the concept of the honors of the firstborn male in Gods covenant with us what does it mean that Jesus is the firstborn?

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remains buried today, the Lord Jesus Christ, rose from death in triumphant victory over sin as the second Adam who atoned and redeemed all that our first father Adam had lost. In so doing, Jesus proved that he was the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who had come to seek us as He had Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. One day, perhaps very soon, the Lord Jesus Christ will return as the King of Kings from the line of Judah promised in Genesis 49:10 with the scepter of sovereign lordship in His hand. On that day, our faith which the mark of Gods covenant people will be no more and instead be

replaced by sight. On that day King Jesus will call the names of all of His covenant people as He did the names of their forefathers Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And, like Jesus did Gods covenant people will arise together to walk with God like Enoch, Noah, and Abraham into their Promised Land, the New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem where there the stain of sin is no more, and covenant blessing is forevermore. And, I pray that by your faith in Gods covenant grace that you will be among us as one of Gods covenant people partaking again of the tree of life. Amen.

Study Tips Do you worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by faith? Genesis closes after tracing covenant faith through four generations from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and his brother Judah. How many generations of faith precede you? How many generations of covenant faith are you praying will follow your death? What are you doing to prepare your family to be a series of patriarchs and matriarchs bringing covenant faith What are you doing to bless the nations of the earth, beginning with our own?

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream

(Genesis 41:17-32)

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60 Bible Questions for children from Genesis Q: How many gods are there? A: There is only One God Q: What does it mean that God is eternal? A: It means that God lives forever without beginning or end Q: How many books are in the Bible? A: 66 Q: How many books are in the Old Testament? A: 39 Q: How many books are in the New Testament? A: 27 Q: What are the first five books of the Old Testament? A: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy Q: What do we call the first five books of the Old Testament? A: The Pentateuch (meaning one book in five parts) Q: Who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament? A: Moses Q: Name five things you know about Moses? A: e.g. God spoke to him in a burning bush, his mommy floated him down a river when he was a baby, he grew up in Egypt, his brother was Aaron, God gave him the 10 Commandments, he wrote five books of the Bible, etc. Q: What is the first book of the Bible? A: Genesis Q: What is the first verse of Genesis? A: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Q: How many chapters are there in Genesis? A: 50 Q: How did God make everything? A: By His powerful word from nothing Q: Did people evolve from monkeys or were we made by God? A: We were made by God. Q: Why did God make us? A: To love and serve Him as Christians. Q: What parts of creation are you most thankful God made? A: e.g. trees to climb in, animals to have as pets, sun to play outside, dirt to dig in, flowers to smell, etc.

Joseph Is Ruler Over All Egypt

(Genesis 41:39-44)

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Q: What does it mean that God blesses us? A: It means He gives us what we need (e.g. food), He gives us friends, He gives us children, and He helps us. Q: What is one of the greatest blessings in all the world that God gives? A: Children like me. Q: Who was the first man God made? A: Adam Q: Who was the first woman God made? A: Eve Q: Where did Adam and Eve live? A: The Garden in Eden which was beautiful and made for them by God. Q: What were Adam and Eve told not to do? A: Eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Q: Who told Adam and Eve to disobey God and sin? A: Satan Q: Who is Satan? A: Hes a bad angel that was kicked out of Heaven because he did not love God. Q: Did Adam and Eve obey Satan or God? A: Satan

Q: What happened to Adam and Eve because of their sin? A: They had to leave the beautiful garden, Adam had to work really hard to take care of his family, Eve had great pain in birthing babies. Q: Who later died to forgive Adam and Eves sin? A: Jesus Christ. Q: Who were the first children born? A: Cain and Abel Q: What did Cain do to Abel? A: Cain got mad at his brother Abel and attacked him hitting him until he died. Q: Which man lived the longest ever and how long did he live? A: Methuselah died when he was 969 years old Q: What did God tell Noah to do? A: Build a large Ark which is a boat. Q: Why did Noah need to build an Ark? A: Because God was going to send a huge flood over water to kill all the bad guys who were sinning. Q: What did Noah bring on the Ark with him? A: His family and the animals God brought him.

Q: How many days was Noah in the Ark while it rained and flooded? A: 40 days Q: After the flood ended and Noah left the ark to go back onto ground what was the first thing Noah did? A: He worshiped God and asked Him to forgive his sins Q: What did God put in the sky to promise Noah that there would never be a big flood again? A: A rainbow Q: What did God promise Abraham? A: That he would have a baby boy and that some day Jesus would be born to bless people all over the earth. Q: What was Abrahams wifes name? A: Sarah Q: How old was Abraham when he had his first son, Isaac? A: About 100 years old Q: What does Isaacs name mean? A: Laughter Q: What did God do the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah? A: He destroyed them because they would not stop sinning against God.

Q: Who was Isaacs wife? A: Rebekah Q: Who were Isaacs twin boys? A: Jacob and Esau Q: What did Esau look like when he was born? A: He was covered in red hair. Q: Who did Jacob marry? A: Leah and Rachel Q: Are men supposed to have two wives or just one? A: Just one. Q: What did the non-Christian men from the town of Schem do to Jacobs daughter Dinah? A: They treated her badly really hurt her. Q: What did Dinahs brothers do to the bad men who hurt their sister? A: The brothers killed all of the bad men who hurt their sister. Q: Who did Jacob wrestle with and why? A: Jacob wrestled with God (probably Jesus) because he wanted a blessing. Q: Which of Jacobs sons had a dream that he ruled over his big brothers? A: Joseph Q: How did Josephs brothers sin against him? A: They sold him in slavery and told his dad Jacob he was dead which was a lie.

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Q: What country was Joseph taken to away from his family? A: Egypt. Q: Who did Joseph work for in Egypt? A: The non-Christian king Pharaoh. Q: Why was Joseph thrown in jail? A: A woman told a terrible lie about him. Q: What supernatural power does God give Joseph? A: He can interpret peoples dreams to tell them what God is saying in their dreams Q: What dream does Joseph interpret for Pharaoh? A: Joseph told Pharaoh to save food because for seven years there would not be any and if he didnt people would starve

Q: Did the dream come true? A: Yes, and because of Joseph many people had food and did not starve to death Q: Who came to Joseph looking for food? A: His mean brothers who sold him into slavery and had not seen him in many years. Q: What did Joseph to do his brothers? A: Joseph loved them and forgave them for sinning against him Q: Did Joseph get to be reunited with his daddy? A: Yes, Joseph got to see his daddy after being separated for many years

Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers

(Genesis 45:1-5, 9-15)

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Resources for Further Study

fter surveying the mountain of books on Genesis and the issues raised therein one theologian rightly said that the interpretive trends are as faddish and changing as womens fashion. Trying to keep up with all of the commentary and speculation that surrounds Genesis is simply overwhelming. So, in an effort to be of assistance to those who aspire to study more deeply I have compiled the following list of resources that is no way exhaustive. Each of these books is in my personal library and something I have read, or at least referenced, and can attest that they are insightful. However, I do not agree with each of these books, but rather find them helpful in at least explaining the various positions that emerge from issues found in Genesis. Books on the Pentateuch From Paradise to Promised Land by T.D. Alexander The Pentateuch As Narrative by John Sailhamer Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch by Gordon Wenham

Books Providing an Overview of Genesis Genesis in Space and Time by Francis Schaeffer Encountering the Book of Genesis by Bill T. Arnold Old Testament Theology by Paul R. House Detailed Studies of Genesis 1-2 In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis by Henri Blocher Genesis Unbound by John Sailhamer Creation and Change by Douglas F. Kelly Commentaries on Genesis Genesis by Bruce Waltke Genesis by John Sailhamer (Expositors Bible Commentary Series) The Beginning of Wisdom by Leon R. Kass Genesis by Walter Brueggemann Creation and Blessing by Allen P. Ross Genesis by John Calvin Genesis edited by Bill Moyers Commentaries on Genesis 1-2 In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis by Henri Blocher

Jacob Comes to Egypt

(Genesis 46:2-7,29,30)

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 Genesis Unbound by John Sailhamer Books Debating Views of Creation The Genesis Debate edited by David Hagopian Three Views on Creation and Evolution edited by Stanley Gundry Books on Creation & Intelligent Design The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel Intelligent Design by William A. Dembski The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions about Intelligent Design by William A. Dembski Doubts about Darwin: A History of Intelligent Design by Thomas Woodward By Design: Science and the Search for God by Larry Witham Scientific Creationism by Henry M. Morris Books Critiquing Evolution Where Darwin Meets the Bible: Creationists and Evolutionists in America by Larry Witham Answers Book: The 20 MostAsked Questions About Creation, Evolution, and the Book of Genesis Answered by Ken Ham

Darwin on Trial by Philip Johnson Lie: Evolution by Ken Ham Evolution: A Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth by Jonathan Wells Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds by Phillip E. Johnson Darwins Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge To Evolution by Michael J. Behe Books On Particular Issues Related to Genesis One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism by Ken Ham The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications by John C. Whitcomb Bones of Contention: A Creationist Assessment of the Human Fossils by Marvin L. Lubenow Primeval Saints: Studies in the Patriarchs of Genesis by James B. Jordan The Land of Promise edited by Philip Johnson New Creation in Pauls Letters and Thoughts by Moyer V. Hubbard From Creation to New Creation by Bernhard W. Anderson The Genesis of Sex by O Palmer Robertson The Christ of the Covenants by O Palmer Robertson

Books Seeking to Reconcile Science & Scripture The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis by Hugh Ross The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God by Hugh Ross Beyond the Cosmos by Hugh Ross Big Bang and the Bible by Gerald Schroeder Science and Evolution: Developing a Christian Worldview of Science and Evolution by Charles W. Colson Finding Darwins God: A Scientists Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution by Kenneth R. Miller Books Examining the Foundations of Science Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law & Education by Phillip E. Johnson Christianity and the Nature of Science by JP Moreland The Biblical Basis for Modern Science by Henry M. Morris The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism by Phillip E. Johnson

Books on the Age of the Earth Creation and Time: A Biblical and Scientific Perspective on the Creation-Date Controversy by Hugh Ross A New Look An Old Earth by Don Stoner The Young Earth by John D. Morris Creation In Six Days: A Defense of the Traditional Reading of Genesis One by James B. Jordan Web Sites on Creation www.answersingenesis.org www.icr.org www.christiananswers.net/ creation www.discovery.org/csc www.iscid.org www.ideacenter.org www.origins.org www.reasons.org/index.shtml Videos on Intelligent Design Icons of Evolution by Philip Johnson Unlocking the Mystery of Life by Philip Johnson The Privileged Planet by Guillermo Gonzalez

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