Week 2 Study Page - Genesis 24-47
Week #2 Study Page
Genesis 24-47
Sunday: Genesis 24-26
Monday: Genesis 27-29
Tuesday: Genesis 30-33
Wednesday: Genesis 34-37
Thursday: Genesis 38-40
Friday: Genesis 41-43
Saturday: Genesis 44-47
Degree of difficulty 3 out of 10 (Explanation:) this week we're reading 100% story. there is almost no break in the action whatsoever. In my opinion these chapters are some of the most fun to read in the Bible. the only reason that section gets a 3-rating is the long-length of the chapters.
About the Book
We're still in Genesis, here is a refresher:
Date of Authorship: 15th-13th century BC (depending on how you date the Exodus - more on that later)
Occasion: Genesis and the other books of the Pentateuch were likely written by Moses during the 40-year period of wandering in the desert in between their exodus from Egypt and their crossing of the Jordan river into the promised land in the book of Joshua.
Purpose: The words of Genesis were given to the Israelite people so that they would know who they are, where they came from, and how they relate to God.
As you read Notes
Genesis 25: the Midianites and origin stories
If you were playing a game of Bible trivia and your questioner asks you to name Abraham's wife, Keturah would not be a wrong answer. Abraham married her after Sarah died. Among the children born to Abraham by Keturah was Midian, whose sons are listed in 25:4. the Midianites become a people / nationality that play a significant role in the Pentateuch. When Joseph is sold, by his brothers, into slavery, he is sold to "Midianite merchants;" (Genesis 37:28) also when Moses flees Egypt he settles in the household of Jethro a Midianite and marries his daughter Zipporah (Exodus 2:16-21). We are told that Abraham circumcises all the males in his household, but curiously the Midianites (descended from Abraham) had given up the practice by the time of Moses as we learn in the emergency road-side circumcision of Moses's son in Exodus 4. Despite the fact that the Midianites were descended from Abraham they were not regarded as children of God's promise. Centuries later, Moses' brother Aaron and sister Miriam would oppose Moses before exploring the promised land because he had a "Cushite wife" (a racial slur directed towards Zipporah, emphasizing that she was not an Israelite) (Numbers 12:1)
If you've been playing close attention you will have noticed that the book of Genesis keeps describing the origins of all the peoples in the Ancient Near Eastern world. in this passage we learn of the origin of the Midianites who will eventually align with Moab to oppose the Israelite conquest of the promised land and lead some Israelites into Idolatry (Numbers 25). These origin stories are responsible for a large share of the names and genealogies that you must read through in the book of Genesis. As you read them you must remember the purpose that the book of Genesis had for the Israelites. It was written before they entered the promised land. God was telling them who the people occupying it were, and often why his judgment is falling on them. The book of Genesis helps these Israelite people know their place in the world and in God's plan through Abraham. to the left you'll see a map of what the promised land looked like before Israel returned from Egypt, the origin story of almost every one of those nations can be found in Genesis
Genesis 25: Israel
Earlier, God promised to make Abraham's descendants "as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore" (Gen 22:17) but things are really off to a slow start. Like her mother-in-law before her, we're told that Isaac's wife Rebekah is barren, and that Isaac has to pray to the Lord for her to have a son. Isaac and Rebekah only have 2 sons, and that is remarkable given the age of large families that they lived in and Isaac's prosperity. Compare Isaac's 2 sons to the list of Ishmael's (his half-brother) sons in 25:13-15 - he had 12 sons. as your reading along, you need to see the plot-element that 2 generations in, this promise of a large family is having a really hard time getting off of the ground
Genesis 28: The Great Promise
in verse 14, we see an incredible promise repeated to Jacob: "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring." This is the same promise made to his grandfather, Abraham in 12:3. This promise is a key element in scripture because it helps us to see forward to the ultimate goal that God has for this special family and nation - bringing the Savior into the world. Bewilderingly, after seeing this vision of a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending and seeing - even speaking to - the Lord himself, Jacob makes a conditional* vow at Bethel: "IF God will be with me... THEN the lord will be my God" I'm always taken back by Jacob's hubris in that scene.
fun note: listen to how Jacob approaches Rachel, his beautiful future wife, the first time in 29:13" "Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud" surely this is the only time in history that a peck on the cheek and loud crying was a successful means to charm a young lady. Jacob is no Rico Suave
Genesis 30: Divination
Clay model of a sheep’s liver. Babylonia c. 1800 B.C.E. Wellcome Library
in 30:27, Laban tells Jacob that he does not want him to leave because he has "learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you." Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. The most common means of divination in the ancient world was something called "extispicy" the examination of the liver of a sacrificial animal. below is an excerpt from an article about divination in the Ancient Near East
"The diviner, after asking an oracular question, and before slaughtering the sheep, prays to the gods of divination, asking them to manifest themselves in the ritual. The divine response may be seen after the sacrificial sheep is slaughtered. It is manifest in the shape of various marks and grooves on the liver and other organs, which are deciphered by the diviner. According to Mesopotamian religious perception these marks are “written down” by the god before the sheep is sacrificed.
http://thetorah.com/the-practice-of-divination-in-the-ancient-near-east/
Genesis 36: a Geneology
Genealogies have a bad reputation as a momentum-killer in the pursuit of reading the Bible. I'm here to tell you that this reputation is well-deserved. These lists are really boring, the names are hard, and there is really nothing important for you to take away from many of them. This is especially true of the Genealogy and king-list of Genesis 36 which gives an account of the family of Esau which became the nation of Edom - you don't really need to know any of it. One interesting part about this chapter is that i contains historical information that Moses (the author of Genesis) could not have known; rulers of Edom that reigned after his lifetime and just consider the phrase in 36:31 "these were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned." at the time of Moses' death there was no indication that Israel would ever have a king. Therefore we can observe that, here, the Israelite people and scribes added information and details to the text of Moses,
Joseph's journey
Joseph Travels a long way against his will. from the northern end of Israel, to Egypt. Goshen, the land where the Israelites settled in Egypt is on the east side of the Nile delta. it is the same place where Joseph served Potiphar and Pharaoh.
Questions for reflection
In Genesis chapter 25, Isaac prays for his wife, Rebekah, to have children because she was childless. why do you think God waited so long to fulfill his promise to Isaac as Abraham's son of a great family? in Isaac and Rebekah's story they do not have children until Isaac prays for her. is there anything we can learn about God and prayer from this account?
In Genesis 27, Jacob Lies to his father twice (verses 19 and 24) and tells him that he is Esau, his firstborn. We know - from the prophecy of the Lord to Rebekah in 25:23 - that Esau was to serve his younger brother, but Isaac didn't know that. was it wrong for Jacob to lie to his father?
In Genesis 30:37-43, we learn that Jacob was able to breed striped sheep by placing striped branches in their water troughs so that the breeding sheep would look at them and produce striped offspring. except... that is not how things work is it? what we now understand about genetics precludes Jacob's stick-trick from being effective / true. is the Bible wrong about this? what do we need to take into account about this story in the Bible?
In Genesis 35, before Jacob returns to Bethel as directed by God to settle in the land, Jacob tells his household to "get rid of the foreign gods you have with you" (remember that Rachel stole her father household gods and brought them with her?) do you have something in your life like Jacob did that is keeping you from obedience to God? are you willing to get rid of it like he was?
In Genesis 38, we read the story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. Who commits the greatest transgression in that story (hint: Judah will tell you)? What did Judah do wrong? the norms of our society today prevent this exact sin from being replicated, but what are some ways that the sin of Judah could occur in our society?
Joseph slow-rolls the revelation of his identity to his brothers. why do you think he did that?
In Genesis 47:31, the last verse of our reading, the old, frail Jacob worships God while leaning on the top of his staff. what does Jacob's commitment to priasing God teach us about fatigue and even againg?