BIBLE STUDY --- BOOKS OF THE TORAH

THE BOOK OF GENESIS – PART 2

THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONS

“This is the history of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the Flood” {10:1}. This chapter lists the descendants of Noah’s three sons, in the order of Japheth {verses 2-5}, Ham {verses 6-20}, and Shem {verses 21-31}. Many of the names of their descendants are preserved in tribes and nations of the world.

THE TOWER OF BABEL

The building of the Tower of Babel {“Gate of YHVH”} illustrates man’s perversity and his tendency to want independence from YHVH. The desire of man to displace YHVH follows the fateful example of Lucifer and is a basic tenet of many cults. YHVH thwarted the designs of the builders of Babel by confusing their languages, so that the project came to a halt {11:1-9}. The site of this tower is not known with certainty. Some associate it with Birs Nimrud, not far from the ruins of the city of Babylon. Genesis 11:10-25 picks up the line of Shem and carries it down to Terah, the father of Abram.

THE HISTORY OF ABRAHAM {11:27–25:10} AND ISAAC {21:1–28:5}

Abram came from Ur of the Chaldees, a prosperous city. The city had an imposing ziggurat {temple-tower}, with many temples, storehouses, and residences. Abram and Sarai, his half-sister and wife, went with his father to Haran in Syria, which like Ur was a centre of the worship of the moon god, Sin {or Annar}.

ABRAM’S CALL

The call of YHVH came to Abram directing him to leave his relatives and move to a land that Adonai would show him {12:1; cf. Acts 7:2-3}. Abram obeyed. At the age of 75, he, Sarai, and his nephew Lot left Haran and went to Shechem, where Adonai appeared to him and promised that land to his descendants. Famine drove Abram down to Egypt {Genesis 12:10-20}. Because of Sarai’s beauty, he feared that someone might kill him to get her, so he passed her off as his sister. She was taken into the pharaoh’s harem. When Adonai plagued Pharaoh because of this, Abram’s lie was discovered and Sarai was returned to him.

ABRAM AND LOT

Abram and Lot returned to Canaan, where strife broke out between Abram’s herdsmen and those of Lot. Abram suggested that they should separate, and he gave Lot the choice of territory. Lot chose the well-watered Jordan Valley and the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah {chapter 13}.

THE INVASION OF THE FOUR KINGS FROM THE EAST

The four kings who invaded along the King’s Highway in Transjordan cannot be identified with certainty. Those kings were successful in their attack against the five cities of the plain, and they moved off with much booty and many captives, including Lot. Abram took 318 retainers, born in his household, and set off after them. By surprise attack, Abram recovered both Lot and the loot. On his return he was met by Melchizedek, king of Jerusalem, to whom Abram paid tithes {chapter 14}.

THE COVENANT

Adonai promised Abram a son as heir, and in an impressive night-time ceremony, YHVH made a Covenant with Abram and promised him the land from the River of Egypt {Wadi el Arish} to the Euphrates {chapter 15}. Because of her own barrenness, Sarai gave her Egyptian maid Hagar, to Abram. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, the progenitor of the Arab peoples. When trouble arose between the women, Sarai sent Hagar away, which was her right according to Near Eastern customs {as illustrated by the Nuzi tablets}. YHVH showed mercy to Hagar and promised that she would have a great posterity {chapter 16}. YHVH repeated his promise to Abram concerning his descendants and changed the names of Abram {“exalted father”} and Sarai to Abraham {“father of many”} and Sarah {“princess”}. A Covenant sign of circumcision was given to Abraham {chapter 17}. This operation had already been practiced among the Egyptians for several centuries.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN

Adonai and two angels appeared to Abraham and announced the birth of the promised heir within a year, as well as proclaimed the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, concerning which Abraham bargained with YHVH {18:22-33}. Lot and his immediate family were rescued from Sodom, and the cities were destroyed by YHVH with brimstone and fire {19:24-25}. Lot’s two daughters, wishing to preserve their family line, got their father drunk and had sexual relations with him. Moab and Ammon, enemies of Israel in later times, were the result. In Genesis 20:1-18, Abraham again represented Sarah as his sister and got into trouble with Abimelech, king of Gerar.

ISAAC

When Isaac was born {21:1-3}, trouble again broke out between Sarah and Hagar. Hagar was driven out a second time, and once more was befriended by Adonai. A disagreement arose between Abraham and Abimelech concerning a well, but they made a Covenant of peace at Beersheba {21:25-34}. YHVH tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, which probably is the same site David later bought from Araunah the Jebusite {2 Samuel 24:16-25}, the place where the temple was to stand. As Abraham was about to use the knife, YHVH called to him and showed him a ram caught in a thicket. Isaac was freed and the animal was sacrificed in his stead. Sarah died at Hebron, and Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite {chapter 23}, in a transaction typical of Near Eastern business dealings. To find a wife for Isaac, Abraham sent his servant Eliezer back to the area of Haran, and Adonai directed Eliezer to Rebekah {chapter 24}. Chapter 25 records the marriage of Abraham to Keturah, who bore him a number of children. Abraham died at the age of 175 years and was buried in the cave of Machpelah by his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

THE HISTORY OF JACOB AND ESAU {25:19–37:1}

Rebekah gave birth to twin sons, Esau and Jacob. When the boys were grown, Esau sold his birth-right to Jacob for a meal of red pottage {25:27-34}. When famine came to the land, Isaac went to Gerar, as his father had done {chapter 20}, and repeated his father’s lie by calling his wife his sister {26:1-11}. Trouble arose with the Philistines over wells, but Isaac was a peaceable man and preferred digging new wells rather than fighting over old ones {verses 17-33}. In Isaac’s old age, when his sight had failed, Rebekah connived with Jacob to trick Isaac into giving to Jacob the blessing of the firstborn, which was rightfully Esau’s. This oral blessing had legal validity and was irrevocable, according to the ancient Nuzi tablets. Fearing for Jacob’s life at the hands of Esau, Rebekah arranged to send Jacob to Haran to find a wife from among her own people. At Bethel, YHVH appeared to Jacob in a dream of a ladder leading up to heaven; YHVH renewed with Jacob the promise made to Abraham and Isaac {28:10-22}. Jacob reached Haran, found his uncle Laban, and was employed by him {chapter 29}. His wages for seven years of labour were to be Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel, as his wife. But Laban substituted Leah, so that Jacob had to work another seven years for Rachel. Adonai prospered Jacob, but he continually had difficulties with Laban. Adonai directed Jacob back to Canaan {31:3}, so he left secretly with his wives, children, and property. Laban pursued them because his household gods were missing {possession of these “gods” made the holder heir to the owner’s estate, according to Nuzi custom}. Rachel had taken them but successfully concealed them from her father, and Laban went back to Haran. Fearing a meeting with Esau as they passed through Edom, Jacob sent gifts to his brother and divided his own party into two camps for security. On this return journey, Jacob had an unexpected wrestling bout with the Angel of Adonai, and he was left with a limp and a new name, Israel {chapter 32}. The meeting with Esau was friendly, and Jacob went on to Shechem {chapter 33}, where his sons killed the male Shechemites because of the rape of their sister Dinah {chapter 34}. YHVH told Jacob to go to Bethel and build an altar to Adonai. All idols of foreign gods were buried {35:1-4}. At Bethel, YHVH reaffirmed his promise of a posterity and the land {verses 9-15}. Rachel died on the way to Bethlehem, while giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob’s 12th and last son. Isaac died at Hebron at age 180 and was buried in the cave of Machpelah by Esau and Jacob. Genesis 36 records “the generations of Esau” {verse 1}. Here Esau is also named Edom {“Red”; cf. 25:30}.

THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH {37:2–50:26}

Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son and thus incurred the jealousy of his brothers. This was heightened by Joseph’s dreams of lordship over them. Their resentment of Joseph came to a climax when Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat. The brothers determined to kill Joseph, but they compromised by selling him to a caravan of merchants, who took him to Egypt and sold him as a slave to Potiphar, an Egyptian captain of the guard {37:36; 39:1}. Chapter 38 relates a historic case of levirate marriage. Judah failed to give his widowed daughter-in-law to his third son. She deceived him into fathering twin sons and forced him to acknowledge his faults. The elder son Perez, is named in Luke’s genealogy of Yeshua {Luke 3:33}. Adonai blessed Joseph, who soon was put in charge of Potiphar’s household {Genesis 39}. The young man attracted the attention of Potiphar’s wife who, after many attempts to seduce him, at last accused him of attempted rape. Sentenced on this charge, Joseph met with favour in prison, where he had opportunity to interpret dreams for two of the pharaoh’s servants {chapter 40}. When the king had dreams that his magicians and wise men could not interpret, Joseph was summoned from jail. Joseph told Pharaoh that the dreams meant seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph was then exalted to the office of vizier, or prime minister, second only to the king, and put in charge of the administration of the land {41:37-44}. When the famine came to Palestine, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to purchase grain. Joseph recognized his brothers but did not reveal his identity to them. Joseph put them to the test by accusing them of being spies {42:9}, by keeping one of the brothers {Simeon} hostage {verse 19}, and by demanding that if they came to Egypt again, they must bring their youngest brother with them {42:20; 43:3}. The famine became so severe in Canaan {43:1} that Jacob at last allowed Benjamin to go with his brothers to Egypt. The brothers were again set up by Joseph, who had his silver cup put into Benjamin’s grain sack and then had him apprehended as a thief {chapter 44}. At this point Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers {45:4-15} and there was much rejoicing. Joseph pointed out that it was YHVH who had sent him to Egypt {verses 7-8}, in order to preserve the lives of all the family. Jacob was then sent for {46:1}, and Joseph met him in the land of Goshen {46:28-29}. The Israelites were assigned land in the region of Goshen, where they prospered {47:27}. In Jacob’s final illness, Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to his father for his blessing. Jacob gave the primary blessing to the second-born, Ephraim {48:13-20}. Jacob blessed each of his own sons and then died at the age of at least 130 years. Joseph arranged for Jacob’s body to be prepared for burial according to Egyptian custom {50:2-3}. After the burial of their father in the cave of Machpelah at Hebron, Joseph’s brothers worried about vengeance, but Joseph declared, “As far as I am concerned, YHVH turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people” {verse 20}. Joseph died at age 110 with the prophetic request that when the Israelites went up from Egypt, they would take his bones with them {50:25; cf. Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32}.