Genesis 12-50

Up to this point it was human history, 12-50 is Hebrew History. I. Introduction. Reading the Bible Morally or Theologically? Morally: We look to the Old Testament as a showcase of moral examples to live by. We need to be like Abraham, live like Jacob, and be a leader like Moses, Joshua, or David. We should fight like Samson, flee like Joseph, and stand up for God like Esther. When you look at the Bible morally you almost never look at it gospel centered. Its always you centered. Theologically: we look first and foremost at what the passage teaches us about God. What is God doing? How is God revealing Himself? How is God going to overcome our sin, keep His promises, and reestablish the Eden-like relationship He created us for? II. Judgment and Grace in Genesis Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, but there was the promise of a deliverer. Cain murdered his brother, but then Seth was born and there was a new line of hope. The flood destroyed all life, but Noah was saved in the ark. God brought His judgment at the Tower of Babel and we are introduced to a man named Abraham How does God show is grace in this?—by calling Abraham III. Abraham: Calling and Promise When God calls Abraham, he knows nothing about God and he is from a family that worships idols. (Joshua 24:2) Abraham is the least likely person to be used. God uses the weakest of us to do the biggest things. This is how he still does things. The people God uses are the least likely to be thought to be used. They are chosen because they will not boast about themselves but about God! The Promise – Genesis 12:1-3 Land Nation Blessing o for the nations o through a mediator The Promise: Genesis 22:17-18 God further develops his promise to Abraham by specifically saying that someone from Abraham’s family will be the source of blessing for all the world. IV. Two Old Testament Questions Who is the one who will come and break the curse? -Jesus How in the world is the world blessed through Abraham? -Jesus V. Are These Questions Related? Galatians 3:8 - “The Scripture ... announced the Gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you” (quoting Gen 12:3) Galatians 3:16 - “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ” The promise is about Jesus Christ. The promise isn’t about the nations and family but only Jesus Christ because he is the one that will break the curse. VI. The Abrahamic Covenant Genesis 15:9-10 He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” So he brought all these to Him, split them down the middle, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut up the birds. “If its weird its important” This symbolized if I don’t keep my end of this agreement then you have the right to split me in two just like these animals. In this type of covenant ceremony an animal is divided into two and each party walks between the two halves of the dead animal. This is a visual proclamation that, “I will keep my word and if I don’t you may do to me as we have done to this animal.” Genesis 15: 12,17 “As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him…After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses.” In this covenant ceremony, God put Abraham to sleep and He alone walks through the animals. God’s covenant with Abraham will not be a transaction it will be a onesided gift. --WOW VII. The Abrahamic Covenant: From Abraham to Jesus God promises to bless Abraham an in turn he would be a blessing to the nations. That “blessing to the nations” would come through one of his descendants. This covenant is one-sided. God will keep all of the terms. The descendent of this covenant is Jesus Christ. God’s one-sided love for us is seen in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. “One-way love is love without an exit strategy.” There is no plan B for you with God. He loves you with a one-way love. Based on his desire to love you NOT ON YOUR ACTIONS. VIII. Abraham’s Fragile Faith & God’s Response Abraham’s Fragile Faith Flees to Egypt during a famine. (Genesis 12) Lies about his wife Sarah and says she is his sister (2x’s). (Genesis 12; 20) Wants to name Eliezer his heir. (Genesis 15) Agrees with Sarah’s idea to have sex with her servant Hagar in hopes of having a child. (Genesis 16) Wants to name Ishmael, the child he has with Hagar, his heir. (Genesis 17) God didn’t tell him to go to Egypt-God’s Response God’s responds to Abraham’s faithlessness with His own covenant faithfulness (Genesis 15 & 17). Faithfulness represented visually: Stars at night, Covenant ceremony, Covenant sign (circumcision), and a Name change (Abram to Abraham & Sarai to Sarah). -This is to know Who’s he is - One of the stars that Abraham counted was you -The same God who loved Abraham with a one-way love loves you with a one-way love IX. Abraham and Isaac Twenty-five years after God’s promises a son will be born to Abraham and his wife Sarah, Isaac is born. Ishmael, the child of Abraham and Hagar, treats Isaac poorly and Sarah has Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham’s faith is tested when God asks him to sacrifice Isaac. God is not slow in keeping his promises o Test of Faith: How would God provide if Isaac was sacrificed or how would God provide if Isaac was spared? o Test of Hope: If Isaac died, how would he become a great nation and how would all the nations be blessed through him? o Test of Love: Abraham loved his son but he loved God more. X. Mount Moriah and Mount Calvary “And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: ‘It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.’” (Genesis 22:14) Many years later on Mt. Calvary a sacrifice did occur. On the cross of Calvary Jesus laid down his life so that “It [salvation] will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.” XI. God, Abraham, and You and I God’s love flows from His character. God loved Abraham because of God not because of what he did or did not do. God loves you and I because of who He is and because of what He has done, not because of what you and I do or don’t do. God’s love flows from who He is and not your actions XII. Isaac and Rebekah: Background Sarah has died, Abraham is getting old, and Isaac is not married. The Canaanites are an idolatrous and immoral people. Choosing a wife from this nation would go against God’s commands. If Isaac were to leave the land he would be leaving the __________________ God promised to _________________________ and his decedents. XIII. Isaac and Rebekah: God at Work Abraham sends his servant back to his relatives to find a wife for Isaac. Both Abraham and his servant pray for God’s direction. That He will lead them to the woman of God’s choosing. God leads the servant to Rebekah who willingly agrees to go back with the servant and become Isaac’s wife. XIV. From Isaac to Jacob Isaac and Rebekah have two children; Twins: Esau and Jacob Esau is the first born and becomes “a skillful hunter…an outdoorsman.” (Gen. 25:27) Jacob is smooth skinned. He has a “quiet temperament preferring to stay at home.” (Gen. 25:27) Isaac loved Esau because he loved the wild game he brought home. Rebekah loved Jacob. (Gen. 25:28) XV. The Birthright and The Blessing The Birthright: Leadership of the family The Blessing: Double portion of the inheritance XVI. Jacob: The Hustler Jacob hustles his brother out the birthright. (Gen. 25: 27-34) Jacob hustles his father into giving him the blessing. (Gen. 27) Jacob may even be attempting to hustle God into being his God. (Gen. 28:20-21) What is faith? Faith is living life without scheming. Yet, while Jacob is faithless, God remains faithful to him and to His promise. “Faith is living without scheming” Rebekah never sees Jacob again XVII. Jacob: The Hustled Jacob is tricked by Laban into marrying both Leah and Rachel and into more years of labor. After 20 years of service to Laban, God calls Jacob to head back home and reveals that his success has come because God has seen how he has been treated. God continues to be gracious to Jacob. XVIII. Jacob’s Children Reuben (Leah) Levi (Leah) Simeon (Leah) Judah (Leah) – Birthright—Jesus’ line Dan (Bilhah) Naphtali (Bilhah) Gad (Zilpah) Ashur (Zilpah) Issachar (Leah) Joseph (Rachel) - Blessing Zebulon (Leah) Benjamin (Rachel) XIX. Jacob: The Grabber Jacob is heading home when he finds out that Esau and 400 men are coming to meet him. He is terrified that Esau want to kill him. Jacob wrestles with God until finally God breaks him and in this weakness he is now a different character. He is no longer Jacob he is Israel. Brokenness precedes usefulness - As a broken man Jacob is now completely dependent on God. It is in and through our weakness that we are most useable to God. Jacob meets Esau but he does not go with him because he is afraid of him. Instead of going with Esau, Jacob moves outside the town of Shechem. One of the worst towns in Canaan. XX. Jacob: The Grabbed God calls Jacob out of Shechem and tells him to return to Bethel. Jacob tells his family to put away all of their idols. He buries them under a tree and they head to Bethel. Jacob is “grabbed” by God and the change that began earlier with his new name leads to a lasting impact. XXI. From Jacob to Joseph Jacob favored Joseph over all of his other children. He gave him a coat of many colors - a beautiful robe. (Gen. 37) Joseph’s brothers are jealous of him and plot to kill him. However, they sell him into slavery instead. Joseph is eventually sold to _______________________ - An official of __________________; A royal body guard. XXII. Judah’s Story _______________ has three sons. Two of them end up married to ________________. Both sons die. Judah refuses to give his third son to Tamar. Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and has sex with Judah. This results in the birth of a child named _____________. In the genealogy of ___________________, Tamar (through Perez) is one of the five women listed. XXIII. A Genealogy of Grace The story of Judah interrupts the Joseph story so that we can see the contrast. Joseph flees sexual lust, while Judah pursues it. Joseph is morally impeccable while Judah is a moral train wreck. God selects the line of ___________________ and not the line of ________________ to bring about the salvation of the world. God molds Judah’s mess into a conduit of grace. No mess and no failure can prevent God from using you. His grace pursues, transforms, and molds into objects of his delight. XXIV. Joseph’s Life in Egypt: A Summary Joseph went to prison, because __________________________ falsely accused him. In __________________, Joseph succeeded because the Lord was with him. Joseph was released from prison by interpreting _______________________________. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole land of _________________________. Joseph stored up food for _________________________ years. Joseph saved Egypt from a ____________________ that lasted _____________________ years. Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt and bowed before him to ____________________________. The family is reunited in Egypt and given land appropriate for _____________________ and _____________________. Years later ________________ dies and is buried in __________________. XXV. Conclusion Jacob and Joseph demonstrate two very different perspectives on life’s difficulties. Jacob: Everything is against me Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!” Genesis 42:36 Joseph: God intended it all for good “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Gen. 50:20 The sinfulness of human beings cannot hinder: The good purposes of God to ________________ His good ___________________. God’s good purposes for ________________________. Nothing is ________________.