LESSON 4 • A New Beginning (Genesis Chapters 12 and 50)

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Remember that Noah’s sons Japheth, Ham, and Shem and their families have dispersed throughout the earth following the flood.

1. Japheth’s sons traveled north to the coastal areas of the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. 

2. Ham’s sons settled in the warmer climates of the southern portion of the earth, populating Egypt, Canaan (modern Israel), and Arab nations.

3. Shem’s sons settled in the southern region of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. His descendants are the Hebrews.

During this period of time, Egypt, in the western part of the Fertile Crescent, is in its golden age. The people of Egypt are already using ink and papyrus for writing. In the eastern part of the crescent, the Sumarians control the area from their capital city of Ur. The Sumarians are overthrown by the Elamites coming from east of the Tigris River. Many people from the Arabian Desert are drawn into the more fertile area. Descendants of Ham from the west (Amorites) take over and establish various capitals, such as Mari on the northern Euphrates River. King Hammurabi of the Babylonians, who is known for writing a code of laws, then overruns this culture. 

Terah, a descendant of Shem, is the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. He lives in the city of Ur, a wealthy, sophisticated, pagan center of southern Mesopotamia, approximately 200 miles southeast of present day Baghdad. 

God spoke to Abram while he was in Ur and told him to go to a new land where he would be blessed. Only two routes were available from Ur to Canaan, one across the Arabian Desert, impossible for transporting large herds, and the other route north, along the Euphrates River to Haran in Syria, then south, to Canaan, a 1500-mile journey. Terah leaves the city of Ur and follows the Euphrates River north about 600 miles to Haran. With him are his grandson Lot, his son Abram, and Abram’s wife Sarai.

SUMMARY NOTES ON GENESIS CHAPTERS 12 TO 50

Chapter 12

God gives a promise to Abram and it is repeated with succeeding generations. God tells Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household, and go to the land God will show him. In God’s promises, He says,

1. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you;
2. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing;
3. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses 
you I will curse; 
4. And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 

God reaffirms the promise on five different occasions, including the promise of innumerable offspring, the promise of the land of Canaan, the promise of a universal blessing through Abraham, and the promise to be the sovereign Protector of Abraham and his descendents.

Abram leaves for Canaan and worships in Bethel. On Abram’s travels, moving from pasture to pasture with his family, facing famine, and under stress of fear, insecurity, and hunger, Abram travels into Egypt with his 65-year old wife, Sarai, who is very beautiful. Abram lies about Sarai, saying she is his sister, and Sarai is taken into the Egyptian Pharaoh’s palace. Ultimately, God inflicts serious diseases on Pharoah’s household, and Pharoah orders Abram and his family to leave Egypt.

Chapter 13

Moving on to the southern part of Canaan, Abram and his nephew, Lot, provide mediation with their herdsmen over pastureland. Abram and Lot divide the pastureland, with Lot choosing the lush valley of the Jordan River near Sodom, instead of the less fertile hill country of Canaan. 

After Lot parts, the Lord says to Abram, “Lift up your eyes from where you are, and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever…Go walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” According to the custom of that period, Abram lays legal claim on the land as he walks through the land. Then he moves his many tents and herds and he builds an altar to God at Hebron and worships (not far from present day Jerusalem). 

Chapter 14

There is political and military turmoil during the next 12 to 15 years, and many eastern kings in the area of Sodom and the Dead Sea region wage battle. Lot and his family are taken captive. Abram and his men execute a surprise attack at night, routing the enemy and liberating Lot and his family. On his return home Abram meets King Melchizedek of Salem, who shares his food. Abram recognizes him as a priest who worships God, and he gives him a tenth of all he is carrying. 

Chapter 15

As the years pass, Abram is concerned that he and Sarai have had no children. He wonders how his offspring will inherit the land if there are no children. So God reassures Abram, who asks God for a sign. God overlooks Abram’s insecurity and asks Abram to prepare for a covenant in the manner agreements are commonly sealed during that time. By custom, the two parties pass between the split carcasses of animals that have been specially killed for the ceremony. Before the ceremony however, Abram falls asleep and in his dream, God tells him his descendants will be strangers in a country; they will be slaves, and they will come out of slavery with great possessions. God then seals the covenant with Abram, and says “to your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates.”

Chapter 16

Ten more years pass and while Abram and Sarai both believe God’s promise, Sarai apparently begins to wonder if the promise specifically includes her as the mother of Abram’s offspring. Despite her faith in the promise, she convinces herself she is not part of God’s plan and suggests that Abram take a secondary wife. By the custom of the time, it was proper for a woman to give her servant to her husband for the purpose of bearing children, and those children would inherit as natural children. So Abram agrees. Hagar becomes pregnant, and jealousy and pride create relationship problems. Hagar runs away, but God instructs her to return and be submissive. He also tells her that her offspring through her son Ishmael will be countless, but there will be hostility against his brothers. For many centuries we have seen conflict in the Middle East between the Arabs, who descended from Ishmael, and the Jews, who are descendants of Ishmael’s stepbrother, Isaac (not yet born).

Chapter 17

About 13 years after Ishmael’s birth, God appears again to Abram to restate his promise and confirm his prior covenant. Two signs are given: (1) changing Abram’s name to Abraham and changing Sarai’s name to Sarah, and (2) God institutes the rite of circumcision for all males in Abraham’s household and his descendants for generations to come. 

During this period, circumcision was a custom among people of Ethiopia, Syria, Phoenicia, and part of Egypt to mark a child’s coming of age at puberty. Other signs of covenants in the Old Testament include the rainbow as a sign of the covenant with Noah, and the keeping of the Sabbath day as a sign of the Mosaic Covenant. But God’s command was to circumcise in early infancy (8 days old), a symbolic ritual of dedication as well as spiritual purity, and an obligation of righteousness. It was to be an everlasting covenant. 

God also tells Abraham that he and Sarah will have a son who will be called Isaac and that He will establish His everlasting covenant with him and with his descendants. He further tells Abraham that He will bless Ishmael with many descendants and that he will be the father of 12 rulers. But God’s covenant will be with Isaac.

Chapters 18 and 19

God appears to Abraham in human form with two angels also in human form. He announces that Sarah will soon have a son, and Sarah, who is listening in, laughs in disbelief. 

At this time, among the cities around Sodom, there is uncommon wickedness, violence, unnaturalness, and injustice among the people. God then tells Abraham what He is about to do regarding the wickedness of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He says He will destroy the city of Sodom; but Abraham pleads with God because Lot, Abraham’s nephew, lives there with his wife and two daughters. Lot and his family are spared, but the cities are absolutely destroyed. Much like the story of Noah and the flood that destroyed the earth, only a small number among one family is spared in Sodom. God tells Lot, his wife, and daughters to run for their lives, and not look back; but when Lot’s wife looks back, she became a pillar of salt.

Chapters 20 and 21

Two decades have passed since Abraham lied to the Egyptian Pharoah about Sarah being his sister. During that time, God has blessed Abraham and kept his promises of protection. But amazingly, Abraham tells the same lie to King Abimelech and the king may plan to marry Sarah. But God appears in a dream and Abimelech releases Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah have waited 25 years for their promised son, who is born to Sarah, age 90 and Abraham, age 100. God gives him the name Isaac, and he is circumcised when he is 8 days old.

Abraham prospers greatly in the land; and Abimelech suggests a treaty. Abraham gives him 7 ewe lambs as a witness that he had dug a particular well at Beersheba, marking ownership. Abraham remains in the land of the Philistines a long time.

At three years of age, Isaac is ready to be weaned. Ishmael is 17 and not only mocks Isaac, but Sarah knows that, by custom, he has a right to an inheritance, so she demands that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away; and he agrees. They wander and are distressed and in need of water. God answers Hagar’s cry and provides water. Ishmael grows into manhood, lives in the desert, becomes an archer, and takes a wife from Egypt.

Chapter 22

God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering on one of the mountains in the region. Although human sacrifice is not unusual among the surrounding Canaanites and Chaldeans, this unusual request of God to Abraham must be difficult to understand. But Abraham takes the wood and the fire and his son to the place of the sacrifice and prepares to slay his son. Abraham believes God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering; and He does. God tells Abraham that because he did not withhold his son, God will bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. He tells him that all nations on earth will be blessed because Abraham obeyed.

Sometime later, Abraham receives word about his brother Nahor whom he has not seen for 40 years. Nahor has eight children, the youngest of whom is the father of Rebekah.

Chapters 23 and 24

Abraham is now 137, Sarah is 127, and Isaac is 37. Abraham mourns the death of his long-time, beloved companion, Sarah. He purchases a cave for her burial tomb in a field in Canaan.

Abraham makes arrangements for Isaac to marry a woman from among his own kinsmen back in the Mesopotamian region. He sends a servant who asks God to intervene, so he meets Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, one of Abraham’s nephews. Isaac brings Rebekah into the tent of his mother, and he marries Rebekah and is comforted after his mother’s death.

Chapter 25

Some time after Sarah’s death, Abraham marries a woman named Keturah, and they have 6 sons. At age 175, Abraham dies. Together, Isaac and Ishmael bury their father in the same cave he had purchased to bury his wife Sarah. Ishmael lives to age 137 and has 12 sons, and presumably many daughters.

Isaac and Rebekah have twins. God tells Rebekah that there are “two nations” in her womb, that one will be stronger than the other and that the older will serve the younger. Esau is born first, red and hairy; then Jacob is born. Esau becomes a hunter and is favored by his father. Jacob is a quiet man, staying among the tents and is favored by his mother. Esau is apparently disinterested in the responsibilities and benefits of his birthright and he sells or trades it to Jacob for a bowl of red stew. Pursuant to prophecy given by God to Rebekah, in future years Esau’s descendants will be subservient to the Hebrews, who will be the direct descendants of Jacob. 

Chapters 26 and 27

There is another famine and Isaac travels to see Abimelech, King of the Philistines in Gerar, where he lies about Rebekah exactly as Abraham had lied about Sarah being his sister. He subsequently is blessed with great wealth, as was Abraham. And he has similar disputes about the same wells previously dug by his father, and he and Abimelech make an agreement.

The difficulties between the brothers Jacob and Esau are not unlike those between Cain and Abel many centuries before. They are of different occupations, temperament, and moral character. Esau, like Cain, appears to be more rebellious, demonstrated by his two marriages to heathen women. 

Jacob conspires with his mother to deceive his father, Isaac, in his old age. Jacob was already going to receive the greater inheritance, but he tricks his father into also giving him the special blessing. Esau is so angry over losing both his birthright and his father’s blessing that he threatens to kill his brother. So Jacob leaves Canaan for Haran in northwest Mesopotamia.

Chapters 28 and 29

Jacob has a dream in which he sees a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending, and above it stood the Lord. God reaffirms that it will be Jacob, through whose descendants the promises given to Abraham will be fulfilled. Jacob makes a vow that appears to be a bargain with God, but it is actually a customary way to express thanksgiving. 

Jacob says, if God will be with me and watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God…and all that you give me, I will give you a tenth.

When Jacob comes to Haran, he meets his uncle Laban and agrees to work for Laban in exchange for his daughter Rachel. But Laban deceives Jacob, giving him his older daughter Leah. Jacob works 7 more years for Rachel. There is rivalry between the sisters, and each gives her maid-servant to Jacob to bear children. After many years, Rachel has a son she names Joseph. In all, Jacob has 11 sons and a daughter at this time. 

Chapters 30 and 31

After Joseph is born, Jacob wants to leave Haran and return to Canaan. He bargains with Laban over division of the flocks and herds. Laban deceives Jacob and then Jacob tricks Laban. As they are finally leaving, Rachel steals some of the household gods. After Laban and Jacob exchange hostile accusations, they resolve their differences and establish a mutual treaty of peace. Even though the action of each of the three is reprehensible conduct, we are reminded that God can still work through men and women whose moral character is quite frail.

Chapters 32 and 33

Jacob begins his journey south to Canaan and realizes that he will have to travel through territory occupied by his brother Esau, whom he has deceived. He is apprehensive so he prays to God and he develops a plan, sending many presents to Esau. One night, Jacob has a dream and is wrestling with God until daybreak. Jacob hangs onto Him and says he will not let Him go until He blesses him. So God changes Jacob’s name to Israel and blesses him. The brothers meet with favorable conditions and embrace, then go their own ways peacefully. Jacob settles in Shechem, in Canaan.

Chapters 34 and 35

During the journey, some men of Shechem rape Jacob’s daughter, Dinah. The two fathers discuss marriage, but circumcision of all the men of Shechem is a condition of the agreement. Three days later while all the men are in pain, Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, attack the city and kill every male and take Dinah back home. Jacob is appalled.

God sends Jacob and his family south toward Bethel and away from the many people who worship false gods in the region. God appears to Jacob again and blesses him and gives him a new name, Israel. Then Jacob sets up a stone pillar and pours out a drink offering. The family begins their journey again, and Rachel gives birth to another son, Benjamin. But Rachel dies in childbirth. Jacob now has 12 sons. Jacob’s father, Isaac, dies at the age of 180 and is buried.

Chapter 36

Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, live in an area southeast of the Dead Sea. They will become constant enemies of Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites.

Chapter 37

Israel has a special fondness for his son Joseph, and Joseph knows that he is the favorite son as shown by his special coat, a gift from his father. At age 17 he gives a bad report about his older brothers to his father, so his brothers sell him as a slave to traders on the roadway. He is taken to Egypt. But his brothers tell their father Joseph was killed by wild animals. Joseph eventually is sold to Potiphar, one of Pharoah’s officials.

Chapter 38

In the meantime, Judah, one of Israel’s sons by Leah, marries Tamar through unusual circumstances. Tamar has twins, Zerah and Perez. Centuries later, we learn that a descendant of Judah (through Perez) will become the Messiah.

Chapter 39 to 41

Joseph is living and working in Potiphar’s house and the Lord prospers Joseph, so Potiphar puts him in charge of his household assets. Potiphar’s wife makes advances toward Joseph, which he refuses; so she falsely accuses him and Joseph is thrown in jail. He is then put in charge of running the prison. He correctly interprets the dreams of the king’s butler and baker. Later, he is asked to interpret Pharoah’s dreams, which he does correctly.

Joseph explains that there will be 7 years of plenty in Egypt followed by 7 years of famine. He also presents a plan to remedy the situation. Joseph is put in charge of the entire land of Egypt, second only to Pharoah. He stores up food throughout the land in all the cities so food will be available in lean times. Joseph marries and has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Chapters 42 to 45

When the famine spreads all over the country, Joseph opens the warehouses and sells grain to the Egyptians. Israel sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize him. He questions them about where they live and about family members and learns that his father is still living and that he has a younger brother, Benjamin. They return home with grain and their silver. 

When the famine grows worse, the brothers return to Egypt with their brother Benjamin to buy more grain. Joseph eventually reveals his identity and brings his entire family to Goshen to live. He tells his brothers that God sent him ahead of them to preserve for them a remnant on earth.

Chapters 46 and 47

God speaks to Israel in a vision and tells him to go to Egypt and that He will make him a great nation and that Joseph’s own hand will close his eyes. All those in Israel’s family who go to Egypt and who are direct descendants (not including the wives) number 70, including Joseph and his two sons. Israel’s family is put in charge of Pharoah’s own livestock; Israel blesses Pharoah. The Israelites prosper in the land of Goshen.

Chapter 48 to 50

About 17 years pass, and Israel is nearing death. Israel blesses his 12 sons and grandsons and asks to be buried with Abraham and Isaac. Joseph remains in Egypt with all his father’s family. He lives 110 years and sees the third generation of Ephraim’s children. After his death, he is placed in a coffin in Egypt.


COMMENTS

God gave the covenant to Abraham in the clearest of terms. In our study material by Albert Baylis, he notes that Abraham’s obedience or disobedience did not change God’s decision to work through Abraham. Abraham’s great acts of faith result in approval and acceptance by God. God said, “I, the Lord, do not change.” The New Testament introduces Jesus as “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matt.1:1) Tracing the line of Jesus back to Abraham is important because God had already said it was through Abraham that blessings for all the nations would come. The good news of Jesus Christ, that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, was proclaimed to Abraham. (Gal. 3:8) Jesus came under God’s judgment on the cross 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. (Gal 3:14) If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29)


QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What factors in God’s working with Abraham do you see as similar to God working today?
2. What do Abraham’s failings and God’s response to them tell us about God? 
3. What do they tell us about Abraham?
4. How does this relate to us in our everyday lives?
5. What makes the Covenant so important to understanding the Bible?
6. What is the good news for Gentiles?

REFERENCES

Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard, 1995.
Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts and Maps, Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Smith, F. LaGuard. The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order, NIV. Harvest House Publishers, 1984.
Gower, Ralph. Manners and Customs of Bible Times. Moody Press, 1987.
Zondervan Handbook to the Bible. Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.