The story of Genesis concludes by recounting the last days of Jacob and Joseph in Egypt. The next phase of the Promise has begun. As God told Abraham long ago (Genesis 15:13), his descendants would live as foreigners in Egypt for 400 years and eventually become slaves. But during these years they are spared from […]
Chapter 45 begins, “Joseph could stand it no longer.” After all these months of keeping his brothers in the dark and on edge, while at the same time secretly maneuvering to have his family moved to Egypt, Joseph finally reveals himself to them. There is weeping, rejoicing and reconciliation. In the Ancient Near East, when […]
God wants the 12 sons of Jacob to move their households to Egypt for protection because, as it turns out, there is a severe famine coming to the whole region in a few years and Egypt will be the only place where they can live long and prosper. How will God do it? He’s already […]
It is helpful to think about the Bible as one great story with four themes: creation, fall, redemption and renewal. Genesis introduces three of the themes right away. First, we learn that there is one God who created the heavens and earth, and most significantly, created human beings in his image as male and female. […]
The continuing story of God’s Promise now shifts from Jacob to his sons—the twelve who head up the families that will one day become twelve tribes and eventually the nation of Israel. The forming of Israel as a nation will begin in Egypt, but how do the twelve tribes get to Egypt? This is the […]
Finally free of his deceitful father-in-law (Laban) Jacob now faces the prospect of returning home to Canaan and facing his brother Esau who hates him because of his earlier treachery. Esau may not be smart, but he is scary and he is still mad. His plan for revenge—possibly killing Jacob—raises a threat to God’s Promise […]
Having tricked his brother into giving him his birthright, and his father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn son, Jacob gets what he wants but earns the hatred of his twin brother Esau, who plans to kill him. Tipped off by his co-conspiring mother, Jacob flees to uncle Laban until everything cools down. […]
In chapter 25, the torch is passed. The important second generation of the Promise begins: “Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long, satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.” (Genesis 25:7) We might wonder whether God chose Abraham from among […]
At long last, Abraham’s faith is rewarded and the tension is lifted: Chapter 21 begins, “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it […]
In chapter 18, three visitors come to Abraham and Sarah. They are recognized by Abraham as being angels from God; perhaps God himself. They have come with three messages for Abraham: First, Sarah will bear a child by him next year; Second, God’s promise that Abraham will become a mighty nation is reaffirmed: Third, Sodom […]
Blogging Through the Bible 