Introduction to Old Testament Studies Part 2

Pentateuch

The story of how God restored mankind, lovingly and graciously redeeming them out of sin’s slavery and raising up a people though whom He would touch the whole world. Pentateuch is crucial to the rest of the Old Testament and the whole Bible

Pentateuch means “5 Books”. It is the Book of the Five Scrolls

In the Hebrew Bible it is referred to as Torah: “Instruction” or “Law”.

The books of the Torah which is what you will probably hear me say to refer to this section of the Bible. I am not referencing anything else just the five books of the Bible when I say “Torah”.

Genesis - “Beginnings”: Bereshith - “In Beginnings”

Exodus - “Departure” : Shemoth - “Names”

Leviticus - “Priestly Things” : Wayoria - “And He Called”

Numbers - “Census” : Bemidbar - “In The Wilderness”

Deuteronomy - “Second Law” : Debarim - “Words”

Who Wrote the Pentateuch

If you answered we don’t know then you are correct. It is anonymously written. The author is not stated. Tradition holds that Moses, A primary character in 4 of the 5 books wrote or had them written. He would have been able to read and write, being trained in the court. He is the political and religious leader of Israel.

Questions about Mosaic Authorship

Anachronisms

Statements used out of time. He couldn’t have written about his death and after unless it was a prophecy. Some would argue that if he didn’t prophecy then he didn’t write any of it because it is of the same literary style

Differing terms

Deity = God

Elohim vs YHWH

Horeb = Sinai Same place with different traditions on the name

Doublets

Two stories about the same event.

Moses is sometimes referred to in the 3rd person

Documentary Hypothesis

These questions and others have lead scholars to accept what is known as the Documentary Hypothesis. I am going to tell you what it is and then I will tell you why I don’t like it.

Julius Wellhousen developed this, and he states there are four primary sources.

Four Primary Sources

J - YHWHist

Used YHWH. Jacob is referred to as Israel. Considered colorful writer. God is anthropomorphic: With Human Terms. Genesis, Exodus, Numbers. Would be written around 950 BC

E – Elohist

Use Elohim. Refers to Jacob. God is Spirit. Sees God working through people. Genesis 12-50, Exodus, Numbers. Would have been written around 750 BC

D – Deuteronomist

Associated with Deuteronomy. Written around 550 BC

P – Priestly

Concerned with Cult, or System of religious beliefs and sources. Would have been written around 450 BC?See the book of Leviticus

Weaknesses of the this Hypothesis

J E Source

Uncertainty of the P dating

S - Salomon Source

Moses might have used other sources or had it written

I also don’t like it because it looks at the scripture from that potted plant point of view trying to tear down the bible into smaller and smaller points that come often from anti-Semitic (anti Jewish) perspective. It does not look at the Bible the way Jesus himself would have seen the TaNaK.

Zechariah 7:8–14 LEB

8 And the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Judge with trustworthy justice, and show steadfast love and compassion to one another. 10 You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the needy. You must not devise evil in your heart against one another.’ 11 But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from listening. 12 They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that Yahweh of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts. 13 ‘Thus, just as I called and they would not hear, so they will call and I will not hear,’ says Yahweh of hosts. 14 ‘And I scattered them with a wind among all the nations that they had not known; the land was made desolate behind them— no one crossing through it or returning—and they made the desirable land a desolation.’ ”

I want to look at the book of Zechariah, Zechariah 7, look what he says here.

Like do the Ten Commandments.

"This is what Yahweh of host said, but our fathers, they refuse to pay attention. They turned a stubborn shoulder. They stopped their ears from hearing, they made their hearts like a rock so that they could not hear the Torah and the word which Yahweh of host sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.

He's reflecting on the whole thing before. Look at this vocabulary. He doesn't even name Moses, does he?

In Zechariah 9, the Torah and the Prophets all come from this category of the prophets who are guided by God's Spirit.

Zechariah thinks the prophetic authority comes from the spirit who's speaking through the whole chain of generations of prophets and all of the prophets to come after him. And so he just attributes the origin of the Torah and Prophets to the prophet guided by the Spirit.

It's not the person; the tradition.

Their conviction is that through that tradition, God is speaking to His people, and still speaking to this generation here today. This also gives us a category for Moses, both being a contributor to the Torah, but not the only author of the Torah, which is very clear in certain sections of the Torah, where the voice speaking is speaking from a vantage point long after Moses. Looking back on Moses.

What we're beginning to see even within these texts is the texts recognize that they had a developing life over the course of many generations. And the Torah didn't just pop into existence in the form we know it on the fords of the Jordan River and then Joshua just toted that around. The Torah that he had was long enough to write on some stones.

And when Zechariah talks about it, he talks about the Torah that comes from the prophets, along with the other collection.

This is the picture that the Hebrew Bible has.

Genesis

Genesis is divided into two sections

Genesis 1-11

Primeval History. History before History

Genesis 12-50

The Patriarchal Narrative. That is the story of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Genesis 1:1–2:4a LEB

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God caused there to be a separation between the light and between the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be a vaulted dome in the midst of the waters, and let it cause a separation between the waters.” So God made the vaulted dome, and he caused a separation between the waters which were under the vaulted dome and between the waters which were over the vaulted dome. And it was so. And God called the vaulted dome “heaven.” And there was evening, and there was morning, a second day. And God said, “Let the waters under heaven be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. And God called the dry ground “earth,” and he called the collection of the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let the earth produce green plants that will bear seed—fruit trees bearing fruit in which there is seed—according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. And the earth brought forth green plants bearing seed according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit in which there was seed according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the vaulted dome of heaven to separate day from night, and let them be as signs and for appointed times, and for days and years, and they shall be as lights in the vaulted dome of heaven to give light on the earth.” And it was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night, and the stars. And God placed them in the vaulted dome of heaven to give light on the earth and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth across the face of the vaulted dome of heaven. So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kind, and every bird with wings according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and moving things, and wild animals according to their kind.” And it was so. So God made wild animals according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and every creeping thing of the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let us make humankind in our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every moving thing that moves upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth.” And God said, “Look—I am giving to you every plant that bears seed which is on the face of the whole earth, and every kind of tree that bears fruit. They shall be yours as food.” And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven, and to everything that moves upon the earth in which there is life I am giving every green plant as food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day. And heaven and earth and all their array were finished. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and he sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that there was to do. These are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven—

Creation Account. Written in an elevated prose.

In Beginning

In the beginning God created. Bara, to create. Only God can Create. We can be creative, we can make but only God can Create. Bara occurs 5 times in Genesis 1 and another 5 in Genesis 2:4 and 6:7. In which, God is always the subject of the verb, and there is never a reference to any material used in creating in this account.

Creatio Ex Nihilo: Latin “Creation out of Nothing”

Formless and Void

Earth was formless and void

Tohu Vavohu: Hebrew “Formless and Void”

Gap theory

made famous by the Scofield Reference Bible of 1909 and 1917. This idea comes from the idea that Haytah can mean both “Became” or “was”. Thus, Earth became formless and void. God destroyed the earth once before. It is an attempt to deal with science. Things like Dinosaurs and Coal.

What would this mean?

If this is the case do we see it as God just jumbled things together as is suggested by some? Was it a cataclysmic event? Like an asteroid striking the earth and causing earthquakes and volcano eruptions and then a dust and ash cloud covers the earth causing all life to go extinct and the earth goes into an ice age? Then when Noah’s flood happens it the flooding after an ice age? How many times had it happened before? Were there humanoid creatures before?

Other Biblical support is slim but there are a few that people point to

Deuteronomy 32:4 CSB

The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.

The Idea from this verse is a newly created world “should” not be Formless and Void because his work is perfect

Isaiah 45:18 CSB

For this is what the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it (he did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited)— he says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

Psalm 104:30 CSB

When you send your breath, they are created, and you renew the surface of the ground.

The argument here is that the Spirit that was above the Waters was renewing it.

2 Peter 3:5–6 CSB

They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded.

This is the most common support however. The problem I have with this argument from 2 Peter is that if you read the letter as a whole you will see that this passage is dealing with the flood of Noah

After looking at all the verses it all comes down to one work Hayetah. Tradition says was, but is tradition right?

Yom = Day

5th most common word in the Bible

Period of Light

24 hours

Period of undetermined time

Humphrey’s a young earth scientist. Suggest the gravitational fields would be heavier at the time of creation so a day today is not as a day as of then. But it would all seem like a 24 hour period to those present, but as we look back it would seem longer. The heaver the gravitational field the slower time passes According to relativity

Water

Water is symbolic of Chaos. God Makes a break from chaos.

Seven Days of Creation

Day 1 - Light

Day 2 - Heavens /Sea

Day 3 - Land/Vegetation

Day 4 - Luminaries

Day 5 - Fish/Foul

Day 6 - Animals/Humanities

Day 7 - Rest

Humanity

Imitatio Dei: Latin “Image of God”

Humanity was made in the image of God.

What does that mean?

Physical

Capacity to know and worship

Relationship

Free Will

We are his image. We rule with his image as we represent His presence here on Earth.

Genesis 1:27–28 LEB

27 So God created humankind in his image, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth.”

He created human kind and made us kings and queens in partnership with Him and this is the crux of the Bible as we sin we're no longer representing him we're becoming less than who we are less than the image of God and Jesus is needed to restore that our sin is trying not to partner with him but overthrow him

Main plot line of the Bible is how is God going to get mankind to fill this partnership and the subplot line is God chooses one family of wrong and his family to represent and from his family to come down and and be the representatives that will lead to a multi-ethanol melt on national that we begin to see not until the letters of Paul and it comes into a place in our image today

Enuma elish

Babylonian creation Epic

I read from The Enuma Elish:

Tablet I

1   When the heavens above did not exist, 2   And earth beneath had not come into being — 3   There was Apsû, the first in order, their begetter, 4   And demiurge Tia-mat, who gave birth to them all; 5   They had mingled their waters together

Tablet VI

1   When Marduk heard the gods' speech 2   He conceived a desire to accomplish clever things. 3   He opened his mouth addressing Ea, 4   He counsels that which he had pondered in his heart, 5   "I will bring together blood to form bone, 6   I will bring into being Lullû, whose name shall be 'man'. 7   I will create Lullû—man 8   On whom the toil of the gods will be laid that they may rest. 9   I will skilfully alter the organization of the gods: 10   Though they are honoured as one, they shall be divided into two."

Similar creation account Being similar many people will try to tell you that it came first and the Bible stole it.

Stephen Bertman: 

Both Genesis and Enuma Elsih are religious texts which detail and celebrate cultural origins: Genesis describes the origin and founding of the Jewish people under the guidance of the Lord; Enuma Elish recounts the origin and founding of Babylon under the leadership of the god Marduk. Contained in each work is a story of how the cosmos and man were created. Each work begins by describing the watery chaos and primeval darkness that once filled the universe. Then light is created to replace the darkness. Afterward, the heavens are made and in them heavenly bodies are placed. Finally, man is created. These similarities notwithstanding, the two accounts are more different than alike. (312)

But we shouldn’t be surprised that it does sound similar. We must remember when we read this that the Bible is a dialog with the religion of the time. Which include the Babylonians and the Egyptians. Seth and Horus from Egypt will also be compared to the stories found in the Bible. And you will hear me make reference to these stories through out these times we spend together.

I like how JRR Tolkien puts it when talking to CS Lewis.

Pagan myths were, in fact, God expressing himself through the minds of poets, and using the images of their “mythopoeia” to express fragments of his eternal truth? Christianity is exactly the same thing with the enormous difference that the poet who invented it was God Himself, and the image He used were real men and actual history.

Carpenter, Humphrey. The inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and their Friends. Harper Collins publishers, 1978.

One of the leading things that separates the Old Testament from most other creation accounts because it does not attempt to explain where God came from.

Hebrew Cosmology

Did the cosmology come before or after this tradition came about?

If it came before then the 1st chapter can be seen as just an explanation of how they believed the world came to be about. If It came after then there idea of cosmetology comes from their limited idea of science in conjunction to this passage

Genesis 2:24b-25

Genesis 2:4b–25 CSB

These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation. At the time that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, no shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. But mist would come up from the earth and water all the ground. Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. Gold from that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.” The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

Second creation account

Is this a totally different account or part of the story above.

Genesis 2:5 CSB

no shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground.

Does this contradict the first account?

Does this passage refer the idea that nothing that needed cultivation was growing, but other things Were growing

Shrub - This word in Hebrew is only found in two other passages Genesis 21:15 and Job 30:4-7. These two verse don’t offer a lot of help in this regard.

Was Adam created before the plants were and rest of man created on sixth day?

Formation of Adam

Genesis 2:4–7 LEB

These are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven—before any plant of the field was on earth, and before any plant of the field had sprung up, because Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no human being to cultivate the ground, but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—when Yahweh God formed the man of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

These verses does seem to establish that even the wild plants would not grow because it was so dry. There is also no Adam (man) to work the Adamah (ground).

But could there have been plants elsewhere but not here because of the no water?

God is creating a special place. The Garden of Eden. God formed man out of sand, like sand castle it would seem and put the Breath of life in him.

The Breath of life is an idea found in Egyptian text. In the Instructions of Merikare, The god Re “made the breath of life for their nostrils”

God created in his image.

Animals also have the breath of life but God breath his own breath into man

Garden

Genesis 2:8–17 LEB

And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And Yahweh God caused to grow from the ground every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food. And the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river flowed out from Eden that watered the garden, and from there it diverged and became four branches. The name of the first is the Pishon. It went around all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stones are there.) And the name of the second is Gihon. It went around all the land of Cush. And the name of the third is Tigris. It flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. And Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

Garden not a house garden. This would have trees and animals and would cover a large area of ground. Like a park with food in it.

Located in between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.

Two Trees

We usually just think of one tree.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil

This is the one we usually think of. This is the one that the were told not to touch.

The other is the tree of life

Fruit of this tree seems to extends life. Eating it regularly would bring eternal life.

Man commanded to take care of the earth

Genesis 2:17 LEB

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

verse 17 is a command and a threat. Don’t eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you will die.

Question that is always brought up “why didn’t they die?

They did. It wasn’t in a way that they were expecting.

Eve

Genesis 2:18–25 LEB

Then Yahweh God said, “it is not good that the man is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart.” And out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and he brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called that living creature was its name. And the man gave names to every domesticated animal and to the birds of heaven and to all the wild animals. But for the man there was not found a helper as his counterpart. And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man. While he slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh where it had been. And Yahweh God fashioned the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said, “She is now bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh; she shall be called ‘Woman,’ for she was taken from man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh. And the man and his wife, both of them, were naked, and they were not ashamed.

Man is looking for a helper. Helper is the same word used for God is my helper. To often we look at helper and we see sidekick. Like a lesser of. Not what is being said here. Helper Both can do it by themselves. Both are capable. But notice what is says, it is not good for a man is alone. We are there for each other, for the best results we are a team.

Animals not good enough

Gilgamesh Epic, one of the stories found in the Ennuma Elish, Enkidu the first half-man, half- beast. Was content with animal companionship until he is seduced by a prostitute, who was sent to capture him.

God caused man to fall asleep. Took his rib and created woman, called ishah. Created out of ish. For this reason man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife. Early Israelite society woman left her father and mother and joining the man’s tribe didn’t happen often. Woman would come to visit man and just live with her parents. This Passage speaks out against that type of behavior.

Man and woman are to live together not just make conjugal visits.

naked

they had nothing to hide from each other or from anyone else. They needed no shame

The Fall Genesis 3

Genesis 3 LEB

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God indeed say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’.” But the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not surely die. For God knows that on the day you both eat from it, then your eyes will be opened and you both shall be like gods, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed together fig leaves and they made for themselves coverings. Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden at the windy time of day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. And Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he replied, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I forbade you to eat?” And the man replied, “The woman whom you gave to be with me—she gave to me from the tree and I ate.” Then Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Then Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you will be cursed more than any domesticated animal and more than any wild animal. On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will put hostility between you and between the woman, and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.” To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband shall be your desire. And he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree from which I forbade you to eat, the ground shall be cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat from it all the days of your life. And thorns and thistles shall sprout for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until your return to the ground. For from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all life. And Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and he clothed them. And Yahweh God said, “Look—the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil. What if he stretches out his hand and takes also from the tree of life and eats, and lives forever?” And Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out, and placed cherubim east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Fall of Man

Four D’s of Temptation

Disorientation (Geneses 3:1)

Distrust

Desire (for the Tree)

Death

Innocence died - Breaking the relationship with God. Breaking Relationship with others. Breaking relationship with ourselves. Sin broke the relationship

Genesis 3:1-7

Genesis 3:1–7 LEB

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God indeed say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, 3 but from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’.” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not surely die. 5 For God knows that on the day you both eat from it, then your eyes will be opened and you both shall be like gods, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed together fig leaves and they made for themselves coverings.

Serpent

Endowed with divine or semi-divine qualities. Emblem of health, fertility, immortality, occult wisdom, and chaotic evil. You can see it on top of the pharaoh’s head

In this passage we see that it is Crafty or Cunning

This description is neutral without good or evil. Not noted as being HaSatan the accuser or the adversary in this passage. It is just another wild animal the Lord Made. It wasn’t until later that It was associated with Devil. (Side Note The Term Devil or Satan are titles not names).

The concept of the devil begins to appear in second and first centuries B.C.E. Jewish texts. In 1 Enoch, the “angel” who “led Eve astray” and “showed the weapons of death to the children of men” was called Gadreel (not Satan).

Around the same time, the Wisdom of Solomon taught that “through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who are on his side suffer it.” Though this may very well be the earliest reference to Eden’s serpent as the devil, in neither text, nor in any document we have until after the New Testament, is satan clearly understood as the serpent in Eden.

At Qumran, though, Satan is the leader of the forces of darkness; his power is said to threaten humanity, and it was believed that salvation would bring the absence of Satan and evil.

By the first century C.E., Satan is adopted into the nascent(new) Christian movement, as ruler over a kingdom of darkness, an opponent and deceiver of Jesus (Mark 1:13), prince of the devils and opposing force to God (Luke 11:15–19; Matthew 12:24–27; Mark 3:22–23:26); Jesus’ ministry puts a temporary end to Satan’s reign (Luke 10:18) and the conversion of the gentiles leads them from Satan to God (Acts 26:18). Most famously, Satan endangers the Christian communities but will fall in Christ’s final act of salvation, described in detail in the book of Revelation.

But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and Eden’s talking snake. The ancient Near Eastern combat myth motif, exemplified in the battle between Marduk and Tiamat in Enuma Elish and Baal and Yam/Mot in ancient Canaan, typically depicted the bad guy as a serpent. The characterization of Leviathan in Isaiah 27 reflects such myths nicely:

On that day YHWH will punish

With his hard and big and strong sword

Leviathan the fleeing serpent,

Leviathan the twisted serpent,

And he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.

So the reference in Revelation 12:9 to Satan as “the ancient serpent” probably reflects mythical monsters like Leviathan rather than the clever, legged, talking creature in Eden.

In the New Testament, Satan and his demons have the power to enter and possess people; this is what is said to have happened to Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:27; cf. Mark 5:12–13; Luke 8:30–32). But when Paul re-tells the story of Adam and Eve, he places the blame on the humans (Romans 5:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:21–22) and not on fallen angels, or on the serpent as Satan. Still, the conflation begged to be made, and it will seem natural for later Christian authors—Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, for example—to assume Satan’s association with Eden’s talking snake. Most famously, in the 17th century, John Milton elaborates Satan’s role in the Garden poetically, in great detail in Paradise Lost.

But this connection is not forged anywhere in the Bible.

Is it the devil in some serpent form or is it a creature that is being used for devils purposes?

In Gnosticism the serpent is the hero. Gnostics are all about knowledge especially secrete knowledge. The serpent provided or lead the way.

Did God Really say that?

Serpent caused eve to doubt the integrity of God’s word and to reject its authority from God and his word

Genesis 2:17 LEB

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

God said you will surly die if you eat it

Genesis 3:3 LEB

3 but from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’.”

Woman says that they will die if they touch it or eat it.

The word there makes a big difference

The serpent capitalizes on it

“you will not surly die” Making death more of an abstract thing a not immediate threat that can be overcome with time. Instead tells her that she will become like God knowing good and evil

The tree itself had nothing wrong with it

God created everything Good

Did he put it there just to test?

Maybe

Maybe he put it there for man when he was old enough and ready. Man partook of it too early. Like a kid in the cookie jar. The cookies are good after dinner but bad before.

Eve’s Temptation

Eve saw that it looked good, ate, and gave to her husband. Who is apparently right beside her saying nothing. Was he there when all this started? How long did the serpent talk to her. Was it just once or broken up in to times.

We don’t know.

We do know that he was there and didn’t stop her from eating the fruit.

Now They had something to hide and were ashamed of their nakedness

Temptation of the World

1 John 2:16 - World

“The Lust of the Flesh”

“The lust of the eyes”

“The pride of life”

Genesis 3:6 - Adam

The tree was good for food

It was pleasant to the eyes

A tree desirable to make one wise

Luke 4:1-13 - Jesus

Command this stone to become bread

The devil showed him all the kingdom

Throw yourself down from here

Genesis 3:8-24

Genesis 3:8–24 LEB

8 Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden at the windy time of day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. 9 And Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he replied, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked, so I hid myself.” 11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I forbade you to eat?” 12 And the man replied, “The woman whom you gave to be with me—she gave to me from the tree and I ate.” 13 Then Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 Then Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you will be cursed more than any domesticated animal and more than any wild animal. On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 And I will put hostility between you and between the woman, and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband shall be your desire. And he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree from which I forbade you to eat, the ground shall be cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat from it all the days of your life. 18 And thorns and thistles shall sprout for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until your return to the ground. For from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20 And the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all life. 21 And Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and he clothed them. 22 And Yahweh God said, “Look—the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil. What if he stretches out his hand and takes also from the tree of life and eats, and lives forever?” 23 And Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So he drove the man out, and placed cherubim east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Lord came to visit. The scriptures don’t tell us if this was a regular action or not

The Lord looks for them. God being all knowing already knew

Why ask, why act like he didn’t?

Give them a chance to admit where they were wrong.

God ask that we admit our sins (Confess)

Adam and Eve hid hid because, “I was naked”. They hid because they were ashamed. They had fallen

Adam - the woman you gave me. You gave her to me. It was her fault. The snake Lord the snake.

Human to pass the blame. As we follow this way of thinking we can’t help but blame God though we don’t say it. God created the snake after all.

Cursed

Curse of the snake

crawl on your belly. no more feet. snake is not harmful when on its belly it is when it is raised up that it is harmful

Dust of the earth is associated with the death. The dead eat dirt. The snake and man will always be fighting. It will kill you and you will kill him

Woman

Pain and anguish. This refers to the mental and physical pain though out the whole process of Childbearing

Her desire for her husband will put him in position of control. Woman ruled by men. Is that statement right?

Notice this is a curse or the result of sin. Not God’s absolute will. But because of sin

Man/Ground

Adamah is cursed because of Adam

Painful there is that Anguish again

The whole growing process with be painful. Where you once had it so easy

Naming of Eve

Ishah named Eve, hasn’t been named yet. Name means Living. Naming of Woman shows that he now rules over her.

Skin Garments

God knows they can’t stay in the Garden and they will now die. Still cares for them and gives them hope, by providing clothing for them. Notice: A Sacrifice was made as well, blood was spilt for their sin.

Out of Eden

God said he can’t be like one of us. This is pantheon or Three in one talk. There also seems to be a pantheon of heavenly beings that meet in the court of God.

Cherubim placed to guard the entrance. These are beast with a flaming sword

Genesis 4

Genesis 4 LEB

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. And she said, “I have given birth to a man with the help of Yahweh.” 2 Then she bore his brother Abel. And Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the course of time Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground to Yahweh, 4 and Abel also brought an offering from the choicest firstlings of his flock. And Yahweh looked with favor to Abel and to his offering, 5 but to Cain and to his offering he did not look with favor. And Cain became very angry, and his face fell. 6 And Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your face fallen? 7 If you do well will I not accept you? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. And its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out into the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And he said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand. 12 When you till the ground it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Look, you have driven me out today from the face of the ground, and from your face I must hide. I will be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and it will happen that whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then Yahweh said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” Then Yahweh put a sign on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of Yahweh, and he settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And when he built a city he named the city after his son, Enoch. 18 And to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took to himself two wives. The name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20 And Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and those who have livestock. 21 And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and wind instruments. 22 Then Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain who forged all kinds of tools of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23 Then Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; O wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech will be avenged seventy and seven times. 25 Then Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. And she called his name Seth, for she said “God has appointed to me another child in the place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 And as for Seth, he also fathered a son, and he called his name Enosh. At that time he began to call on the name of Yahweh.

Adam lay with Eve

Is this seen as before the fall or after?

In our initial most basic reading it is like duh after. but there are those that argue that Adam and Eve knew each other in the garden. Some will use that to explain the “others”. Those who see the forbidden fruit as sex see that this may be as a direct result of it

Two Sons of Adam and Eve

Cain

The Farmer. Cain sounds like the word for acquired. Offers a cereal or grain offering

Abel

The Sheppard. Abel means vanity or weakness. He gives a firstling from flock.

Sacrifice

Notice doesn’t say they were commanded to bring a sacrifice, just that they do

Why did the Lord look down upon Cain’s offering?

Abel brought his best

Cain just brought something not the worst. Just not the best. Cain wanted to thank God for his help with his farming, Abel’s gift showed total dependence on God. Cain thanked God for serving him. Abel confessed himself a servant of God

Does not seem to be a burnt offering. Seems that God was still meeting with them face to face in some fashion.

Cain becomes Jealous. God encourages Cain to do the right thing. Sin is crouching at your door. Sin is a doorway in which the demons will get you. Rabisu is Babylonian demon who waits in doorways to ambush his victims

Cain Kills his brother. The lord comes to Cain and ask where Is your Brother. God already Knows. He is Giving a chance for Cain to Confess. This is the pattern we saw earlier with Adam and Eve.

Cain does not “am I My brothers Keeper”. Yes. His Blood Cries out. Blood is the life force of the Body. Cain is pushed from Gods presence But not but from his protection

Others

Did Adam have other children we just are not told about? Is He speaking of other beings? Animals? Did God create other men or men like creatures, such as Homo-erectus or the like?

Don’t know

Cain Settles in Nod

Nod means wondering. A Wanderer din Wandering

Line of Cain

Cain Starts his own Group of People

Cain lay with his wife.

Enoch build a city. This is the first city we have record of. Enoch Cain’s descendants begin all the major thrust of civilization. From a murder does civilization grow: Cities, domestication of cattle, music, and metal working, practice polygamy.

Lamech represents the end of the line. Man no longer needs God to protected him. Man believes he no longer needs God

Seth

Verses 25-26

Adam is given another child. Seth Granted

Enosh - Weakness. Cain’s strength will fall but Enosh’s weakness will prevail (trust in the Lord) contrasted against Cain’s family. This family calls upon the name of the Lord and Enosh’s family will never end.

Chapter 5

Why have these sections in the Bible?

Trace Genealogy

Mark who has come before

Show the passages of time

Served as an outline of the book of Genesis

Shows the Faithfulness of God to continue the line of Adam even after Adam has sinned against Him God is that Great

Genesis 5:1–20 LEB

1 This is the record of the generations of Adam. When God created Adam, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them. And he blessed them. And he called their name “Humankind” when they were created. 3 And when Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he fathered a child in his likeness, according to his image. And he called his name Seth. 4 And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters. 5 And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. 6 When Seth had lived one hundred and five years, he fathered Enosh. 7 And after Seth had fathered Enosh he lived eight hundred and seven years, and fathered sons and daughters. 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. 9 When Enosh lived ninety years, he fathered Kenan. 10 And after Enosh fathered Kenan he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and fathered sons and daughters. 11 And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died. 12 When Kenan had lived seventy years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 And after Kenan had fathered Mahalalel, he lived eight hundred and forty years, and fathered sons and daughters. 14 And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Jared. 16 And after Mahalalel had fathered Jared, he lived eight hundred and thirty years, and fathered sons and daughters. 17 And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. 18 When Jared had lived one hundred and sixty-two years, he fathered Enoch. 19 And after Jared had fathered Enoch, he lived eight hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

From Adam to Enoch

Notice that the story of Adam and Eve here does not mention the fall

Adam 130 years has Seth. As God made us in his image And Adam had Seth who was made in Adams images. Next 800 years he had other children

Seth 105 years had Enosh. Then for next 807 years he had other kids

Enosh 90 years had Kenan. 815 years having other children

Kenan 70 years had Mahalalel. 840 years had other children

Mahalalel 65 years had Jared. 830 years had other children

Jared 162 years Enoch. 800 years had other children

Genesis 5:21–32 LEB

21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 And Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him. 25 When Methuselah had lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, he fathered Lamech. 26 And after Methuselah had fathered Lamech, he lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and fathered sons and daughters. 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. 28 When Lamech had lived one hundred and eighty-two years, he fathered a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one shall relieve us from our work, and from the hard labor of our hands, from the ground which Yahweh had cursed. 30 And after Lamech had fathered Noah he lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 31 All the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. 32 When Noah was five hundred years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Enoch to Noah

Enoch not to be confused with son of Cain. 65 when he became the father of Methuselah. 300 years other children. Walked with the Lord is this after the birth of Methuselah possibly, people began to think seriously after children born. Could have been a whole life thing. Lord took him away believed that Enoch and Elijah be the two prophets at the end times other say Moses

Methuselah 187 years had Lamech. 782 years having other children. Oldest person yet still lived, had children and died. Enoch his father lived on earth 1/3 the time and accomplished more because he walked with the Lord. Number of days is not the important part but how you live it

Lamech Not to be confused with Lamech the Polygamist, 182 had Noah 595 years having other children.

Noah Sounds like “Comfort” He will comfort us. Confuses me. Noah survives the flood but does not comfort the pains of the land. Just a hope of Lamech (?).

When we read through these verses we can also realize that this doesn’t have to be a direct timeline. Seth was 105 when he fathered the ancestor of Enosh. Son and Grandson or the like could be seen as the same. We see this in other A.N.E. Writings

The Flood

Genesis 6-8

Genesis 6:1–8 LEB

1 And it happened that, when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, daughters were born to them. 2 Then the sons of God saw the daughters of humankind, that they were beautiful. And they took for themselves wives from all that they chose. 3 And Yahweh said, “My Spirit shall not abide with humankind forever in that he is also flesh. And his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were upon the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went into the daughters of humankind, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty warriors that were from ancient times, men of renown. 5 And Yahweh saw that the evil of humankind was great upon the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was always only evil. 6 And Yahweh regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. 7 And Yahweh said, “I will destroy humankind whom I created from upon the face of the earth, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven, for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

Sons of God

Sons of Seth (godly men)

Rulers

Angels

In Job sons of God is refers to angels. Angels often appeared just like men, Abram

2 Peter 2:4 mentions a sin committed by the angels commonly associated with the fall of angel with Satan could be this?

Daughters of Men

Daughters of Cain’s family would have been a different class structure for these two different families. Romeo and Juliet. Godly lives bring longer lives so marrying with pagans brings shorter lives

Women

120 Years

Years will be 120 Years in which people lived. See that people continued to live longer than that after the flood

How long he will hold of the flood?

Nephilim

Used here and in Numbers 13:33. People in Canaan.

Etymology nephal - To fall or The fallen ones. Numbers 13:33 giants, men of considerable size. In the context here they were warrior heroes of old or result of the union between the sons of God and daughters of Man

God Grieved

God was grieved that he made man. First glance might thing that God regretted making man. But seems more that he was grieved by what man was doing. Causing him to suffer. Never does it describe God as angry in these passages. God is not angry he is sorrow so out of his love of creation, in hope to preserve his creation.

I will blot them out. Almost sounds like he was trying to erase a mistake. God doesn’t make mistakes. We do.

They have 120 years to change, in that time Noah caught God’s attention

Genesis 6:9–22 LEB

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, without defect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 And the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth was filled with violence because of them. Now, look, I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood; you must make the ark with rooms, then you must cover it with pitch, inside and outside. 15 And this is how you must make it: the length of the ark, three hundred cubits; its width fifty cubits; its height, thirty cubits. 16 You must make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above. And as for the door of the ark, you must put it in its side. You must make it with a lower, second, and a third deck. 17 And I, behold, I am about to bring the flood waters over the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 And I will establish my covenant with you, and you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons with you. 19 And of every living thing, from all flesh, you must bring two from every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 From the birds according to their kind, and from the animals according to their kind, from every creeping thing on the ground according to its kind—two from every kind shall come to you to keep them alive. 21 And as for you, take for yourself from every kind of food that is eaten. And you must gather it to yourself. And it shall be for you and for them for food.” 22 And Noah did according to all that God commanded him; thus he did.

Verses 9-22

Noah walked with God. Just like Enoch

Noah had work to do

Noah will be the salvation for man. Can be compared to Jesus. God looked and saw that it was corrupt. He had made it all Good, But seems that it no longer was. Even Noah was Corrupt, but was walking in Righteousness. That doesn’t mean that Noah wasn’t a sinner.

Commanded to build and ark. It is argued that Noah would have been familiar with river travel, but in truth we don’t know. We do have pictures of boats from 150 feet long during this time in this area

Ark

Ark was to be 450 feet long (1 ½ foot ball fields long) by 75 feet wide by 45 feet high (3 stories). Made of Gopher wood possibly Cypress. Cypress wood is a sea worthy wood

God brought 2 of every kind animal. So they will just come. they didn’t have to go look. Possible that God chose to destroy some at this time. It is estimated that 7000 species could be held in such a vessel.

Notice it does say kind so some argue that it doesn’t have to be species like we think of it today. We think Lions and Tigers, but could just be two big cats.

The World Goes back to Chaos. Then it moves to Re-creation. We see that in the midst of Chaos God does not forget his servant.

Purposes of the Flood

God’s Judgment on Sin

God’s concern to preserve what he began at creation

Shows God reaching out to humanity (Noahic Covenant)

Genesis 9

Genesis 9:1–7 LEB

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every animal of the earth, and on every bird of heaven, and on everything that moves upon the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they shall be given. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be for you as food. As I gave the green plants to you, I now give you everything. 4 Only you shall not eat raw flesh with blood in it. 5 And your lifeblood I will require; from every animal I will require it. And from the hand of humankind, from the hand of each man to his brother I will require the life of humankind. 6 “As for the one shedding the blood of humankind, by humankind his blood shall be shed, for God made humankind in his own image. 7 “And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply in it.”

Noah has just built an alter. Noah now represents a new beginning. He is the new Adam. Like Adam, Noah and his family are given the responsibility and the blessing of being fruitful and multiplying. Unlike Adam, however, Noah and his family have the frustration of knowing the HST of man.

The fear and dread of you will fall upon the every beasts of the earth. Does this mean that there was peace and harmony between beast and man. possibly. Now man was eating the beast and that would be a natural reaction to that which is now eating you. People can now eat animals. Still can’t eat bloody meat. think about all the diseases that we still get when meats are under cooked

I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Murder, the reason for the seriousness of murder is respect not only for life but for the image of God in every man. Where men have no respect of God, there is little respect of the worth of another man

Other flood Stories

Every great civilization has flood stories

Gilgamesh Epic: gods try to destroy humanity with a great flood. Utnapishtim was told to build an ark by Ea. Flood was so great even the gods thought they were going to be destroyed. The water receded a bit, the ark landed on Mount Nisir. Utnapishtim sent a dove and a raven to see if the water had receded enough for him to leave. After it was over He made an offering.

Atrahasis Epic: (Babylonian) People are so noisy that the gods decide to destroy them Try Plague, Drought, Famine. All are not enough. So the gods try a flood, which is basically population control

Covenant with Noah

Genesis 9:8–17 LEB

8 And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “As for me, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you and with your seed after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and every animal of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark to all the animals of the earth. 11 I am establishing my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor will there ever be a flood that destroys the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you, and between every living creature that is with you for future generations. 13 My bow I have set in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and between the earth. 14 And when I make clouds appear over the earth the bow shall be seen in the clouds. 15 Then I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and between every living creature, with all flesh. And the waters of a flood will never again cause the destruction of all flesh. 16 The bow shall be in the clouds, and I will see it, so as to remember the everlasting covenant between God and between every living creature, with all flesh that is upon the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am establishing between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Covenant with Noah. God will never destroy the earth with a flood again. God initiated this agreement not Noah. This is a sign of God’s divine mercy and Grace. He did not have to make a deal. God is just that great.

Rainbow was given as an everlasting symbol of the contract between the Creator and His creatures. We know a rainbow is light refraction caused by the moisture in the air But as we look and we see the curve of the rainbow. It represents God laying down his warriors bow.

If the flood was not universal then God has broken his promise by flooding the different areas.

Covenant different from that which we see with David or Abraham. This c covenant is more of a promise that does not require anything from Man. God will discipline us in other ways now

Sin of Ham

Genesis 9:18–28 LEB

18 Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. 20 And Noah began to be a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, and the two of them put it on their shoulders and, walking backward, they covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see the nakedness of their father. 24 Then Noah awoke from his drunkenness, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 And he said, “Cursed be Canaan, a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers.” 26 Then he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave to them. 27 May God make space for Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave for him.” 28 And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.

This passage was a favorite text of Southern preachers during the Civil War as they asserted the right of white men to enslave the Negro.

The passage begins by telling us that the sons of Noah were the three that all other people come from.

Noah probably owned a vineyard before the flood and now that the flood is over he grows one again

Matthew 24:38 LEB

38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark.

Tells us that there was eating and drinking before the flood, probably referring to wine. So Noah was familiar with the effects of wine. But the fact that he became drunk might lead us to believe that he wasn’t in the habit of tasting his product on a regular basis.

Now the righteous one of God could now be found naked in his tent. How quickly we forget and fall. Ham came in and saw his father naked

What was Ham’s sin?

Nakedness: Greek glorification of the body. Hebrew nakedness was a great dishonor and a shameful event. Ham exposed his father’s shamefulness. He told his brothers. It seems the exposure that was wrong. Not homosexuality as some would claim. Once he told his brothers with our their being incensed against him (they didn’t get mad at him). Coverings fixed the problem, problem must be related to sight.

What ever the sin the image is that once again, just like with Adam, this new Adam is naked and ashamed.

Why did Noah curse Canaan not Ham?

Prediction of a curse

Punishment of Ham is full field by Canaan

Slavery is the result of sin. Doesn’t make it right but does make it the consequences of the sin.

Does Ham’s slavery refer to black slavery?

The answer is obviously no but has been used that way by many unfortunately.

This passage only mentions Canaan none of the other Hamitic people: Egyptians, Libyans, South Arabians. Not mentioned only Cannan. I would say no

Noah lived 950 years all together

Slavery

Quick Quiz:

In the world today there are: No slaves; 2 Million Slaves; 27 Million Slaves

How many people were taken from Africa during the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade? 13 million, 30 Million, 1 Million

Slavery is: Illegal everywhere, Legal in some countries legal everywhere

Harsh reality of the world we live in But the mistake would be to assume that all slavery was a past event. That the slave trade ended with the emancipation proclamation. No that only made it illegal.

There are an estimated 27 Million slaves in the world today. Guess that isn’t too bad in a world of 7 billion.

“Nobody is free until everybody is free”Vivek Pandit, Indian anti-slavery campaigner

“He who would be no slave, should keep no slave”Abraham Lincoln

When slavery was legal it was a long-term economic investment. In 1850 and average agricultural slave in Alabama sold for $1,000-$1800. That’s about $50,000 - $100,000 in today’s money. That was three times the average yearly wage of an American worker at the time. Today the average cost of a slave is $90. A bonded laborer (slave) in India can be brought for a mere $36. Slave are thought to generate a total yearly profit of $13.6 billion for their slaveholders. In one area of the South of Sudan, 3000 children from a Christian population of 150,000 were abducted during 1998 to work as laborers. About 14% of Haiti’s under-18 population, or 300,000 children are working as domestic slaves. 30% of those receive only one meal per day. An estimated 40,000 women and young girls from Burma are forced in the sex industry in Thailand each year.

The CIA and US State Department estimate that over 50,000 Women and children are trafficked into the US each year. Between 1988 and 1998 there were over 100,000 slaves on 226 estates in Brazil, according to the Pastoral land Commission (CPT)

Types of Slavery

Some of these will overlap

Bonded labor

A person becomes bonded when there is demanded as a means of repayment of a loan or money given in advance. There are 20 million people working as bonded laborers worldwide. Particularly common in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Brazil, Caribbean.

Forced Labor

People who are illegally recruited by governments, political parties, or private individuals, and forced to work. Usually under threat of violence. Burma’s military dictatorship enslaves tens of thousands of people to work as porters for the army or on government construction projects ever year. Solomon had corvee which is forced labor for his work projects.

Worst forms of child labor

Children who work in dangerous or exploitative conditions. While not all child labor is slavery, millions of children worldwide work in conditions of slavery

Commercial sexual exploitation of children

Children are exploited though prostitution, trafficking, and pornography. They are often kidnapped, bought or forced to enter the sex market.

Trafficking

Transport and/or trade of humans. Usually women or children for economic gain and involving force or deception. Often migrant women and girls are tricked and forced into domestic work and prostitution. Women from Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and South America are trafficked frequently to regions such as the US, EU, Japan and the Middle East

Early and Forced Marriage

Woman and girls are married without choice and forced into a life of servitude, and often physical violence

Traditional or “chattel” slavery

Today people are still bought and sold as commodities. They are often abducted from their homes, inherited or given as gifts. This is common in West Africa.

To assume that this tragedy is over would be a mistake. To assume that the blacks are the only group to undergo this tragedy. It spans across this world in all colors and forms and shapes. Something that needs to be talked about because too many especially here in US have closed our eyes to those who are still struggling in the plight of slavery

Geneses 10

Transition List of Nations

Noah’s Descendants

Tower of Babel

Genesis 11 LEB

1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to each other, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and they had tar for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top reaches to the heavens. And let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 5 Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that humankind was building. 6 And Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people with one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. So now nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand each other’s language.” 8 So Yahweh scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, for there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth, and there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth. 10 These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was one hundred years old, he fathered Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arphaxad, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 12 When Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, he fathered Shelah. 13 And Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years after he fathered Shelah, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 14 When Shelah had lived thirty years, he fathered Eber. 15 And Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he fathered Eber, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 16 When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he fathered Peleg. 17 And Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 18 When Peleg had lived thirty years, he fathered Reu. 19 And Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 20 When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he fathered Serug. 21 And Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 22 When Serug had lived thirty years, he fathered Nahor. 23 And Serug lived two hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 24 When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he fathered Terah. 25 And Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 26 When Terah had lived seventy years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. 28 And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of the wife of Abram was Sarai, and the name of the wife of Nahor was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to Haran, and they settled there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Tower

The most common form of Tower is a guard tower in the Old Testament. In Mesopotamia the most common tower structure is a Ziggurat. Resemble pyramids. Dedicated to certain deities.

A city might have several ziggurats in it. These were worship sites of pagan gods. We have record of both Assyrian and Babylonian kings priding themselves on the height of these temples

Names of some ziggurats:

Etemenanki - Temple of the foundation of heaven and earth

Larsa - Temple which links heaven and earth

Sippar - Temple of the stairway to pure heaven

These ziggurats are stairway that the gods used to go from heaven to earth and into the netherworld. At the top of ziggurats was the Gate of the gods. Where they entered into this world. At the bottom was the temple. Where the gods would descend to receive the gifts and worship of the people.

The offense

Pride

let us make a name for ourselves. Our less-then-human nature to desire to leave a mark on this world after you leave

Disobedience

God commanded them to fill the earth. let us not be scattered. Fill the earth blessing not necessarily a command. God didn’t want them to scatter but reproduce. Weak argument

Urbanization

Look at the line of Cain his family started cities. But God gathers at Jerusalem later. There wasn’t enough land to go around for urbanization and farming needed them to scatter

Pagan worship

these are temples usually for god of our own design. The more like man we make god the easier it is for us understand god, the easier it is to worship false gods.

The Response

God comes down. He sees not that he didn’t already know, that anything they wanted to do they could do. Once again they say they don’t need God any more, just like Cain’s family

Let us confuse their language. This makes work, and living together impossible thus they abandon their projects and scatter

Babel = confusion

City possibly where Babylon later develops. Has the same root word bbl in Hebrew. Which is Something like gate of the gods

How much greater is God. look at the greatest work of man but God the creator of man can confuse them

Acts 2 God brings people back together not by bringing them into one tongue but through the good news of Jesus, through power of Holy Spirit as all tongues were spoken to spread his word.

Four major theological themes of Prime evil History (Geneses 1-11)

God is creator - Bara. Creation is not an accident

The entrance of sin radically alters the original creation

The relationship God intended for creation is simple. God Judges Sin

God tempers his judgment with mercy

Genesis 12-50

Patriarchal Narrative

Patriarch “First father” or “Father of Clan”

4 Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Time Period: Mid Bronze age 2000 – 1900 BC Until before the Hyksos Reign ended. Hyksos reign was from 1720-1570 BC. So anywhere from 2000 BCE to 1570 BCE.

Life style: Primarily Nomadic people. The Patriarch is the head of the entire extended family. Women are seen largely as property, Not entirely True but true on a society level

Harem = power. Woman, Gold and Land

Abram

Name Change Genesis 17:5

Abram – Abraham. God Changes his name which Denotes Ownership. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Saul to Paul. Sarai’ is changed to Sarah.

Abraham Father of Nations. Abram is Exalted Father. Abraham Father of Nations or Multitudes (hamon)

The Story of Abraham is a story of Growing Faith. Life that Grows in the faith. Through him all families of the earth shall be blessed. Not just Jew or Christian

We meet Abram at the end of Chapter 11. Abram is moved by his father, Terah with Lot, Abram’s Nephew and their families. Terah moves from Ur to Haran. According to Jewish tradition Abrahams father Terah was an idol maker.

Joshua 24:2 LEB

2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘Long ago your ancestors—Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the river, and they served other gods.

Joshua 24:2 tells us that he was an idol worshiper. But tradition states that he made idols Especially of the deity Sin, A deity of the moon. One of the Chief deity in Ur.

Abraham grew up in the city of Ur. Located in what is today southern Iraq near the city of Nasiriyah on a now-abandoned channel of the Euphrates river. Modern Tell al-MuqayyarIt was an important Sumerian city state between ca 2025-1738 BCE. Ur covered about 60 acres. Could compare to a modern city with Libraries, Schools, And law system. It was a Rich city. It was a city full of worship of deities. Even to the point that it has been suggested by some that every female in the city at some time in her life would have to take her turn in serving as a priestess prostitute in the temple. Probably comes from the right of Redutum In the temple of Ishatar-Annunitum at Sippar. Rite of passage, The sacrifice of their virginity. Herodotus states that every woman, rich or poor is required to sit in the temple of Mylitta (Ninlil) and have intercourse with a stranger, who signified his choice by throwing a silver coin onto her lap. The woman then had to accept the coin which thus became sacred. But she had intercourse with the stranger outside the temple. Once the rite had been observed the woman was absolved from her obligation to the goddess and money could in no case purchase her again.

In Haran in the Turkey-Syria Area where they move to wasn’t much better.

Worship in Sumer

Take a moment to look at Worship in Sumer

The four leading deities

An / Anu

Supreme creator god. Name means sky

Enlil / Ellil / Illil/ Ilu/ Nunamnir

God of air

Enki / Ea

Creator god. Lord of the Soul

Ninhursag / Ninmah / Nintu/ mama/ Mami/ Nin-sig-sig / etc

Queen of the mountain. Mother goddess

Three chief astral deities

Nanna

Moon. Who will later become known by its Semitic name Sin. Seems to be female until joins with the lord of Huran, Sin. Both male and female deity depending on the time period discussing

Utu / Samas

The Sun. Son of the moon

Inana / Istar

The moons Daughter. Queen of the sky / Heavens. Goddess of Love, fertility, War. This may be the goddess who marries YHWH in the time of Isaiah when Isreal was turning away from God.

Worship

Worship involved temples and ziggurats with small temples on the top. These were staffed by priest who offered sacrifices and made libations, also singers and musicians as well as male and female prostitutes.

Fertility Worship through Prostitution. This will be something that comes up over and over again. It will be a plague to the Israelite worship practices. It is the Idea that having sex with a temple prostitute will bring further fertility to you or your field. Sex outside of marriage has always been a societal problem. Only difference is how we deal with it

All this is important because when we look at Abraham this is what he is coming from, And the lifestyle that God is calling him away from. He is not some monk being called. This begins the separation process as Abrahams family will be separated In turn the Jews And then Christians who follow a spiritual separation from the world around them

The Call of Abram

Genesis 12:1–3 LEB

1 And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you.”

The call of Abram

Abrahamic covenant

Land

Having a name

Having Land

Nation Hood

Descendants

Blessing

God will bless us.

We Bless others because we are blessed

Abram is commanded to leave his family and go. He takes he Nephew Lot, And they Go to the land of Canaan which will become Israel

Then they travel past Negev into Egypt. There is a love hate relationship between Egypt and Israel.

In Egypt

While in Egypt Sari, Abram’s Wife masquerades as his sister. Pharaoh is taken by Sarai and wants her for himself. He treats Abraham very well because of it Giving him Money, Livestock, Servants.

Because of her Pharaoh and his household are given a disease. Same word used for plague. God tells Pharaoh that they Abram and Sarai are married. Pharaoh sends them out of Egypt.

By Chapter 13 they are going back to Canaan back to Bethel. Bethel means House of God. A holy site for Israel

Abram and Lot

Abram remembered in Israel as a man of faith (Romans 4:3; James 2:21-23). Abram was inclined to follow God on faith into the unknown.

Lot known as a righteous man (2 Peter 2:6-8). Lot did what he thought to be right.

Land has a limited amount of grazing capabilities as each man grew in wealth and herds it became impossible to keep the two men together not a sinful thing. They just out grew the land. Abram being the leader could have just kicked his blood brother out or tell him to take the lesser land but he gave him a choice what land will you take.

Abrams Attitude: Whatever the material loss there must be peace between the men.

Lots Attitude: Lot’s choice of land was unwise given the outcome but his choice was influenced by the fertility of the region. Lot did not choose a region that Abram prized. He chose the Jordan valley an area that Abram didn’t want to go to. He had never gone before.

Problem with his decision: he thought he could just live outside the wicked city. He made no motion to find the will of God. He may not have known how. Righteousness is never enough in its own faith must rule over the righteousness.

After the separation Abram goes to Canaan. His wandering now takes on new purpose conquest. Since everywhere he goes it will be given to him and his family.

Abram goes to Hebron: 3,300 feet above sea level. Major area for travel intersection of roads and political importance as seeing in the Davidic narrative, 2 Sam. 2:1-7; 15:7-12 still important to Arabs and Jews. Abrams separation from his family to serve God is now complete

Genesis 15 LEB

1 After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying: “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield, and your reward shall be very great.” 2 Then Abram said, “O Yahweh, my Lord, what will you give me? I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus.” 3 And Abram said, “Look, you have not given me a descendant, and here, a member of my household is my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of Yahweh came to him saying, “This person will not be your heir, but your own son will be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward the heavens and count the stars if you are able to count them.” And he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed in Yahweh, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am Yahweh, who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give this land to you, to possess it.” 8 And he said, “O Yahweh God, how shall I know that I will possess it?” 9 And he said to him, “Take for me a three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old female goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove and a young pigeon.” 10 And he took for him all these and cut them in pieces down the middle. And he put each piece opposite the other, but the birds he did not cut. 11 And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 And it happened, as the sun went down, then a deep sleep fell upon Abram and, behold, a great terrifying darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said to Abram, “You must surely know that your descendants shall be as aliens in a land not their own. And they shall serve them and they shall oppress them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation that they serve I will judge. Then afterward they shall go out with great possessions. 15 And as for you, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And the fourth generation shall return here, for the guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 And after the sun had gone down and it was dusk, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between those half pieces. 18 On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram saying, “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates river, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

In chapter Chapter 15 we see that this is the first time that Abram is told land would be given to him. Even the land that lot choose would be eventually his as he looks around.

Abraham – Father of Nation, The one whom God had chosen to separate his people from the Rest of the world

Abrahamic Covenant – Chapter 12:1-3 - Land, Descendants, Blessing

Why does God ask Abram to separate?

Lighthouse: Bless so they can bless others. But now in Chapter 15 Many descendants though he at this point has not had a child

Hagar, Sarai, and Abram

Eliezer Servant going to be his descendant. In this culture you could adopt a heir, a Trusted servant

Genesis 16 LEB

1 Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian female slave, and her name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, please, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my servant; perhaps I will have children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, her Egyptian female slave, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as his wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, then her mistress grew small in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “may my harm be upon you. I had my slave sleep with you, and when she saw that she had conceived, she no longer respected me. May Yahweh judge between me and you!” 6 And Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave is under your authority. Do to her that which is good in your eyes.” And Sarai mistreated her, and she fled from her presence. 7 And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur. 8 And he said to Hagar, the female slave of Sarai, “From where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.” 9 Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her authority.” 10 And the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that they cannot be counted for their abundance.” 11 And the angel of Yahweh said to her: “Behold, you are pregnant and shall have a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, for Yahweh has listened to your suffering. 12 And he shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and the hand of everyone will be against him, and he will live in hostility with all his brothers.” 13 So she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi,” for she said, “Here I have seen after he who sees me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar had a child for Abram, a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Sarah suggested a legal move, by their law, closer to rape in our culture. Hagar a maidservant probably picked up in Egypt when the first went there so she had been there a long time. Trusted. Would be placed in the status of Wife but because she belonged to Sarai any child that was produced would be Sarai therefore saving Sarai’s Honor and allowing for a son.

Abram Took her advice It was acceptable social practice and sensible. It made since, because she could not have children. Perhaps God was just waiting for him to make a move on his part to fulfill the covenant. There seems to be no romantic interest. It was a pseudo-marriage of Convenience. Notice that like Lot, when making his decision on which way to go, Abram, the faithful, didn’t ask God his opinion in the matter. He may have been afraid to ask. He didn’t want to wait any longer. Devil twisting the words of the Lord using them but just altering them a little bit and getting people to go outside of God’s will.

Now that Hagar has conceived Hagar looks down at Sarai. In a sense refuses to give over the Child. Sarai then takes the matter into Abram’s attention. In order that he may deal with the matter. For that is part of his position as leader. He then turns the matter over to her. He shows no concern for Hagar. But he did not want to get in between two jealous women.

Sarai dealt harshly, probably not physical But harassment. Lots of meaningless task, verbal abuse. So Hagar leaves

Genesis 16:7–16 LEB

7 And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur. 8 And he said to Hagar, the female slave of Sarai, “From where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.” 9 Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her authority.” 10 And the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that they cannot be counted for their abundance.” 11 And the angel of Yahweh said to her: “Behold, you are pregnant and shall have a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, for Yahweh has listened to your suffering. 12 And he shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and the hand of everyone will be against him, and he will live in hostility with all his brothers.” 13 So she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi,” for she said, “Here I have seen after he who sees me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar had a child for Abram, a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

This is the first time that the angel of the Lord appears in the OT.

Mal’ak: Messenger human or divine

Angelos: Greek has same meaning

Angelus: Latin means Heavenly being

In Genesis not only is the angel God’s spokesman but there is no difference between them. He is both angel and the Lord. God in human form to speak to man, a forerunner for Jesus.

Hagar is met by an angel at a spring on the way to Shur. We don’t know where Shur is But it is probably close to the Egyptian border. She was about to cross into her homeland.

Where have you come from and where are you going. The answer to the first effect the answer to the second. When one tries to determine the future, one cannot ignore the past.

For Hagar to cut herself off from the past was to miss her destiny. Or God’s will for her life. The Lord has given heed to your affliction. Affliction comes from the same root as to deal harshly with. The angel was not just talking about her trek through the desert but Sarai’s harshness to Hagar.

Declares that God watches over even the slave girl

El Roi - the God who Sees me

God blesses her and his line with decedents. He will be a wild ass of a man. Wild horse. Bowing to no man, Wanderer, Free, Head to head against others. A pride and joy to Hagar. What she could not do he would. What news for some one who is a slave. Your child will be free.

Hagar names the well, the well of the living one who sees. She would not doubt that God watched over her and was alive to help. She goes back and bears Ishmael.

Ishmael means God hears

Abram was now 86. Eleven years now on the road. Hagar and Ishmael important for three religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam.

At the age of 90 Sarah bears a son Isaac, Laughter. She laughed when God told her she would have a son at her old age. She laughed with joy when He came. Abraham is 99

Sodom and Gomorrah

Right before Isaac is born we jump back to Lot and his family. We see that Lot is no longer living outside the city but instead he is inside the walls.

Two angels of the Lord come to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. Sitting at the gates may suggest that Lot had a position of authority.

Lot does not seem to recognize them as Angels. “Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom”. This is where men congregated. Yet he ran alone to meet the men. He offers them a place to stay but they refuse at first wanting just to sleep in the town square. He insist and then suggest that they leave at dawn. Lot knowing the city knew that it would be best if they left the city ASAP. Before they even lay down the men of the city surrounded the house both young and old and demanded the two men for homosexual activities

The Demand for the men for homosexual activities. This is where the term sodomy is from “unnatural” sexual activity.

Lot goes outside and tries to reason with the crowd. He even offers his two daughters up for a gang rape so they will leave them alone. We know the daughters were virgins though probably engaged thus the mention at the end that the son-in-law didn’t go. As he offers up his daughters we must ask ourselves why would he do this it seems sick to us. It was a sarcastic offer meant to strike so reason into them. It was the ultimate action of hospitality. They were his protection now and he would die to protect them. This offer of his daughters may have influence them in their lack of respect for him later in the cave.

The men, young and old have slipped into their perversion to far. It is only by the aid of the angels does he survive. Now he knows that his guest are no ordinary people. The angels have now completed their inquiry into Sodom. They urge Lot to gather up his kin. Lot worries that he cannot make it into the mountains. He will be overcome by the disaster. The lord allows him to go to a nearby town.

They leave the city at dawn v.15. The destruction begins when the sun is high in the sky v. 23. This means they couldn’t have traveled more than about 10 miles.

Zoar is at the tip of the dead sea. Zoar means little, little town. The destruction could not happen until they reached Zoar.

Did Lot’s wife look back before or after the destruction started?

Either she looked back while they were running and turned. Get out. Don’t look back. Don’t stop. She looked back while she was in Zoar. May have even gone out of the city to watch and see if God was going to Destroy it. Doubting God and Lot. She might have even gone back God rained destruction on the two cities that seem to be intertwined. Volcano, Earthquake opening up gas and what not from the earth. Destroyed the cities.

Luke 17:28–32 LEB

28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building. 29 But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, whoever is on the housetop and his goods are in the house must not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back 32 Remember Lot’s wife!

Tells us that this is what the end will be like. Lot was saved on part because of his own righteousness. Also because of Abraham’s Righteousness. Lot didn’t remain in Zoar for long. He either said it was the same their Or was afraid that the angel would change its mind about saving the city. With everything destroyed around them the daughters may have felt that there were no men left unsure of how far the devastation went and no emergency councilors to talk to. They just saw their home destroyed and their fiancés killed. Living in a cave they felt like there was no way to preserve the line. So they get their dad drunk on two different nights. So drunk that he has no idea what he is doing and have sex with him. Which carries on the perversion of Sodom. This is a forbidden action in almost all cultures. The Moabites and the Ammonites are the kin of this union. Israel’s neighbors. Ruth The book is named after a Moabite. It seems that she redeems the name of Lot

Genesis 21

Genesis 21:1–7 LEB

1 And Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said. And Yahweh did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And she conceived, and Sarah bore to Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me.” 7 And she said, “Who would announce to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son to Abraham in his old age.”

At the age of 100 and at the age of 90, Abraham and Sarah have finally been given a son. They have been waiting for some 25 years

Isaac was Born. Meaning laughter. Abraham Laughed at God. Sarah Laughed at God and then Lied about it. Then Isaac brings Laughter to them both and everyone else who knows how old they are.

Isaac was the first major child to come under the covenant through the practice of Circumcision at eight days.

Genesis 21:8–14 LEB

8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne Abraham, mocking. 10 Then she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac.” 11 And the matter displeased Abraham very much on account of his son. 12 Then God said to Abraham, “Do not be displeased on account of the boy and on account of the slave woman. Listen to everything that Sarah said to you, for through Isaac your offspring will be named. 13 And I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation, for he is your offspring.” 14 Then Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. And he sent her away with the child, and she went, wandering about in the wilderness, in Beersheba.

And there was a great feast the day Isaac was weaned. The usual time for weaning was around the age of three. Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised. Ishmael was 13. Abraham is at least 100 when Isaac is born making Ishmael 14. If the weaning happened at 3 Ishmael would have been 17. When he was forced to leave, of course because of Sarah’s Age Weaning could have happened earlier. So Ishmael was anywhere from 14 to 17 when they left the camp. Ishmael was with Isaac on the day of his weaning. Probably full of resentment knowing that he has now been replaced as heir.

Sarah tells Abraham to send them away. Disown them. This time they wouldn’t be able to come back. This is very displeasing to Abraham. Abraham has come to love his son. He is also extra insurance for the fulfillment of the promise in case anything happened to Isaac. Which wasn’t as uncommon as you might think.

Do as she tells you. This was difficult for a man in Abraham’s time. In chapter 16 Sarah appealed to him and he gave her the freedom to act. Here she demands her own way, and Abraham was not accustomed to taking orders from her.

God sides with her. God is usually on the side of the exploited. Hagar and Ishmael. Not this time. God seems to be getting Abraham ready for his test in Chapter 22. The sacrifice of Isaac. If Ishmael had still been there then the order to sacrifice Isaac may not have been so sever. Notice that the passage never says Ishmael. Name becomes associated with evil. Paul uses it as works based religions. And still it continues as Islam the main rival to Christianity

Genesis 21:15–21 LEB

15 And when the water was finished from the skin, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 And she went and she sat opposite him, at a distance, a bowshot away, for she said, “Let me not see the child’s death.” So she sat away from him and lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the cry of the boy and the angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What is the matter Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the cry of the boy from where he is. 18 Get up, take up the boy and take him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave a drink to the boy. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew and lived in the wilderness. And he became an expert with a bow. 21 And he lived in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

They are out in the dessert and they are out of water. Her son apparently has collapsed and is unable to continue. Knowing death is here she goes away from him not to watch him die. The child lifted up his voice. Both of them were crying knowing they were going to die. Neither seem to be praying. God Heard them His future was in her hands. Having no father, he would need her constant devotion.

Note that Hagar had to arrange his marriage so she turned to her home land. Egypt

Genesis 22

Near sacrifice of Isaac

Isaac was not only Abraham’s beloved son. He represented the purpose of his entire life and all the promises that God had ever made to him. There was nothing else Abraham is not expected to understand. Just obey.

Genesis 22:1–14 LEB

1 And it happened that after these things, God tested Abraham. And he said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 And he said, “Take your son, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains where I will tell you.” 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took two of his servants with him, and Isaac his son. And he chopped wood for a burnt offering. And he got up and went to the place which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw the place at a distance. 5 And Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go up there. We will worship, then we will return to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and placed it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand and the knife, and the two of them went together. 7 And Isaac said to Abraham his father, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “God will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went together. 9 And they came to the place that God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar atop the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 And the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy; do not do anything to him. For now I know that you are one who fears God, since you have not withheld your son, your only child, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a ram was caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place “Yahweh will provide,” for which reason it is said today, “on the mountain of Yahweh it shall be provided.”

Passage begins by telling the reader that this was only a test. A test that God gave him. Not that Abraham gave himself. God instructs Abraham to sacrifice his son.

Child Sacrifice

This wouldn’t be as big of a shock to him as to us. In the Canaanite worldview, the god who provided fertility (EL) was also entitled to demand a portion of what had been produced. This was expressed in sacrifice of animals and grain and in the sacrifice of children. Text from Phoenician and Punic colonies, such as Carthage in North Africa, describe the ritual of child sacrifice as a means of ensuring continued fertility. Deuteronomy and Leviticus argue against this practice, but also implies that it continued.

This is a precursor to what God will do with his own son.

Notice that God gave the sacrifice. This is a good example of Salvation history. All of history is working up to God’s ultimate act in restoration. God is showing us with 20/20 what he is going to do with his own son.

Your only son Isaac. Ishmael has been disowned he wasn’t an option

Go to the Land of Moriah

2 Chronicles 3:1 LEB

1 Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had established, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The Temple of Solomon was built upon Mount Moriah. Believed to be the temple mound in Jerusalem.

How old was Isaac?

Old enough to carry wood at least 9.

Now I know that you fear God. Did God not already know. It confirmed God’s confidence in him. Also showed Abraham how far he would Go. We can’t be sure until we are faced with an experience

Name of the place called Yahweh Yireh. The Lord will provide

Muslim View

Give out Handout Quran 037: As-Saafat

The Qur'an itself does not mention the name of Abraham's son, although the full narrative points to Ishmael (Qur'an 37:99-114).

Many Muslims believe that it was Ishmael rather than Isaac whom Abraham was told to sacrifice and link many pilgrimage rites with that event. The ones who say that it was Ishmael argue from the assumption of coherency of Quranic narrative, and say that God would not have asked for the sacrifice after He has foretold Abraham and Sarah the glad tidings of Isaac and his offspring (Quran 11:71; 15:53, 37:112 etc).

Some also note that the text of Genesis as it stands, despite specifying Isaac, appears to state that Abraham was told to sacrifice his only son

Genesis 22:2 LEB

2 And he said, “Take your son, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains where I will tell you.”

("Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, Isaac" Genesis 22:2) to God. The mention of Isaac may have been a later interpretation by someone who wished to give this honor to their forefather. And since Isaac was Abraham's second son - younger than Ishmael by 13 years, there was no time at which he would have been Abraham's only son, so they take this to imply that the original text must have meant Ishmael rather than Isaac as the intended sacrifice.

What is interesting in the Quranic narrative is that Abraham shares his vision of sacrifice command with the son who was old enough to talk and understand, and the son himself advises Abraham to go ahead and carry out the command: "And [one day,] when [the child] had become old enough to share in his [father’s] endeavours, the latter said: “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee: consider, then, what would be thy view!” He answered: “O my father! Do as you are bidden: you will find me, if God so wills, among those who are patient in adversity!”" (37:102).

Muslims consider that visions experienced by prophets are revelations from God, and as such it was a divine order to Abraham. The entire episode of the sacrifice is regarded as a trial of God for Abraham and his son, and both are seen as having passed the test by submitting to God and showing their awareness that God is the Owner and Giver of all that we have and cherish, including life and offspring. The submission of Abraham and his son is celebrated and commemorated by Muslims on the days of Eid ul-Adha, Sacrifice festival. During the festival, those who can afford and the ones in the pilgrimage sacrifice a ram, cow, sheep or a camel. Part of the sacrifice meat is eaten by the household and remaining is distributed to the neighbor and the needy. The festival happens in the pilgrimage hajj season. The well-known site of Marwah (Arabic مروة) may be identified with the biblical Moriah (Hebrew מריה) in Gn 22:2.

Renewal of The Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis 22:15–19 LEB

15 And the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven. 16 And he said, “I swear by myself, declares Yahweh, that because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only child, 17 that I will certainly bless you and greatly multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the shore of the sea. And your offspring will take possession of the gate of his enemies. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, because you have listened to my voice.” 19 And Abraham returned to his servants, and they got up and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived in Beersheba.

This passage is a renewal of the covenant that God has made with Abraham, “by myself I have sworn”. This is the only time this expression occurs in Genesis. God swore by himself for there was no one higher to hear the oath. There is no more conditions, for the testing is over. Your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemy.

First time Abraham is assured that his descendants will not only impress their enemies but conquer them

Matthew 16 Jesus applies the promise to the church in the battle against Hades

As I think about this sacrifice I wonder, What did he tell Sarah?

Did she know before hand?

A late Jewish tradition says that when Abraham told her what had occurred, she uttered seven cries and died

Genesis 22:20–24 LEB

20 And it happened that after these things, it was told to Abraham, “Look, Milcah has also borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 and Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Now, Bethuel fathered Rebekah). These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, the brother of Abraham. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Abraham settled down in Beersheba. He now hears of his relatives in Haran where he left them. There are twelve tribes associated with Nahor as well as Ishmael seems it was preparation for the Isaac and Rebekah stories.

Isaac

Isaac is seen as a time binder. A Bridge between Abraham and Jacob.

Rebekah Has trouble bearing children. Bears twins who fight in her womb

Esau - Red one

Jacob - Supplanted or Trickster

Trickster mythology’s. If you are going to compare many religion with the Bible one must not use the devil but Isaac the Trickster. Tricksters are usually male, Rule breaking, Boasting And play tricks on both humans and gods. Most are shape-changers And often appear as animals.

Loki – Norse Mythology better fits with Jacob

Coyote – Navajo and hopi

Legba – Yuraba west Africa

ETC

Jacob

Jacob is a domesticated person. He is Quiet and stayed among the Tents. Mom’s favorite

Esau great hunter. Hairy. Dad’s favorite

One day Esau is coming in from the hunt and is very hungry. Jacob sells him a bowl of Vegetable soup for His blessing as first born. To his defence the Scripture reads “Red stuff”, Might have convinced Esau that it was blood stew. That would make him more energetic. There is power in the Blood. This is something that other cultures do practice. Devouring the blood of an slain enemy to gain strength and powers.

When it comes time for Isaac to bless Esau as the first born, Esau forgets that he sold his position

Primogeniture - Right of the first born. First born is the one who gets everything

Jacob then tricks his father with the help of his mother. Cooking him a good meal. Dressing in his brothers clothing. Putting Sheep skin on his arms and neck to fool his father. really hairy makes you wonder what he looked like

When Esau found out and came back from the hunt and wanted his blessing There was none left and he wanted to kill his brother. Jacob is sent to Rebekah’s brother, Laban

Jacob’s Dreams

On his way he stops at Bethel House of God. He sees the ladder of God. Angels going down and back up to God. For a moment he was able to see through the door of heaven

Rachel and Leah

Genesis 29 LEB

1 And Jacob continued his journey and went to the land of the Easterners. 2 And he looked, and behold, there was a well in the field, and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. And the stone on the mouth of the well was large. 3 And when all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well. And they watered the sheep and returned the stone upon the mouth of the well to its place. 4 And Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” 5 And he said to them, “Do you know Laban, son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” 6 And he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well. Now look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” 7 And he said, “Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not the time for the livestock to be gathered. Give water to the sheep and go, pasture them.” 8 And they said, “We are not able, until all the flocks are gathered. Then the stone is rolled away from the mouth of the well, and we water the sheep.” 9 While he was speaking with them, Rachel came with the sheep which belonged to her father, for she was pasturing them. 10 And it happened that, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob drew near and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was the relative of her father, and that he was the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.13 And it happened that when Laban heard the message about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. And he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my flesh and my bone!” And he stayed with him a month. 15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Just because you are my brother should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wage should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Now the eyes of Leah were dull, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel and said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” 19 Then Laban said, “Better that I give her to you than I give her to another man. Stay with me.” 20 And Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they were as a few days in his eyes because he loved her. 21 And Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast. 23 And it happened that in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave Zilpah his female slave to her, to Leah his daughter as a female servant. 25 And it happened that in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Now why did you deceive me?” 26 Then Laban said, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, then I will also give you the other, on the condition that you will work for me another seven years.” 28 And Jacob did so. So he completed the week of this one, then he gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife. 29 And Laban gave Bilhah his female slave to Rachel his daughter as a female servant. 30 Then he also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet another seven years. 31 When Yahweh saw that Leah was unloved he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Then Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because Yahweh has noticed my misery. Surely now my husband will love me.” 33 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, “It is because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved that he gave me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons.” Therefore, she called his name Levi. 35 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased bearing children.

When he arrives at the land where he will be staying with Laban. He sees Rachel, Laban’s Daughter and immediately falls in love with her.

When he makes a deal with Laban to marry For 7 years he will work for Laban. However when the veil is lifted It is Leah. He must work 7 more years to get Rachel. Now he has two wives, Always causes trouble

During the 14 years he works for his uncle. He becomes wealthy and makes Laban lots of money, Gaining livestock, servants.

After 20 years it comes time for Jacob to leave. They take up and leave while Laban is away Off to sheer sheep this will take some thee days

Rachel however steals the family gods. Not told what gods they are worshiping

Theism

Polytheism - Worship of many gods

Henotheism- Worship one God out of many

Monotheism - Worship of One God

Laban Gives Chase

This causes Laban to chase after them. When Laban catches them he looks for the Idol. Rachel hides them as to not get caught. Rachel shows no respect or regard for the images that she has stolen she sits on them. if she was in her impurity, Which might have been true, then she was casting the worst insult on them

Jacob meets with Esau

Genesis 32–33:20 LEB

1 And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him. 2 And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is the camp of God!” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. 4 And he instructed them, saying, “Thus you must say to my lord, to Esau, ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, I have dwelled as an alien with Laban, and I have remained there until now. 5 And I have acquired cattle, male donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves, and I have sent to tell my lord, to find favor in your eyes.’ ” 6 And the messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was very frightened and distressed. So he divided the people, flocks, cattle, and camels that were with him into two companies. 8 And he thought, “If Esau comes to one company and destroys it, the remaining company will be able to escape.” 9 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your family, and I will deal well with you.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the loyal love and all the faithfulness that you have shown your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, mother and children alike. 12 Now you yourself said, ‘I will surely deal well with you and make your offspring as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted for abundance.’ ” 13 And he lodged there that night. Then he took from what he had with him a gift for Esau his brother: 14 two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16 And he put them under the hand of his servants, herd by herd, and said to his servants, “Cross on ahead before me, and put some distance between herds. 17 And he instructed the foremost, saying, “When Esau my brother comes upon you and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you and where are you going? To whom do these animals belong ahead of you?’ 18 Then you must say, ‘To your servant, to Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau. Now behold, he is also coming after us.’ ” 19 And he also instructed the second servant and the third, and everyone else who was behind the herds, saying, “You must speak to Esau according to this word when you find him. 20 And moreover, you shall say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he thought, “Let me appease him with the gift going before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will show me favor.” 21 So the gift passed on before him, but he himself spent that night in the camp. 22 That night he arose and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 And he took them and sent them across the stream. Then he sent across all his possessions. 24 And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. 25 And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob’s hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 Then he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 And he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me your name.” And he said, “Why do you ask this—for my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 Then Jacob called the name of the place Peniel which means “I have seen God face to face and my life was spared.” 31 Then the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the sciatic nerve that is upon the socket of the hip unto this day, because he struck the socket of the thigh of Jacob at the sinew of the sciatic nerve. 1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, Esau was coming and four hundred men were with him. And he divided the children among Leah and among Rachel, and among the two of his female slaves. 2 And he put the female slaves and their children first, then Leah and her children next, then Rachel with Joseph last. 3 And he himself passed on before them and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came to his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 Then Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, “Who are these with you?” And he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the female slaves drew near, they and their children, and they bowed down. 7 Then Leah and her children drew near and bowed down, and afterward Joseph and Rachel drew near and they bowed down. 8 And he said, “What do you mean by all this company that I have met?” Then he said, “To find favor in the eyes of my lord.” 9 Then Esau said, “I have enough my brother; keep what you have.” 10 And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, you must take my gift from my hand, for then I have seen your face which is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me. 11 Please take my gift which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” And he urged him, so he took it. 12 Then he said, “Let us journey and go on, and I will go ahead of you.” 13 But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and the flocks and the cattle which are nursing are a concern to me. Now if they drove them hard for a day all the flocks would die. 14 Let my lord pass on before his servant and I will move along slowly at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me, and at the pace of the children until I come to my lord in Seir.” 15 And Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.” 16 So Esau turned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob traveled on to Succoth, and he built for himself a house, and he made shelters for his livestock. Therefore he called the name of the place Succoth. 18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-Aram. And he camped before the city. 19 And he bought a piece of land where he pitched his tent for one hundred pieces of money from the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem. 20 And there he erected an altar and called it “El Elohe Israel.”

Jacob and Esau Meet again.

Jacob travels down the kings Highway about to come into Esau’s territory. Jacob sends a messenger to tell Esau that he is coming. Esau sends 400 men to meet him

Jacob is fearful and divides his party into two groups. If the front one got attacked it would give a chance for the back one to escape. Jacob sends gifts to Esau

Jacob Wrestles with God

Genesis 32:21–32 LEB

21 So the gift passed on before him, but he himself spent that night in the camp. 22 That night he arose and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 And he took them and sent them across the stream. Then he sent across all his possessions. 24 And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. 25 And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob’s hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 Then he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 And he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me your name.” And he said, “Why do you ask this—for my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 Then Jacob called the name of the place Peniel which means “I have seen God face to face and my life was spared.” 31 Then the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the sciatic nerve that is upon the socket of the hip unto this day, because he struck the socket of the thigh of Jacob at the sinew of the sciatic nerve.

Jabbok - Wadi Zerqa - Blue River. It flows westward into the Jordan about 20 miles north of the Dead Sea.

Jacob wrestles with God

Marks a major turning point in Jacob’s life. This was a test of Jacob’s fitness for the larger tasks that lay ahead. He tested Jacob by proving how intensely Jacob wanted something that could come only from God.

Abrahams temptation was to keep what God had given.

Jacob’s tendency was to do things himself

Peniel - Face of God. A Man Wrestles with him nothing is said at first concerning the true identity of the attacker. For all he knows is Esau is upon him in the darkness.

Hosea 12:3–4 LEB

3 In the womb he deceived his brother, and in his manhood he struggled with God. 4 He struggled with the angel and prevailed; he pleaded for his mercy. He met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.

Hosea who first called him an angel. Divine messenger who blesses him and changes his name. Name change suggest ownership.

Is this a physical battle or a spiritual battle?

What is your name?

Question was asked not because it was not known but to show the true meaning of Jacobs name a trickster. someone who survives by his own wits. Now his is Israel God Prevails. Recognizes the supremacy of God. You have striven with God and with men. he has prevailed over Laban and over Esau. Now over God not by overpowering him but by holding on to and pleading for a blessing.

God Let himself by prevailed over

God honors our Persistence

Tell me I pray your name

Jacob is trying to get some power over God. God doesn’t even answer, this will return at the time of Moses. Jacob doesn’t need to be told the name, for he knew whom he had met

My Life is Preserved. Couldn’t look at the face of God. God’s mercy saved him

When Jacob does meet Esau. Esau has already forgiven him. Esau becomes the father of the Edomites.

They part ways. Jacob goes west into the hills. Esau goes south.

Baby wars

Jacob’s two wives.

Rachel was attractive, outgoing and liked being admired my men

Leah was the type to sit in the back. Laban feared she would find no Husband. Weak or tender eyes which means? Cross eyed, Ugly, Blue eyed seen as a blemish. Weak from crying out to God because Leah was destined to wed Esau. God hated Esau, and Leah wanted to serve God.

Leah

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Issachar

Zebulun

Dinah

Zilpah

Gad

Asher

Rachel

Joseph

Benjamin

Dan

Naphtali

Joseph

Genesis 35-50 - Written as a Novella, Short Novel

Now Israel loved Joseph more. Jacob doesn’t learn from his parents favoritism, but we learn to love from our parents and Jacobs parents showed a great deal of favoritism.

He made him a long robe with sleeves. KJV coat of many colors, NIV richly ornamented. Word either means a robe of diverse colors or A robe of extremities. Different colors or Ornamented would be describing a ceremonial robe. It singled Joseph out from his brothers. Not only designating him as the favorite in the family, Makes it impossible for him to do manual labor. Makes him hated by his brothers.

Joseph Receives Two Dreams (Genesis 37).

Sheaves in the field and my sheaf rose up and also stood erect and your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf. The youngest and the most hated is saying that you will all bow down to me.

Sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me. Mother and father and brothers will bow down to him. Sun = Father. Moon = Mother. Stars = Brothers.

This favoritism and these dreams anger his brothers.

He is sold into slavery and eventually sold to Potiphar in Egypt. The father is told that Joseph was attacked by a wild animal and presumed dead, proved by the coat that he had made. The Lord was with Joseph and he soon found favor with all around him. And Potiphar put him in charge of all of his house hold.

Potiphar’s wife makes advances on him. Joseph is apparently good looking. She wants to have him. Which in this kind of society, just like today, I don’t doubt that extramarital affairs was all that uncommon. Especially for households that that had hired help.

Joseph says no. she tries to seduce him. He loses another cloak because he turns and flees she takes the cloak with her. She tells her husband that advances were made on her. And he is put in prison

While in prison. He is put above all other prisoners including the baker and the cup bearer. The Bible doesn’t say what they did Just that they offended their lord Or sinned against their lord. Sinned against Pharaoh who was considered a or the human manifestation of a god in Egypt.

These were the two people who came before Pharaoh and made sure he wasn’t poisoned. These two have dreams. There is no on to interpret them. if they were free they would have called upon the professional interpreters available to them in the court.

Joseph tells them that they don’t need these men God in the interpreter of dreams and he doesn’t require payment. Joseph had not given up on the dreams of his youth. He cannot interpret others dreams if he doesn’t believe that his own dreams would come true.

The cup-bearers dream.

Three vines only through divine can Joseph state correctly that it is three days why not three months, three years. Three days Pharaoh will restore the cup-bearer. He will lift up his head

The Baker’s dream

There were all sorts of baked food, we know of 38 varieties of Cake 57 kinds of bread in ancient Egypt. He too is to have his head lift off his body. Hung of a tree not by a noose as we think But impaled on a giant spike.

It was the pharaoh’s birthday in three days. Big celebration day. Day of forgiveness And executions. Made the Baker think everything is going to be alright and then had him killed

Pharaoh has dreams. 2 years later

First Dream

Saw seven sleek and fat cows. Seven thin. Argument Are these seven cows like we know today Or are these seven water cows. Hippopotamuses

Seven were good looking. Seven were bad looking. The Seven good ones are eaten by the seven bad ones. Disturbing dream

Second Dream.

Seven ears of Grain plumb and good. Seven thin ears. Blighted by the east wind. Wind blowing from the desert Hot, dry, scorching wind.

The magicians of Egypt could not interpret the dream. Could it have been a more complicated dream in its original form then simplified over the years Or are the magicians to afraid of Pharaohs to venture a guess of bad news. The messengers were often killed Or did God bar them from knowledge. Joseph interprets them. 7 years of prosperity. 7 years of famine

Pharaoh puts him second in command of Egypt, “Father of the Pharaoh”. Adviser to the pharaoh.

Hyskos rule

This was probably taking part in a time when Egypt is being ruled by Hyskos or Foreigners. This is how Joseph is able to gain so much power and be a foreigner himself. Later when it says a Pharaoh came that did not know Joseph. The Hyskos dynasty came to an end.

Pharaoh believing himself to be a god. Changed Josephs name to Zaphenath-paneah, The God speaks and he hears. Gave him to marriage of Asenath the daughter of Potiphera Priest of On. Asenath Belonging to (goddess) Neith. Potiphera priest of On, One of the most influential positions in Egypt. They were pagans

Genesis 42-50. The famine hits his family. They are forced to go to Egypt for food. Instead of blaming them for his mistreatment, he interpreted it as the providential work of God. Who sent him ahead to Egypt to save them all.

Genesis 50:20 LEB

20 As for you, you planned evil against me, but God planned it for good, in order to do this—to keep many people alive—as it is today.

Key verse of the Joseph stories.You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 12-50 God was preparing A person through that A Family through that a people of God