Short Bible

The 24 Hour Bible Study

By William C. Brumley

Preface

This short Bible primer is written to expose new Christians and perhaps even not-so-new Christians to the essential truths and passages of the Bible in a simple but expository manner. It is unfortunate but true that many Christians will never read the Bible themselves nor study it in depth using the many biblical tools now available such as handbooks, computer programs, commentaries, dictionaries of Biblical words, and concordances. They will hear the Word of God in Church, but not always in a manner or form that teaches and interprets the Word itself and deals with the difficult passages of scripture. This is not to say that they do not learn something of life and truth from the message, but a clear, consistent interpretation is not achieved within their own minds.

By following this study, the Bible will be covered in 24 hours or as 24 one-hour segments. This condensed treatment cannot hope for completeness nor does it claim such. The purpose is to put as much of the essential truth of the Bible into the hands of the lay person as quickly as is possible. It is essential to include the most familiar passages of scripture with interpretation as these passages are prime candidates for memorization. And although they are familiar, the essential truth and connection to the biblical story as a whole may not be as yet clearly apprehended by the reader. If you have but one hour to spend with the Bible, then I recommend the first chapter on Genesis. Here, all of the major themes are laid out, and you will have a grasp of the central Biblical message.

Frankly, this short study might be the only study some Christians ever engage in. Within the boundaries set by such a prospect, my prayer is that all will gain understanding of the central theme of the Bible and some familiarity with the key verses that undergird our faith and Christian doctrine but may not always be so familiar (for example Hab. 2:4: " ⁴Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith."). Of course, opinions will vary on what constitutes the key verses. Moreover, some may question the presumption of leaving out even one verse of scripture from consideration. I can only ask your indulgence and extension of grace to me to present the barest of details and the most simple interpretation within the goal of traversing the entire Word of God in 24 hours. The point of view is that of conservative Christian belief affirming the reliability of the inspired Word of God. In my opinion, any other point of view would completely undermine the purpose of the writing of this primer--"that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection."

1. Genesis

Creation

The Bible begins with God and focuses immediately on the relationship of man to God; we follow a particular line of the human family (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph), especially as regards the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world and with great emphasis on His central work as the Lamb of God meaning His death, burial, and resurrection-the Gospel message as well as His Kingship and Priesthood.

There is no explanation given for the existence of God and, indeed, there cannot be if He is the living God. Why? Because God is Truth and His eternal being predates all things which are part of His creation. Hence, there exists nothing more fundamental to prove His existence or axiomatic upon which to base a proof. (To prove something one must start with an axiom or use something which is already proven as the basis of the proof). His existence is self-evident by means of the things He has made.

^"19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. ²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"(Rom. 1:19-20) Thus the creation is the primary revelation of God and a principle is put down that what we know of God is by revelation, that is, by what He has revealed to us.

Genesis begins thus:

"¹In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. "(Gen. 1:1-5)

The word for God in Hebrew is Elohim and means God. The word is plural signifying strength but also perhaps hints of the idea of the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The word for create is bara and suggests a creation out of nothing rather than a fabrication from some preexisting material.

This account by Moses immediately presents problems as we attempt to put it into one scheme or another of scientific hypotheses or even theological systems. We need to pause right here and realize that the Bible is not a scientific treatise on how to do a creation. It is God who creates and there really is no satisfactory answer from science on how we go from nothing to something and then to an ordered universe of immense proportions (e.g., Big Bang). The Bible does not date the creation but it does clarify that we are talking about the entire created universe and it states unmistakedly who the Agent is for the creation.

In John we read of the Word (Greek Logos):

"¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."(John 1:1-5)

The Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ who was also incarnated (took on a human nature as well as divine). "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." In this beginning we reach back into eternity past and find that the Word was already with God. He is eternal. He is the Creator and he holds all things together. ^"16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col. 1:16)

Now John has taken us all the way back before anything else including the angels who are created beings as well.

Peter also has something to say about this creation and its future: "⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

¹¹Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ¹²Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (2Pet.3:9-12)

God proceeds through an orderly creation of six days duration (with a Sabbath rest to follow) and finally comes to the creation of man.

Creation of Man

^"26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."(Gen 1:26-28)

We are given the blueprint for man. He is created last of all the creatures in the express image and likeness of God. God has created a garden for man and He is given dominion over it and the creation. How is man like God?

Man is a tripartite creature who is psychological, physical and spiritual. He is a free moral agent who is able to make choices.

²⁹For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."(Rom 8:29-30)

¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: ¹⁵Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; ²⁰And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. ²¹And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled ²²In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"

(Col 1:13-22)

The image and likeness of God is a profound assertion and depicts man's creation as resulting in an exalted being resembling God in glory, authority, power, life, purpose, creativity, morality, thoughts, and dominion. He is a reflection of God (the image, perhaps exhibiting a light similar to the Shekinah glory) and he resembles God in attributes (likeness). He is not evolved from lower forms but is god-like in conception and in reality. This statement puts to rest any notion that man had an inferior origin or one outside the garden that God made for man. We will soon see that there is a problem, however, that leads to the separation of man and God even to death and murder.

It is important to note that man is in direct communication and fellowship with God initially. This is the natural and divine will for man of course. And this contrasts deeply with the state wherein man finds himself today. The question that arises from this reality is twofold. Why did the relationship change and is there a way back into fellowship with God? The Bible provides the explanation (sin) and shows us the Way (Jesus Christ) and how to lay hold of the Way (by faith). This is the crux of the biblical story and do not miss this simple message or you will not understand what the Bible is all about or why.

Man is formed from the dust of the earth, he is earthy. Adam is created in a unique manner like no other. Eve, his wife, is also created uniquely from Adam.

^"21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²²And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

Creation of Woman

Woman is formed from man. She is for man and is a proper companion for man since she comes from him and responds to him. It is important to see that the bride for Adam comes from his own body. So shall it be for the Lord Jesus Christ whose Bride is the Body of Christ, the believers. ²⁷Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. ²⁸ ²For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2Co11:2) And in Revelation we read: "⁹And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. ¹⁰And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,..." ( Rev 21:9-10) Again Paul writes:

^"21Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. ²²Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. ²⁴Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. ²⁹For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: ³⁰For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. ³¹For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. ³²This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." (Eph 5:21-33)

Where was Eden? "⁸And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads."(Gen 2:8-10) One location consistent with the description in Scripture is Babylonia and perhaps Babylon itself. The fertile crescent is known from history (Tigris-Euphrates valley). Satan apparently will make his headquarters there in the last days (Rev 18). Eastward from what? We suppose that Jerusalem is the center of the world and Mt. Zion the very center of the earth from God's point of view.

Sin Enters

We now get a description of Eden and a test for Adam and Eve in the form of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What is the reason for the test? Well, for one thing the test authenticates something. If it is gold, it testifies to its purity. There is also something to be gained from the test. The Scripture says " ⁸Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; ⁹And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; "(Heb 5:8-9) The basic point is that if you are not in step with God then you are not going to be able to abide in His creation. This should be abundantly clear to us from the present state of worldly affairs and human nature. Therefore, God has appointed a place for those who would choose not to be in step with God. The test of Adam found something inside him that responded to the call to leave the will of God. By the Grace of God Adam also had something inside that wanted to return to God, and God provided a way back. Do not blame it all on Eve either. Eve came from Adam and merely reflected the same nature.

The fig leaves were not an adequate covering for Adam and Eve. The skins of animals were required. This points to the sacrifice to come and the God-given ritual of the burnt offering. Salvation comes by way of the blood. A sacrifice from the flock is required, not from the field. This point will become the basis of murder in the story of Cain and Abel. This is the central bone of contention today among the religions of the world. The core question is what is the proper way for man to approach God (i.e., worship)? God says it is by blood and that blood is pointing to the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This is the Way, the Truth, and The Life. I really do not think there is a Plan B, but God has a lot of patience with Plan Jesus. And He is willing that not one perish who can be saved. The Good Shepard is going to get home with 100 sheep and not one will be lost, we can be assured of that. Now the question arises, what about the poor person over on the other side of the ocean who has never heard the Gospel? God knows the heart and He knows what that person would have done had he heard the Gospel. How do I know that? Because our Lord said: " ³⁹But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: ⁴⁰For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. "(Mat 12:39-41)

^"21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."(Mat 11:21)

You see, He knows what they would have done had they heard the message.

This should also provide an answer to those who are talking of solving world problems by addressing the "root" problems such as poverty, disease, injustice, and the like. The point is that when all of the so-called root problems are removed, there remains the real root problem, sin. This was the case for Adam and Eve who did not know poverty or disease or lack of anything to eat. Man has a root problem that puts him into rebellion against God. Without understanding this root problem, then, one cannot understand the necessity of the Cross and the Way to eternal life. This is all important and is one of the many reasons why Genesis is the key to the whole Bible. I need to clarify that I am not against the work of those seeking social justice and those who are trying to alleviate human suffering. But we need to see the root problem of sin and we are not going to eliminate this problem. God is going to return to this earth and He is going to deal with the root problem in a definitive way which we will get to later on. In the meantime, we need to recognize that the great work of the hour is the calling out of a people unto His name. if you hear His voice today then respond to it. We all need to be involved in some aspect of this work as this is the expressed will of God.

A great deal of the rest of the Bible is about sin and the effects of sin on mankind and the creation. The only way out is by faith. Faith in what? Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as applied to your life and my life. God has solved the big problem if we believe Him and now we need to start getting in step with Him. Faith means believing the promises of God. And if you believe, you act on that belief. This is both practical and logical. It is as simple as believing that you have a job to go to on Monday (assuming that you do). You prepare for work and you go to work. And when you get to work, there really is a job there for you. Friends it is really that simple; if you believe God then you ought to act like you do.

⁹And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? ¹⁰And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

¹¹And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? ¹²And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ¹³And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

¹⁴And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: ¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

¹⁶Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; ¹⁸Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; ¹⁹In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

²⁰And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

²¹Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

²²And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: ²³Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

This admittedly difficult passage has been interpreted and retranslated in various forms. I believe the thought is that man has lost his innocence and he knows about good and evil. A sin nature has now been revealed. Before the fall, he could eat of the tree of life freely because his access was not restricted. This is no longer possible because of sin. Now man must come by the blood. The picture is that of the Mercy Seat in the Tabernacle (where the sacrifice is guarded by the Cherubim). Sin must be judged. Adam and Eve can only approach God by the blood. God's knowledge of good and evil ("as one of us to know good and evil"), in contrast, is not through a sinful act. He became sin to expiate the sin of man. This sacrifice is looked at in this passage as having already taken place from God's point of view, but for Adam and Eve the coming of the Savior is yet future.

^"1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. ²And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Worship

³And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. ⁴And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: ⁵But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

⁶And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? ⁷If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

⁸And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Gen. 4:1-8)

We have already mentioned that the approach to God is all-important. One must come by the blood. This is the only acceptable way from God's viewpoint. Cain has other ideas. The startling fact before us here is that there is first, lying and deceiving on the part of Adam and Eve, and now there is murder. We cannot blame this on anyone other than the parents. Man is now characterized as a liar and murderer as is Satan. "³⁸I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. ³⁹They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. ⁴⁰But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. ⁴¹Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. ⁴²Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. ⁴³Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. ⁴⁴Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. ⁴⁵And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (Jn 8:38-45)

This was the accusation that our Lord leveled to the Pharisees and Sadducees when he condemned their unbelief. This is the strongest possible language that you can use. The picture is of people who are utterly lost and hopeless. And they will not come to God that He might heal them.

Friends, we must acknowledge our dependence on God and come to Him in prayer and thanksgiving and supplication.

Now the question arises as to who and from where are the wives of the sons of Adam and Eve and who the other people might be that are implied here in the account of Cain's expulsion and wanderings. First, the others must be offspring of Adam and Eve. The offspring also marry among each other and due to the extreme age of these folk, there are many contemporaries and generations living at the same time. There is no prohibition concerning close intermarriage. The Law has not been given yet. Let's be frank about it. Adam and Eve got married and they were closer than a sister and brother (flesh of my flesh)!

Generations

In Chapter 5 we are given an account of the generations of Adam and his offspring. We will focus on a particular sequence. "¹⁸And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: ¹⁹And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: ²⁰And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

²¹And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: ²²And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: ²³And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: ²⁴And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

²⁵And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: ²⁶And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: ²⁷And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

²⁸And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: ²⁹And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed."(Gen 5:18-29) The name Noah means rest.

There are several interesting facts here. Methuselah was the oldest recorded man in the Bible having lived 969 years. Enoch is said to have "walked with God". This is high praise and few have attained it in Scripture. God took Enoch unto Himself so that it is not ever said that Enoch died. He is the only person in Genesis who is not said to have died. He has been pictured as a type of the church who will be removed before the coming judgment and end of the age. Two others in the Old Testament were afforded special departures from the earth, namely, Elijah and Moses. In addition, there were several resurrections or types of resurrections mentioned presaging the resurrection of our Lord. I will point these out when we get to them.

Judgment

The next important personage in Genesis is Noah. Listen to the description of him and his circumstances.

⁵And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

⁶And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. ⁷And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

⁸But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ⁹These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. ¹⁰And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

¹³And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. ¹⁵And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. ¹⁶A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. ¹⁷And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. ¹⁸But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. ¹⁹And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. ²⁰Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. ²¹And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

²²Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."(Gen 6:5-22)

Thus, man without some type of restraint totally corrupts himself in fairly short order. God must move in while Noah lives because once he is gone there would be no one left on earth with faith. Friends, if it is not sinking in that man has got a root problem of sin and it is amply illustrated in this account, then I am afraid you are missing the point of this message. Man is totally helpless, hopeless and depraved apart from God. We need to understand how great a Savior we have, and one way to appreciate Him is to understand how desperate a situation we are in.

^"13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; ¹⁴They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. ¹⁵And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. ¹⁶And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in."(Gen 7:13-16)

We can only lift out a selection of verses in this short study. Here we see that the flood is done according to God's word and that it is God who shuts Noah in the ark. The ark represents Christ and if you are in Christ you are going to weather the storm of the judgment of God. Why does God judge sin? Well, He is holy and righteous and He upholds righteousness.

Man after the flood is the same as before with a sin problem and a rebellious nature against God. We do not have long to wait before trouble becomes critical. God will now institute a series of restraints governing man which will insure that man does not self-destruct using his own devices. The first of these restraints is diversity of language. Government and capital punishment are established as well.

¹And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. ²And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. ³And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. ⁴And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

⁵And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. ⁶And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. ⁷Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. ⁸So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. ⁹Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Gen 11:1-9)

Again, man is about to embark on an irreversible course into rebellion against God. Language is used as a means of preventing a unified departure from the will of God at Babel (Babylon, confusion) We are now seeing God begin to work with a particular line of the human race which will ultimately lead to the Lord Jesus Christ who embodies God's plan of redemption. It is worth repeating once again. Mankind is a totally lost race apart from God's grace and the plan of salvation.

Abraham

The next important figure before us in the lineages given here is Abraham. Clearly, this man is one of the great figures of history on any rationale basis. He is considered the father of three great monotheistic religions of the world: Judaism, mohammedism, and Christianity.

Abraham is called by God to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees and travel to a land that God is going to give him someday. There are many remarkable things about this man's life including a miraculous birth of Isaac, his great wealth, his tremendous reputation among his contemporaries, and his great faith. The Old Testament has many great personages but I rank Abraham, Moses, and David as the three greatest. Covenants were established with these three which revolutionized civilization as we know it. Among the three, who is greatest? The question needs no answer nor can anyone speak for God because only His opinion matters. I offer only that Moses is special because of the special grace he received in that he talked face to face with God over an extended period. He was a most humble man according to scripture. His highest longing was to see the face of God. We will see in Revelation at the end of this study that one of two prophets during the last days will perform miracles much as Moses did. The other is often identified with Elijah whom we will meet later. In addition, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and four of these concern Moses himself. In my view, the two prophets in the end time are Moses and Elijah who were also on the mount of transfiguration.

Note the detail that is given concerning the life of Abraham. We do not know nearly as much about Adam, for instance. This man's life is a high example of what faith is about. The simple point is that Abraham believed God and his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness. Here is the walk of faith, the life of faith, and the sacrifice of faith. This life is not sinless perfection; but inspite of the weakness that sometimes showed there remained the core of belief in the promises of God. And the remarkable fact is that God has staked His plan for the salvation of all men on the faith of Abraham. How can this be? Paul explained it thus: "²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

^"1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: ²And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ³And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

⁴So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. ⁵And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

⁶And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. ⁷And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. ⁸And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. ⁹And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south."(Gen 12:1-9)

Abraham is following God and God is going to bless him abundantly. He has a problem with nephew Lot and they separate. Lot is going to get into a lot of trouble down in Sodom and Gomorrah. He is going to be a thorn in the side of Israel as well but there is more to tell later.

^"14And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: ¹⁵For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. ¹⁶And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. ¹⁷Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. ¹⁸Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD." (Gen 13:14-18)

Abraham is about to receive the covenant of the land and the blessing. Here is a tremendous movement and development where God puts a stake in the ground and says this is going to be the land of Abraham's offspring. And He gives a time period before He judges the Amorites (430 years).

¹After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

²And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? ³And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. ⁴And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. ⁵And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

⁷And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. ⁸And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ⁹And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. ¹⁰And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. ¹¹And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

¹²And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. ¹³And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; ¹⁴And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. ¹⁵And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Gen 15:1-16)

Abraham is now needed to help save his nephew Lot from captivity as a result of a regional war. Some appreciation of the power of Abraham and the blessing he has from God is offered by this episode of rescue.

^"13And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. ¹⁴And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. ¹⁵And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. ¹⁶And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

¹⁷And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. ¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. ¹⁹And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."(Gen 14:13-20)

We are treated to the first communion recorded in Scripture wherein bread and wine are offered to Abraham after the victory and praise of God his deliverer.

^"1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."(Gen 15:1)

"¹And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. ²And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. ³And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

⁴As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. ⁹And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹"(Gen 17:1-11)

Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic covenant.

Lot

¹And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; ²And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. ³And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

⁴But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: ⁵And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.(Gen. 19:1-5)

Suffice it to say that things were very bad in Sodom and Gomorrah, and God moved in direct judgment of these two cities. This is a microcosm of the judgment of the flood where only one man Noah was left on earth with faith. Lot and his family is all that is to be saved from these two cities and probably they would have been lost soon. The wife does not even make it all the way and more trouble is on the horizon for Lot.

Moab

³⁶Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. ³⁷And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. ³⁸And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.(Gen. 19:36-38)

These two peoples were a very bad thorn in the side of Israel later on. It is interesting that a Moabitess named Ruth is in the genealogy of Christ, nevertheless.

Isaac

¹And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. ²For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. ³And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. ⁶And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. ⁷And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. ⁸And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. (Gen 21:1-8)

Hagar

⁹And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. ¹¹And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. ¹²And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. ¹³And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.(Gen 21:9-13)

This line of Ishmael is going to be a big problem for Israel as well as other nations that were to come from Abraham. It is important to see that there is a chosen line and a rejected line and Paul makes use of this in the passage: "²²For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. ²³But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise."(Gal 4:22-23)

Isaac almost offered

¹And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. ²And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

³And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. ⁴Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. ⁵And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. ⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. ⁷And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? ⁸And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. ⁹And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. ¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. (Gen. 22:1-10)

This is the penultimate test of Abraham's faith and by it God proves his loyalty and his belief in the power of God. Because it is by faith that he received back his son, believing that God could raise him up and restore him to himself again. "³²He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? "(Rom 8:32)

Bride for Isaac, Rebekah

¹And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. ²And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: ³And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:(Gen. 24:1-3)

¹⁰And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. ¹¹And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. ¹²And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. ¹³Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: ¹⁴And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. ¹⁵And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. ¹⁶ (Gen. 24:10-16)

This is a remarkable leading by the Holy Spirit and an example of how a man can be lead if he is willing to participate in the enterprises of God.

"⁵⁸And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. ⁵⁹And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. ⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. ⁶¹And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

⁶²And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. ⁶³And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. ⁶⁴And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. ⁶⁵For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself. ⁶⁶And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. ⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."(Gen. 24:58-67)

Jacob, Esau, Laban, Leah, Rachel

²¹And Isaac increased the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was increased of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²²And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. ²³And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. ²⁴And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. ²⁶And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. ²⁷And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: ³⁰And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. ³¹And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. ³²And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? ³³And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he aware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. ³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. (Gen. 25:21-34)

Here is an example where Jacob earns his name (deceiver) and begins to sow the seeds that will come back to disturb him when it is time to reap. At this point he is cocky and ruthless but we are going to feel sorry for him in time as he suffers so much. In the meantime he must leave home after deceiving his father and receiving the final blessing in the place of Esau.

²²And he removed from thence, and dug another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. ²³And he went up from thence to Beersheba. ²⁴And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. ²⁵And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

²⁶Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. ²⁷And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? ²⁸And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; ²⁹That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. ³⁰And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. ³¹And they rose up betimes in the morning, and aware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. ³²And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said unto him, We have found water. ³³And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

Isaac is a peaceful man and shows great restraint and patience. He is overshadowed by the magnitude of his father Abraham's greatness. Yet, his contemporaries note that the Lord is with him and they fear him because of this.

³⁴And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: ³⁵Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.(Gen. 26:22-34) Esau's nature is beginning to be revealed to us through his life and actions. He is a man of the flesh and thus is a rejected line. He later founds the nation Ed.M which is given an inheritance from the Lord. However, they also become an enemy of Israel.

Jacob finds his way to uncle Laban where Rebecca originated. There he sets up home but finds out that Uncle Laban is a bit of a schemer himself. So much so that Jacob really gets taken to the cleaners. But let us remember that God is with Jacob and he will be the father of the nation Israel; God does not give up on his own, my beloved, and he is going to make good with Jacob.

¹⁵And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? ¹⁶And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was bEsautiful and well favoured. ¹⁸And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. ¹⁹And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. ²⁰And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. ²¹ ²⁵And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. ²⁶Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. ²⁷And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. ²⁸And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. ²⁹And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. ³⁰For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? ³¹And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: ³²I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.(Gen. 30:25-32) Jacob makes a deal and after some period of time hastily departs Uncle Laban to return to his home and make amends with Esau.

Jacob in the land, Joseph

The sons of Jacob are a pretty sorry lot and display a kind of sordid family life that is degrading ignoble. There is one exception, however, Jacob's son Joseph.

¹And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. ²These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. ⁴And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. ⁶And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. ⁸And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. ⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. ¹⁰And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? ¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. (Gen. 37:1-11)

The brothers then conspire to kill Joseph but are pursuaded rather to sell him to a passing caravan where he will treated as a slave and sold in Egypt.

³¹And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; ³²And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. ³³And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. ³⁴And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. ³⁶And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard." (Gen. 37:31-36)

Normally, this would be a life sentence or perhaps an early death for the unlucky person who was enslaved. But the remarkable thing about Joseph's life is that God is always there directing the outcome of events. Man appears to be doing his worst, in this case his very brethren are the perpetrators. The analogy and type fits the Lord Jesus in a remarkable way ("He can unto His own but His own received him not."(Jn 1:11)). Joseph will accept humiliation and some very bad luck for a young man who was his father's favorite. But God is going to lift him up at the right time. Fortunate are they who understand and are patient with the providence of God. We see this pattern time after time in the Bible. First is a trial and testing period, perhaps a period of some humiliation. But in the end there is a lifting up of God's man or woman who has kept the faith.

Egypt

¹And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. ²And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. ⁴And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. ⁵And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. ⁶And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. (Gen. 39:1-6)

Friends, this is no accident that Potiphar chooses Joseph for a slave. Potiphar is highly connected to power in Egypt. He obviously was on the lookout for a capable servant and knew one when he saw one. Furthermore, Potiphar clearly understood later that he was receiving a blessing because Joseph was in his household. The same was true for Laban due to the presence of Jacob. The man or woman of God should be a blessing to any household, organization, church, or other entity to which they belong. In Joseph's case, the magnitude of the blessing was tremendous and God used this method to get a message through to some people. Joseph was undoubtedly an attractive and highly capable individual. So much so that there is going to be trouble in the household.

"⁷And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. ⁸But he refused,...(Gen 39:7)

The wife creates a bit of a ruse after being rejected too many times and the husband really has no choice but to act against the slave rather than his wife. It now appears that hard luck is back for Joseph and prison looks like tough duty for the unfortunate lad.

Joseph in Prison

²⁰And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. ²¹But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²²And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. ²³The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. (Gen. 39:20-23)

This is a remarkable providence of God in this young man's life, but the purpose is still not clear to him or to us.

"¹And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. ²And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. ³And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. ⁴And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.

⁵And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. ⁶And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. ⁷And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? ⁸And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. ⁹And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; ¹⁰And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: ¹¹And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. ¹²And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: ¹³Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. ¹⁴But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: ,,,"(Gen 40:1-14)

Joseph again exhibits his ability to interpret dreams and thereby hopes to obtain his freedom. Unfortunately, the butler fails to deliver on his ability to say a good word for Joseph to Pharoah. It appears that things are still going somewhat bad for Joseph. However, God has a time and place prepared for revealing His will and plan.

Joseph Interprets Pharoah's Dream

¹And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. ²And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. ³And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. ⁴And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. ⁵And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. ⁶And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. ⁷And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. ⁸And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

⁹Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: ¹⁰Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker: ¹¹And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. ¹²And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. ¹³And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. ¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. ¹⁵And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

¹⁶And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

¹⁷And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: ¹⁸And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: ¹⁹And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: ²⁰And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: ²¹And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. ²²And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: ²³And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: ²⁴And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me. ²⁵And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. ²⁶The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. ²⁷And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. ²⁸This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. ²⁹Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: ³⁰And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; ³¹And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. ³²And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

³³Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. ³⁵And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. ³⁶And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. ³⁷And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? ³⁹And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: ⁴⁰Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. ⁴¹And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. ⁴²And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; ⁴³And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁵And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. (Gen. 41:16-45)

Joseph Becomes Second Only to Pharoah

This is perhaps the most remarkable turn of events that has ever been recorded. A man who is a slave and branded a criminal becomes the second highest authority of a nation. If we pause for a moment and consider the Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified, died, and was buried suffering an ignoble death appropriate for a criminal. He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father who has appointed Him the judge of the living and the dead and given Him dominion and power above all powers, Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Now we begin to see the plan and providence of God at work. He has placed Joseph in a unique position of authority and power that will preserve his family when the time comes. In his office he distributes food to the people of Egypt and enriches Pharoah in the process. But the famine is far wider than just Egypt, so that in the land of Canaan they learn that there is food in Egypt. Jacob then sends his sons down to Egypt to buy corn. In the process of course they run into Joseph but do not recognize him, thinking him dead or worse.

Famine

"³And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. ⁴But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. ⁵And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ⁶And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

⁷And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; ..."(Gen 42:3-7)

We now have the fulfillment of prophesy through the dream of Joseph as his brethren bow before him. Joseph tests them and then holds Simion as a ransom to get them to bring Benjamin his full brother the next trip down.

And he put them all together into ward three days. ¹⁸And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: ¹⁹If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: ²⁰But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. (Gen. 42:18-20)

However, Jacob will have none of this because he fears that Benjamin will be lost as was Joseph. Nevertheless, due to the severity of the famine, a second trip becomes necessary for the brothers. Jacob reluctantly agrees. Judah this time offers himself as surety for the return of Benjamin.

Joseph and his Brothers

²⁹And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. ³⁰And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. ³¹And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. ³²And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. ³³And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. ³⁴And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.(Gen. 43:29-34)

Joseph has prepared his brothers a test for their character and now he is ready to reveal himself to them after Judah stands in the place of Benjamin

¹⁸Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. ¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? ²⁰And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. ²¹And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. ²²And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. ²³And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. ²⁴And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. ²⁶And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. ²⁷And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: ²⁸And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: ²⁹And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. ³⁰Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; ³¹It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. ³²For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. ³³Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ³⁴For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.(Gen. 44:18-34)

This now represents some development in the brothers during the intervening years and some recognition of the evil they had done. There is evidence of repentance on their part and also guilt for their heartless and murderous act. The scripture says, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer..."(1 Jn 3:15) These brothers hated and then did the same thing as murder by selling their brother as a slave.

Joseph Revealed

And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. ⁵Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. ⁶For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. ⁷And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁹Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: ¹⁰And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: ¹¹And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. ¹²And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. ¹³And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. ¹⁴And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. ¹⁵Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. (Gen. 45:4-15)

Joseph and Jacob

²⁸And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. ²⁹And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. ³⁰And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive. ³¹And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; ³²And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. ³³And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? ³⁴That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. (Gen 46:28-34)

This is probably one of the greatest scenes in all of scripture or anywhere. This is high emotion friends. What can we add to this: "and he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while."

⁷And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? ⁹And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. ¹⁰And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. ¹¹And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹²And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.(Gen 47:7-12)

This statement by Jacob sums up his life and there is no more pretense here. Jacob can bless and he does bless Pharoah. This is not just a small matter for there is real power in this blessing as we have seen in evidence before where those around him were blessed and they knew it. Furthermore, on his passing a great lamentation was made in Egypt. This is undoubtedly a consequence of the blessing that Jacob was to Egypt while he lived out the remainder of his life there.

³And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, ⁴And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. ⁵And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. (Gen 48:3-5)

This significant passage points to the eternal promise of God to Israel that there was a land that they would someday inhabit as an eternal possession. God intends to make good on that promise, I can assure you. We also learn that the twelve tribes will become 13 tribes where the Levites will be a kind of swing tribe because their inheritance will be God himself as we will see later. Thus, Joseph gets the equivalent of two shares from the two half tribes Manasseh and Ephraim. That is why a tribe of Joseph is not usually mentioned in scripture, but rather the two half tribes. There are instances where the tribe of Joseph is specifically mentioned (e.g., CZE 48:32 and Rev 7:8).

¹And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. ²Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.(Gen 49:1-2)

Jacob is near his end and he makes a series of prophecies about his sons. We will only consider the one about Judah. Here he mentions the scepter, the sign of kingship, and a gathering of the people to him. This speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. Shiloh speaks of him to whom it belongs signifying the authority and peace of Christ's reign.

⁸Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. ⁹Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? ¹⁰The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.(Gen 49:8-10)

Joseph asks that he be carried back to Canaan for burial just as he did for his father. This is a resurrection hope and a hope based on the promises of God for them in that land. Friends, I think we can confidently state that the Old Testament saints had a hope and a promise that is tied up with some real estate in the Middle East centered around Jerusalem. They expect God to make good on His promise and He is the God of the living as the Lord Jesus said: "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."(Mat 22:32)

Thus, Genesis ends with the death of Joseph. All of the personages mentioned in Genesis died except for Enoch. Man was created an immortal creature, close to God and in His image and likeness. But sin and then death entered into the human family. Only a savior coming in the future can make things right again; until Shiloh come is the way Jacob put it.