This week we are returning to the book of Genesis with a review of chapter 1-11, and then an introduction to the Patriarchs starting with Abraham in chapter 12. This study will help us understand the history and importance of not only the faithfulness of God through His Covenant Promise, but the love He has for His people, even those who are flawed like Abraham and us!

Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches.

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions below, with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s class presentation:

Foundations Bible Study
Genesis Chapters 12-50
“The Patriarchs”

Session one:  Introduction to Genesis and the Patriarchs

INTRODUCTION

Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class.

Reflect:

1. What stands out to you from the previous study in Genesis 1-11?
2. What questions do you have about the book of Genesis?

How We can have confidence in the Word of God

1. It contains perfectly fulfilled prophecy – no book by mere humans can do that.
2. It is consistent with all the things we observe in the world around us today, in the physical things we can see (it is scientifically authentic, not mystic or mythical).
3. It has an amazing unified thread of meaning – there are 66 books written by 40+ authors, over a period of 1500+ years, yet it contains one central theme, narrative and person of focus.
4. (It contains no errors) we can have confidence, through textual criticism, that the Bible has been translated and transmitted accurately over time; this is because we have so many ancient manuscripts with which to compare, we can weed out any variants that appear to the point of a 99.5% confidence in the reliability of the text – and when we look at ancient lectionaries and sermons of the early Church Fathers (leaders) we can increase that reliability to 100%.
5. When people read God’s Word it has a transforming effect on their lives as evidenced in millions of personal testimonies.

In addition:

• As one would do in a court of law, we can reference multiple eyewitness accounts, both friendly and hostile.
• We have outside historical and archeological support.
• We have scholarly testimony from both Christian and non-Christian sources over time as to the literary and historical excellence of the Bible!
• We can study the acronym… MAPS-S

Concerning the Bible – it is God’s Word!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

Why is context so important in Bible reading?

From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus! 

The Importance of Bible Study
Practicing hermeneutics

1. Author and Audience: Who wrote it, to whom; when and where? Discuss the historical setting of the narrator (who he was and where he fits into the Biblical history), and his audience. Include date of events and writing.
2. Purpose: Why was it written? Get some background: Explore what was going on in the narrative and culture at the time of the events. Include the type of genre (literary style).
3. Context: What does it say? Get the big picture by carefully reading and then summarizing the whole story line. This might include the entire book, a chapter(s) or just a specific passage in one sitting. Consider the who, what, why, when, where and how type of questions.
4. Interpretation: What does it mean? This is based on the context of the reading and your summaries. It should relate to the overall purpose and intent of the author. Focus on God’s character and what God, through the author, wanted them to know. Examine how the passage points towards Jesus and the overall ”big-picture” of the Bible as a whole. You can also go deeper here with specific questions of focus.
5. Application: How do I use what I learned? Based on the context and interpretation, we can now discuss how to apply what we have read to our lives and the culture we live in today, including our witness to others.

Note: Cross-referencing passages from other books of the Bible can be helpful, especially when questions arise – most study Bibles give you those references.

The Shelf: Have a place in your notebook or journal to write down questions that arise. This will help avoid rabbit trails or distractions, and you can return to them later on.

Bible Study: The Book of Genesis
Category: Torah

Step #1: Author and Audience
-Who wrote the book, to whom; when and where?

Moses: He is the author of the first five books of the Bible known as the Torah (Hebrew), Pentateuch (Greek); also known as the Books of Moses.

• God gave Moses all that is in the Torah at Mt. Sinai (after the exodus from Egypt and crossing of the Red Sea); and he wrote from God to the Nation of Israel during the forty-year period of wandering in the desert after the exodus from Egypt, 1446-1406 BC.
• The Biblical time-period of events begin at creation and end just before the Nation of Israel’s entry into the Promised Land.
• Most important: Jesus spoke about Moses’ authorship

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;”

John 3:13

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.  I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?””   

John 5:39-47

Step #2: Purpose
-Why was it written?

• The Book of Genesis has sometimes been called the “seed-plot” of the entire Bible. Most of the major doctrines in the Bible are introduced in “seed” form in the Book of Genesis. Along with the fall of man, God’s promise of salvation or redemption is recorded (Genesis 3:15). The doctrines of creation, imputation of sin, justification, atonement, depravity, wrath, grace, sovereignty, responsibility, and many more are all addressed in this book of origins called Genesis.
• Many of the great questions of life are answered in Genesis. (1) Where did I come from? (God created us – Genesis 1:1) (2) Why am I here? (we are here to have a relationship with God – Genesis 15:6) (3) Where am I going? (we have a destination after death – Genesis 25:8). Genesis appeals to the scientist, the historian, the theologian, the housewife, the farmer, the traveler, and the man or woman of God. It is a fitting beginning for God’s story of His plan for mankind, the Bible.
• The book of Genesis, beginning in chapter 12, gives us the history of the Nation of Israel and the patriarchs of the faith, who, without the Law or Scripture to follow, put their trust in the promises of God.

GENESIS: Chapter by Chapter Subject Outline

Chapter 1: The days of Creation

Chapter 2: The Seventh Day;  A Deeper look at the Creation of Man and Woman

Chapter 3: The Fall of Man

Chapter 4: Cain and Abel – the first murder and the escalation of evil

Chapter 5: Descendants of Adam

Chapter 6: The story of Noah and the corruption of Mankind

Chapter 7: The Flood

Chapter 8: The Flood subsides and recedes

Chapter 9: Covenant of the Rainbow and the repopulation of the earth

Chapter 10: Descendants of Noah – Table of Nations

Chapter 11: The Tower of Babel – Dispersion of the people and the lineage to Abram

Focus Verse
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3 NASB)

Three Parts of the Covenant:

1. Land
2. Nation
3. Blessing

Step #3 Context: Chapter Reading
– What does it say?

Chapter 11

• 11:10-15
• 11:16-20
• 11:21-25
• 11:26-32

Chapter 12

• 12:1-9
• 12:10-20

Discuss (summarize) the chapters

Step #4 Interpretation: Going Deeper Questions

–  What does it mean?

1.  Who are the “Patriarchs” of Genesis?

• Background check: In order to follow the “Seed” Promise and the unfolding of God’s Covenant from Genesis 3:15, we must investigate the lives of the Patriarchs as they will be an important key in tracing the Scarlet Thread of Jesus!
• Patriarchy(definition): “A system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line.”
• Patriarch(definition): The male head of a family or tribe.
• Biblically: Any of the biblicalfigures regarded as fathers of the human race, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the 12 sons of Jacob (renamed Israel).

Abraham c. 2166 BC – Genesis 12-25

Isaac c. 2066 BC – Genesis 21-27

Jacob (renamed Israel) c. 2000 BC – Genesis 25-49

2.  What direct genealogical line (following the Seed Promise) can we draw from Shem (Noah’s Son) to Abram (11:10-27)?

• Shem (Noah’s son) – Arpachshad – Shelah – Eber – Peleg – Reu – Serug – Nahor – Terah – Abram
• Abram (later God names him Abraham), is ninth from Shem (Due to long lifespans in these early “patriarchs” Shem is still alive when Abram is born, although these spans are diminishing after the flood)
• We can also trace Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham in Matthew chapter one, and all the way back to Adam in Luke chapter three.

3.  Where was Abram when God called him, and how old was he?
(God will later change his name to Abraham)

Note: Was he in Ur (Mesopotamia) or already in Haran? To help with the answer re-read Genesis 11:26-32 and Genesis 12:1. Then cross-reference by reading Stephen’s apologetic (as he defended the Gospel) in Acts 7:1-5.

• Abram, was 75 years old when he departed from Haran (v. 4)
• At first glance, from Genesis 12, it seems that Abram was already in Haran when God called him, but Stephen, in Acts 7, shows us that he was actually in Mesopotamia/land of the Chaldeans (where Ur was located) when he first had communication from God. The passage specifically reads…

“Now the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And Stephen said, “Listen to me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and He said to him, ‘Go from your country and your relatives, and come to the land which I will show you.’ 4 Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. “ Acts 7:1-4

• Abram was still in Mesopotamia when God first called him. Abram’s father Terah set out with the family to Canaan, leaving Ur, but instead they settled in Haran (basically half way between the two places).
• Note: It is not clear if God had also spoken to Terah about going to Canaan, but God does specifically speak to Abram about going (Gen. 12:1 and Acts 7:1-5), it is possible there may have been more than once where God spoke to Abram.
• We can also go to Gen. 15:7 – “And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”” The Acts passage specifically says “before he lived in Haran” – so we have to ask the question: Why would they leave Ur to begin with, if God hadn’t called Abram when they were still back there.
• Ur was the “New York City/Los Angeles” of that day, Abram would have been highly educated – Haran and Canaan were unknown territories and inhabited by foreign nations – Terah and his family were not believers of YHWH yet, they would have been pagan worshippers of the gods of the Chaldeans.
• There had been no direct communication from God since Noah’s time. This is why it is so important to understand Abram’s faithfulness here, this goes to question #5…

4.  The unfolding of the original Genesis (3:15) promise is important throughout the Old Testament, and on into the New Testament as it culminates in Jesus.
Re-read Genesis 12:1-3 – what are the three main things that God is promising here, and how does it connect to the original promise of Genesis 3:15?

1. Land (v. 1) further unveiled in chapter 13.
2. People group (v. 2-3) He will make him a great nation. He will make his name great and bless him and those who bless him, and curse those who curse him – further unveiled in chapter 15 and 17.
3. Blessing (v. 3) All the families of the earth will be blessed – unfolded throughout the Old Testament, culminating in JESUS, the promised Redeemer, Messiah, Savior, Son of God!

Seven major promises that would come true from the Covenant concerning Abraham:

1. Abraham would become a great nation
2. Abraham would be blessed
3. Abraham’s name would be great
4. Abraham would be a blessing
5. Those who bless Abraham would be blessed
6. Those who curse Abraham would be cursed
7. All people on earth would be blessed through Abraham

*This Covenant sets the stage for the coming of Jesus, “the Scarlet Thread,” through the promised seed in the Nation of Israel who would be preserved by the hand of God for the next two-thousand years…

• The original promise of Genesis 3:15 becomes clearer as it unfolds in each subsequent Covenant all the way to the New Testament where Jesus is “The New Covenant.”13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. Genesis 3:13-15 (NASB)

• The Abrahamic Covenant is a partial unveiling of the original promise of salvation through the seed of the women. Here we see a person whose line will culminate in the Messiah, Jesus and God promises this to Abram through the giving of this Covenant – Abram did not have to do anything to receive this promise, God chose him. 

What happened that led to the Promises/Covenants of God?

1-11: Humans lost everything

1. Fall: Sinful humans lose fellowship with God in the Garden (God’s Kingdom/Heavenly place)
2. Flood: Sinful humans are wiped off their land, lose the Garden completely (God’s Kingdom/Heaven) and lose their lives in the Flood (with the exception of Noah and his family who found favor with God, and God gave the Covenant promise to Noah to carry through – Gen. 6:18)
3. Tower of Babel: Sinful humans became idol worshippers and sought a name for themselves instead of honoring God – God confused their languages and scattered them – they were once a single family, now they are many who would be in strife with each other.

12:1-3: God promises to restore/correct for those 3 things through Abraham

1. 1. Fellowship with God is restored because through faith we can walk with God again – Abram was our example and he was justified by faith (he foresaw the promise – we were provided the promise through Jesus’ death and resurrection).
2. Promised land physically made to Abram and spiritually made to all in eternity restored to the original land (that was lost at the Fall and Flood). Rev. 21:1-7 tells us about this “New Heaven and New Earth” where we will be face to face with God.
3. God now grants us adoption as His children, heirs of the Kingdom – united as one family in Christ Jesus and in one voice through the Holy Spirit. Interesting note: Tower of Babel was in reverse at Pentecost in the book of Acts when all were speaking in tongues/languages that others around them knew, helping them come to Christ that day.

5.  What can we learn about Abram’s faithfulness to God as he was called out of his home?
to help with this answer, cross-reference by reading Hebrews 11:8-10.

^“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  Hebrews 11:8-10 (NASB)

• Abram’s faithfulness is amazing as he did not know where he was going, or how things would turn out, but he trusted in God’s provision.
• Abraham is known as the “father of the faithful” because he left the comforts and riches of his home where he was raised to go to an unknown land (important note: Land was the principal inheritance so when Abram left Ur he left his inheritance).
• Abraham would further increase in his faith, as he would trust in God to raise his son from the dead after his obedience in sacrificing him (which we know he did not ultimately have to do) – see Hebrews 11:11-19
• We see that when Abraham was called, he was considered faithful – even though he did not know what to expect, he trusted the LORD, and even though, throughout his life Abraham made mistakes, God still knew his heart, and he was called faithful.
• The more his relationship with the LORD grew, the more times we see Abraham going out in faith, whether it be in having Isaac, or trusting in God’s promise for the future, or sacrificing Isaac, and even in trusting God to bring him back to life!
• *Notice the importance of Abraham trusting in the promise of Heaven.

6.  where was Abram when the lord spoke to him again, and what did the lord tell him (12:6-8)? where is this area located today and why is it an important area?

^“Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.  Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.”  Genesis 12:6-8 (NASB)

• Abram was in Shechem when the LORD appeared and spoke to him again.
• The LORD reinforced the promise of the land to his descendants.
• Abram then journeyed on near Bethel and Ai and pitched his tent; he then continued on toward the Negev (southern part of the land)
• Today Shechem = Tel Balatah, a confirmed location through excavations and Egyptian texts that date back to this time (19^th century BC); Bethel = Beitan, confirmed through excavations and dated during this patriarchal period of time as well.
• Shechem, Bethel and Ai will be important cities in future narratives in both Genesis and later in the books of Joshua, Kings and Chronicles.

7.  Why did Abram go to Egypt and what happened when he went there (12:9-20)?

Abram went down to Egypt because there was a famine in the land, while there he asked Sarai to say she was his sister so that they would not kill him to take her. The Pharaoh took her and honored Abram. But, God – struck Pharoah’s house with plagues and it was revealed she was Abram’s wife. Pharoah sent them away (and Abram got rich in the process).

Notes:

• Culturally speaking, Egypt was “the” place to go during famines because of the water source they controlled (the Nile River) and because of that, food was also more readily available.
• Also, culturally speaking, it was very probable that Abram would have been killed for Sarai if they knew she was his wife. Fathers and brothers were honored and could have business dealings over their females and children, and Egyptians were known for their capture, and selling of women and children (later Joseph’s brothers would sell him to Ishmaelites who would take him to Egypt to be sold in slavery).

Where Abram went wrong:

• There is no mention of him consulting God before he went to Egypt (Abram won’t speak with God until chapter 13 after Lot leaves) and it appears God was not involved in Abram’s decision making here.
• It is speculation that possibly Abram thought he could outsmart the Egyptians and get Sarai back at some point, while at the same time making his financial statis better.

Additional Thought: The Law was not given by God to Moses for another 600+ years, so the “law” of the land was what Abram would have followed – however, God does place the sense of right and wrong (the Moral Law) in all of us, and I would imagine Abram knew what he was doing was not exactly the right thing to do.

Homework

Read Genesis chapters 13-15, then answer the following questions:

1. (Genesis 13:1-18)Why did Abram and Lot separate and where did they end up settling? What part of the Covenant did God reaffirm with Abram at this point, and why (v. 13-18)?
2. (Genesis 14:1-16)Why was there a war between the kings, and what brought Abram into this war? Discuss: What was the outcome of the war and why do you think Abram would not take any of the spoil offered by the king of Sodom after the war (v. 21-24)?
3. (Genesis 14:17-20)Who is Melchizedek and what happened between him and Abram? Cross-reference by reading in the New Testament, Hebrews 6:20 through 7:28 – What does it say about Melchizedek in reference to Jesus?
4. (Genesis 15:1-21) In ancient cultures there was a practice of cutting animals in half and passing through them to confirm an agreement between men – in this case it is only God who passed through, signifying Abram could do nothing on his part to gain God’s promise. What specific parts of the Covenant is God confirming here with Abram. and why (reference back to Genesis 12:1-3)?

Please continue to join us each week for Foundations Bible Study and the return to the book of Genesis!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15