This week we are focusing on some essentials of the Christian faith along with our regular study in Genesis chapter 33-34. As Christians we believe in the historical narrative of God’s Covenant Promise being passed from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, and then his descendants specifically. This Covenant is the unfolding of the Genesis 3:15 Promise, and as we study we will see that the promise of a Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus, was there in the beginning, and can be found all throughout the Old Testament, connecting to the reason we have for sharing the Gospel Message today!

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 as seen in His sovereignty over all things! We can take comfort in the fact that God never makes a mistake, and all things work together for good, for those who trust in Him! 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 presentation:

Presentation

Foundations Bible study
Genesis chapters 33-34 and a look at some essentials of the faith

Open and Review

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.

New Focus Verses:

THE COVENANT IS EXPANDED TO JUDAH

⁸“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
⁹ “Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
¹⁰ “The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
¹¹ “He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
¹² “His eyes are dull from wine,
And his teeth white from milk.

Genesis 49: 8-12 (NASB)

Three prophetic themes:

1. Political dominance/leadership
2. Royal longevity/Kingship
3. Supernatural abundance

The Importance of Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

1. Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity: The focus of the entire Bible is Jesus, and He is there from the very beginning (Genesis 1:1-3; John 1:1-5 and 15-18; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-14; Revelation 1:8).
2. Jesus is the Covenant Promise Fulfilled: Genesis 3:15 begins this promise of salvation from the sin nature born at “the Fall” – and the unfolding of that promise is seen throughout the Old Testament, all pointing to the fulfillment by Jesus in the New Testament.
3. Prophecies: Over 300 specific and incidental predictions are given by various people, in various circumstances and in various places throughout the Old Testament narrative, ultimately fulfilled in, and by, Jesus.
4. Foreshadowing: A person, thing, event or teaching that pictures a part of what Jesus would do, or who He would be as seen in the New Testament Narratives of His life, ministry, death and resurrection that show fulfillment of all that was proclaimed before His time.
5. Christophany: A pre-incarnate appearance of the second person (Jesus) in the Trinity (for example: Genesis 12:7-9; 16:7-14; 18:1-33; 22:11-18; 32:22-30; Exodus 24:9-11; 31:14-15; Joshua 5:13-15).

Core Essentials of Christian Belief

1. The inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture/Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
2. The Triunity of God/Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1 – 2; Matthew 28:19)
3. The fallen condition/nature of humanity, and the need for God’s saving grace (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23)
4. The Virgin Birth; Jesus is fully God and fully human, and He lived a sinless life (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1, 14; John 8:53-58; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:3, 8; Hebrews 4:15)
5. Jesus’ substitutionary death for our sins, and His miraculous, bodily Resurrection (Romans 5:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:22, 26; 1 John 1:7, 9)
6. Jesus’ ascension (where He sits at the right hand of the Father), and His present ministry to the believer through the giving of the Holy Spirit (John 14:12-21; Acts 1:6-9; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 4:7-10)
7. The literal, future return of Jesus to the earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

The Importance of Bible Study
Practicing Hermeneutics

Homework Review

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

Chapter 33

Jacob Meets Esau

• 1-7
• 8-14
• 15-20

Discuss (summarize)…

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

(Genesis 33:1-20) In this chapter Jacob finally reunites with Esau. What did Jacob do when he saw Esau coming and how did Esau respond to what Jacob did?

Jacob and Esau:

• Jacob divided the children between Leah, Rachel and the two maids, and sent them in the order of the maids first, then Leah, then, Rachel last (again showing favoritism).
• At this point, Jacob now went before them to meet his brother Esau.
• Jacob bowed before Esau 7 times and offered many gift – Note: It should have been the other way around since Jacob had the birthright and therefore, honor as head of the family.
• Esau actually responded by running to meet Jacob, and he hugged and kissed him, and they both wept. Note: Although the hug and kiss were part of tradition, this seems to show remorse on both their parts for the past.
• Esau was surprised at the size of Jacob’s family and belongings, and, as custom would have it, he declined the gifts. However, again with custom, Jacob insists, and Esau accepts – Note: This is a common way of dealing in many places in the middle east still today, and is a part of the “manners and customs” of bargaining, we saw it in Abraham’s buying of the burial site for Sarah. 

Discuss:  Do you think Jacob was wise in the way he handled this encounter, why or why not?

Jacob’s wisdom in handling this situation:

Answers may vary, but could include…

• Jacob finally did the right thing by going first to meet Esau, but his separation of the wives and kids will continue to cause problems for the family and will especially play out in the life of Joseph.
• Jacob may have been somewhat deceptive again with Esau because he said he would come to Seir after him, but instead he went on to Succoth and later to Shechem.
• However, if we look at God’s hand in the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant with Jacob, we find that Seir later becomes Edom; it is a desert location and was not necessarily suitable for the large number of livestock and animals that Jacob owned and it would not make sense for him to take everything to Seir.
• In addition, it was not the Promised Land that God wanted him to be in, and this is where God’s sovereignty comes in because Jacob is the one who is to receive the Abrahamic Covenant that included people, land and a blessing (the seed of the Messiah – the Scarlet Thread of Jesus).
• NOTE: In 33:20 Jacob now calls on the name of God by erecting an altar –we find he used the term El-Elohe-Israel, which means LORD God of Israel – the God of the nation of Israel who is distinct and separate from all false gods of the world.

Step #5: Application for chapters 33
–How do I use what I have learned/What is God teaching me/Where do I see Jesus?

Answers will vary…

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

Chapter 34

The Defiling of Dinah

• 1-7
• 8-17
• 18-24
• 25-31

Discuss (summarize)…

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

(Genesis 34:1-31) This chapter tells a side story about Jacob’s daughter Dinah, the people of Shechem and some of her brothers. What happened to Dinah and how did Jacob’s sons respond to the request by Shechem’s father?

What happened to Dinah:

• Dinah went out to “visit the daughters of the land and when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her he took her and lay with her by force.” This tells us two things:   1) Dinah went to visit a foreign group of people; 2) She was raped by the “prince of the land.” 
• Note, we can ask the question: Should she have left her people, and gone into a foreign land, unaccompanied? The text doesn’t tell us the purpose of the visit (she could have just been getting to know people, or it could be that she was crossing the line, doing something more nefarious), either way it resulted in her rape and abduction.
• Cultural note: In this culture, the “prince of the land” (Shechem) could basically do anything he wanted to, similar to some Middle Eastern cultures today, where the royalty is above the law of the land. In this case, he wanted Dinah as a wife (maybe one of many) and his father saw it as a way of getting “Israel” to assimilate into their tribe, as they would not only marry into their families, but be able to accumulate Israel’s wealth.
• Negotiation of wives was part of the custom of the land (as we will see in Solomon’s time later on), and as much as we dislike the idea of the role of women back in this day, it was the culture they lived in.

What the sons did…

• They deceived (note the example their father Jacob had set), the father of Shechem and the people of that land, by agreeing to give Dinah in marriage, but only if all the males would be circumcised first, and Hamor and Shechem agreed; and believing it would be worth the wealth they’d gain in the long run, they had all the men of the land agree also (some scholars say there might have been anywhere from 50 to 100 men in this town).
• On the third day, as the men of Shechem were healing from being circumcised, the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, went into the town and killed all of the men, and took all of the women, children and possession back to Israel, becoming their property and increasing their family’s wealth (just as the men of Shechem had wanted to do to them).

Note: Earlier in this story, it appears that Jacob was willing to settle in with the people of Shechem as he seemed to agree to the terms of Simeon and Levi’s proposal (the Scripture is not clear as to whether or not Jacob knew in advance of their plan to kill and pillage the people).

Going Deeper: Who were the two sons of Jacob that were responsible for this, what did their father Jacob say to them and how might this affect them in the future?

Jacob’s response to Simeon and Levi:

• At this point, Jacob is distressed and says to his sons: “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household.”
• Jacob is concerned for his own welfare (again), and does not seem to be trusting in God’s promise and protection – God will protect him and his family, as we see in the next chapter, by instilling a “fear” among all of the people they will encounter along their way to Bethel.
• Note: Jacob and his family should have consulted God first in this matter; and Jacob and his family should have never settled so close to a Canaanite town where there would be temptation to mingle and intermarry – this is always going to be Satan’s ploy throughout time, trying to stop God’s plan and promise, especially when it comes to the “Seed” promise.

Step #5: Application for chapters 34
–How do I use what I have learned/What is God teaching me/Where do I see Jesus?

Answers will vary…

• Thoughts: Jacob could have been a more “hands on” father to his son by advising them, however, Jacob had already given the sons of Leah the message that he did not favor them, especially when he sent them first in line before Rachel and her son Joseph when they were in fear of Esau earlier. This favoritism will be a serious problem for this family in upcoming situations and beyond…

HOMEWORK

Read Chapters 35 and 36 for step #3: context

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

1.(Genesis 35:1-21) In this chapter God tells Jacob to move to Bethel. What did Jacob require his household to do, and why was this was important? What happened between God and Jacob, and what was the result of this encounter? What happened to Rachel after this?

2.(Genesis 35:22-26) There are now twelve sons (future tribes) of Israel. Reuben is the oldest son and should get the blessing of his father, but what did he do, and why does it come back to bite him (see Genesis 49:4)? Food for thought: What have the three oldest sons done so far that might make them lose the chance at the blessing (and who is fourth in line)?

3.(Genesis 35:27 through 36:43) How old was Isaac when he died, and who was there to bury him? Chapter 36 is a focus on Esau and his genealogy: Where did he move to and why? Discuss: How does Esau’s move relate to the Covenant Promise and God’s sovereign plan?

4.Going Deeper: Do a study on the names Jacob and Israel (as God renamed him). Hint: There is significance to the Scripture’s use of these names from this time forward.

Step #5:  Application for chapters 35-36 – How do I use what I have learned/What is God teaching me/Where do I see Jesus?

Study the first five major historical events, with the people and covenants involved, for a practice quiz next week!

Please continue to join us each week as we study about, and through, God’s Word!

———————————————————————

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