Answers for a study in the book of Genesis: Chapters 11-12, An Introduction to Abraham

“Answers for a study in the book of Genesis” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

1.  Review of Class Topic: With your table group, discuss today’s presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers may vary…

Cross-Referencing Practice

2.  A final look at the book of Job: As we move back into the book of Genesis, we will trace the genealogy from Noah’s son Shem through to Abram (God later changes his name to Abraham). Take a look at Genesis 10:21-30 then cross-reference with Job 1:1-3. There are two names in Shem’s genealogy that can be attributed to Job (where he lived and his full name), along with a description of the land where they lived at that time. Can you find them in this passage?

“Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born. The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah  and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah and Obal and Abimael and Sheba and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations. These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.”  Genesis 10:21-32 (NASB)

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.”  Job 1:1-3 (NASB)

• Uz: Land was often named after men who settled the area, or an important family member (we also find the land of Uz in Jeremiah 25:19-20).  Geneology line: Shem – Aram – Uz
• Jobab may have been the “full” name for Job. Jobab was the son of Joktan (Uz was the grandson of Shem and Jobab was fifth from Shem). Geneology line: Shem – Arpachshad – Shelah – Eber – Joktan – Jobab
• The land where Job is from is describe as being in the east, as it was with the land where the family of Joktan settled. Most scholars believe that Uz was located east of the Jordan River.
• See last week’s post for more details on the book of Job and its chronology.

3.  Background check: In order to follow the “Seed” Promise and the unfolding of God’s Covenant from Genesis 3:15, we must return to Genesis and investigate the lives of the Patriarchs as they will be an important key in tracing the Scarlet Thread of Jesus! Who are these “Patriarchs” of Genesis?

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 biblical figures regarded as fathers of the human race, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their forefathers, or the sons of Jacob.

From gotquestions.org

“The biblical patriarchs are the line of men God used to establish the nation of Israel. Perhaps the most well-known of the biblical patriarchs is Abraham, because from him all Israelites are descended. God made a covenant with him, promising that Abraham would be “the father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4). In fact, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude.”
Abraham: God approached Abraham (then “Abram”) and promised to make his descendants a great nation (Genesis 12:2) in the land of Canaan. Following God’s instruction, Abram took his extended family to Canaan, and they lived there as nomads. Despite God’s promise, Abram’s wife, Sarai, remained barren. In desperation, she gave Abram her handmaiden, Hagar, as a concubine. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, thought to be the forefather of Arabs. Despite Sarah’s doubts, she later gave birth to Isaac (Genesis 21:2). In her jealousy for her son’s inheritance, Sarah forced Hagar and Ishmael to the wilderness. When Sarah died, Abraham married Keturah and had six more sons, although the line of biblical patriarchy ran through Isaac.
Isaac: Isaac began as a man of great faith, trusting his father when God told Abraham to sacrifice him (Genesis 22) and trusting his father’s servant to choose Rebekah as a wife for him (Genesis 24). When his wife was pregnant with twins, however, and was told the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob), Isaac rebelled and attempted to favor the older anyway. But God’s plan was for Jacob to be next in the line of patriarchs, which is exactly what happened.
Jacob: When Rebekah realized she was pregnant with twins, God told her the older would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). Jacob was barely younger, as he came out holding his brother Esau’s heel. Esau went on to marry, giving Isaac and Rebekah grief (Genesis 26:35) and became the father of the Edomites (Genesis 36:9), who gave the nation of Israel grief. Jacob presumably knew of the prophecy given to Rebekah, but didn’t trust God to fulfill it in His time. With prompting from Rebekah, Jacob (whose name means “supplanter”) tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn (Genesis 27) and then promptly ran away to Rebekah’s brother, Laban. When Jacob fell in love with Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel, Laban proved to be a match for his nephew and had him work for seven years, then married him to his older daughter, Leah. Laban gave Jacob Rachel at the end of Leah’s wedding week, but Jacob had to work another seven years. Because Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, God comforted Leah by allowing her to conceive and bear sons.
Rachel gave her handmaiden to Jacob, resulting in more sons. Leah countered with her handmaiden, Rachel finally got pregnant, and Jacob wound up with twelve sons and a daughter. Before reconciling with Esau, Jacob wrestled with the pre-incarnate Christ, who changed his name to Israel (“he who strives with God”; Genesis 32:24-28). The nation took the name, Israel, from the man who fathered the nation.
Jacob’s sons: Each of Jacob’s sons became the patriarch of a tribe of Israel. As Jacob lay dying, he blessed each son (Genesis 49), mirroring his own inheritance by placing Joseph’s younger son, Ephraim, over the older Manasseh (Genesis 48:14). The sons of Jacob and the heads of the tribes of Israel were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Benjamin, and Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh.”

• It is most commonly understood that the Patriarchs are Abraham – Isaac – Jacob because they are the foundation for the Nation of Israel, some include Joseph and Judah, some go back to Noah, and still some include all twelve sons that make up the tribes of Israel.

Read Genesis Chapters 11:10 through 12:9 with your group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions:

4.  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 due to long life spans, although diminishing after the flood)

Extra information concerning the genealogy of the Scarlet Thread (Seed Promise):

From gotquestions.org

“Jesus’ genealogy is given in two places in Scripture: Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38. Matthew traces the genealogy from Jesus to Abraham. Luke traces the genealogy from Jesus to Adam. However, there is good reason to believe that Matthew and Luke are in fact tracing entirely different genealogies. For example, Matthew gives Joseph’s father as Jacob (Matthew 1:16), while Luke gives Joseph’s father as Heli (Luke 3:23). Matthew traces the line through David’s son Solomon (Matthew 1:6), while Luke traces the line through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:31). In fact, between David and Jesus, the only names the genealogies have in common are Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27).
Some point to these differences as evidence of errors in the Bible. However, the Jews were meticulous record keepers, especially in regard to genealogies. It is inconceivable that Matthew and Luke could build two entirely contradictory genealogies of the same lineage. Again, from David through Jesus, the genealogies are completely different. Even the reference to Shealtiel and Zerubbabel likely refer to different individuals of the same names. Matthew gives Shealtiel’s father as Jeconiah while Luke gives Shealtiel’s father as Neri. It would be normal for a man named Shealtiel to name his son Zerubbabel in light of the famous individuals of those names (see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah).
One explanation, held by the church historian Eusebius, is that Matthew is tracing the primary, or biological, lineage while Luke is taking into account an occurrence of “levirate marriage.” If a man died without having any sons, it was tradition for the man’s brother to marry the widow and have a son who would carry on the deceased man’s name. According to Eusebius’s theory, Melchi (Luke 3:24) and Matthan (Matthew 1:15) were married at different times to the same woman (tradition names her Estha). This would make Heli (Luke 3:23) and Jacob (Matthew 1:15) half-brothers. Heli then died without a son, and so his (half-)brother Jacob married Heli’s widow, who gave birth to Joseph. This would make Joseph the “son of Heli” legally and the “son of Jacob” biologically. Thus, Matthew and Luke are both recording the same genealogy (Joseph’s), but Luke follows the legal lineage while Matthew follows the biological.
Most conservative Bible scholars today take a different view, namely, that Luke is recording Mary’s genealogy and Matthew is recording Joseph’s. Matthew is following the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father), through David’s son Solomon, while Luke is following the line of Mary (Jesus’ blood relative), through David’s son Nathan. Since there was no specific Koine Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph was called the “son of Heli” by marriage to Mary, Heli’s daughter. Through either Mary’s or Joseph’s line, Jesus is a descendant of David and therefore eligible to be the Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother’s side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, “so it was thought””(Luke 3:23).

• Matthew writes to a Jewish audience and focuses on the legal part of Joseph’s lineage to show Jesus’ ancestry traces to David. Luke writes to a Greek, or Gentile, audience and his narrative is based on Mary’s life and story (she was most likely interviewed by Luke), so this makes sense that it would be her line Luke focuses on, which also represents the seed line from Genesis 3:15. It is only through the father’s line, in a patriarchal society, that Jesus would be seen as a son of David, and ultimately the Son of God.
• It is important to note that the Covenant promise was through David, not Solomon, therefore Nathan (David’s other son) solves this problem as he was in Mary’s line, thereby bypassing the “curse of Coniah.”
• Jewish Law also comes into view with “Levirate marriage” (typically where a brother takes over the family lineage when no sons are born to a brother who has died), in this case the son-in-law, Joseph would carry the family name. To ensure this for Mary’s line, since she did not have a brother, Joseph becomes adopted by Mary’s father Heli. This gives two genealogies for Joseph, one that shows the natural father and the other the legal father. Either way, it points to Jesus as the rightful heir to the throne.
• Bible.org says: “This is a beautiful fulfillment of prophecy and actually testifies to the accuracy of the Bible. Through Joseph, Jesus became the legal heir to the throne while bypassing the “curse of Coniah” (Jeremiah 22:24-30).”

5.  Cross-reference Genesis 11:28-12:1 by reading Stephen’s history review (as he defended the Gospel) in Acts 7:1-5. Where was Abram when God called him, where did he settle, and where was he supposed to go according to God’s command?

“Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was barren; she had no child. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.” 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;”  Genesis 11:27-12:1 (NASB)

“The high priest said, “Are these things so?” And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.”  Acts 7:1-5 (NASB)

• It is important to let the Bible interpret the Bible – never assume there are any contradictions in the Word of God, there is always an explanation to be found, or uncovered, often we get more information as we read through the Bible, and the gaps can be filled in, elaborated on, or resolved.
• ANSWER: 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). It is not clear if God had also spoken to Terah about going to Canaan, but God does specifically speaks to Abram about going on to Caanan (Gen. 12:1 and Acts 7:1-5), and it appears that it may have been more than once where God spoke this to Abram, which is often the case is supposed contradictions.
• Special note: Ur was considered to be a prominent city of that day (similar to Los Angeles or New York) and the educational system there was also very advanced (they have discovered Libraries there from that time period) and it is assumed that Abram would have been highly educated.
• In addition, we often get a more complete story later on when an event is recounted in Scripture – we see this later in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament. Example: Was Lot a “righteous person?” We might say no if we only read the Genesis account about him, but then we find this in the New Testament – 2 Peter 2:6-8 “and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds).”

6.  Cross-reference Genesis 12:1-9 by reading Hebrews 11:8-19. What does this tell us about Abraham?

“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; 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; 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.” So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. 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 12:1-9 (NASB)

 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling 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. By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a *heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”  Hebrews 11:8-19 (NASB)

• 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.

7.  Application: How can we model Abraham when we are faced with tough decisions and situations? Do you have any experiences to share where you trusted God’s Word to guide you?

Answers will vary…

• Abraham’s faith is an excellent model for us with any situation we might face, including immanent death, because we can have our eyes fixed on Heaven, our forever home – like all believers before us, that is the greatest fulfillment of the Genesis promise of return to the “Garden” and a home with the LORD.
• For me, over and over again, God has not failed me when I am faced with worry, anxiety or loss, I feel His presence and peace, and we see this promised in Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
• Jesus also tells us that He will be with us always, and Paul says that the sufferings we face are but for a moment, and that they are light afflictions when we compare them to what is awaiting us in eternal glory (my paraphrases).

8.  Going Deeper: Cross-reference the promise God made in Genesis 3:15 and the command He gave in Genesis 1:28, 9:1 and 9:7 with the promise He makes to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. What are the three main things that God promises to Abram and how do these all connect?

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

“God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” 

Genesis 1:28 (NASB)

“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

Genesis 9:1-7 (NASB)

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; and I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; 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)

• All of these passages above show the unveiling of the “seed promise” that began with Genesis 3:15. The “seed promise” was to be carried through a specific line that would eventually lead to Messiah (Jesus). The commands to be fruitful and multiply assured this promise to continue until it reached the person of Abraham where we see the breakdown of how this promise would unfold through his line.

• The original 3:15 promise is unveiled a little more to Abraham, by God, with a covenant promise of these three things to come specifically through him:

1. A Nation/Government (the Nation of Israel)
2. A Land (the Promised Land that includes more than modern Israel possesses today)
3. A Blessing (the Promised Messiah, fulfilled in the person of Jesus)

ALL OF THESE ARE IMPORTANT TO SET THE STAGE FOR THE “SEED PROMISE/SCARLET THREAD” TO BE FULFILLED IN JESUS!

Please join us each week as we continue our case for the Old Testament!

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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.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15