Category: Bible

If you’re following along through the book of Genesis, I hope you’re enjoying this fascinating story.  In these later chapters, things get quite…interesting.  From here on, the pages of Genesis are filled love stories, sibling hatred, rivalry between wives, rape, scandal, God’s promises and, through it all, God’s blessing.

For quite some time, the book of Genesis focuses on the development of the relationship between Abraham and God.  God calls him to start a new life in a new land, where He will be blessed and become a great nation to bless all nations.  Through the twists and turns, conversations and silence of their relationship, Abraham proves his faith, while God remains faithful.

But, after Abraham’s death, a new phase in the story begins.  New questions emerge: Will God be faithful to Abraham’s descendants?  Will they, in turn, remain faithful to God?  If so, how will they be blessed, and become a blessing to others?

One cannot assume anything.  Just as a billionaire’s children may not manage their parents’ estate well, so it is uncertain whether or not the children of Abraham will “walk in the footsteps” of their father’s faith (Romans 4:12).

We begin with Isaac.  Unlike his father, he appears to be a timid man – rather than routing his enemies in battle (Genesis 14), he chooses to retreat from neighboring shepherds.  Yet, like his father, the LORD blesses him (Genesis 26:2-5), and others recognize it (Genesis 21:22-23; 26:26-29).  Yet, Isaac had his own strength – he seemed more loving and affectionate toward his wife, Rebekah.  The first mention of “love” in Genesis is spoken by the Angel of the LORD, in reference to Abraham’s love for Isaac.  There was no reference to marital love, up to that point; it is said that Sarah obeyed Abraham as her “lord” (1 Peter 3:6).  In contrast, upon meeting his newly arranged bride-to-be, it is immediately said that Isaac loved Rebekah (Genesis 24:67).  While his father was able to successfully pretend that he was not married to Sarah when they travelled, Isaac could not keep his hands off Rebekah (Genesis 26:6-9).  He also takes an active role in praying his wife when she is barren – something that could not be said of Abraham (Genesis 25:21).

Yet, love can have its dark side.  Isaac and Rebekah had twins, and each favoured a different one.  Yet God, in His wisdom, chose to pass on His blessing through the younger one – through Jacob (Genesis 25:22-23).  This would be His pattern throughout all time – displaying His power through weakness.  And, not only was Jacob younger, but his character offered little redemptive quality.  While Isaac lacked his father’s courage and strength, the apple may have fallen even farther from the tree, for Jacob.

Jacob was known to be a swindler.  He traded food for his brother’s birthright.  He disguised himself to steal his brother’s blessing.  Before long, he was fearing for his life, and fled to take refuge with his mother’s family.  There, he fell in love with his cousin, Rachel, and worked for 7 years in exchange for her hand in marriage.  He thought he had met his match, but was actually mistaken!  Rachel’s older sister, Leah, stole their first night through disguise, and later traded food with Rachel obtain further marriage privileges.  God had initiated a relationship with Jacob (Genesis 28:15), and now He was working on him.  He provided Leah, who’d teach Jacob a lesson and confront him with his faults (as many good wives do).  He would continue to “wrestle with God” until He had a new name, and was reconciled with his brother.  Leah, for her part, also needed a personal transformation – which happened through childbearing.  Though, at first, she was obsessed with finding affirmation from her husband, by the time she had her fourth son, she had learned to put her hope in God.  She named him “Judah,” meaning “praise (Genesis 29:31-35).

From here, people usually think that the story focuses on Joseph.  But, it’s more of an interplay between the two contrasting stories of Judah and Joseph.  Just as Judah’s birth brought transformation to her mother, so his life would bring transformation to his family.  And, just as God promised in a dream to bless and use Joseph, so would it come about – helping to fulfill God’s original blessings: for His people to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28) and to be a “blessing to all nations” (Genesis 12:3).  The sons of Jacob are introduced in Genesis 37, where it is revealed that Joseph is not only his father’s favorite, but possibly God’s too.  He dreams that, one day, his whole family will bow down to him.

But, the story quickly turns to Judah.  When his brothers throw Joseph down a cistern and plot his death, Judah quickly takes charge, and convinces them to sell him as a slave to a passing caravan (Genesis 37:26-27).  Being the fourth-born, he seems to have supplanted the place of his older brothers, who had perhaps lost legitimacy because of their major sins (Genesis 34:25; 35:22).  However, after his father is grieved, Judah leaves the family and starts his own.  His first two sons die, due to wickedness, leaving his daughter-in-law, Tamar, a widow.  Though she is entitled to marry the third son, Judah refuses, fearing that his third son will die, as well.  When Judah’s own wife dies, Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute, seduces Judah, and becomes pregnant.  Judah is ready to have Tamar put to death for immorality, until he learns that he is the father.  This serves as a turning point for Judah, who repents (Genesis 38:26).

Joseph’s story then follows, in parallel, showing a strong contrast (Genesis 39-41).  He also leaves his family, though not by choice.  He also encounters a seductress, but refuses her, and is blamed for it, anyway.  In prison, God is with him, and be is a blessing to others.  He eventually interprets a dream of Pharaoh, and is promoted to second-in-command for the whole kingdom.  Joseph maintains his integrity, and God blesses him.Sometimes, people think of the story ending there.  Judah and his brothers were bad, and got punished.  Joseph was good, and got rewarded.  But the story continues:

Joseph is bitter.  When his family experiences a famine, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt for food – all except his new favorite, Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin.  When the other ten brothers arrive in Egypt, they bow before Joseph, not recognizing him, nor that they were fulfilling his dream from years ago.  Joseph treats them harshly, accusing them of being spies, and tells them to never return unless Benjamin is with them.  The brothers show remorse for their former sin, and Joseph is brought to tears (Genesis 42:21-24).  The brothers return home, and Jacob refuses to send Benjamin.  Reuben offers the lives of his first two sons as insurance – an offer that is refused by his father.  Finally, Judah takes charge, and personally takes responsibility for Benjamin, convincing his father (Genesis 43:8-14).  When they return to Egypt, Joseph is brought to tears at the sight of Benjamin, but again hides his emotions.  This time, he frames Benjamin of theft, in an attempt to keep him in Egypt (Genesis 43:29-44:15).

Can we still acquit Joseph of doing any wrong?  After his brothers have repented of their sins and obeyed his wishes, will he still insist on punishing them, sending them away, and grieving his father?

Again, Judah takes charge.  Judah was the one who got them into this mess.  Judah was the one who had first repented.  Judah was the one who took responsibility, and convinced his father to send them, saving the family from starvation.  In Genesis 44:16-34, he delivers a long speech to Joseph on behalf of his family, reiterating their guilt, his father’s grief, and his willingness to serve as a substitute, in place of Benjamin.  This finally melts Joseph’s bitterness, and he reveals his identity to them.  He also openly acknowledges God’s good intentions in everything that had transpired.  He releases them from responsibility, seeing that God was behind it all.  He weeps, kisses his brothers, and reconciles (Genesis 45:1-15).

This may be one of the most underrated episodes in all of Scripture.  Judah, whose birth transformed Leah into a God-worshipper, who had been reformed from rebel to family leader, offered himself as a substitute, bringing reconciliation to his family, God’s chosen people.  But what is he remembered for?  His scandalous escapade with his prostitute-daughter-in-law.  Why do we like to keep record of sins, rather than chart a person’s journey of transformation?  When did the life of faith become a life of comparison and competition?

While Joseph has rightly been called a “Christ-figure” for his role in blessing all nations (Genesis 50:20-21), Judah could be an even better example.  Joseph is often the fan-favourite, because of his apparently flawless character.  He fits into our religious formulas: go good, and be blessed.  He also fits into our cultural formulas: work hard, and find success.  But, underneath that facade was a deep bitterness that could only be healed by the loving sacrifice of Judah.

Judah’s transformation is a more powerful story, and his role in Christ’s genealogy should not be overlooked.  Judah, who substituted himself for the sins of another, would proceed to become leader of the family, and father of kings (Genesis 49:10), leading to David, and Jesus Christ (Micah 5:2-5) – the ultimate, perfect sacrifice and substitute for our sins.  As Jesus said in Mark 10:45:

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus’s genealogy was full of scandalous situations.  The women (let alone the men) mentioned in Matthew 1:1-17 were: Tamar, a foreign, incestuous prostitute; Rahab, a foreign prostitute; Ruth, a foreigner; Bathsheba, an adulteress; and Mary, a pregnant, unwed virgin.  God isn’t trying to keep up appearances.  He is on a mission to call and redeem a people for His glory.  And, in many ways, the rougher the material, the more beautiful the finish.  The darker the night, the brighter the light.

He says about His people, Israel, in Deuteronomy 7:6-8:

 

And about His people, the Church, in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

May the stories, in Genesis, of relationships between God and His people, encourage you to know and follow after this loving God who welcomes all to Himself.

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“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” – Genesis 12:1

What a way to begin a relationship!  God calls Abraham to leave everything behind, and go to a new land – to be made into a new person, for a new purpose.  This marked the beginning of a century-long journey of faith, in which he’d be greatly blessed by God to be a blessing.

This also marked a turning point in how God would operate on earth – how He would pursue a relationship with humankind.  He began by creating humans to be set apart from the other animals – they would bear His image, reflecting His character, relationality, morality, and authority on earth.  They were given dominion over creation – as stewards who were to care for it.   When they rebelled against God and sought independence from Him, death  and separation from God resulted.  Things went from bad to worse, until God determined to start fresh with a single family who were set apart as righteous – Noah, his three sons, and their wives.  Yet, sin remained a systemic problem.  When people united in their rebellion against God at the Tower of Babel, He divided and dispersed them – mitigating the effect of their evil, rather than wiping them out again.  Now, for the third time, God would set apart one couple – this time, not to birth humanity from scratch, but to birth a new nation:

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:2-3

God had dispersed the peoples of the earth into many nations.  Now, He would create one nation to bless them all – one nation through which He would reveal Himself and His salvation to the world.  And it all started with this one man, Abraham, who responded to God’s call with faith.

Abraham was 75 years old, and his wife, Sarah, was barren.  They were perfect candidates for God to show His power, love, and grace.  God, who can create something out of nothing, would call forth a nation from this unlikely couple, who were “as good as dead,” when it came to producing offspring.  But, all they needed to do was believe God’s promises, and receive in faith:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” – Hebrews 11:8-12

That may sound rosy and wonderful, but the journey was long and winding.  Their faith would be tested and refined along the way.  God’s promises would be threatened.  When they fled a famine and went to Egypt, Abraham fearfully endangered his wife, claiming that they weren’t married.  But God protected her.  When they returned, Abraham gave the better portion of land to his nephew, and then rescued him from invaders.  But God continued to bless him.  Then after waiting 10 years for a son, Abraham and Sarah arranged to have a child through a maidservant, and then cast her out when she rebelled.  But God took care of the maidservant, and promised Sarah a son.  Abraham enjoyed fellowship with God, and God invited Abraham to intercede for his nephew, who was in trouble again.  Abraham endangered Sarah again, and God protected her, again.  Finally, Isaac was born, 25 years after the initial call to faith.  His name referred to the laughter that Abraham and Sarah shared, as God promised and faithfully provided in the most unlikely way:

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” – Genesis 17:17

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” – Genesis 21:6-7

Yet, there was one more step to be taken:  A test of faith.  Some time over the next 37 years, Abraham would be called to give up the greatest gift that God had ever given him.  God had promised to give him a son, through whom a nation would be born, to bless all nations.  And God was asking Abraham to sacrifice him?

Before we throw our view of a loving God out the window, consider the context.  In ancient times, in the land of Canaan, this was standard procedure.  Offering one’s firstborn son to the gods was a common method of seeking continued fertility and fruitful harvests – as later kings of Israel will unfortunately confirm (2 Kings 3:27, 16:3, 17:17, 21:6).  Though God had previously denounced killing humans, who bear His image (Genesis 9:5-6), and though He would later explicitly denounce child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31, 18:9-12), Abraham would not have been as culturally surprised by this command as we are, today.

From the beginning, an enduring principle has remained: God deserves our very best, and He owns it all, anyway.  Abel pleased God by sacrificing the firstborn from his herd (Genesis 4:4).  Abraham and Jacob practised tithing.  Moreover, after God spared Israel from the plague of the firstborn in Egypt, He declared that all firstborn of Israel belonged to Him (Exodus 13:1-2, 22:29-30) as well as the firstfruits of their harvest (23:19).

Yet, God, Who’d have every right to demand anything, provides a way out.  As He redeemed His people from slavery, He offered redemption for the firstborn, who would have been His payment:

“When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord‘s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ – Exodus 13:11-15

God provided a way for the firstborn to be redeemed – by way of substitution.  An animal sacrifice would serve as payment for a firstborn.  And the tribe of Levites would collectively take the place of all firstborn, to be devoted to a lifetime of service to God, supported by the offerings of other tribes (Numbers 3:12, 18:21).

And so Abraham and Isaac become a sign of things to come; just as Adam and Eve were to reflect God’s image to all of creation, now Abraham and Isaac were to reflect God’s way of redemption through His chosen nation.  Abraham was willing to give His one and only beloved son, whom He loved (Ishmael had been sent away).  Isaac willingly submitted to His father’s will.  Abraham had departed, early in the morning, on the three-day journey to Mt. Moriah – where it is said that the temple of Jerusalem was later built, where sacrifices for sin would be regularly made.  Isaac carried the wood up the hill, as Jesus carried his cross, nearly two millennia later, to die as our sacrifice, once and for all.  Abraham assured Isaac that the Lord would provide a sacrifice, and Isaac allowed himself to be bound and prepared for sacrifice.  Abraham was a foreshadow of our loving God the Father (John 3:16), while Isaac was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16).

Abraham had passed the test of faith.  He fully expected to return from Mt. Moriah with his son (Genesis 22:5), expecting that the God Who miraculously brought this child into being would also bring Him back from death (Hebrews 11:17-19).  God had always been faithful to His promises.

God did provide a sacrifice on that day – a ram caught in a thicket, who would take Isaac’s place.  Having seen Abraham’s willingness to obey, the Angel of the LORD remarked that “now I know that you fear God” (Genesis 22:12).  The Hebrew word for “know,” here, is yada.  It means to become acquainted, through experience (and it can serve as a euphemism for sex – Genesis 19:5).  The LORD knows everything, but now He has observed Abraham’s obedience first-hand, in relationship.  As a result, He confirms his promise to bless all nations through him (Genesis 22:15-18).

God’s plan was to bless Abraham to be a blessing.  He invited Abraham into a relationship in which promises, when received by faith, would result in works of blessing for others.  Sound familiar?  Notice the sequence of grace-faith-works found in Paul’s summary of our relationship with God:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10

Where do we go from here?  God’s call to Abraham is a call to us, as well.  His life serves as a sort of template for the journey of faith.  Not a manual.  Not a perfect example.  But, a template; a story to compare to our own.  Abraham was called, and he went.  Abraham walked in relationship with God, coming to know Him and discover His faithful character.  And eventually, Abraham was tested.  Would He choose God, or God’s greatest gift?

Abraham was called to leave his past, and even sacrifice his future.  Jesus called his disciples to leave their vocations and give up their lives.  Has your relationship with God involved a departure, a leaving-behind, a repentance, to be made new?

Abraham journeyed with God through thick and thin, growing, learning and blessing others as he went.  What twists, turns, and bumps along the road have you encountered?  What have you learned about God along the way?

Abraham was tested – to see whether his faith was in God, or in the blessing that God had given.  Is there anything more precious to you than a relationship with God, Himself?  Or, is your love for Him conditional – based on His blessings?

God chose Abraham, the man of faith to give birth to a nation that would bless all nations.  His descendants were the Israelites, through whom God continued to reveal Himself.  Through the Israelites, Jesus Christ came, fulfilling God’s promise to bless all.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be part of God’s people, who are blessed to bless.  Our invitation is to walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had (Romans 4:12).

I encourage you to reflect on this story of one man’s journey of faith, and compare it to your own walk with God.

***This post is part of a series, titled “God’s Story,” which also involves a God’s story and sermon series.

In the beginning, God…

That’s how the Bible begins – in the beginning, before anything, God.  That sets the tone for the rest of history.  God is the Source, the Point of Origin.  He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Provider, and the Savior.  Yes, eternally our Savior.  John 1 says of Jesus Christ, the Word and Light:

John 1:1-5: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

And, if the Son is eternal, that would make God eternally Father.  He is eternally loving, relational, and life-giving.  Jesus said,

John 17:24 – Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

So this eternally loving, relational, life-giving God made humans in His image, as the crown of His creation.  We, as male and female, were created to reflect God’s loving, relational, and life-giving character by being fruitful and multiplying on the earth.  We were also given dominion over creation, to rule as stewards on His behalf.  God, the Source of the universe, also has given us our purpose.  The two main questions of a worldview are covered.

What do these two truths mean for your life?

What happened next?

As the first chapter indicates, Genesis (and the Bible) is all about God, and His relationship with us.  As you read through Genesis, consider making a heading for each chapter, outlining what God does, and how people respond.  It could go something like this:

1. God creates – Humans reflect & rule
2. God provides – Humans fruitful & multiply
3. God commands – Humans sin & cursed
4. God gives – Humans kill & divide
5. God sustains – Humans walk with God
6. God distinguishes – Humans evil or righteous
7. God cleanses – Humans destroyed
8. God promises – Humans saved
9. God renews – Humans blessed, cursed
10. God multiplies – Humans unite in pride
11. God divides – Humans disperse on earth

Out of all His creation, God sets aside humans to bear His image and represent Him on earth.  He blesses them to be fruitful and multiply, but they rebel and are cursed with death.  Their offspring divide, veering in two directions: a sinful line, and a righteous line.  The seventh generation of evil is Lamech, who kills two people; the seventh generation of good is Enoch, who walks with God.  Humanity is sinful and divided.

So, God decides to start over.  He sets aside Noah and his family, the only remaining members of the righteous family line, and wipes out the rest of evil humanity.  He promises to never again do this, and renews the blessing and affirms their value as image-bearers.  But, by the next generation, we are already seeing both blessing and curses.  This time, humanity rebels against God by pridefully uniting, to make their name great, and to reach up to God.  God comes down, and disperses them into many languages and nations, so that they will fill the earth, as intended.  Now, a third new beginning is in order…

What a story!  Do you notice the flow?  The repetitive cycle that has begun?
More such patterns occur as you continue through the Bible, especially in books like Judges and 1-2 Kings.

Many have wondered why God would create such a world – that would “mess up” and need to be “re-started.”  If God is so powerful and perfect, how could His creation go so wrong?  That’s where His purpose comes in – He has always planned to work through people who choose to love Him.  He is raising children, not robots.  He started by setting aside humans from animals.  Then, He set aside the righteous line of Noah.  Finally, in chapter 12, He will set aside one family to be a blessing to all…

He has always been inviting people into a relationship with Him – people who hear His calling and recognize their God-given purpose.  He invites us into a lifelong journey of transformation, an eternal experience of love, hope, peace, and joy.

We have the privilege of learning about this in the Story that Scripture lays out for us – including the stories of many individuals who walked with God.  This year, I invite you to journey together through “God’s Story” – a sequence of historical books in the Bible that make up its main narrative.  I look forward to getting to know God and His purposes for us in the year ahead!

***This post is part of a series, titled “God’s Story,” which also involves a God’s story and sermon series.