The Pentateuch: Israel and Joseph reunite, Genesis 46-50
Joseph sent his brothers back home with all the best of Egypt. They were to bring their father, Israel, to Egypt for Joseph to care for him and all of the household. Pharaoh blessed the reunion and gave Joseph’s family the land of Goshen to dwell in, tend their flocks, and even recruited Joseph to choose a family member to tend Pharaoh’s own flocks. This was an incredible honor. God used Joseph to save Israel and his descendants from the famine, preserving the chosen people of God.
Israel is comforted by God
Genesis 46 opens up with Israel, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, making a special sacrifice to God, and God speaking to him to comfort and reassure Israel. God tells Israel not to be afraid to go to Egypt. This is an important reminder to us that God will give us peace, comfort, and reassurance with His plan. Is He is leading and calling us to something, or somewhere, He will provide all we need – including peace. This is how the Lord makes things clear to me; He gives me peace in my spirit to reassure me of His plan, His will, and His instruction. This is what we see here for Israel when God tells him not to be afraid to leave the land of Canaan – the promised land.
2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph [a]will put his hand on your eyes.”
God had Israel leave the promised land for a while with the promise that He would bring him back. This is another reminder I so often need. Sometimes the way things turn don’t seem like it will get us to where we thought the Lord was taking us. Sometimes things don’t seem to line up with the end goal. In these times we need to listen to God saying “do not be afraid” and let Him speak peace into us, growing our faith in Him and our trust in His design. He knows the whole picture. God knew what was ahead of the Israelites, and knows what is ahead of you and me. We can trust Him to lead us where He knows we need to go in order to get to the end goal He has in store for us. Just like God promised to be with Israel and his descendants, God also promises to be with us wherever we go.
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b]Amen.
Israel came into the land of Egypt to settle in Goshen with all of the members of his household. His sons had married and had children, and now he would get to meet Joseph’s sons as well adding two more to his long list of grandchildren. Before Israel died, he blessed his children, as well as the sons of Joseph, and told his 12 sons what would “happen to [them] in the days to come.”
Leah’s children:
Reuben
Hanoch
Pallu
Hezron
Carmi
Reuben had dishonored his father by sleeping with Bilhah, which would have been an attempt to assert his position as firstborn son. This actually ended up getting him bypassed as head of the family and inheritance of the firstborn son. Reuben’s (and Gad’s) descendants eventually ended up settling outside of the promised land, across the Jordan River. Mount Nebo, within their territory, was where Moses viewed the promised land from. (Numbers 32:1-5)
Simeon
Jemuel
Jamin
Ohad
Jachin
Zohar
Shaul
Levi
Gershon
Kohath (Aaron and Moses came from this line)
Merari
Simeon was behind the plot to kill Joseph, and Simeon and Levi together led the slaughter of Shechem. Because of their wickedness and wrathful hearts, they were also bypassed in the succession and the next brother, Judah would take on headship of the family instead. They also were dispersed among the other tribes rather than given their own lands independently. Eventually, Levi’s descendants would become the priestly line, from which Moses and Aaron came from (Numbers 18), and be scattered throughout all of the other tribes. Simeon’s descendants would be given an inheritance within the lands of Judah (Joshua 19:1).
Judah
Er
Onan
Shelah
Perez (from Tamar)
Hezron (Jesus came from this line)
Hamul
Zerah (from Tamar)
Judah ended up inheriting the portion of the firstborn son, and later became head of the family rather that his 3 older brothers whose wicked deeds cost them this inheritance. Judah also became the Kingly line from which Jesus Christ was eventually born. Jesus came through the line of Hezron, son of Perez, who was one of the twins born of Tamar and Judah, Judah’s daughter in law (Genesis 38).
The tribe of Issachar became very politically involved, and eventually played a role in the conflict between King Saul and David (1 Chronicles 12:32). The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali eventually helped defeat Sisera (Judges 4:6-10).
Zilpah’s Children:
Gad
Ziphion
Haggi
Shuni
Ezbon
Eri
Arodi
Areli
Asher
Imnah
Ishvah
Ishvi
Beriah
Heber
Malchiel
Serah
The tribe of Gad eventually suffered greatly because of attacks by the Ammonites, Moabites, and Amalekites (1 Samuel 10:26-27. Gadites would also be rewarded for their valor and carrying out the Lord’s righteous will and judgements (Numbers 32). Asher eventually settled near Mount Carmel and dwelled with the Canaanites rather than driving them out (Judges 1:31-32).
Rachel’s Children:
Joseph
Manasseh
Ephraim
Benjamin
Bela
Becher
Ashbel
Gera
Naaman
Ehi
Rosh
Muppim
Huppim
Ard
Joseph becomes a leader of his brothers. He is blessed to be fruitful and strong. His descendants eventually become leaders within the other tribes, but later fall into idolatry (2 Chronicles 25:5-8; Hosea 4:17). The tribe of Benjamin was almost completely wiped out in a civil war in the time of the judges (Judges 20). King Saul as well as the Apostle Paul, previously Pharisee Saul, eventually came from the tribe of Benjamin.
Bilhah’s Children:
Dan
Hushim
Naphtali
Jahzeel
Guni
Jezer
Shillem
Dan’s tribe was later called out by Deborah for not helping in the war (Judges 5:17), and for being defeated by the Philistines. Samson would later come from the tribe of Dan, and Dan would later fall into idolatry (Judges 16-18). Naphtali eventually settled in the mountains and, like several of the other tribes, took tribute from the Canaanites rather than drive them out of the land or kill them (Judges 20:7).
Israel dies and is brought back home with honor
After Israel spoke over all of his children and passed on the covenant inheritance, he later died at the age of 147. He was blessed with a 17 year reunion with Joseph before he died, after only having had 17 years with him before Joseph was sold into slavery and missing the 20-or-so years in between. Joseph was so loved in Egypt that his father was honored with an incredible funeral procession and Egyptian embalming to transport him back to Canaan where his sons had promised to bury him with Leah, his parents, and his grandparents.
Joseph then shows us an incredible example of what trueforgiveness looks like. Their dad is dead and buried, and his brothers now fear Joseph will lash out at them – but Joseph extends mercy and grace, committing to care and provide for them. This is love. This is forgiveness. This is the love and forgiveness the Lord shows us and likewise commands us to show to others – no matter the wrongs done to us. What was meant for evil by people, God uses for good. Rejoice in being an instrument of the Lord.
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke [a]kindly to them.
Joseph died, but not before likewise making his brother promise that when – not if – when the Lord comes to their aid and brings them back to the promised land they must bring his bones back, too. Later on, Moses would take from Egypt the body of Joseph, who would later be buried in Shechem by Joshua (Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32).
The Pentateuch: Jacob and His Wives, Genesis 29-32
Rebekah had just sent her younger son, Jacob, away to find a wife with her family in order to keep him away from Esau, who had vowed to kill Jacob. Rebekah instructed Jacob to deceive Isaac, the boys’ father, in order to receive the blessing Isaac intended to give to Esau, the older of the twin boys. Jacob then set out to find Rebekah’s family, and we pick up with him when he comes upon shepherds with their flocks of sheep.
Jacob discovers that these shepherds are from Haran, and they are Laban’s people. Laban was Rebekah’s brother, son of Bethuel. He had two daughters, Leah, the older, and Rachel, the younger. Leah is not described as a beautiful woman, but Rachel takes this praise. Jacob met Rachel on the road and immediately fell for her, and Laban took Jacob in with the agreement that Jacob would work for Laban for seven years in exchange for his daughter, Rachel, as Jacob’s bride.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were [a]delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.
18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
19 And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
Jacob officially met his match with Laban. Jacob had been a deceiver, a heel grabbed, constantly seeking to make his way in the world by means of trickery. His mother, Rebekah, had been deceptive as well, and now her brother, Laban, was doing precisely the same. Jacob worked the seven years, the wedding happened, and the next morning Jacob realizes he had been duped into marrying Leah instead of Rachel as they had agreed. After Jacob impersonated his brother Esau, later Leah impersonates her sister Rachel, and Jacob gets a taste of his own medicine.
Laban claims that it is customary for the older daughter to be married first, but he promised that in exchange for another seven years of labor, Jacob could marry Rachel as well. Jacob wanted Rachel so badly that he agreed to take both sisters as his wives for additional years of work. Jacob was now tied to Laban for 14 years in exchange for his two wives.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.” 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?”
26 And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our [a]country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”
28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. 29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. 30 Then Jacob also went into Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.
During the second seven years, Leah was neglected by Jacob who loved Rachel and seems to have begrudged Leah, whom he did not choose to marry. While Leah was neglected by Jacob, she was seen by the Lord. God saw her, had compassion, and blessed her with many children. At first, she began naming the children with the hope her husband would finally love her. She craved the love of her husband. She and her sister clearly didn’t get along well either, leaving Leah surely feeling very alone. She was surely lonely, hurting, and neglected. Yet, God showed her favor and blessed her. Eventually, Leah refocused her praises and attention toward the Lord rather than her husband, and there she found contentment.
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected, he opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive.
Leah was blessed with 6 sons, and we also see a daughter named from Leah. Leah was unloved by her husband, but she was not neglected by the Lord. He cared for her, and gave her many children. Two very important tribes came from her sons Judah and Levi. Judah’s tribe was a kingly line, while Levi’s descendants later became the priestly line. This showed love and favor to Leah, and teaches a vital point that God does not look at what people look at – He values all of His creation, and cares even for those who lack love from people. Leah is a great encouragement for all of us who have faced these kinds of heartaches and loneliness.
When Leah stopped having children for a while, she sent her maid, Zilpah, to bear more children on her behalf. It was customary in that culture and time that if a woman was not able to bear children she would have a slave woman have children with her husband, but the children would be legally the wife’s. Zilpah being Leah’s maidservant, her children legally belonged to Leah. Zilpah bore two sons.
Concubine, Zilpah, Leah’s maid (H2153) – a trickling
Rachel was the favored wife of Jacob – the wife he ended up working 14 years to be able to marry. Rachel was a physically beautiful woman, but as we read through her part in history she reveals herself to be just as deceptive as her husband, aunt, and father. As she was barren for so long, she grew bitter and took it out on Jacob. She begged her sister for mandrakes, which in their culture was believed to increase fertility, showing that Rachel was taking matters into her own hands versus trusting God with her barrenness.
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring[a] from you!”
Eventually, God gave her a son, the last son born to Jacob for a very long time. Many years later, Rachel would have a second son, the final son of Jacob, making Jacob father to 12 sons who would become the 12 tribes of Israel.
Jacob had two wives, two concubines, and at that point 11 sons. He had been working for Laban, his uncle and father-in-law, for 14 years and wanted to begin planning for the long-term care of his growing family. He knew he would eventually inherit the land promised to Abraham and his father Isaac, and he would need to go back home to claim it. He also knew his brother, Esau, was still back at home but he did not know if Esau still wanted to kill him.
Jacob made a final agreement with Laban to work another seven years, but this time it would be for a portion of the flock. He would take the less desirable flock, leaving the spotless sheep for Laban. Jacob asked for the spotted, speckled, and miscolored animals while leaving the spotless, pure-colored ones for Laban, making it easy to distinguish from one another’s animals. Before sending the flock with Jacob, though, Laban continued to cheat Jacob and separated all the current flock that was the coloring allocated to Jacob, gave them to his own sons, and handed the remaining spotless flock over to Jacob – the coloring designated to belong to Laban.
31 So he said, “What shall I give you?”
And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. 33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”
34 And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!” 35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Jacob didn’t ask to be handed the flock, but to continue caring for all of them and over the seven years he would then take all the miscolored and Laban would have the spotless. The flock Jacob was breeding started as spotless, but they produced offspring that were the coloring that was agreed to be Jacob’s. In that time, Jacob showed his faith in God’s provisions, and both he and Laban couldn’t help but acknowledge the favor bestowed on Laban by the Lord while Jacob was with him.
Jacob’s allotted flock was flourishing far greater than Laban’s, Jacob was growing prosperous, his family was expanding nicely, and Laban’s sons were growing envious of the success and growing wealth of Jacob. Jacob realized that he was no longer favored by Laban, and receives instruction from the Lord that it was time to head back home.
Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”
Unbeknownst to Jacob, Rachel took along her family’s idols. These idols were false gods that her family worshipped and were seen as an inheritance for the oldest son. It is unknown why Rachel took them, but this was an excuse for Laban to chase after Jacob, accusing him of theft, and we see Jacob begin to stand up for himself and the 20 years of deceit and manipulation he experienced from Laban. Rachel lies to conceal her theft, and we again see a glimpse of Rachel’s true colors. Jacob’s favored wife is beautiful on the outside, but deceptive on the inside.
The relationships especially between Laban, Jacob, Leah, and Rachel were all founded on lies and mistrust, and the fruits of that deception are evident all over this story. Leah was lonely and unloved by her family, Rachel was a bitter liar and a thief, Jacob was a heel grabber through and through, and Laban was a trickster and manipulative head of the family. Eventually, they all parted ways with a covenant between them and the Lord.
51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the [a]Fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. 55 And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
Jacob continues on his journey home with his large family, flocks, and great wealth he has accrued over those 20 years serving Laban. He knows he will have to face Esau but he does not know what this will be like. He develops a plan to appease his brother, but along the way when Jacob was alone he found himself wrestling with a stranger. Jacob fought and fought, yet neither prevailed until the stranger touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and put it out of joint. Jacob still would not let go – until he received a blessing. In this moment, Jacob was subdued by the Lord and Jacob knew it. He was desperate for a blessing from the Lord, and clung to Him until he received one.
22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,[a] and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[b] for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[c] saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.
Through these 20 years of hiding from his brother, the Lord taught Jacob that he should have trusted God all this time rather than living in fear, scheming and plotting, manipulating and grasping, thinking he could do better on his own terms. He needed to submit to the Lord, let the Lord lead him and his plans, and recognize that it was God alone who would bless and provide for him, as well as correct and discipline him. Nothing Jacob could do would bring the best outcome God had in store for him. Trusting God was the only way – and likewise, trusting God is the only way for us as well.
Just as we receive a new identity as “Child of God” when we submit to the Lord in faith, Jacob was given a new name – Jacob would now be called Israel. Israel means “to face God” or to “struggle with God” but with the emphasis that God prevails. This name is given to God’s people – the Israelites – who would struggle with God, as well, for centuries. Jacob was the father of the Jewish nation and the people’s hearts so often resemble Jacob’s example.
The Pentateuch: Faith and Sacrifice, Genesis 22-24
Abraham finally had the son God had promised to him. He had been tested and there had been moments of great faith and moments he lacked faith. Abraham’s lack of faith in God’s plan and timing led to him having a son, Ishmael, by a woman other than his wife, Sarah, who was now sent away with Hagar, the boy’s mother. God had made it clear that Isaac, Abraham’s son by Sarah, was the son God had promised, and Ishmael was sent away with the promise of an inheritance outside the land of Canaan promised to Isaac.
With this, though, there came the curse that Ishmael and Isaac would forever be in conflict with one another. To this day, many Arabs claim to be descendants of Ishmael. Eventually, the Muslim religion was formed on the claim that Ishmael was the promised son rather than Isaac, and even today there is much conflict between those who claim to be descendants of Ishmael and the Jewish and Christian nations.
But now, in Genesis 22, Abraham has his son whom God had promised. Isaac, who Abraham waited so many years for, was a growing boy, and God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him. This is such a turn in the story. The son God told Abraham would become a great nation is now to be killed in the name of the Lord. This is unthinkable. Yet, here was Abraham. Abraham responded by gathering the needed supplies, men, and his son the very next morning and heading off to the place the Lord had told him to go.
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
One question that begs to be asked is – why did God “test” Abraham? As Abraham takes his son to the mountain, we start to see what is really happening here. Isaac asks his father where the sacrificial lamb was. A completely reasonable question. Why had his father not brought one with him? Abraham’s response is key here.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the [a]lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
Abraham, full of faith, tells this son whom God has promised will become a great nation, that God will provide the lamb. Abraham trusted that God would either provide an alternative sacrifice or He would raise this boy from the dead. God would provide the lamb because God made a promise, and Abraham believed it even to the point of raising his dagger, ready to sacrifice his son as the Lord commanded. At the very last moment, the Lord stopped Abraham from the deadly plunge and provided a ram stuck in a thicket nearby to take his son’s place on the altar. God provided a scapegoat to be sacrificed in place of Isaac; a ram whose blood would be spilled in Isaac’s place. Abraham’s son was spared.
Because of Abraham’s faith, God reaffirmed the covenant with him yet again. God didn’t test Abraham to see what Abraham would do. God knew exactly what Abraham would do. God showed Abraham that his immense faith would bring him blessings. It was because of Abraham’s incredible faith that God would continue to bless him, and why God made the covenant with him.
15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Sometimes God needs to show us what our faith will result in. Sometimes we need to be reminded that faith in the Lord is always worth keeping. Abraham was willing to kill his son at the command of the Lord, knowing that God had His reason and would keep His promises even though this command seemed at the time to contradict the promise. By his faith, God spared his son and continued to bless him, and Isaac’s son would eventually become the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The Ram in the Thicket
Don’t miss the part of this ram in the thicket. This ram was provided to Abraham to take the place of his son on the altar. In these times, blood sacrifice was made to atone for sin. Blood payment was required in order for sins to be forgiven. Sacrifice is necessary for redemption. So when God provided this ram, the ram took the place of Isaac, spilling its blood instead of Isaac’s.
This is a foreshadowing of what Christ would later do for all mankind. Blood is still the penalty for our sins, yet God provided a scapegoat for us in sending Jesus to earth to live a sinless life and die a horrible death on the cross. Death is what we deserve for our sins, yet Christ took the penalty of all mankind upon Himself. He became our sacrificial lamb so that any who believe in Him and accept His blood as a sacrifice for their own sins would be forgiven and redeemed to God. Faith in the blood of Jesus is the only way to salvation. He is our ram in the thicket, taking our place so that our Father in Heaven need not send those who believe in the Lamb of God to the altar themselves because Christ has already spilled His own blood in their place for their sake.
9 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
After sparing him from death by sending a ram to die in his place, God reaffirms that Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars and the sand and that they will be given the land that has been promised. God also makes it clear that this blessing is because of Abraham’s faith. Blessings follow obedience to the Lord, and Abraham is a prime example of this. Because of Abraham’s great faith, God blesses Isaac. Abraham would not live to see all the fruits of this promise, but he knew God was faithful and remained obedient to Him. Sometimes we don’t see the fruits of our own faith, but we can have faith that even when we don’t see it, God is working, and God is always faithful.
Later, Sarah passed away and Abraham purchased land from the Hethites to become a burial property, adamantly refusing to take the land as a gift. He buried his wife, Sarah, who is the mother to his promised son, Isaac, and then Abraham turned his attention to finding a suitable wife for his son. He was very selective about the choice. She needed to be from their own people, so he sent a servant to his brother’s land.
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear[a] by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
Abraham sent the servant with a blessing, full of faith and confidence that the Lord would go with him and lead the servant to the right woman to become his son’s wife. This future bride would be the mother of the promised descendants promised to Abraham by the Lord. God certainly had His choice picked out, and would make sure she was the one brought back to be Isaac’s wife and mother to his children.
The servant also had great faith that God was with him in his mission. Abraham was such a great leader to his people that he not only had great faith himself but instilled great faith in the Lord in those who served him. He led by example, and others followed his example and trusted the Lord. This servant prayed to the Lord very specifically. He asked for a particular sign so he would know who the right woman was without doubt.
12 Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah,[a] who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
These kinds of examples are precious to me. The servant prayed for something very distinct to happen so he would know it was God’s choice, and God answered by the exact means the servant had prayed for. Whenever we see an example of prayer in scripture, it is a beautiful opportunity to grow in our own faith and prayer life. God heard the servant’s prayer and gave him what he had asked for as a sign.
When he arrived in Nahor’s town of Aram-naharaim a girl showed up and offered him a drink from the well and also to give water to his camels. This was exactly what the servant had just prayed to happen as a sign, and that the woman who made this offer would be the one to marry his master’s son. The servant did not hesitate to jump on the answered prayer. Throughout the journey, the servant prayed, worshipped, and trusted the Lord and eventually brought Rebekah back home to marry Isaac.
26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. 27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
Rebekah was essentially Abraham’s great-great niece, making her a distant cousin to Isaac. This kind of infer-family marriage was incredibly common.
Abraham, Nahor, and Haran were brothers
Milkah was the daughter of Haran
Nahor married Milkah
Nahor and Milkah bore Kemuel
Kemuel fathered Bethuel
Bethuel fathered Rebekah
When the servant returned with Rebekah, Isaac married her and he loved her. She took her place in the tent Sarah had so recently vacated with her passing and was a comfort to her husband.
67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
God is always faithful, even when we are not. Through Abraham’s life, we see this played out. There were times Abraham lacked faith, yet God still stayed true. Then we see when Abraham was faithful, God blessed him greatly. This is true for all of us. When we are faithful to the Lord, with our hearts and minds focused on Him, God blesses our faith. We don’t always see it, and sometimes (often) the blessing is extended to others. Here, Abraham’s son was the one to benefit greater from the blessing, and there was still the promise God had made of 400 years of slavery ahead before the promised land would truly belong to Abraham’s descendants. A lot would happen between the making of the promise and its fulfillment.
Regardless of how long it takes to see the fruit, or if we ever do see it, we can trust that the Lord is always faithful and that our obedience is always rewarded. God provides all that we have and can take it away just the same. These are tactics parents use to teach our kiddos the differences between right and wrong, good behavior and bad behavior, and so on – and we get it from God. God teaches us that obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings consequences.
There is a price for sin and a reward for faith. We should not choose faith for the sake of the reward, otherwise, that is not faith – that is a transaction. We have faith because of who God is, and that is enough. Believing and trusting in who God is allows us to have such faith as Abraham had, and also because of the loving Heavenly Father God is, He loves to reward His children for their faith.
Faith is not faith because of the blessing, but because of the God whom we serve. Abraham knew this and is a reminder and important example for all of us that those who walk with the Lord can always trust in His faithfulness, yet those living outside the will of God will reap the consequences of their sin. Yet, all are welcome, and the Ram in the Thicket was sent to be a sacrifice for all who would believe and have faith in Him and the blood He spilled for them.
With great faith comes great responsibility, just as Abraham was given. He was now the father of nations, the receiver of such a great promise that came with a great burden to lead his people in the ways of the Lord and instill a deep faith in them as well. His faith impacted generations upon generations. Only God knows the entire depth and width of this impact made by such faithfulness.
Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the [c]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she[d] bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off [e]were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 [f]of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
From creation to the birth of Noah, 1,056 years had passed. Noah is a direct descendant of Adam and Eve’s son, Seth, whom God gave them in place of Abel, the son killed by their other son, Cain. Adam was 130 years old when he and Eve had Seth. Seth had Enosh when he was 105, Enosh had Kenan at 90, Kenan had Mahalalel at 70, Mehalalel had Jared at 65, Jared had Enoch at 162, Enoch had Methuselah at 187, Methuselah had Lemech at 187, and Lamech had Noah at 182.
Adam lived 930 years
Seth lived 912 years
Enosh lived 905 years
Kenan lived 910 years
Mehalalel lived 895 years
Jared lived 962 years
Enoch lived 365 years*
Methuselah lived 969 years
Lamech lived 777 years
Noah lived 950 years
All but Lamech died in their old age, whereas Enoch was a man who walked with God until he was no longer on earth because God took him. This “took” (H3947 – lāqaḥ) is to be taken away, taken from, or carried away. So Enoch did not die an earthly death as we know it, but was taken up and away by the Lord. This is the same word the prophets of Bethel used to tell Elisha that the Lord would take Elijah away.
24 Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.
In the lifetime of Noah, whose name means “bring us relief” or “rest” (H5146 – nōaḥ), mankind was so sinful that God regretted making them. The word used for “regretted” is to be sorry, to grieve, to repent. God saw how wicked mankind had become and was so sorry to have made them He changed directions in His grief for their wickedness and told Noah His plans to wipe them all out, sparing only Noah’s family and 2 of every kind of animal.
6 the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved.
The Nephilim giants are credited throughout history as a major source of this corruption of mankind. There are several interpretations for these “sons of God”, in these cases being associated with supernatural beings. The most likely is that these “sons of God” are fallen angels cast out with Satan who left their proper spiritual domain to intermingle with human women, thus procreating abominable offspring, the Nephilim giants.
4 The Nephilim[a] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.
6 One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[a] also came with them. 7 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
“From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it.”
6 and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day.
God’s solution to the problem of immense wickedness was to flood the entire earth so forcefully that it wiped out all “breath of life”. There was one man, though, who found favor with God. Noah was a righteous and blameless man who walked with God. He had found grace with God, and was acceptable to Him (H2580 – ḥēn). Because of this, God chose Noah to build what we not refer to as Noah’s Ark.
7 Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” 8 Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.
5 and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others,[a] when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly;
7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
God told Noah of His plans for the flood and gave Noah instructions for a great ark to be built. The ark would carry and protect Noah’s whole family of 8 people, pairs of every kind of animal, and all kinds of food for them to eat while on the ark.
14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher[a] wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[b] 16 You are to make a roof,[c] finishing the sides of the ark to within eighteen inches[d] of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks.
17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
Imagine being in Noah’s position. You are the only man credited as righteous in a wicked and sinful world. Not only are you the only one acceptable to God, but you and your family are the only ones who are going to survive a flood that will wipe everyone and everything else out. He not only knew he would be rescued by God, but God gave Noah work to do to prepare. Noah had faith and did everything the Lord instructed him to do, while the rest of the world raged with sin and evil all around him.
God brought the Flood
Noah built this great ark to God’s specifications, and at the age of 600 he loaded his family on board, housed all the animals God sent to him, and sealed up ship before God opened the floodgates of the watery depths. The words here, “watery depths”, lead me back to Genesis 1:2. God created the whole earth from the watery depths which His Spirit had been hovering over before creation. The watery depths God had made the earth from had been unleashed so wildly that even the tallest of mountain peaks were completely covered. God brought forth the watery depths, and then He reigned them back in, revealing I am sure an incredibly transformed and soggy earth with a total of 8 human occupants.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the vast watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened,
All the wicked people of the earth had been wiped out, Noah and his family had survived, and the animal kingdom he housed on board was being released back to the earth. God tells Noah and his family that he and the animals shall be fruitful and multiply over the whole earth, just as God had told Adam and Eve less than 2,000 years previous to this new beginning.
Join the discussion on Discord!
Want to discuss this study and other Bible topics and questions with the community?
Noah, his family, and all the animals on board the ark were held within for a year while the waters flooded the earth and then receded once again, leaving the ark on the top of the mountains of Ararat. God told Noah to come out of the ark with his family and let the animals repopulate the earth. Noah built an altar and made a sacrifice to the Lord, and God made a covenant with Noah and all of his descendants.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.
God vowed to never again wipe out all life with floodwaters. He also put Noah and his family in charge of caring for the animals of the earth as He had done with Adam and Eve, and called on his family to repopulate the earth with new generations of people. God knew all the time the wicked inclinations of mankind, but the blood price had been paid for the sins of the world and it was time to start new once more.
God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant, and any time we see a rainbow even today it is a sign from God that He remembers His covenant and will never again wipe out all of creation as He did with the great flood. Noah went on to live to the age of 950 years old.
28 Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29 So Noah’s life lasted 950 years; then he died.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
The Bible begins with the book of Genesis, the stories from the very beginning. The first 5 books of the Bible are the Books of the Law, also called the Books of Moses, The Torah, or the Pentateuch. They are a composition of records that tell of the creation of all things, the genealogy of the first people, and the teachings of the Law that God gave to His people from the very beginning. Throughout this whole year, we will explore the stories God gives us in the Pentateuch. As we study and explore, I pray we all learn more about who God is and who we are to Him, as well as grow in our faith and devotion to Him.
The Creation
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This very first statement is the first truth God wants us to know – that He is Creator of everything. Scripture goes on to explain the process by which everything was created. Genesis 1 gives us an overview of the process of Creation. I find it powerful and helpful to look at particular words in the original Hebrew language to explore the significance of these passages even deeper.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness [a]was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. [b]So the evening and the morning were the first day.
The word used for “beginning” is used throughout the Pentateuch. This word, rē’šîṯ, is an absolute beginning. The very first, the very best. Here it speaks of the absolute beginning of creation. In the very beginning of everything, God created everything. He Himself is not created, but is the Creator of all. God was there at the beginning already, His Spirit moving over formless, living waters with which God made everything.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the[a]Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
This word is later used to indicate “the first fruits” which indicates the very first of something, and the best portion. In the beginning, God made all things, and later we will explore how God commands the first from us. We began because God made it so, and all beginnings, the first fruits, the choice parts, are to be for the Lord. This will be an important word throughout the Pentateuch.
19 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
(Qal) to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject)
of heaven and earth
of individual man
of new conditions and circumstances
of transformations
(Niphal) to be created
of heaven and earth
of birth
of something new
of miracles
The word used for “created” indicates the very birth of something, the original formation, shaping, and making of something. God birthed all of creation, He formed it as a potter forms clay, He brought it all into being out of the formless watery depths.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or [a]principalities or [b]powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Later in the New Testament, we read that all things were created through and for Christ. Here in Genesis 1, we read that “God said” and then “it was so” on each of the days of creation. We also see that God made the sky and began forming the earth out of the formless watery depths that the Holy Spirit hovered over. Jesus is the Word, He is the source of Living Water; all things were created through Him, and all things were made by God’s spoken Word through the formless deep waters.
On the first day of Creation, God made light. Something that strikes me about this is that at first, it was dark. God created the light. God saw that the light was good, and He also saw that the separation of day and night, light and darkness, was good.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. [a]So the evening and the morning were the first day.
On the second day of Creation, God made the sky. He separated the watery depths and made the sky out of a portion and the water that would later make up the earth from the other portion. The formless watery depths began to take shape.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a [a]firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
On day three of Creation God formed land to separate the waters on the earth. He created land and sea, and then called forth plants and vegetation from the new land He had made. As a gardener, I love the way scripture explains the creation of plants. He created seed-bearing plants and fruit trees. He created plants that yet-to-be-created mankind could cultivate. These seed-bearing plants were made to continue to reproduce, spread, and grow, and He created them “according to their kinds”. Each species was intentional, and the ways each would grow were deeply designed from the very beginning.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.
On the fourth day of Creation, God created the sun, moon, and stars to rule over the day and night that He had made on day one. With the great lights, He made time, seasons, days, and years. He instilled a calendar into His Creation with the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. The sun rules over the day and the moon and stars over the night.
16 Then God made two great [a]lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
The two different words translated as “rule” here speak of the sun, moon, and stars having dominion, reigning over the day and night. They are given the power to rule over day and night. This is the same word used many times in today’s chapters.
Day 5 of Creation
On day five of Creation God created the sea creatures and the birds. Everything that has wings and gills was made, and God commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply”. He designed animals with an instinct to reproduce as well, and again created each of them according to their kind. Genetics is instilled in all beings from the very beginning.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
On the sixth day of Creation, God made land animals of all kinds and instilled in them the same command as the sea creatures and winged animals – to multiply. He then made mankind and breathed the breath of life into him, and gave him dominion over all the animals of land, sea, and air, and the land and its vegetation.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over [a]all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that [b]moves on the earth.”
to subject, subdue, force, keep under, bring into bondage
to bring into bondage, make subservient
to subdue, force, violate
to subdue, dominate, tread down
Mankind was made in the image of God and commanded to be fruitful and multiply – to fill and to subdue the earth, and to rule the animal kingdom. We were put above and in charge of all non-human life, and commanded to dominate the earth, the plants, and the vegetation. We were meant from the beginning to fill the whole earth and care for it. This domination is a perfect authority untainted by sin – it is not arrogant, power-hungry domination, but harmonious dominion over what God has made and called good.
From the beginning, all of Creation was given the command to be fruitful and multiply, but God specifically commanded mankind to govern the rest of the life God had made. God created all things, all life, and all order. He gave us time, seasons, days and nights, food, land, water, and a will to live, grow and prosper in this beautiful Creation as part of it all.
Day 7 of Creation
On the seventh day of Creation God rested from all of His work. He not only gave us seasons, days, and years but He established the week and made the 7th day of the week a holy day of rest. We know this now as the Sabbath, a day to rest with the Lord and be refilled by Him. God did not need to rest, He never tires, but He sets an example for us. There is a time for work and a time for rest. Once God had established order in His Creation, He rested.
It is not just a day to cease working, but He declared it holy. The seventh day should be kept holy in our own lives as well, and taken as a time to reflect on God’s creation, to be humbled by the intricacies of His unfathomable works of creating all we know, and all we have yet to discover.
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
God placed the first man, Adam, into a beautiful garden, the Garden of Eden, and saw he did not have a suitable life companion. So God put Adam to sleep, and from his rib God made woman to be a companion for man. God established the very first marriage, having created these first two human beings specifically for one another, which is a beautiful and literal example for each and every one of us. God does not just create all of us, but creates us for specific purposes, and creates each of us for the relationships He has planned ahead for us.
The Garden of Eden was a beautiful and perfect place, and it was a real location here on earth. It is said to be somewhere in or near Mesopotamia, which would be around modern-day Iraq, and we know it is near Assyria and the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. God chose to make this beautiful dwelling place for Adam and Eve in the Middle-East.
In Eden, God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God commanded that Adam and Eve not eat its fruit. This was the only thing they were commanded not to do. Everything else was theirs except this one tree and its fruit. God gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to glorify Him with their obedience and faith. With this tree, God gave them free will. He allowed them to make the choice to obey and trust Him or to disobey Him and reap the consequences.
Then along came the serpent, who deceived them, they sinned and ate the forbidden fruit, and the consequence God had told them was death. This death was the death of their perfect union with God, the death of their perfect life in the garden, the death of purity, and eventually physical death. Death was not immediate, but there was much death because of their sin. They were given everything except one thing and they took the one thing and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, and the curse of sin no inflicts all mankind ever since.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was[a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]coverings.
As God cast them from the Garden of Eden, He performed the first sacrifice. He made them clothing from animal skins to cover their nakedness. He sacrificed an innocent to cover them after their sin. This is a foreshadowing of what was to come – that all sin requires a blood payment. All sin requires sacrifice. The penalty for sin is death, and from then forward blood sacrifice would be required in order to receive forgiveness of sins and be made right with God.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the [a]offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many [b]offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s [c]offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
After the fall, Adam and Eve had children. Their sons were Cain and Abel. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. Abel gave some of the firstborns of his flock. He gave to God the best of his flock and gave to God first. Cain, on the other hand, gave God some of his crops he had harvested, but God was not pleased with Cain’s offering and Cain became angry. God made it clear that Cain’s heart and intentions were wrong in his offering to the Lord.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is[a]for you, but you should rule over it.”
Cain was upset, and God reminded him that if he would do what is right then he would be accepted, but if he does not do what is right sin is waiting at the door for him. This is a warning not only to Cain, but to all of mankind. If we fail to do what is right, sin is right there waiting for us, and desires to devour us. God commanded Cain, and likewise commands us, to rule over the desires of sin. We are to resist sin, and do what is right in the eyes of God. Cain, unfortunately, did not take the warning – he let sin rule over him rather than rule over sin, and he killed his brother out of jealousy and pride.
What God does next strikes me – God, like He did with Adam and Eve, asked Cain for the truth. He knew the truth, but He gave Cain the opportunity to confess honestly or to try to hide and conceal the truth. God then showed Cain mercy. His first act of mercy was in letting Adam and Eve live and still fill the earth rather than immediately wipe them out like He could have done. Now, God lets Cain live. Not only does He let Cain live, but He places a mark on Cain so that if anyone kills him in retaliation they will suffer vengeance seven times over. God condemns murder, spares Cain’s life, and protects him from being killed himself. This is again another lesson for all mankind – vengeance belongs to the Lord, not to us.
13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My [a]punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the Lord said to him, [b]“Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
Cain went east and lived in Nod, and he and his wife had their son, Enoch, and built a city that he named after his son. Enoch had Irad, Irad had Mehujael, who had Methushael, who had Lamech. Lamech had 2 wives; Adah, who bore Jabal, the first nomadic herdsman, and Zillah, who bore Tubal-cain who made tools, and his sister Naamah.
Later, Adam and Eve had another son in place of Abel, whom they named Seth. Seth later had Enosh, and people began to call on the name of the Lord.
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him [a]Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him [b]Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
God created everything and everyone and gave us the free will to choose Him or not. He created all of us to be in a relationship with Him, but He will not force us. He shows mercy to His creation and is patient with us. He designed us not only for relationships with Him, our Creator, but also with other people. He created marriage, a sanctified union between man and woman, and gave us dominion over the earth. He commanded us from the beginning to be fruitful and multiply, to cover the whole earth He had made, and to care for it, rule it, and govern it.
God gave us all we would ever need, and also gave us the choice to glorify Him with obedience, or not. He is the source and maker of all things, and grants us authority here on earth. With this choice, the very first people chose to disobey God, and ever since all of mankind is cursed with sin, which crouches ready to rule over us, yet God commands us to rule over sin instead.
How does the creation story alter your perspective of God?
What does this teach you about who God is?
Does sin rule over you, or do you rule over sin?
How does this story of the very beginning encourage your faith today?
Blessed by this study? Share it with others!
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
