Genesis 9 and 10

< These Bible Studies are from Parts of Genesis

Genesis 9 – Noah's Covenant, Embarrassment, and Generational Curse

A lot of people say "Old Testament Law" as a synonym for "Mosaic Law". But we have to remember that Mosaic Law was in force for less than half the time period of the Old Testament.

1. In Gen 9:4 and Acts 15:28-29, is eating blood prohibited today?

2. In Gen 9:4, Lev 7:26-27, Lev 17:11-12, and Dt 12:16,23-25, does the prohibition on eating blood mean people should never have blood transfusions, as Jehovah's Witnesses teach?

3. Does Gen 9:6 forbid executing criminals today?

4. In Gen 9:20-21, how could a godly man like Noah get drunk?

5. In Gen 9:20-21, why is this sad story in the Bible of Noah getting drunk?

6. In Gen 9:22 what was wrong with Ham seeing his father naked?

7. In Gen 9:22-23, what do you do if your children are embarrassed by you?

8. In Gen 9:22-23, why do children sometimes not honor their parents?

9. In Gen 9:22-23, how should we respond to the sin in others?

10. In Gen 9:24-27, is this primarily a mixture of curses and blessings by Noah, or is this primarily a prophecy from God?

11. In Gen 9:25, why was Canaan and not Ham cursed?

12. In Gen 9:25-26, what was the curse of Canaan?

Genesis 10 – The Table of Nations

1. In Gen 10, how many of these 68 peoples and 16 cities have archaeologists found?

A: Scholars believe they found 51 of the 68 peoples and archaeologists have found 11 of the 16 cities. Sodom and Gomorrah have not been found but are mentioned in the Ebla tablets.

2. How did God give scripture to us?

A: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (NKJV)

2 Peter 1:20 "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved b the Holy Spirit." (NKJV)

Theories of "mechanical inspiration" vs. "men moved by God".

3. In Gen 10, are Egyptians and the Sumerians of Mesopotamia mentioned?

A: Mizraim means Egypt in Hebrew. Often the "r" was dropped in Sumer, to make Sum/ Shem.

4. In Gen 10:2 why are the Medes (Madai) mentioned, since these people were not mentioned anywhere else until 836 B.C. in the Shalmaneser III text?

A: According to Persia and the Bible p.35 "I.M. Diakonoff believes that the arrival of the Indo-Iranian tribes on the Iranian plateau took place in the first half of the second millennium B.C. [2000-1500 B.C.]. But the earliest archaeological evidence of newcomers seems to date to the early part of the second half of the second millennium B.C. [1500-1300 B.C.]. In contrast to this, the mighty Minni people were mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27. However, the Minni only go back as far as 1200 B.C., and the Minni are not mentioned in Genesis, because Genesis was written earlier.

5. In Gen 10:2, who were the Javan people?

A: They are the Ionian Greeks who lived on the islands and in Asia Minor.

6. In Gen 10:2, who were the Tubal people?

A: They were called the Tabal (or Tabali) by the Assyrians and lived in modern-day Turkey in the region of Cappadocia.

7. In Gen 10:2, who were the Meshech people?

A: They are probably the later Phrygians, known to the Assyrians as the "Mus-ka-a-ia". They originally lived between Cilicia and the Caspian Sea, but in by 722 B.C. had moved to Phrygia in modern-day Turkey and became the Phrygians.

8. In Gen 10:2, who were the Tiras people?

A: We are not sure. The Egyptians mention a "Thrusa" (Tw-rw-s3) people invading Egypt around 1250 B.C. While Josephus claims the Thracians came from them

9. In Gen 10:3, where was Togarmah?

A: Togarmah was about 70 miles (113 km) west of the town of Malaty in Asia Minor. The Hittites called it Tegarama, the Assyrians called it Tilgarimanu, and the Greeks called it Gauraena. The Armenians claim they descended from Haik, a son of Torgom, so they might be descendants of Togarmah.

10. In Gen 10, why are Indians and Chinese are not mentioned in the table of nations?

A: While "Sinites" are mentioned, they are probably not Chinese but from the Canaanite port of Siannu in northern Syria. Genesis 10 makes no claim to list every people; rather it only mentions nations that some Israelites might recognize.

11. In Gen 10, how in the world could a shepherd in Midian know all of this stuff?

Genesis 11 – The Tower of Babel and Abram's Family

1. In Gen 11, how could people try to build the tower of Babel up to heaven?

A: Larsa: House of the Link between Heaven and Earth

Borshippa: House of the Seven Guides of Heaven and Earth

Asshur: House of the Mountain of the Universe

Babylon: House of the Foundation-Platform of Heaven and Earth

The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament (p.44) notes the Babylonian Enuma Elish VI lines 55-64 said Babylon was built by the gods in heaven as a celestial city. Babili means "the gate of God."

2. How have people had similar "towers of Babel" since then?

3. In Gen 11, what was sinful about building the Tower of Babel?

4. In Gen 11, what do we know about the Sumerian language?

5. In Gen 11:7-9, was the Tower of Babel copied from the Greek story of Aloadae?

A: Origen (225-254 A.D.) says why it could not be: Origen Against Celsus book 4 ch.21 p.505.

6. In Gen 11:18-24, is there any extra-Biblical record of Reu, Serug, and Nahor?

7. Why does Gen 11:28 mention Ur of the Chaldeans, since Ur was a Sumerian city?

8. In Gen 11:28, what do we know about the Mesopotamian city Ur apart from the Bible?

9. In Gen 11:31, did Abram leave for Canaan from Ur, or from Haran as Gen 12:5 says?

Genesis 13-14 – Abraham and Lot Separate

When God told Abram to leave his father's house in Genesis 12:1, Abram did not obey 100%; he took Lot with him. In Genesis 13:1 apparently Lot went with him down to Egypt and back again. Of course Lot would have known of Abram's compromise with fear in Egypt, saying that Sarai was [just] his sister.

1. What could Abram have done instead of compromising?

2. In Gen 13, did Lot choose where Abraham would live, or did God give Abraham the Promised Land to live?

3. In Gen 13, what do you do when there is disagreement between two people, or two parties, and you see no hope of solving the disagreement?

4. In Gen 13:12, did Lot pitch his tent near Sodom, or did Lot live in Sodom in Genesis 14:12?

5. In Gen 14:1-2, who are these kings?

6. In Gen 14:1-2, how could you have "confederacies" of kings fighting?

7. In Gen 14:1-17, is there any extra-Biblical evidence for Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities?

There are two possibilities of what Ashteroth-Karnaim meant.

1. It could possibly mean Ashtarte of the two horns, since this goddess was shown wearing two horns at Gezer and Beth-Shan.

2. It more probably means the town Ashteroth which is near Karnaim, to distinguish it from other towns named after the goddess.

8. In Gen 14:5-6, 36:20, and Dt 2:12,22, who are the Horites?

9. In Gen 14:14, how could Abram and his allies, only 318 men, defeat an invading army of an alliance of 4 great kings?

10. In Gen 14:14, how does Abram's raid compare to other surprise attacks in history?

11. In Gen 14:17-20, was it interesting about this structure?

12. In Gen 14:18-19, how could Melchizedek, presumably a cursed Canaanite, be in a position to bless Abraham?

We think Jerusalem was founded very early, around 3000 B.C. Early Egyptian chronicles call the city "Urusalim", which implies that the "salem" part of Jerusalem goes back as least as far as the "Jebus" part.

13. Does Gen 14:18 teach a "Melchizedek priesthood" of people as Mormons teach?

Genesis 17 – Confirming the Covenant with Abraham

1. In Gen 11:27 and 17:5, how do names, nicknames, and titles subtly influence people?

2. In Gen 17:5 what is the significant of changing Abram to Abraham?

3. In Gen 17:5, how seriously do you think God takes what we are called, and what we call people?

4. In Gen 17:5, there is a Christian song with the lyrics "Tell me, once again, who I am in You". Why do we need reminders of who we are?

5. In Gen 15, did God make a covenant with Abram here, or in Gen 17 after Ishmael was born? (A liberal Christian brought this up as evidence that multiple authors wrote Genesis.)

6. In Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Ex 6:3, while we are talking about names, what exactly does God's name of El Shaddai mean?

7. In Gen 17:3, what does it mean that God is Almighty? God might not choose to do some things, but what are four things God cannot do?

8. In Gen 17:12, why did God command circumcision on exactly the eighth day?

9. In Gen 17:17 and Gen 18:12, did Abraham and Sarah laugh with disbelief, or did Sarah laugh with joy in Gen 21:6?

10. In Gen 17:27, why did Abraham circumcise all males born in his house, whether slave or free?

11. In Gen 18, what were the Christophanies and theophanies in the Old Testament?

12. In Gen 18:2, since Abraham bowed before kings, does this support the Catholic and Orthodox practice of bowing before images?

Genesis 18 – The First Visit: Abraham Gets Visitors

1. In Gen 18:1-10, do you think Abraham was hospitable because He recognized God was visiting Him, or because he was generally hospitable?

2. In Gen 18:1-10, what risks would there be to Abraham of being hospitable?

3. In Gen 18, what were the Christophanies and theophanies in the Old Testament?

4. In Gen 18:2, since Abraham bowed before kings, does this support the Catholic and Orthodox practice of bowing before images?

5. In Gen 18:2, when should we bow and when should we refuse to bow?

6. In Gen 18:6, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and if God were somehow hungry he would not need to tell anyone (Palm 50:10-12). If God had wanted to eat something, God certainly did not need Sarah and Abraham to put to the test their cooking and waiter skills. Why do you think God "stooped" to have them serve them?

7. In Gen 18:16-33, what is it that made Sodom and Gomorrah not only bad, but so bad that God was going to destroy it?

8. In Gen 18:16-33, could God somehow be talked out of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah?

9. In Gen 18:10,14 and Gen 21:1,2, how would you refute the claim by an atheist author that this teaches God impregnated Sarah?

10. In Gen 18:27, why is Abraham especially saying he is just dust and ashes here?

Genesis 19 – The Second Visit: When God Visits Sodom

1. In Gen 19:1-3, how did "three men in Genesis 18:2 become two angels/men in Genesis 19:1, and why did they appear to need shelter?

2. In Gen 19:23-26 the angels protected not just Lot, but his entire family. So if Lot's wife was in fact protected, then why did she die and become a pillar of salt?

3. In Gen 19:8, why did Lot offer his virgin daughters to a crowd?

4. In Gen 19, was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah really a lack of hospitality as Ezekiel 16:49 says?

5. In Gen 19:24-26, exactly how were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?

6. In Gen 19:26, doe we know of others since then besides Lot's wife who have become "a pillar of salt"?

7. In Gen 19:30-36, why does the Bible teach that Lot had sex with his daughters? I just cannot believe this was right.

8. In Gen 19, why would someone like Lot live in this place anyway?

9. Genesis 18 and 19 has two distinct parts: 18:1-19 and 18:20-19:33. What are the two things that both tie together and contrast these two parts?

Genesis 20-21 – Not Learning from Sin

1. In Gen 20 and Ex 23:31, how could the Philistines be in Israel in Abraham's time, about 2000 B.C.?

2. In Gen 20:3,6 why did God contradict say Abimelech was a dead man, yet Abimelech lived?

3. In Gen 20:3,8-10, Gen 26:1, Jdg 8:31, and Jdg 9:1, what does Abimelech mean?

4. In Gen 20:12, why did Abram marry his half-sister Sarai?

5. In Gen 20:2-17, why did Abraham not learn his lesson from Gen 12:11-20 about saying Sarah was his sister?

6. In Gen 20:2-17, why do some believers repeat sins today?

7. In Gen 20:2-17, how can you help other believers not repeat sin?

8. In Gen 21:1-9, why did Ishmael mock Isaac?

9. In Gen 21:1-9, what might Sarah have done to exacerbate this situation?

10. In Gen 21:8-14, was Abraham right to send Hagar away?

11. In Gen 21:12-19, why do you think God let it be so hard for Hagar?

12. In Gen 21:14 If you read the Old Testament, it is clear that in Genesis the first born son (meaning God's chosen, the inheritor of his father), is ISHMAEL and the lies interpolated by the Jews into the Old Testament to disinherit him (why? Because they could not accept someone from outside their tribe) clearly becomes visible when they wrote that ISHMAEL with his mother HAGAR were banished away from the tribe of ABRAHAM forever?, but when we read more of Genesis we find that the true story is that "ISHMAEL died in the presence of all his brethren" (family) and further "ISAAC" died in the presence of all his brethren". These statements from the Bible clearly show up a further Jewish interpolation which is that they had to make up the incident about the permanent banishment of HAGAR and ISHMAEL so that they could replace ISHMAEL who was the original "only son of ABRAHAM" at the time when ABRAHAM was willing to sacrifice anything for the love of and obedience to God's will, it also shows that the promise of the savior of mankind was made through ISHMAEL (firstborn son) and not ISAAC (second son). (A Muslim said this)

Genesis 23 – Do you have graceful relationships?

1. In Gen 23, who were the Hittites here?

2. In Gen 23:2, why was it mentioned that Kiriath-Arba is also called Hebron?

There are three parts to studying a Bible passage: observation, interpretation, and application. Let's look at those three parts individually in Genesis 23.

3. Negotiation is typically a give and take. For example, a seller says $300. The buyer says $100. The seller says $250; the buyer says 150. Maybe they agree on $200. How is this the opposite of a regular negotiation?

4. In Gen 23:2-3 even though Abraham wept over Sarah, how was he gracious to the Hittites?

5. In Gen 23:3-20, Abraham was a very successful in business. But here, if he wanted to get the land for free, or for a very low price, he did not appear to be a good negotiator. – or was he?

6. In Gen 23:5, why did the Hittites consider Abraham a mighty prince among them?

7. In Gen 23:15-16, why did Abraham have to weigh out the silver?

8. How do we avoid being "penny-wise and pound-foolish" in our negotiations?

9. How do we show grace in our relationships?

10. In Mt 5:13, we are supposed to be salt of the earth. How are we supposed to do that?

11. How do we get people to think "I want to deal with Christians", "I want to be around Christians", and "I want to be like Christians?"

Genesis 24a – Don't Go Back There

Genesis 24 gives us a lot to think about. So much so, that today we are going to skip over some subtle but important things in Genesis 24. We are going to get to those things next week.

1. In Gen 24:15, what was the relation between Isaac and Rebecca?

2. In Gen 24:4, why wouldn't Abraham want to get a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites, or at least among the Hittites living in Canaan?

3. In Gen 24:4, why would Abraham insist on a wife from his own people?

In our Christian walk, sooner or later you will always find a much easier-appearing way to do things. It will seem be to a better way to achieve your objectives. It will involve compromise, sins or something that displeases God.

4. In Gen 24:1-4, what are some ways you know of, or through history, that believers have compromised?

5. What lessons can we learn from why other Christians have compromised?

6. What is sinful compromise in a Christian's life like?

7. Compromise itself is not a bad word; sometimes compromise is OK. What is the difference between a good compromise and a bad compromise?

8. What are forces in our lives today that are telling us to compromise in a bad way?

9. What is you see that you have already sinfully compromised? What then?

10. In Gen 24:5-8, what was so wrong with Isaac going back to Aram [Syria] to live?

11. In Gen 24:5-8, what would be wrong with Isaac going back to Aram just to visit, and to pick out a wife for himself?

12. In order to spiritually protect ourselves and our family, what is wrong with "moving back to Aram" and isolating our family from non-Christian society and schools?

13. When should we do so, and when should we not?

14. While Abraham on earth never read the New Testament, especially John 7:14-19, it looks like Abraham still had an understanding of the concept. Combining this lesson with art of gracious relationships we learned about last week, how are we to follow John 7:14-19 today?

Genesis 24b – Parenting an Adult (or Teen) Child

Abraham and Sarah waited for Isaac for decades. I don't know how many parents loved their son as much as Abraham loved Isaac. But, after God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, there is no question in Isaac's mind, or in anyone else's, whether or not Abraham loved Isaac more than God.

1. In Gen 24:1-5, does it seem strange that a father would take such care for the marriage of his child?

2. In Gen 24:1-5, what do we do to show our children, as teens or adults, how much we love them?

3. What do we do to show our children, as teens or adults, to show that loving God is the most important?

4. In Gen 24:50,57 why would Bethuel and Laban would let Rebecca go so easily? Do you think they were right to do so?

5. In Gen 24:63-66, why did Rebecca veil herself at this time? How does that relate to our culture today?

6. How does parenting a very little child differ from parenting a middle schooler or young teenager?

7. How does parenting a young teenager differ from your parenting a child older than 18?

8. What do we need to give our adult children, besides advice?

9. How should we parent our adult children?

10. How does discipline/advising shift with age of the child?

Genesis 27b-28 – God's Will, Done in Our Way, Loses Delight and Gains Grief

The famous Christian missionary Hudson Taylor once said: God's will, done in God's way, never lacks God's supply." In contrast to that, this is a study in God's will done in our own way. But first let's have a mini-review of Genesis 27.

Review (with your Bibles closed)

1. In Gen 27:1-4, what did Isaac ask Jacob to do before he would give him his blessing?

2. How was deception used in the family?

3. In Gen 27:20 how did Jacob use his knowledge of God to further his wicked deception?

4. In Gen 27:42-44 did Jacob go to the town of Haran to flee Esau, or to get a wife?

5. What does Heb 12:16-17 say about Esau?

6. What people came from Esau?

1. In Gen 27:41 and 28:8-9, since Esau was Isaac's favorite, how did Esau respect his father? How about his mother?

2. In Gen 28, were Rebecca and Jacob successful in getting what they wanted?

3. From Heb 11:20 how important was Isaac's blessing?

4. Contrast Gen 24:2-6 versus Gen 26:34-35, 27:46-28:3,8-9 in the selection of a wife for Isaac, Esau, and Jacob.

5. In Gen 28:10-15, this was like a stairway with angels walking up and down, more than a ladder with angels climbing over each other. Why do you think God gave Jacob this dream?

6. Does it seem fair that God would give this wonderful dream to a man who used his knowledge of God to deceive others?

7. What exactly does this ladder represent?

8. In Gen 28:13-15, was this a promise the same covenant as with Abraham or a newer covenant? What did God say Jacob had to do for this to happen?

9. In Gen 28:20-21, what was Jacob's response? Was it one of faith?

10. In Gen 28:20-21, what was Jacob's response? Was it one of faith?

11. Does Jesus make a covenant with us, or is there just one covenant in Christ?

12. Have any early Christians had a vision of a ladder of stairway?

Genesis 32 –Reaping Consequences

1. In Gen 32:1-2, why do you think God would have angels meet Jacob?

2. In Gen 32:1-2; 33: how does God prepare us for conflict?

3. In Gen 32:1-3-6, what do you think were two purposes of Jacob sending messengers to Esau?

4. In Gen 32:6-7, what do you think are two reasons Esau decided to meet Jacob with 400 men?

5. In Gen 32:6-7, with Jacob's wives, what do you think were their first impressions of Canaan, and of Jacob?

6. In Gen 32:7-23, what were the three strategies that Jacob tried simultaneously?

7. In Gen 32:22-32, was Jacob renamed to Israel here, or was Jacob renamed to Israel in Gen 35:9-10?

8. In Gen 32:27-28, why was Jacob renamed Israel?

9. In Gen 32:24,27, since Jacob wrestled with a man, who turned out to be an angel or God, is God an angel or man?

10. In Gen 32:24-32, was Jacob wrestling with a literal angel, or was he just wrestling with an issue?

11. In Gen 32:24-30, is the Allah [God] of Christianity so weak that He takes all night to wrestle Jacob, as a Muslim mentioned?

12. In Gen 32:30, can someone see God's face, since Ex 33:20 says nobody can and live?

13. In Gen 32:24-32, why do you think God crippled Jacob, and when could Jacob expect God to make his hip whole again?

14. In Gen 32:26, why do you think Jacob was so intent on being blessed by God?

15. In Gen 32:34-30, how are we to wrestle with God today, and why?

Genesis 35-36 – Getting Rid of Idols

These two chapters discuss going to Bethel, the deaths of Isaac and Rachel, Reuben's dishonor, and Esau's family.

1. In Gen 35:1-5, what was the sequence of events here?

2. In Gen 35:2, why did Jacob have to tell those under him to get rid of their idols?

3. In Gen 35:5, why did God do this for them? Why did God need to do this for them?

4. In Gen 35:9-10, why do you think God called Jacob Israel here, as well as in Gen 32:28?

5. In Gen 35:19-20, what is the significance of Rachel's tomb in subsequent history?

6. In Gen 35:21, were all of Jacob's sons born in Migdal Eber, or were they born earlier as other parts of Genesis say? (A liberal Christian brought this up as a contradiction.)

7. Contrary to Gen 35, one could get the idea that if a believer has not been fully obedient to God, or ever had idols, then God is through with you for the rest of your life. Why is this not true?

8. In Gen 36 are Esau's descendants are listed in such detail?

9. In Gen 26:34 and Gen 36:2-3, who were Esau's four wives?

10. In Gen 36:2 was Zibeon a Hivite city, or a Horite city as Genesis 36:20 reads?

11. In Gen 36:31, does the phrase "before any Israelite king reigned" show the date of authorship as Saul's time or later?

12. In Gen 35:1,3,14-15, for all of Jacob's faults, God seemed to be very pleased with the idea of Jacob building altars to Him. How can we build altars to God today?

Genesis 37 – Envy Makes Enemies

In Gen 37:3,23,32, archaeologists have found evidence of coats of many colors, though not Joseph's. "Asiatics", with coats of many colors, were drawn on the walls of the tomb of an Egyptian noble named Khnumhotep. See Pharaohs and Kings : A Biblical Quest p.332,360 for pictures and more info.

1. In Gen 37:1-11, what set Joseph up for bad relations with his family? Do you think Joseph was aware of this?

2. In Gen 37:1-11, why exactly did Joseph's brothers actually hate him?

3. In Gen 37:1-11, what kinds of things do people do today that set up bad relations with others?

4. In Gen 37:1-11, should you keep from showing favoritism to one of your kids over another? Given that different children have different dispositions, how do you do that?

5. In Gen 37:1-11, what can you do, in your workplace, or in other places, so that people don't dislike you because of envy?

6. How do the relations you set up with others impact the effectiveness of your witnessing?

7. How can you witnessing impact your good relations with others?

8. In Gen 37:17, if you were to ask Joseph's brothers why they intended to kill him, what would they say?

In Gen 37:17, there is extra-Biblical evidence of making people "disappear" by throwing them into a well. Can Archaeology Prove the Old Testament? p.29 says a cistern at Dothan (13 miles north of Shechem) was found with several skeletons in it. By the way, Joseph's brothers were near Dothan.

9. In Gen 37:17, were Joseph's brothers planning to kill him, or did they decide to sell Joseph to Midianite traders as Gen 37:28-29 says?

10. In Gen 37:25, were the traders Ishmaelites, or Midianites as Gen 37:28 says?

11. In Gen 37:28, was 20 shekels of silver about the right price for a slave like Joseph?

12. In Gen 37:28, why didn't God make things easier for Joseph?

13. Why doesn't God make things easier for us?

Genesis 40-41 – God Has Determined, - Even When Life Can't Make Sense

Sometimes life doesn't make sense to us. But if we study more, pray more, and reflect upon our lives more, then we can see the answer. But that was not the case with Joseph during much of his life. I don't know if Joseph did this, but a person in Joseph's place, as people were planning to kill him might rack his brain over what unrecognized sin caused him to deserve this punishment or discipline. Things eventually did start to go better, until Joseph's reputation and character were assassinated by Potiphar's wife. For Joseph at this time, this was not a situation where life didn't make sense; it was a situation where it couldn't eve makes sense; at least not until Joseph saw God's working at the end of his life in Genesis 50:20.

It is one thing to be faithful to God when you understand what is going on, - or at least you think you understand what is going on. It is another thing to be faithful to God when you know you don't understand what is going on. It might have been easy for Joseph to lose faith in God, even though he probably lost faith in being able to figure out what was going on; - but Joseph did not. Joseph did not wait for his circumstances to change before serving God. He served God, whatever the circumstances, right where he was. This was not just a short-term unknowing; Genesis 40:1 starts off as "Some time later…" Let's recount the story in Genesis 40-41.

1. In Gen 40:1, what does a cupbearer do?

2. In Gen 40:6, who initiated the discussion of the dream: Joseph or the cupbearer and baker?

3. In Gen 40:15, how was Joseph carried off from the land of the Hebrews?

4. In Gen 40:20-22, Mt 14:6, and Mk 6:21, are birthdays bad to celebrate since the only birthdays [allegedly] in the Bible are when Pharaoh executed the baker and Herod executed John the Baptist?

5. In Gen 40:23, how could the cupbearer so easily forget Joseph?

6. In Gen 41:18, why are cows in the river?

7. In Gen 41:32, why would Pharaoh make a non-Egyptian second-in-command?

8. In Gen 41:45, was Joseph's Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, a title or an Egyptian name?

9. In Gen 41:45, is there any extra-Biblical evidence for Joseph's Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah?

10. In Gen 41:45 remembering how Isaac got his wife, and Jacob got his wife, what is different about how Joseph got his wife? How did Joseph cope with that?

11. In Gen 41:53-57, how was Joseph a type of Christ?

12. In Gen 41:57, did what happened to Joseph ultimately benefit Joseph?

13. Has something ever happened in your life, or in the life of someone close to you, that just did not make sense? How did you handle it? How should we handle things like that?

Genesis 43-44 – Having to Do What you Can't Bear to Do

Riddle: While Jacob might have been the human in the Bible who tricked people the most, who was the most tricked human in the Bible?

1. In Gen 43:1-14, how did Jacob's favorite son cause him great stress to him?

2. In Gen 43:1-14, in different ways, how does spoiling a child or playing favorites bring stress to the parent later?

3. In Gen 43-44, the brothers were being tested. Why were they being tested?

4. In Gen 43-44, what exactly did the tests test? Was it only a test?

5. Gen 43:23 and 43:34 why did Joseph give "hints" that he knew more than they might think?

6. Does it seem fair that Simeon was in prison all of this time?

7. In Gen 44:3 why were the brothers asked this?

8. In Gen 44:2-13, how would the silver cup in Benjamin's sack seam similar to Rachel stealing her father's gods?

9. In Gen 44:5, how could Joseph, a godly man, claim to use divination?

10. In Gen 44, when should we test others? Usually how should we test others?

Genesis 45-46 – A Longing Fulfilled Brings Deliverance

This moving, tearful scene is the climax of the story of Joseph, when he reveals himself to his brothers. This was the third time (out of five) that Joseph wept over his brothers.

1. What are four reasons why Joseph's brothers might be speechless?

2. In Gen 45:5,8; 50:19-20 who did Joseph say sent him into Egypt? Why?

3. In Gen 45:8, 50:19-20, does God enslave godly people? Did God enslave Joseph, or Joseph's brothers?

4. In Gen 45:25-28, what are two reasons why Joseph is stunned to hear that Joseph is alive?

5. In Gen 46:1-6 what as Jacob's reactions to this shocking news?

6. In Gen 46:3-4, is God speaking to Joseph as an individual, or his descendants?

7. In Gen 46:4, why did Jacob die in Egypt, since God promised he would take him out of there?

8. In Gen 46:8-27, are there 12, 13, or 14 tribes?

9. In Gen 46:8-27, I would like to know the 11 sons who Jacob had in the land of Israel, who were their wives? In The Bible exodus it is confirmed that 70 people went to Egypt including Jacob.

10. In Gen 46:33, is there any extra-Biblical evidence that shepherds were detestable to the Egyptians?

11. In Gen 45:1-15, does God ever give someone a longing for something that is unfulfilled for many years?

12. In Gen 45:1-15, how should we handle it when our lives have an "incompleteness" even when it is no fault of our own?

13. In Gen 45:1-15, if someone really wronged you many years ago, and you saw each other again, would you forgive them? Would you trust them?

14. In Gen 45:1-15, how should reconciliation work?

Genesis 47-48 – End Your Life as a Worshipper

1. In Gen 46:28-47:11, what kind of love did Joseph have towards his aged father?

2. In Gen 47:9-10 what two things are so unusual here?

3. In Gen 47, Joseph blessed his bosses: Potiphar, the jailer, and later Pharaoh. Israel blessed Pharaoh, and Pharaoh put his sons in charge of his own livestock. How are we to bless our bosses today? How are we not to?

4. In Gen 47:11, how could Jacob's family live in the region of Rameses, when the city of Rameses had not been built yet?

5. In Gen 47:20-21, how could God approve of Joseph enslaving the people of Egypt to Pharaoh?

6. In Gen 45:6 and Gen 47:28, did the Israelites become slaves while Joseph was still alive?

7. In Gen 47:31, did Jacob die at the head of his bed, or leaning on his staff as Heb 11:21 says?

8. In Gen 48:5, what was the significance of Jacob saying that Manasseh and Ephraim belonged to him?

9. In Gen 48:21, what were Israel's main concerns as he was about to die?

10. In Gen 48:21, if your death takes a while, what do you think your main concerns will be as you are about to die?

11. In Gen 48:21, do you think Americans today think about death much? How do you introduce the topic to get them to spend some time considering it?

Genesis 49-50 – Blessings, Curses, and Providence

1. In Gen 39:3-4, why was it proper that Reuben, who excelled in honor and power, should no longer excel? Has that happened to other parts of the church?

2. In Gen 49:7, when should a people or nation have fury and cruel anger?

3. In Gen 49:9 why was not Judah disqualified because of Tamar in Gen 38?

4. In Gen 49:9-11 what exactly does this prophesy?

5. In Gen 49:14-15, what is good or bad, about what the tribe of Issachar did?

6. In Gen 49:16-17, what could this refer to?

7. In Gen 49:22-26 what could this refer to?

8. In Gen 49:27 what could this refer to?

9. In Gen 49:1-28 and Gen 48:17-20, how do God's providence and human will interact?

10. In Gen 49, how did the actions of those people affect their descendants, and how do our actions affect our children?

11. In Gen 50:3, why did they take 40 days to embalm Jacob's body, and not more or less?

12. In Gen 50:13, was Jacob buried in the cave that Abraham bought near Mamre, or were some of the Patriarchs buried near Shechem as Acts 7:15-16 implies?

13. In Gen 50:16, did Joseph's brothers lie when they said Jacob commanded Joseph not to harm them?

14. In Gen 50:16, the character of Joseph's brothers had changed, and they hoped that Joseph's character was developed enough to forgive them too? How should our character change over the years as we follow Christ?

15. In Gen 50:19-20, how can we make our own choices, since God "intends" that we make the choices we make?

Genesis closes with an "unfulfilled feeling", that you think might get fulfilled in Exodus. But it is unfulfilled in Exodus too, and does not get fulfilled until Deuteronomy and Joshua.

Genesis 9 –Noah's Covenant, Embarrassment, and Generational Curse – some brief answers

A lot of people say "Old Testament Law" as a synonym for "Mosaic Law". But we have to remember that Mosaic Law was in force for less than half the time period of the Old Testament.

1. In Gen 9:4 and Acts 15:28-29, is eating blood prohibited today?

A: Some say no, because the Christ superseded the law, and in Acts 10:11-16, all "foods" were called clean.

Some say yes, because this was given prior to the Mosaic Law in Genesis 9:4. In Acts 15:20,29 the early, apostolic church believed taught Christians should abstain from blood. Of course, miniscule amounts of blood are OK, because Jews were permitted to eat game they hunted and [rapidly] drained in the field in Leviticus 17:13. See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.84-86 for this view.

2. In Gen 9:4, Lev 7:26-27, Lev 17:11-12, and Dt 12:16,23-25, does the prohibition on eating blood mean people should never have blood transfusions, as Jehovah's Witnesses teach?

A: No. We should not be cannibals, yet organ transplants are OK. Likewise, people were told not to eat blood, and blood transfusions are OK.

As Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse p.22-23 points out, even the Jehovah's Witness Watchtower organization did not ban blood transfusions until 1944. In 1967, they also banned organ transplants (Watchtower magazine 12/15/67 p.702-704). Then they changed their mind and allowed them in 1980 (Watchtower magazine 3/15/1980 p.31). They also did not allow vaccinations from 1931 to 1952.

See When Cultists Ask p.26-27, 39-40 for more info, and Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse p.22-23 and Answering Jehovah's Witnesses p.48-53 for more extensive discussion.

3. Does Gen 9:6 forbid executing criminals today?

A: Not at all. Genesis 9:6 both prohibits only murder, and commanded execution as punishment for murderers. Remember that Genesis was one of the books of Moses, and in the Exodus through Deuteronomy a number of crimes had a punishment by execution. See also the next question.

4. In Gen 9:20-21, how could a godly man like Noah get drunk?

A: First, the Bible does not hide the fact that people of God sin too. Second, with lower air pressure near the top of a mountain after the flood, it is easier to get drunk.

5. In Gen 9:20-21, why is this sad story in the Bible of Noah getting drunk?

A: The Bible not only shows us why it is important to do what is right, but it also provides real examples of consequences of doing wrong. Getting drunk or stoned can get you to do stupid things that you might later deeply regret. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" or "What happens in the tent stays in the tent" is not true. Clement of Alexandria (193-217/220 A.D.) answers this very clearly. "Noah's intoxication was recorded in writing, that, with the clear and written description of his transgression before us, we might guard with all our might against drunkenness." The Instructor book 2 ch.2 p.246.

6. In Gen 9:22 what was wrong with Ham seeing his father naked?

A: Sons should not freely broadcast their parent's shortcomings, and Ham's attitude was disrespectful in Genesis 9:22. Ham learned that his own son would be a reproach to him. Ham's attitude was mocking according to Methodius (270-311/312 A.D.) in Banquet of the Ten Virgins Discourse 10 ch.2 p.348 and Justin (c.138-165 A.D.) Dialogue with Trypho ch.139 p.269.

7. In Gen 9:22-23, what do you do if your children are embarrassed by you?

A: There are at least four ways they can be embarrassed:

1) because of a moral stand you are taking that is correct.

2) because of something relating to style, personal preference, or another morally neutral subject that is proper

3) Because of something you did wrong,

4) Because of something that was not wrong in itself, but is inconsiderate or not respectful of their feelings.

For the first reason, you can simply explain why you are taking your stand. For the second reason, you should not let what is good be spoken of as evil (Romans 14:16), but out of love you might accommodate them (Romans 14:14-15).

8. In Gen 9:22-23, why do children sometimes not honor their parents?

A: There is an ancient Chinese story of a traveler seeing a man carrying is aged father in a wheelbarrow, with his young son walking behind. The traveler inquired of the man what he was doing, and he replied that since his father could no longer take care of himself and was a burden to the family, he was going to throw him in the river to drown him. The traveler was disturbed by that, and didn't know what to say to dissuade the man from this evil. Finally, he simply said, "Don't forget to bring the wheelbarrow back!". In other words, as he is doing to his father, he is teaching his own son to do to him.

When children do not honor their parents, it could be for one of at least five reasons.

a) They see no need to obey God who commands us to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:2).

b) As children they do not want to obey their parents in the Lord, as Ephesians 6:1 tells them to do.

c) They might have honored them before, because they think their parents could help them. They no longer see their parents as being able to materially help them, so why honor them. This could be children when they go off to college, or adults who do not see any prospect of wealth coming from their parents.

d) They are ungrateful for the sacrifices their parents made for them growing up.

e) They might choose to disregard authority in general.

The wheelbarrow will always be there. When either your children or others decide how they are going to treat their relationship with you, they will remember whatever you did with the wheelbarrow, and relationships where you might no longer be the primary beneficiary.

9. In Gen 9:22-23, how should we respond to the sin in others?

A: In all cases, we should not give the appearance of condoning the sin, but we can still love the sinner. We should not be in a situation where we are tempted ourselves. Besides that, there is a difference in whether the sinner is your child, your parent, a person older than you, a Christian, or an unbeliever.

If our brother sins against us, then according to Matthew 18:15-17, we should first try to talk with them privately, and if that works that is the end of the matter. But if he will not hear, then go again, take one or tow other people. If that does not work, then tell it to the church. If that does not work, then they should be expelled from the church.

Do not entertain an accusation against elders unless it is brought by two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19).

Corporal punishment (spanking) can be used with your children, but not other people (Proverbs 22:15; Hebrews 12:7-11).

Do not rebuke an older man harshly (1 Timothy 5:1).

10. In Gen 9:24-27, is this primarily a mixture of curses and blessings by Noah, or is this primarily a prophecy from God?

A: This is both, but Genesis 26-27 show that this is primarily a prophecy.

11. In Gen 9:25, why was Canaan and not Ham cursed?

A: Ham learned that his descendants would be an example of sin's consequences. The Expositor's Bible Commentary volume 2 p.97 says that the Hebrew form of the verb is imperfect and not jussive, "so the sense is more likely that of prediction (‘He will be') rather than a malediction (‘May he be'). 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.32 says the same. Thus Noah's words anticipate a central theme of the following narratives - separation of the chosen seed from the seed of the Canaanites".

See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.86-87, Haley's Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible p.84-86, Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties p.222-223, and Justin Martyr's [wrote c.138-165 A.D.] Dialogue with Trypho chapter 139 p.268-269 for more discussion.

12. In Gen 9:25-26, what was the curse of Canaan?

A: Genesis only says that the lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers. Note that the curse is not on Ham, but Canaan. No Greek, Hebrew or other early Bible manuscript says it was Ham.

As Ham made Noah his father ashamed, Canaan and his descendants would make Ham his father ashamed. See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.116-118 for a more extensive answer.

Genesis 10 – The Table of Nations – some brief answers

1. In Gen 10, how many of these 68 peoples and 16 cities have archaeologists found?

A: Scholars believe they can identify 51 of the 68 peoples and archaeologists have found 11 of the 16 cities. Sodom and Gomorrah were so thoroughly destroyed they have never been found. However, the Ebla tablets, written 2400-2250 B.C. mentions towns of Si-da-mu (Sodom) and I-ma-ar (Gomorrah). Also, the Wycliffe Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology p.124 says that a sanctuary called Bab ed-Dra was found just south of the Dead Sea. It was dated between 2800 and 1800 B.C..

2. How did God give scripture to us?

Exactly how did God give the Bible authors scripture? -whatever way God wanted. One view is called "mechanical inspiration". God told them to write down the first word, then the second word, then the third word, and so on. God could have done it this way, yet there are some things about scripture that tend to make us think otherwise. There is a certain human style in Psalms, that is different than Isaiah, that is different than Jeremiah, that is different from other books. The style of Mark is different than Luke, which is different that Paul, etc. Perhaps instead God molded certain men, and gave them the learning He wanted them to have, and then moved them to write what God had put inside them, in their own words.

3. In Gen 10, are Egyptians and the Sumerians of Mesopotamia mentioned?

A: Yes, they probably are, as "Mizraim" and "Shem". The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mizraim. The land of Sumer was often pronounced without the "r", and Sum could easily become Shem. For scholarly support of this, refer to The Sumerians by Samuel Noah Kramer p.297-298. Kramer also cites American Journal of Semitic Languages vol.58 [1941] p.20-26.

4. In Gen 10:2 why are the Medes (Madai) mentioned, since these people were not mentioned anywhere else until 836 B.C. in the Shalmaneser III text?

A: The Shalmaneser III text was after Moses' time of 1407 B.C., but silence in preserved early writings does not prove non-existence. The Assyrians only noted when they fought and traded with the Medes for horses. According to Persia and the Bible p.35 "I.M. Diakonoff believes that the arrival of the Indo-Iranian tribes on the Iranian plateau took place in the first half of the second millennium B.C. [2000-1500 B.C.]. But the earliest archaeological evidence of newcomers seems to date to the early part of the second half of the second millennium B.C. [1500-1300 B.C.].

In contrast to this, the mighty Minni people were mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27. However, the Minni only go back as far as 1200 B.C., and the Minni are not mentioned in Genesis, because Genesis was written earlier.

In summary, archaeology supports the Medes existing in Moses' time. See Persia and the Bible p.33-50 for more information.

5. In Gen 10:2, who were the Javan people?

A: They are the Ionian Greeks who lived on the islands and in Asia Minor. In Hebrew this was yawan which is equated to the Greek iaones or iawones in Homer's Iliad 8.685, and yamanu in inscriptions of Sargon II and Darius I. Ionians are mentioned in Egypt from the time of Rameses II (c.1300 B.C.). Isaiah 66:19 and Ezekiel mention them, and the Septuagint translation translates this as "Hellas".

See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.885 and the New Bible Dictionary (Eerdmans' 1962) p.600 for more info.

6. In Gen 10:2, who were the Tubal people?

A: They were called the Tabal (or Tabali) by the Assyrians and lived in modern-day Turkey in the region of Cappadocia. The Greek historian Herodotus knew of them as the Tibarenoi. They are mentioned in Ezekiel 27:13; 28:2-3; 39:1, and Isaiah 66:19.

The Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (859-824 B.C.) received tribute from the 24 kings of Tubal. The Assyrians dethroned the king of Tubal in 732 B.C. Sargon mentions that precious metal containers came from Tubal. Sargon also crushed a revolt by Tubal, the Mushki (Meshech) and Ararat. See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1751 and the New Bible Dictionary (Eerdmans' 1962) p.811 for more info.

7. In Gen 10:2, who were the Meshech people?

A: The Assyrians first mentioned as the "Mus-ka-a-ia" as having an army of 20,000 during the time of Tiglath-Pileser I (c. 1100 B.C.). They are also mentioned under Shalmaneser III (859-824 B.C.). The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1105-1106 also says they originally lived between Cilicia and the Caspian Sea, but in the time of Sargon II (722-705 B.C.) they lived in the region of Phrygia in modern-day Turkey. Herodotus 3:94 lists them as the "Moschoi", who comprised one of the 19 satrapies of Darius.

The New Bible Dictionary (Eerdmans' 1962) p.811 also says they are equated with the Phrygians.

8. In Gen 10:2, who were the Tiras people?

A: We do not know much about the Tiras. While Josephus claims the Thracians came from them, people today think they were the Tursenich/Tyrsenians, who were pirates. The Egyptians mention a "Thrusa" (Tw-rw-s3) people invading Egypt around 1250 B.C. The apocryphal Book of Jubilees says the Tiras lived on four islands. See the New International Dictionary of the Bible p.1019 and the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1716 for more info.

9. In Gen 10:3, where was Togarmah?

A: Togarmah was about 70 miles (113 km) west of the town of Malaty in Asia Minor. The Hittites called it Tegarama. The Assyrians called it Tilgarimanu, and they conquered it in 695 B.C. The Greeks called it Gauraena. The Armenians claim they descended from Haik, a son of Torgom, so they might be descendants of Togarmah. See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1721 for more info.

10. In Gen 10, why are Indians and Chinese are not mentioned in the table of nations?

A: First what is not the answer, and then the answer.

Not the answer: While Sinites are mentioned, these are probably not Chinese but from the Canaanite port of Siannu in northern Syria. Josephus and Jerome thought Ophir was India, but it is more probably Africa.

The answer: All came from Adam, as all were cursed with Adam's nature. Genesis makes no claim of listing every people, and of the hundreds of peoples, Genesis only mentions the nations some Israelites might recognize. See Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties p.224-226 for a more extensive answer.

11. In Gen 10, how in the world could a shepherd in Midian know all of this stuff?

A: God Almighty could have just had Moses write in names that were meaningless to Moses, but I think there is a more likely answer. Moses grew up as an adopted prince in Pharaoh's court, and as Stephen said in Act 7:22 "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds." (NKJV) The Egyptian court officials needed to know about the nations around them. But by being a Shepherd in Midian in Arabia, Moses would have learned about the various Arabian tribes too.

It is interesting that one important people not mentioned in the Table of Nations are the powerful Minni, mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27. However, the Minni people only go back to 1200 B.C., so Moses, writing 200-250 years earlier, would not have known about them.

Other of these groups did not last for many centuries after Moses mentioned them; they were absorbed by other groups. For someone to know all of this detail, they had to a) be very knowledgeable, and b) have lived at that time.

Genesis 11 – The Tower of Babel and Abram's Family – some brief answers

1. In Gen 11, how could people try to build the tower of Babel up to heaven?

A: This was not the view of Moses, but of the people building the tower. Genesis 11 records, without endorsement, some of men's foolish ideas. Of course, what is a foolish idea for the masses could be shrewd for the priests to ensure the people held them in awe.

The NIV Study Bible p.23 lists other pyramids/ziggurats archaeologists have found with similar pretentious titles.

Larsa: House of the Link between Heaven and Earth

Borshippa: House of the Seven Guides of Heaven and Earth

Asshur: House of the Mountain of the Universe

Babylon: House of the Foundation-Platform of Heaven and Earth

2. How have people had similar "towers of Babel" since then?

A: Two forces important in motivating many people are the searches for significance and security. Whenever someone attributes their significance or their security to what they build, they have their own tower of Babel. Here is an example. It was said of the double-hulled Titanic, "Not even God himself could sink this ship." — Employee of the White Star Line, at the launch of the Titanic, May 31, 1911

3. In Gen 11, what was sinful about building the Tower of Babel?

A: It was not the construction of a building, but the arrogant motivation of (foolishly) thinking they could ascend to Heaven on their own. At the core of much of idolatry is the belief that people should be religious however they want, in "their own way", instead of seeking the One True God. God's reaction does not seem to be one of punishment but rather preventing them from additional evil. Wise parents do not want their children to totally ignore the law and their own commands, and God does not want people, whom He created, to do that either.

See Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties p.226-229 for more info.

4. In Gen 11, what do we know about the Sumerian language?

A: Sumerian was written in cuneiform, and it is not an Indo-European language. It has some similarities to Turkish, Hungarian, and some languages of the Caucasus Mountains. Scholars can read Sumerian today, and they know how the words were pronounced. Sumerian had no f, i, j, th, soft ch, v, w, or umlaut sounds. They had an "ng" (like Cantonese and Vietnamese), and they did not have inflections at the end of words like most Indo-European languages. There were also a number of Sumerian dialects. Just like there were ancient versions of English and Chinese, the Encyclopedia Britannica mentions there were four periods of Sumerian: archaic, classical, new, and post-Sumerian. Abraham lived at a time when they spoke "New Sumerian".

Hebrew came in part, from Sumerian. Like Sumerian, Hebrew had no "j" sound. Read The Sumerians by Noah Kramer especially p.306-307 for more info.

5. In Gen 11:7-9, was the confusion of tongues at the tower of Babel copied from the Greek story of Aloadae?

A: Origen (225-253/254 A.D.) investigated this in Origen Against Celsus book 4 ch.21 p.505 and concluded it could not be because:

a) No Greek person was known to him (or us) that had heard of this prior to Homer.

b) Homer lived centuries after Moses.

By the way, there are conflicting dates about when Homer lived. The ancient Greek historian Aristarchus says 1044 B.C., authorities in Philostratus says 1159 B.C., and pseudo-Herodotus The Life of Homer puts it as 1102 B.C.. In contrast to that the historian Theopompus said Homer lived as late as 685 B.C.. Herodotus says it was not earlier than about 730 B.C.. The Exodus was about 1447 B.C. See The Encyclopaedia Britannica under Homer for more info.

Theophilus to Autolycus (168-181/188 A.D.) book 3 ch.20 p.117 also points out that "Moses and his followers are proved to be 900 or even 1000 years prior to the Trojan War." However, the Trojan War actually was a little over 400 years after, not 900 to 1000 years after.

Conclusion: Either the Greeks picked up the story from the earlier Hebrews, the Greeks picked up the story from somewhere else outside of Greece, or the Greek and Bible accounts are based on the same event.

6. In Gen 11:18-24, is there any extra-Biblical record of Reu, Serug, and Nahor?

A: No one can expect that we have we have an independent record of every individual. However, in this case we probably do have an independent record. The Assyrian chronicles record villages in modern Syria named Paligg, Reu, and Sarugi, and Nakhur. The Mari records also mention Nakhur.

7. Why does Gen 11:28 mention Ur of the Chaldeans, since Ur was a Sumerian city?

A: This gives us a hint of when this was written. The Chaldeans and Sumerians of Iraq were assimilated in Moses' time, and Moses mentioned the land of modern-day Iraq as it was known in Moses' time. Also, Ebla documents mention a town called Uru which was in Padan Aram (modern Syria). So just to be sure there was no mistake, instead of just saying "Ur", it said "Ur of the Chaldeans". See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.32 for more info.

8. In Gen 11:28, what do we know about the Mesopotamian city Ur apart from the Bible?

A: We know much about Ur, thanks to extensive excavations. The city was probably the largest in the world at that time, with a population of estimated at 180,000, 200,000, and 300,000. It was oval shaped, and the mound is 3000 ft long by 800 feet wide. It had a three-stage Ziggurat, 70 foot above the plan. The walls were 30 feet high. It was a wealthy city, with spectacular artwork. The people of Ur were relatively sophisticated, with a mathematical text showing cube roots.

Geography: Ur had the Euphrates River on one side, and canals on the other sides. The land was somewhat alkaline, but great for wheat and barley with irrigation. There were about 50 kinds of fish in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. There were no trees around, so they imported wood from 400 miles away.

Civilization: About 40% of all grain was used to make beer. A board game was found. The had one and two story mud brick houses, and unpaved streets. Often a family tomb was beneath the house.

Literature: The first Sumerian writing was about 3,200 B.C., 1,200 years before Abraham. 100,000 tablets have been recovered from Ur, Umma, Lagash, Puzrish-Dagan, and Nippur.

Science: A mathematical tablet of cube roots was found. They did not have a decimal system, but instead used 1, 10, 60, 600, 3600, 36,000 etc. A relic of this is that we divide circles into 360 degrees. Their calendar had 360 days, and they practiced astrology. The main Ziggurat was very well built.

Temples: The main Ziggurat was to the moon god (not goddess) named Nanna/Nannar in Sumerian, and Sin in Akkadian/Semitic. The main Ziggurat had three tiers. The lowest, 210 by 140 by 20 feet was built by Ur-Nammu and Dungi. Ur-Nammu lived around the time of Abraham. Nabonidus (c.560 B.C.), built the second tier, and a small building was the third tier. There were temples to E-num-mah, Nirgal/Ningal (Nanna's wife), and the shrine of Nannar.

History: The first Dynasty of Ur (2600-2500 B.C.) had kings named Mesanepada and Aanepada. The Gutians conquered Ur and ruled it from 2150-2070 B.C. until Ur-Nammu threw them off and started the Third Dynasty of Ur. The people of Ur sacked Susa, the Elamite capital about 50 years later. Abraham left Ur before 2000 B.C., when Ur might have looked like one of the safest places to live. In 2004 B.C. (some say 1950 B.C.) the Elamites sacked Ur, and the city of Ur never regained its prior prominence. So if Abraham had disobeyed God and stayed in Ur, either he or his descendants would probably have been enslaved or killed.

See The Sumerians, TimeFrame 3000-1500 B.C: The Age of the God-Kings, Encyclopaedia Britannica (1956) vol.22 p.885, Unger's Bible Dictionary p.1126-1127, The Anchor Bible Dictionary vol.6 p.766-767, 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.34, the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1758-1760, the Wycliffe Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology p.596-604 The New International Dictionary of the Bible p.1045-1046 for more info.

9. In Gen 11:31, did Abram leave for Canaan from Ur, or from Haran as Gen 12:5 says?

A: Genesis 12 does not say Abram was in Haran when God called him. There is no mention that Genesis 11:31 is chronologically before Genesis 12. Many modern biographies are strictly chronological, but there is no requirement that they be so, and often it is was not strictly chronological in the Old Testament and the Gospels. We can only be sure it was intended to be in chronological order when the writer makes a claim that it is in chronological order. Genesis 24:4 dos not say "land of by birthplace" in Hebrew, but rather "my country", meaning where Abram lived for a while and where his closest relatives still lived.

1. In Gen 10, who are these 68 peoples and 16 cities?

A: This is the most ancient ethnographic document we have preserved according to 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.32. Scholars believe they can identify 51 of the 68 peoples and archaeologists have found 11 of the 16 cities. Sodom and Gomorrah were so thoroughly destroyed they have never been found. However, the Ebla tablets, written 2400-2250 B.C. mentions towns of Si-da-mu (Sodom) and I-ma-ar (Gomorrah). Also, the Wycliffe Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology p.124 says that a sanctuary called Bab ed-Dra was found just south of the Dead Sea. It was dated between 2800 and 1800 B.C.. See The NIV Study Bible, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.42-44 for more info.

Here are the peoples known or conjectured.

Japheth - Greeks said their ancestor was Japetos

|->Gomer - Gimirra/Assyrian Cimmerian/Greek

| |->Ashkenaz - As-gu-za-a/Assyrian = Scythians

| |->Riphath - ? lived in Russia?

| |->Togarmah - Either the town of Tegarama in

| Asia Minor, the ancestors of the Armenians,

| or both.

|->Magog - Scythians? according to Josephus

|->Madai - Medes

|->Javan - Ionian Greeks

| |->Elishah - Aeolians? according to Josephus

| |->Tarshish - city in Asia Minor or else Spain

| |->Kittim - Cyprus

| |->Dodanim/Rodanim - Isle of Rhodes

|->Tubal - Tabali people in Cappadocia

|->Meshech - Mushki/Assyrian originally between

| Cilicia and the Caspian Sea

|->Tiras - possibly the Thrusa (=Tw-r'w-s3), who invaded Egypt in 1250 B.C.

Ham - No tribe, only descendants

|->Cush - Sudanese (Cush in ancient times)

| |->Seba - Northern Ethiopia. The name of the

| | place probably came from Sabean colonists

| | who came later.

| |->Havilah - Either near Indus River in

| | Pakistan, or else near Sheba and Hadramaut

| |->Sabtah - ? probably lived north of Sheba

| |->Raamah - Probably the Rhammanites in SW

| | | Arabia (Strabo 16.4.24)

| | |->Sheba - Sheba in the SW corner of the

| | | Arabian Peninsula

| | |->Dedan - NW of the Persian Gulf.

| | Mentioned by Chaldeans and Assyrians

| |->Sabteca - ? not otherwise known

|->Mizraim - Egypt

| |->Ludites - ? not otherwise known

| |->Anamites - ? known only in 1 Chr 1:11

| |->Lehabites - The Rbw/Libu were a hostile

| | tribe west of Egypt

| |->Naphtuhites - ? not otherwise known

| |->Pathrusites - Pathros was southern Egypt

| |->Casluhites - Philistines came from these

| |->Caphtorites - Crete / Aegean Islands

| | (Akkadian/Mari/Ugarit/Egypt)

|->Put - Libya according to Babylonian and Persian records.

|->Canaan - Canaanites

| |->Sidon - Phoenician city

| |->Hittites - Lived just north of Jerusalem

| |->Jebusites - lived in Jerusalem

| |->Amorites - Lived in Canaan. Amurru in

| | Akkadian means westerner

| |->Girgashites - Lived in Canaan, probably the

| | Qirkishites/Assyrian

| |->Hivites - Lived near Tyre, Sidon, and Shechem. Solomon used them in building the temple

| |->Arkites - Port of ‘Arqah in north Syria

| |->Sinites - Northern Canaanite port of Siannu

| |->Arvadites - north Phoenician City of Arvad

| |->Zemarites - Canaanite city of Simura 6

| | miles south of Arvad

| |->Hamathites - One of the oldest Syrian cities

Shem - probably Sumer

|->Elam - Elamites, capital was Susa

|->Asshur - First Assyrian capital

|->Arphaxad - ? Ptolemy mentioned Arrapachitis region between the lakes Van and Urmia

| |->Shelah - No tribe known, only descendants

| | |->Eber - No tribe known, only descendants

| | |->Peleg - No tribe known, only descendants

| | |->Joktan - many Arabian tribes, or else the

| | | South Arabian tribe of Qahtan (al-Tabari

| | | vol.6 p.xxii; vol.20 p.xv)

| | | |->Almodad - possibly? a southern Arab tribe

| | | |->Sheleph - A Yemenite southern Arab tribe

| | | |->Hazarmaveth - Hadrumaut in Arabia

| | | |->Jerah - Presumably an Arabian tribe?

| | | |->Hadoram - ? not otherwise known

| | | |->Uzal - ? not otherwise known.

| | | | However, Uzal/Auzal was an ancient

| | | | name of Sa'na in Yemen.

| | | |->Diklah - means "palm grove". They

| | | | might? have settled at Wadi Sirhan,

| | | | c.250 miles southeast of the Dead Sea.

| | | |->Obal - unknown outside of 1 Chr 1:22

| | | |->Abimael - ? not otherwise known

| | | |->Sheba - Sabeans in south Arabia

| | | |->Ophir - Possibly Somalia or SW

| | | | Arabia. Josephus and Jerome thought

| | | | it was India.

| | | |->Havilah - Probably central Arabia

| | | |->Jobab - ? not otherwise known

|->Lud - Either the Lydians, or else the land of

| Lubdi between the upper Tigris and Euphrates

|->Aram - Arameans of Syria

|->Uz - Ausitai tribe? lived west of the Euphrates

|->Hul - ? not otherwise known

|->Gether - ? not otherwise known

|->Mash/Meshech - ? Either the Syro-Arabian Desert of Mash known to the Assyrians, the Lebanese Mt. Masius, or Meshech was a mingling of two ancestries.

See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary and The New International Dictionary of the Bible for more info.

Q: In Gen 10, why are Indians and Chinese are not mentioned in the table of nations?

A: First what is not the answer, and then the answer.

The answer: All came from Adam, as all were cursed with Adam's nature. Genesis makes no claim of listing every people, and of the hundreds of peoples, Genesis only mentions the nations most Israelites would recognize. See Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties p.224-226 for a more extensive answer.

Q: In Gen 10, are the Sumerians of Mesopotamia mentioned?

A: Yes, they probably are, as "Shem". The land of Sumer, was often pronounced without the "r", and Sum could easily become Shem. For scholarly support of this, refer to The Sumerians by Samuel Noah Kramer p.297-298. Kramer also cites American Journal of Semitic Languages vol.58 [1941] p.20-26.

Q: In Gen 10:2 why are the Medes (Madai) mentioned, since these people were not mentioned anywhere else until 836 B.C. in the Shalmaneser III text?

In summary, archaeology supports the Medes existing in Moses' time. See Persia and the Bible p.33-50 for more information.

Q: In Gen 10:2, who were the Javan people?

A: They are the Ionian Greeks. In Hebrew this was yawan which is equated to the Greek iaones or iawones in Homer's Iliad 8.685, and yamanu in inscriptions of Sargon II and Darius I. Ionians are mentioned in Egypt from the time of Rameses II (c.1300 B.C.). Isaiah 66:19 and Ezekiel mention them, and the Septuagint translation translates this as "Hellas".

See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.885 and the New Bible Dictionary (Eerdmans' 1962) p.600 for more info.

Q: In Gen 10:2, who were the Tubal people?

Q: In Gen 10:2, who were the Meshech people?

The New Bible Dictionary (Eerdmans' 1962) p.811 also says they are equated with the Phrygians.

Q: In Gen 10:2, who were the Tiras people?

Q: In Gen 10:3, where was Togarmah?

A: Togarmah was about 70 miles (113 km) west of the town of Malatya. The Hittites called it Tegarama. The Assyrians called it Tilgarimanu, and they conquered it in 695 B.C. The Greeks called it Gauraena. The Armenians claim they descended from Haik, a son of Torgom, so they might be descendants of Togarmah. See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1721 for more info.

Q: In Gen 10:5,20,31, since there were different tongues, why did all the earth have one speech in Gen 11:1?

A: Genesis 10 is an overview, and Genesis 11 speaks of one event within Genesis 10. Genesis 10:5 says, "from these...", 10:18 "Later...". These imply that Genesis 10 says how the descendants later spread. Genesis 11:1 talks of the event of the tower of Babel, that occurred prior to the spreading out of people. See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.87-88 and When Critics Ask p.44-45 for more info.

A curious clay tablet fragment in Babylon tells of one temple that the offended the gods. They destroyed it in one night and scattered the people with strange speech. See Can Archaeology Prove the Old Testament? p.25-26 for more info.

Q: In Gen 10:6,13, 1 Chr 1:8,11 why is Egypt not mentioned among these nations? (A Christian puzzled over this)

A: It is mentioned. The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mizraim.

Q: In Gen 10:9, was Nimrod a good hunter "before the Lord", or an ungodly predator "in defiance of the Lord"?

A: Probably the best translation of the Hebrew word here paniym is "before". Like the English word "before", paniym is used in many contexts. For example, a leader could be before the congregation in Joshua 20:6,9, Israel was defeated before the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4:2, and Israel fled before the Philistines 1 Samuel 4:17.

In this case, paniym probably means an ungodly description, as in "fighting before" This name is related to the Hebrew word marad for meaning "to rebel" (The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.42) or "we shall rebel" according to the New Geneva Study Bible p.25. After the tower of Babel, Nimrod built the city of Babylon in defiance of the Lord.

Nimrod being a "mighty hunter before the Lord" is a negative ungodly connotation for Nimrod according to The Believer's Bible Commentary p.45-46, Unger's Bible Dictionary p.794,

Iraq

Sargon I of Akkad fought 34 battles

2355-2279 B.C.

Q: In Gen 10:9, exactly what ethnic group was Nimrod/Nimrud?

A: There are three possibilities.

Assyria is called the land of Nimrud in Micah 5:6, the city of Calah is also called Nimrud, and the Babylonian city of Borsippa is also called Birs Nimrud.

Descendent of Kassites of Kish, who lived in Mesopotamia and ruled Babylon c.3200 B.C., and Genesis 10:8 said that Cush was the father of Nimrod. Nin-Maradda is a non-Semitic name of a town southwest of Kish, according to Unger's Bible Dictionary p.794. This view is also compatible with the first view.

Ubaidians were very early (c.3800-3500 B.C.) non-Semite inhabitants of Sumeria and Mesopotamia before the Sumerians who came from the south. Genesis 10:8-10 indicates Nimrod was first in Babylonia, and then went north to Assyria. We know very little about the Ubaidians, but with a connection to Ham they might have been related to the darker-skinned Harappan people of India. See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1207-1208 for more on this view.

Moses was raised with all of the learning of the Egyptians according to Stephen, speaking by the Holy Spirit in Acts 7:22.

In Gen 10, why would these genealogies be important?

In Gen 10:8, who was Nimrod?

The bad book, The Two Babylons

Genesis 13-14 – Abraham and Lot Separate – some brief answers

1. What could Abram have done instead of compromising?

A: Abraham could have thought, "I am indestructible!" God promised that he would be the father of many nations, and he did not have offspring yet. God's promise would fail if Abraham died before having children (unless God raised him from the dead). So, until he had a child, it was guaranteed that he would be alive to have a child.

2. In Gen 13, did Lot choose where Abraham would live, or did God give Abraham the Promised Land to live?

A: Both. "Concurrency" is the doctrine that God uses events and people, even misguided and evil people, to accomplish His will and keep His promises. Abram (Abraham) allowed Lot to choose either the east or west side of the Jordan, and Lot chose the east side. While God had Abram move into the general area, God also specifically planned that Abram would have the western side of the Jordan River. God used Lot's choice to accomplish His will.

3. In Gen 13, what do you do when there is disagreement between two people, or two parties, and you see no hope of solving the disagreement?

A: It is good to first work together to try to solve the disagreement. One thing that helps is to try to look at the situation from the other person's perspective. Then try to help them look at it from your perspective. Show them what your best alternative is if you do not reach an agreement. Ask them what they would do if they were in your place. Sometimes, like threading the needle" there is a way to go in between and give each side most of what they want.

Sometimes there is no compromise or resolution possible. Sometimes there is only a need to part as friends. While Abraham and Lot did not have any disagreement between them, there was not enough grass in one area for both of their herds combined. So they had to separate; there was no other way.

4. In Gen 13:12, did Lot pitch his tent near Sodom, or did Lot live in Sodom in Genesis 14:12?

A: Both are most likely true, at different times. Being nomadic meant that you could easily move around. Lot certainly had his tent far from Sodom prior to separating from Abram's group. Then he certainly had it near Sodom, and in the surrounding area controlled by Sodom (greater Sodom) later. Then he lived in Sodom (in either a tent or a house.). Later in Genesis 19:3, Lot had a house in Sodom.

5. In Gen 14:1-2, who are these kings?

A: This occurred around 2000 B.C., so it is not surprising we cannot find some of these rulers. However, Elam was a major power, having conquered Abram's city of Ur around 2004 B.C. Shinar is the word the both the Old Testament and Egyptians used for Babylonia. Chederlaomer sounds like kudur (Elamite for servant) and Lagamar (an Elamite goddess). Cheder (=Kudur) was the first part of the name of many Elamite kings. Tidal seems related to the Hittite name Tudhaliya, and there were at least five later Hittite kings named Tudhaliya. Towns of Si-da-mu (Sodom) and I-ma-ar (Gomorrah) are mentioned in the Ebla tablets, written 2400-2250 B.C. We do not have a record of Arioch of Ellasar, but there is independent historical evidence of a king Ariochu of Larsa, a major Sumerian city. Also, History of Israel p.61 says that Arriyuk(ki) or Arriwuk(ki) is know in both Mari and Nuzi as a Hurrian name. See When Critics Ask p.46-47 and Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.90-91 for more info.

According to John Warwick Montgomery in Evidence for Faith p.157, people formerly identified Amraphel with Hammurabi, but this is incorrect. He also says that Arioch is preferred over Ariochu, because Arioch was a common name of that time. It was a Hurrian name, also a name of a king of Mari (about 1750 B.C.), and in the tablets at the city of Nuzi (1500 B.C.) Since it was a common name, any number of kings from any number of minor provinces unknown to the modern world.

In summary, these strange names were only used during this narrow time period. It is highly unlikely anyone would have written these names, unless they had accurate knowledge of history at this time.

6. In Gen 14:1-2, how could you have "confederacies" of kings fighting?

A: There would be very few confederacies of kings prior to the fall of the strong city-state of Ur in 2004 B.C. There would be very few confederacies after the rise of Hammurabi of Old Babylon around 1700 B.C. However, between the time the Elamites destroyed Ur in 2004 B.C., and the Elamites raided Babylon in 1725 B.C., Montgomery notes that confederacies were common.

Nobody in Moses time would try to make up a credible-sounding history of confederacies of kings, because monolithic Empires predominated. For someone to mention confederacies like this shows that he had an accurate knowledge of that time-period. According to Evidence for Faith p.157-164, a letter found at Mari mentions coalitions of ten, fifteen, and twenty kings. In addition, at least five other confederacies are known. See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.35-36 for more info.

7. In Gen 14:1-17, is there any extra-Biblical evidence for Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities?

A: Yes. There used to be none until archaeologists found the Ebla tablets. They mention si-dam-mu (Sodom) and sa-ba-i-im (Zeboiim). (Julius Africanus 200-245 A.D.) calls this Seboim.) I-ma-er is probably Gomorrah. For a discussion of the Ebla tablets see Ready with an Answer : For the Tough Questions About God p.282-286.

There are two possibilities of what Ashteroth-Karnaim meant.

1. It could possibly mean Ashtarte of the two horns, since this goddess was shown wearing two horns at Gezer and Beth-Shan.

2. It more probably means the town Ashteroth which is near Karnaim, to distinguish it from other towns named after the goddess.

8. In Gen 14:5-6, 36:20, and Dt 2:12,22, who are the Horites?

A: The Horites came from modern-day Armenia, according to the Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land p.176. They were first mentioned in the time of Sargon of Akkad in the 24th century B.C..

9. In Gen 14:14, how could Abram and his allies, only 318 men, defeat an invading army of an alliance of 4 great kings?

A: Genesis 14:15 suggests this was not a pitched battle. It was probably a surprise night raid by mounted troops on an unprepared army. There would be few horses in the desert, and few people east of Egypt had camels, except for Abraham. So a lightning attack by mounted troops would be totally unexpected from the desert. Second, Abraham was allied with three other chiefs, and their participation in the spoils showed that they were apart of the raid too. Of course, God may have helped also.

10. In Gen 14:14, how does Abram's raid compare to other surprise attacks in history?

A: The army apparently retreated from Dan to Damascus, around 40 miles (64 km) away, so Abram's army won "the field of battle". Let's look at surprise attacks, attacks against larger armies, and finally let's look at it from the enemies' perspective. Some of these numbers are from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

First we will look at surprise attacks.

In the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, Sam Houston and 743 raw troops made a raid in the daytime against 1,800 Mexican troops and won.

In the Battle of Trenton, Washington crossed the Delaware at night surprising the Hessian mercenaries and capturing 1,000 of them.

At Teutoberg Wald, Arminius the German kills 14,000 seasoned Roman troops in a surprise battle.

Now let's look at victories against great odds.

At the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., 10,000 Greeks defeated 20,000 Persians.

At Canae in 216 B.C., 56,000 Carthaginians (with effectively used cavalry) defeat 86,000 Romans.

At al-Qadissiyat in 636/7 A.D., 30,000 Muslims defeat 120,000 Persians.

At Pharsalus in 48 B.C., Julius Caesar and 20,000 troops defeated Pompey and 45,000 troops.

At Dorylaeum in 1091, 70,000 Crusaders defeated 250,000 Muslims, killing about 30,000 of them. (The Crusaders had armor, but then again Abram's soldiers might have had armor while the invading army had taken theirs off.)

Alexander the Great against the Persians, Julius Caesar against the Gauls and the Helvetians, Belisarius, Napoleon, and others also defeated vastly superior forces, though on a larger scale. We do not have the numbers for these armies, except that Julius only had 10,000 men when he invaded England.

The enemies' perspective: Suppose you are an Elamite soldier, picked to be a part of an elite group to go on a mission far away to punish Sodom. You know there are a large number of the enemy just outside your tent, but they are captives; unarmed and well-guarded. In the middle of the night you are awakened by mounted troops from a new, unknown enemy swooping in and killing your comrades. Not only are they doing that, but if they run off your animals, or free and arm the captives, then you are doomed. You do the sensible thing and flee in the opposite direction of the attack, regrouping with your comrades later.

Of course, apart from all these factors, God likely aided Abram's troops to cause panic and route the enemy. For an even greater example of God aiding a successful surprise attack, see the battle of Gideon and the Midianites in Judges 7:6-25.

11. In Gen 14:17-20, was it interesting about this structure?

A: Genesis 14:17-20 brings a temptation of victory, and encounter with two kings. This is presented as a chiasm, which is a common Hebrew poetic device.

The King of Sodom 14:17

- The king of Salem met Abraham 14:18

- - The king of Salem blessed Abraham 14:19-20

The king of Sodom offered Abraham the plunder 14:21

The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.54 mentions that it might have been easier for Abraham to reject the offer of the king of Sodom after Melchizedek's blessing.

12. In Gen 14:18-19, how could Melchizedek, presumably a cursed Canaanite, be in a position to bless Abraham?

A: Melchizedek is a mysterious person in the Bible. A few people have thought Melchizedek was pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Others say Melchizedek was a godly man (perhaps Canaanite or perhaps not) who was simply a type of Christ. Even if Melchizedek were a Canaanite man, God is not restricted from teaching and sanctifying people of any nationality. See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.120-121 and 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.35-36 for more info.

As a side note, the Jewish sect at Qumran placed great importance on Melchizedek as a heavenly deliver, who will proclaim God's salvation. See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.441 for more info.

13. Does Gen 14:18 teach a "Melchizedek priesthood" of people as Mormons teach?

A: No. Genesis 14 only mentions one individual named Melchizedek. Hebrews 7:23-24 says this Melchizedek was a type of Jesus. Nothing in the Bible suggests we need any more priests today besides Jesus. See When Cultists Ask p.27-28 for more info.

Genesis 17 – Confirming the Covenant with Abraham – some brief answers

1. In Gen 11:27 and 17:5, how do names, nicknames, and titles subtly influence people?

A: These can do at least eight things:

Inform and give a first impression to a stranger of the job or importance of a person. In one company I worked at, the majority of people, and all who had a fair amount of experience, had the title of "vice-president".

Persuade people you can do the job. Why would you hire someone with a Master's degree to do a job, when you could have a Ph.D. Of all the conquerors of history it is interesting that "William the Conqueror" was one of the very few given that nickname. While he conquered England, Scotland, and later Ireland, there were so many times where it was touch and go whether his army would win or be wiped out.

Remind ourselves and others exactly who we are.

Clarify to others who already know us exactly what our primary identity

Obscure to others exactly what we are doing. Think of a Planned Parenthood "counselor", or the hereditary health courts and Marital Health Law of the Nazis.

Put down others by mispronouncing their name, or giving them a belittling nickname. Bloody Mary was the last Catholic Monarch of England. She tried to kill or get exiled all Protestants, after some Protestants attempted to assassinate her. After she was beheaded, all Catholics in England were exiled or killed.

Be a joke such as Robin hood's friend "Little John", or the Detroit Lions football player "Refrigerator Perry". (Tackling him was like tackling a refrigerator). The country singer Johnny Cash had an interesting ballad called A boy named Sue".

Build up others in the eyes of themselves or others. Think of Alexander the Great, Alfred the Great, Otto the Great, Suleiman the Magnificent, or Ivan the Great (called by his enemies Ivan the Terrible). On the other hand, one could build up their ferocity. Romanians sought to persuade Muslims not to try to invade Romania, because their king was called Vlad the Impaler. There was also the Turkish ruler Selim the Grim who massacred many ‘Alawites.

Occasionally a Chinese mother might nickname her last kid "duo duo", meaning "more". This could mean an additional blessing, or it could mean an unintentional, undesired extra burden.

2. In Gen 17:5 what is the significant of changing Abram to Abraham?

A: According to the New Bible Dictionary (1962) p.5, and the KJV footnote, the origin of the name Abram is uncertain. It is a West Semitic name, and probably means "the father is exalted" or "exalted father". In tablets preserved from the city of Mari (2800-1760 B.C.) there are names of Noah, Abram, Laban, and Jacob. The name "Abraham" means, "father of multitudes" or "father of a multitude".

This could be considered "a joke come true." While Abram means "father", an ironic name for a childless man, the name Abraham really takes the cake, meaning "father of a multitude". As 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answers p.39 puts it, "We can almost hear the snickers as childless Abram announced to his many herdsmen and their families that from now on he was to be called Abraham." Having children was very important in ancient society, yet you can see how childless Abraham's faith in God would make him so easy to laugh at. Yet God fulfilled His promise, and Abraham in heaven could smile at the joke God played to fulfill Abraham's heartfelt wish.

3. In Gen 17:5, how seriously do you think God takes what we are called, and what we call people?

A: I would venture that God takes names we give ourselves, or that we give others, more seriously than most people do.

Genesis 35:10 – Jacob was called a new name: Israel.

In Isaiah 62:2 God promises a new name for His people.

Luke 1:13,60-63. God really wanted John the Baptist named John.

Luke 1:31 – The angel told Mary to name her child Jesus. The name of Jesus/Joshua was in mind in Zechariah 3:8-9.

Matthew 5:22 calling people empty-headed, lame-brained, or air-head

Matthew 12:35-37 we will be judged for every idle word we speak

Revelation 3:12 those in the church of Philadelphia will be given a new name.

4. In Gen 17:5, there is a Christian song with the lyrics "Tell me, once again, who I am in You". Why do we need reminders of who we are?

A: It is not because we lose all idea of who we are. Rather, our primary identity, as a child of God, can get crowded out by all of the secondary things that we are. We can be a spouse, parent, child, friend, co-worker, shopper, fan, and a thousand other things. These are not necessarily bad. But as believers we are first and foremost a child of God. It is important not to forget that, identify things that tend to make us forget that, and mitigate their effects

5. In Gen 15, did God make a covenant with Abram here, or in Gen 17 after Ishmael was born? (A liberal Christian brought this up as evidence that multiple authors wrote Genesis.)

A: Both the original covenant in Genesis 15 and later confirmation in Genesis 17 are true. In Genesis 15, God made a formal covenant with Abram, complete with a sacrifice, and promised him a child. Perhaps decades later, in Genesis 17:2, after Ishmael was born, God confirmed his covenant with Abram, and a sign of it was the rite of circumcision. The confirmation of the covenant was essential here, because God needed to correct Abram's thinking. Abram mistakenly thought that the promises of the covenant would occur through Ishmael.

For a second example of confirming a covenant, after God allowed the Israelites to be defeated at Ai, they confirmed the covenant the made at Mount Ebal in Joshua 8:30-35.

Sometimes a Christian, who has already made a covenant with God, should have a time of confirming his covenant too.

It is interesting to compare that God made a covenant with Abraham, and confirmed it right before Isaac was born. Later God made a promise to send the Messiah, and confirmed it with John the Baptist right before the start of Jesus' public ministry.

6. In Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Ex 6:3, while we are talking about names, what exactly does God's name of El Shaddai mean?

A: El-Shaddai is a name for God that most literally means El "God" Shaddai "Almighty" according to Unger's Bible Dictionary p.1000-1001, The New NIV Dictionary of the Bible p.309-310, and the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.695. This name was one of the main names for God that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew. Even if they had been taught God's "personal" name of Yahweh, God Himself did not reveal Himself to them as Yahweh as he did to Moses according to Exodus 6:2,3.

Names for God apply to Jesus as a member of the Holy Trinity, but there is no suggestion that El Shaddai applies to Jesus more than to the Father or Holy Spirit.

The Hebrew word el was used very similar to the way we use the English word "God/god" today. We refer to the One and Only Almighty Creator as God, we refer to an idol as a "god", etc. The word Shaddai (Almighty) without el is used in Genesis 49:25; Numbers 24:4,16; Ruth 1:20,21; 31 times in Job 5:17-40:2; and Psalms 68:14; 91:1.

Some liberal critics claim that El-Shaddai was derived from a pagan term for "mountain god", but there is no evidence the Bible means this.

El Shaddai is used in Genesis to Abraham in 17:1; to Jacob in 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; and Moses in Exodus 6:3.

Similar names for God are El Elyon "Most High God" used by Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18; Numbers 24:16; Deuteronomy 32:8; 2 Samuel 22:14; Psalm 9:2; Isaiah 14:14; Lamentations 3:35,38), El Hai "Living God" Joshua 3:10, or simply El "God" in many places.

7. In Gen 17:3, what does it mean that God is Almighty? God might not choose to do some things, but what are four things God cannot do?

A: God could have made all of us just robots if He had wanted to. However, God wanted to create beings that had the free will to choose to love Him, or not. This means that people such as Joshua could "choose to serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). People such as the Pharisees could "reject God's purpose for themselves (Luke 7:30). Some could "cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." (Jonah 2:8).

Here are four things God Almighty cannot do.

Lie (Hebrews 6:18)

Be tempted by evil (James 1:13)

Disown/Deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13)

Swear by anyone greater than Himself (Hebrews 6:13)

8. In Gen 17:12, why did God command circumcision on exactly the eighth day?

A: Scripture does not say. However, newborn infants do not have blood that clots as well as adults. After they eat and taken in vitamin K, their blood has more prothrombin, which is used in clotting. For babies who are not given shots of vitamin K, prothrombin levels peak on the eighth day. So this was the ideal day for performing circumcision.

As a side note, the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.354 records that the Egyptians practiced male circumcision; one picture shows it being done on a 13-year-old boy. It says that most Semitic peoples apparently practiced circumcision. Later Ethiopians also practiced circumcision. Circumcision was not practiced by the Philistines, Babylonians, Assyrians, and later Edomites. Arabs, who trace their descent from Ishmael, also practiced circumcision prior to Islam.

The Greek historian Herodotus in his History book 2 ch.104 p.69 says that only the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Colchians practiced circumcision. He makes the case that the Colchians emigrated from Egypt. He also said some Phoenicians and Syrians practiced this some, they themselves claiming they learned this from the Egyptians.

The early writer Bardesan/Bardesanes (154-224-232 A.D.) says that the people of the Roman province of Arabia practiced circumcision, but the Romans made them stop when they conquered it. This is in The Book of the Laws of Diverse Countries p.730. After Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., a temple to Jupiter was built in the site in 130 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Adrian, who also forbade the Jews to practice circumcision.

9. In Gen 17:17 and Gen 18:12, did Abraham and Sarah laugh with disbelief, or did Sarah laugh with joy in Gen 21:6?

A: Both verses are complementary. Abraham and Sarah laughed with disbelief before Isaac was conceived. Sometimes when a person really wants something, and someone offers to give it to them, human nature can be such that they disbelieve and laugh it off to protect themselves from disappointment.

However, Sarah laughed again with joy when Isaac was born.

10. In Gen 17:27, why did Abraham circumcise all males born in his house, whether slave or free?

A: Abraham was not just interested in his own offspring being a part of God's covenant family on earth, but all in his household. This would signify that their children would also be apart mean that their descendants would also be a part of God's covenant people.

Philo the Jew (15/20 B.C. to 50 A.D.) gave basically the same answer in Questions and Answers on Genesis, III (62) p.863.

Genesis 18 – The First Visit: Abraham Gets Visitors – some brief answers

1. In Gen 18:1-10, do you think Abraham was hospitable because He recognized God was visiting Him, or because he was generally hospitable?

A: We do not see the exact point where Abraham realized these were no ordinary visitors, except that it was before verses 13 and 14. Hebrews 13:2 might indicate that initially Abraham did not realize this. In general we are to be hospitable, as 1 Peter 4:9 says.

2. In Gen 18:1-10, what risks would there be to Abraham of being hospitable?

A: Abraham was extremely wealthy, so it might have been safer to not allow strangers to possibly spy out his camp, with the number of guards and the locations of valuables. It might have been safer initially to be a worker under Abraham talk with them, rather than risking ambush. Finally, it might have been safer to go to their place rather than they come to him. However, Abraham apparently thought of none of that. Abraham was a hospitable man.

However, Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9; and 1 Timothy 5:10 command us to be hospitable to strangers. The safest thing might to never be hospitable, but in that case, we have to choose between what appears to be the safest thing, and obeying God's commands.

3. In Gen 18, what were the Christophanies and theophanies in the Old Testament?

A: Christophany is a term to describe an appearance of Christ on earth, prior to His being born of Mary. A theophany is an appearance of God, whether it be the Father, Son, Spirit, or Trinity. Since some disagree on a Christophany versus a theophany, and sometimes it is unclear whether an angel is an appearance of Christ or just an angel, here is a list of possible theophanies of the Old Testament.

In the Garden of Eden before the Fall. (Genesis 1:29-3:24)

Possibly Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20)

Conversation with Hagar, who saw the angel (Genesis 16:8-14)

Abraham's three visitors (Genesis 18:1-33)

God appearing to Abram (Genesis 17:1-2)

Probably not Jacob's ladder, as this was only a dream (Genesis 28:12-15)

Probably not Jacob wrestling with the angel (Genesis 32:30)

God appearing to Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 35:9-15)

Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-22)

The dense cloud (Exodus 19:9)

At Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:11-12; 24:9,10)

Moses seeing the back of God (Exodus 33:19-20)

Joshua and the Commander of the Lord's army (Joshua 5:13-15)

Gideon seeing an angel (Judges 6:11-24)

Angel appearing to Samson's mother (Judges 13:3-5)

Cloud on the ark of the Covenant (1 Kings 8:11-13)

Elijah in the cleft of the rock (1 Kings 19:9-18)

Leaving the Temple (Ezekiel 10:3-18), and Isaiah 6 probably do not count, since these were visions.

One key point is that for some of these, such as Joshua and the commander, The human did not realize at first that this was God.

4. In Gen 18:2, since Abraham bowed before kings, does this support the Catholic and Orthodox practice of bowing before images?

A: No, veneration of images is unbiblical because we are not to have graven images for worship according to the Second Commandment. However, regardless of a persons' belief about veneration of images, this verse cannot be used to support bowing to images. In contrast to images,

1. Abraham bowed to show respect to a real person.

2. Abraham was showing respect to a pagan king, there was no veneration or any kind of religious honor.

3. Abraham did not pray to these kings. He also did not pray to God through these kings, as Orthodox claim to pray through the images to God.

One reader claimed that veneration is no different than respect within orthodox Christianity. However, that is not true, because the eastern orthodox pray to (or more precisely through), images to God and various saints. Yet they would not take their wife, child, parents, or someone else they respect, put them in front of them, and pray to them.

5. In Gen 18:2, when should we bow and when should we refuse to bow?

A: We should not bow to any religious images; this includes Hindu pictures, statues or table spreads during the festival of Divali. Bowing to show respect to someone, as Japanese often do, is fine.

A: God wanted to interact with them. It is sort of like a father and his eight-year old boy building a fence together. Does the father need the boy? Couldn't the father do it faster without the boy even being there? Wouldn't the fence look better without the little boy's "contribution" These questions miss the point; the point is for the father and son to build something together as a team. The father understands that. Sometimes the child might realize that, or sometimes not.

Of course, as humans things do not always go according to plan. Once when one of my daughters was in fourth grade, she told me she wanted to do an art project together with me. I thought that was a great idea, so we made a paper-bag "owl" together as she wanted. I thought the end result looked OK, but when it was done she cried and asked why she could not have been born to the lady across the street, who was an art teacher. Sometimes we might spoil the moment with God too, crying because something did not live up to our expectations, or was impressive in the way we wanted it to be.

7. In Gen 18:16-33, what is it that made Sodom and Gomorrah not only bad, but so bad that God was going to destroy it?

A: First what is not the answer, and then three answers, all of which might be significant.

While there was no substantial witness of God in those cities, there was no witness of God in many cities, so that alone was not the reason.

a) Canaanites in general practiced infant sacrifice, and religious prostitution. Genesis 18:32 says that there were not even ten righteous people in the city.

b) But the people of Sodom and Gomorrah also did homosexual practices, and their rampant homosexuality were detestable to God.

c) They wanted to homosexually rape the angels who appeared as men. However, God had already decided to destroy the city before the angels arrived. However, their general inhospitable attitude towards visitors would give them the impudence to want to try to rape them.

8. In Gen 18:16-33, could God somehow be talked out of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah?

A: Three points to consider in the answer.

1. God was not talked out of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah; he did destroy them.

2. God did not need Abraham to plead, any more than he learns knowledge from our prayers.

3. Rather, God interacts with us, in ways that we understand. While sometimes God's revealed will changes when we change, even in this case Genesis 18:16-33 gives no indication that God changed what he intended to do as a result of talking with Abraham. Sometimes God has condescended to let us know what He was thinking and why.

9. In Gen 18:10,14 and Gen 21:1,2, how would you refute the claim by an atheist author that this teaches God impregnated Sarah?

A: No. The atheist missed the point that God was not returning to impregnate Sarah, but God returned after the son was born. God only said three things about Sarah's son.

1. God would visit them again next year as Genesis 18:10,14 says.

2. God would fulfill his promise of Sarah having a Son as Genesis 21:1 says.

3. Most importantly, the son will be from Abraham (Genesis 17:15,17). To be precise, the son was from Abraham's own body as Genesis 15:4 says.

10. In Gen 18:27, why is Abraham especially saying he is just dust and ashes here?

A: Abraham, the experienced negotiator and diplomat, realizes he is making a very bold request of God. Abraham wants to first acknowledge that he is nothing before God, and has no claim to obligate God to do anything, before Abraham asks God to change what God has revealed.

Genesis 19 – The Second Visit: When God Visits Sodom – some brief answers

1. In Gen 19:1-3, how did "three men in Genesis 18:2 become two angels/men in Genesis 19:1, and why did they appear to need shelter?

A: These were theophanies, or appearances of God. God could change the number seen easily. Two strangers might appear to need shelter. While Abraham, who had prior visits from God might have quickly figured out the three were no ordinary men, Lot might not have been able to see that they were not ordinary men. We don't know. But they could have appeared as just ordinary men. Lot could have just ignored them, knowing that the public square in that town was quite dangerous. Once they told him they did not need his help, Lot could have just thought "well I tried to help, but if they want to be in danger I won't care. But Lot did not; he insisted that they get his protection from the dangerous situation.

Who protected whom? Ironically, it appeared at first that they only came to Lot's house because Lot insisted on protecting them. It might have seemed humorous to angels in heaven to watch this mortal man decide to protect these angels. But it turned out that the angels protected Lot and his family for that night, and ultimately protected all of Lot's family, minus his wife, from death later.

2. In Gen 19:23-26, the angels protected not just Lot, but his entire family. So if Lot's wife was in fact protected, then why did she die and become a pillar of salt?

A: The angels did protect all of them, Lot's wife included. But Lot's wife stepped out of their protection. Or to be more precise, she stayed put when she should have moved on. Sometimes when God commands us to go somewhere to do something, it can appear much safer, to us, to just stay put. But God knows best. A second example where staying put turned out to be dangers was with Abraham himself. Abraham left Ur, probably the largest city in the entire Mideast, and possibly the world, around 2000 B.C. By 1950 B.C. the entire city was destroyed by the Elamites, in retaliation for the city of Ur destroying the Elamite capital of Susa before. Disobeying god and staying in Ur would have resulted in death or enslavement of Abraham. Of course Abraham would not have known that at the time though.

3. In Gen 19:8, why did Lot offer his virgin daughters to a crowd?

A: Scripture does not tell us of Lot's motives for this evil action, but we can see three things.

1. Lot was in a desperate situation, and he perhaps panicked and took matters into his own hands.

2. He knew the men of Sodom had no interest in his daughters.

3. Lot had lived in Sodom for a long time, and Lot probably knew these men had no interest in his daughters. Lot was probably trying to stall them.

4. A combination of all of the above. The daughters were already pledged to be married, and if the men had abused his daughters, both they and Lot knew the clans the prospective husbands belonged to would get revenge on the men. If a clan did not get justice/retaliation for an obvious wrong done to them, they might appear weak and other clans would not respect them. So in later times, a murder or rape could set off a clan war, unless the perpetrators were turned over for punishment or blood money was agreed to by the victimized clan and paid by the offending clan.

The Bible does not condone Lot's action here; it merely records it. If the Bible were merely "propaganda", you would expect it to record every positive thing and never mention anything negative. However, the Bible is not propaganda, but God's true word, and it honestly talks about people's lives, warts and all.

4. In Gen 19, was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah really a lack of hospitality as Ezekiel 16:49 says?

A: That is only part of the story. Some homosexuals quote Ezekiel 16:49 but ignore Ezekiel 16:50, which mentions "committing abominations." Genesis 19:5-7 emphasizes the homosexuality. Jude 7 also speaks of the "sexual immorality and perversion." Genesis 13:13 shows that Sodom's wickedness was prior to Lot's arrival. See When Cultists Ask p.28-29 for more info.

5. In Gen 19:24-26, exactly how were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?

A: The Bible simply says the LORD rained down burning sulfur, and that Lot's wife who stayed back became a pillar of salt. While we do not have more details, we know that the area is rich in pitch (petroleum) and asphalt on the surface. Image a storm, wind, and lightning that would ignite the pitch. The resulting fire would cause its own wind, and the whole area is not somewhere you would want to be. On the other hand, it could have primarily been a volcanic eruption, sort of like a mini Mt. St. Helens in Washington State in 1980. See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.39 for more info.

6. In Gen 19:26, doe we know of others since then besides Lot's wife who have become "a pillar of salt"?

A: Physically, people and dogs have been instantly killed and their bodies preserved by being covered with ash at Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Undoubtedly this happened during other major eruptions too.

Metaphorically, Lot's wife was hardened into insensibility by her love for the life left behind. Many since then, have been hardened by their love for the world too. As obvious examples, the drug addict, when looking for a fix, the alcoholic, when looking for a drink, are not really aware of the simple joys of life around them. Sin in general, or desiring anything above God, can make you less mindful of the good things God has given us. Clement of Alexandria (wrote 193-217/220 A.D.), was among the first to see this application in Exhortation to the Heathen ch.10 p.201.

7. In Gen 19:30-36, why does the Bible teach that Lot had sex with his daughters? I just cannot believe this was right.

A: Good, the Bible does not say it was right. Incest and fornication are evil, and the Bible was honestly recording what Lot did.

In Lot's defense, Irenaeus Against Heresies ch.31 (182-188 A.D.) points out the Bible shows that Lot did not participate because of lust, but his defenses were down after too much to drink.

Origen (225-254 A.D.) said that stories such as Lot and his daughters are in sacred scripture to the Bible show the desire for truth of the Bible writers, who would not conceal even what was to their discredit. Origen in Against Celsus book 4 ch.45 p.518

8. In Gen 19, why would someone like Lot live in this place anyway?

A: What was Lot thinking? Perhaps there were economic incentives to being in the town. Perhaps Lot was honored as one of the leading citizens of the town. Perhaps his wealth was all gone, after the kings captured the people of Sodom.

What was Lot not thinking? There is no indication that Lot ever asked the question, "Is this a good environment for me spiritually?" He also apparently never asked, "Is this a good environment for my children?"

9. Genesis 18 and 19 has two distinct parts: 18:1-19 and 18:20-19:33. What are the two things that both tie together and contrast these two parts?

A: These are two visits; in the first a godly married couple wanted to have kid but could not. In the second people wanted to do homosexual rape. Abraham showed great hospitality, and in the second, the townspeople were murderously inhospitable, and Lot was hospitable in a strange, desperate way.

Genesis 20-21 – Not Learning from Sin – some brief answers

1. In Gen 20 and Ex 23:31, how could the Philistines be in Israel in Abraham's time, about 2000 B.C.?

A: The skeptical Asimov's Guide to the Bible p.85 mentions this. While there was a massive migration in 1200 B.C., the earliest levels of Ashdod were occupied way back in the 17th century (H.F. Vos, Archaeology in Bible Lands). Somebody lived in that fertile land back then, and there is no historical evidence which says it was not the Philistines. After the Egyptians defeated the Philistines in 1190 B.C., they came to Palestine in force, and makes sense they would retreat to where they already had towns. See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.94-96, When Critics Ask p.50, and 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.40 for more info.

2. In Gen 20:3,6 why did God contradict say Abimelech was a dead man, yet Abimelech lived?

A: God does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8). However, Ezekiel 33:12-20 shows that God's revealed will towards people can change when they change.

See the discussion on Exodus 33:5-6; Deuteronomy 20:17; Jeremiah 15:6; Jonah 3-4; Jonah 3:10; and Jonah 4:1-2 for more info.

3. In Gen 20:3,8-10, Gen 26:1, Jdg 8:31, and Jdg 9:1, what does Abimelech mean?

A: Ab means father, and melech means king or ruler. It either means father of the king, or father is king. Besides being the name of two kings of Gerar, and Gideon's son, Cyril Aldred in Akhenaten King of Egypt p.186 records that Abimilki was a ruler of Tyre mentioned in the Amarna letters (1400-1370 B.C.). Photographs of a couple of the Tell el-Amarna (ancient Akhetaten) letter tablets are in The New International Dictionary of the Bible p.80 and The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1828.

4. In Gen 20:12, why did Abram marry his half-sister Sarai?

A: Incest was not expressly forbidden then. Also, Abram was not necessarily a believer when he married. See Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.139-141 for more info.

5. In Gen 20:2-17, why did Abraham not learn his lesson from Gen 12:11-20 about saying Sarah was his sister?

A: Abraham did that to protect himself, and he came out safely. Abraham also profited the last time he did that. Perhaps he did not stop and think if that was wrong or not, because the outcome was positive. We should stop and think if there is something that is not a good witness or pleasing to God, even if the outcome is pleasant.

6. In Gen 20:2-17, why do some believers repeat sins today?

A: There could be two reasons.

They did not learn: They did not learn, either from their own experience, or form the experience of others, the consequences of repeating that sin.

The learned the wrong thing: They did learn, but what they learned was wrong. They might have ended up profiting by that sin. Abraham was given camels, servants, and other gifts by Pharaoh. Materially speaking, Abraham's sin worked out pretty well for him. When he tried that again with Abimelech, it worked out well for him again too. Of course, I would think passing your wife off a your sister might put somewhat of a strain on your marriage, but many people today put wealth over people.

7. In Gen 20:2-17, how can you help other believers not repeat sin?

A: There are at least four things you can do.

Correct them and remind them of what the Bible teaches.

Rebuke them as needed that they need to change.

Encourage them to do what is right and pleasing to God. That includes both setting a god example, and sharing our experiences with this sin, either conquering it, or the struggles and problems we had when we fell.

Continue to love them, without accepting their sin. Do not look down on them.

8. In Gen 21:1-9, why did Ishmael mock Isaac?

A: This is a second example of repeated sin, repeated from mother to son.

Ishmael was probably about 14, about 12 years older than Isaac. Ishmael could have been a good big brother, helping Isaac, and playing with Isaac, but we see none of that. Rather, the only interaction we see is Ishmael mocking the one who would carry the promise given to Abraham.

Hagar despised Sarah in Genesis 16:4-6, and Ishmael probably picked that up from her. The sin was repeated, not visibly by Hagar herself, but by what she taught her son by her attitude.

If we have a mean, unloving, or otherwise bad attitude towards someone, one reason we should deal with it in ourselves is so that we don't pass it on to others. For example, there is a cartoon strip called libtards, meaning liberals are retarded. While it is one thing to say they are wrong about some things, it is altogether another thing, a wicked sin, to mock and ridicule them.

9. In Gen 21:1-9, what might Sarah have done to exacerbate this situation?

A: What might be Hagar's perception of her identity? Even many slave girls got married and had children. Hagar was the servant of Sarah, who mistreated her in Genesis 16:6-7, with Abraham's consent. Hagar would not be married, properly, because she was the concubine of Abraham, who apparently had no relationship with her after impregnating her. A far as her success or identity went, she had nothing except that an angel of the Lord spoke to her in Genesis 16:7-9 telling her to go back and suffer mistreatment. Here were these people who were supposed to be great believers in God, and they had a blind spot in treating others well, namely her.

On the other hand, what was Sarah's place in the world? She was the wife of a wealthy man, who kept passing her off as only his sister. Her husband had a child by another woman, and that woman despised her. Maybe she did not feel so affirmed herself, and was not in a position to think about the feelings of others.

10. In Gen 21:8-14, was Abraham right to send Hagar away?

A: Normally, it would be wrong for Abraham to send Hagar, the mother of his child, and her teenage boy away alone without protection and with little water, even though Hagar had mocked Sarah in Genesis 21:9. This is why Sarah's request greatly distressed Abraham in Genesis 21:11. However, in this particular case, God told Abraham to go ahead, and that everything would be all right. God himself gave Hagar and Ishmael water (Genesis 12:17-19), and God was with Ishmael as he grew up (Genesis 21:20).

As a side note, Hagar was actually a Semitic name according to The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.2 footnote 15 p.307. There were many Semites who lived in the northern part of Egypt.

See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.123-124 and 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.41 for more info.

11. In Gen 21:12-19, why do you think God let it be so hard for Hagar?

A: Despising Sarah in Genesis 16:4-5 and letting her son mock Sarah in Genesis 21:9 was not a good idea. If she despised Sarah for all these years, she probably would not learn, so it was time to go permanently.

A: First of all, some Muslims might not be aware that the Qur'an does not specify whether the son that was offered in sacrifice was Ishmael or Isaac.

Your assertion that Ishmael died in the presence "of his family" fails to prove he was not banished. The only thing the Bible says on that is Genesis 25:17b where is says "He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people." This was a common euphemism for saying he died. Of course, his children and in-laws could have been near him. This cannot prove he was buried with his ancestors, because Abraham too was "gathered to his people" in Genesis 25:8, and that does not mean he was buried back in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Contrary to your question, it never said, Abraham was to sacrifice his firstborn son. Rather, Abraham was to sacrifice his only son, because Ishmael had already been sent away and Isaac was the only child of promise.

I have a question for you though, could the Qur'an be wrong?

1. Sura 32:23 "We did indeed aforetime give the book to Moses. Be not then in doubt of its reaching (thee): and We made it a guide to the children of Israel." So do you agree that the Torah, as it was originally given, was correct and from the true God?

2. Sura 5:46 "And in their [the prophets'] footsteps we sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him: we sent him the gospel; therein was guidance and light. And confirmation of the Torah that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah". So do you agree that the Torah in Jesus' time, as he confirmed it, was the true word of Allah?

3. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain many copies of Old Testament manuscripts from the time of Christ and before. Three points where you think the Bible of being in error are:

3.1. Isaac was the child of promise, the covenant. Genesis 17:19,21

3.2. Ishmael and Hagar were banished Genesis 21:8-19

3.3. Abraham sacrificing Isaac vs. Ishmael Genesis 22:1-18

The Dead Sea scrolls mention that Isaac is the child of promise. Philo was a Jewish scholar who lived in Alexandria Egypt, dying in 50 A.D. He wrote a commentary on Genesis, and his commentary, on Genesis in his time, shows it is the same as we have today.

Clement of Rome was an early Christian bishop, probably the Clement mentioned by Paul, who wrote a letter to the Corinthians in 97/98 A.D. He mentions that the son Abraham offered to sacrifice was the son of his old age. [He does not actually say Isaac though].

4. You cannot blame Christians for judging your accusations against the Gospel of both Jesus' time and Mohammed's because of Sura 5:47. It says, "Let the People of the Gospel Judge by what Allah hath revealed Therein...." ? So do you agree that Christians should judge by the Gospel, of which we have copies long before Mohammed's time? If not, then is the Qur'an wrong?

Sura 5:48 says, "To thee (People of the Book) We sent the scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the truth that hath come to thee....". If you are a Muslim who disagrees with these words, then how does Allah differentiate between His words, which He allows devout worshippers to learn only in corrupted form, and His words that remain uncorrupted?

Most Muslims believe in the hadiths, which are the authoritative collections of the sayings and doings of Mohammed, as the highest authorities after the Qur'an. Of the six major recognized hadith collections, Bukhari is the highest. I thought you would like to read what it says about Hajar [Hagar] and Ishmael.

Bukhari vol.4 book 55 ch.9 no.583 p.373 "Abraham brought her [Hagar] and her son Ishmael while she was suckling him, to a place at the Ka'ba under a tree on the position of Zam-zam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody at Mecca, nor was there any water. So he made them sit over there and place near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ishmael's mother followed him saying, "O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him, "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He say, "Yes". ... (p.374 same hadith) "The Prophet said, "This is the source of the tradition of the walking of people between them (i.e. Safa and Marwa). When she reached the Marwa ( for the last time), she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. ... She saw an angel at the place of Zam-zam digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place." So your view is not consistent with either Bukhari of the Bible.

The famous early Muslim historian al-Tabari (839-923 A.D.), investigated whether it was Ishmael or Isaac that was almost sacrificed, and he said it was Isaac, not Ishmael (al-Tabari vol.2 p.68). He had a ten-page discussion of the Muslim authorities who said it was Isaac and the ones who said it was Ishmael (al-Tabari vol.2 p.82-92), while concluding it was Isaac.

However, I think that this issue, of which of Abraham's sons was which, is a small thing compared to being able to answer the question of Proverbs 30:4f: "Who has made all the ends of the earth to rise? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? Surely you know." (Green's Literal Translation)

Genesis 23 – Do you have graceful relationships? – some brief answers

1. In Gen 23, who were the Hittites here?

A: They are the same as the Gibeonites in Joshua's time. The Hittites were a wide-ranging people, and a colony settled in the mountains of Palestine. The Indo-European Hittites sacked Babylon in 1590 B.C. Others believe this refers to the Hatti, a non-Indo-European people who were conquered before 2000 B.C. Hatti and Hitti are written the same in Hebrew.

Modern archaeologists found out about the Hittites as early as 1892. However, some scholars still doubted their existence even ten years later (1902, E.A.W. Budge). See Evidence That Demands a Verdict volume 2 p.339-341 for more information. Today entire books have been written on the Hittites. One excellent and very readable one is The Secret of the Hittites by C.W. Ceram (Dorset Press 1955).

2. In Gen 23:2, why was it mentioned that Kiriath-Arba is also called Hebron?

A: There are two possible complementary reasons why Hebron is mentioned here.

Remember that while Abraham lived around 2000 B.C., the Book of Genesis was written in Moses' time, 1447-1407 B.C., so that town might have been called Hebron by the Israelites and/or the Canaanites in Moses' time. The Israelite spies knew the geography of Canaan and perhaps used this name for the city in Moses' time.

Regardless, the Israelites called the city only Hebron, not Kiriath Arba, shortly after the conquest under Joshua. This simple explanatory note saying Kiriath Arba is now Hebron, might have been added shortly thereafter.

There are three parts to studying a Bible passage: observation, interpretation, and application. Let's look at those three parts individually in Genesis 23.

3. In Gen 23:2, negotiation is typically a give and take. For example, a seller says $300. The buyer says $100. The seller says $250; the buyer says $150. Maybe they agree on $200. How is this the opposite of a regular negotiation?

Why did Abraham say "I am just an alien and stranger here"?

Gen 23:5-6 Hittites: You are a prince among us. Bury your dead in any of our tombs for free.

Gen 23:7-9 Abraham bowing, please intercede with Ephron to let me buy the cave on his property

Gen 23:10-11 Ephron: You can have the cave for free.

Gen 23:12-13 Abraham bowing, I want to pay for the case. What is the market value of the property?

Gen 23:14-15, it is 400 shekels

Gen 23:16 Abraham did not argue or negotiate, but simply agreed to pay 400 shekels.

A shekel was a unit of weight ant this time, and only later became a unit of money.

In Joshua Achan stole 200 shekels of silver. In Abraham's time a male salve was worth about 20 shekels. A few centuries earlier a slave was worth 10 to 15 shekels. In Moses' time 500 or so years later, a slave was worth 30 shekels. So, the price of the field was about ten slaves.

The answer is that as wealthy as Abraham was, Abraham did not care about this small amount of money. He cared more that they would see that Abraham paid market value for it, and be more inclined to leave the tomb undisturbed. Sometimes it is more advantageous for you not to press your advantage as much as possible, but give some to the other side to build goodwill, especially when you cannot be there to ensure they will keep their side of the bargain.

4. In Gen 23:2-3 even though Abraham wept over Sarah, how was he gracious to the Hittites?

A: Abraham honored them in his speech. Financially, he not only did not try to get the bottom price, but he let them have the initiative and set the price. Sometimes, even with our small children, it is good to let them have the initiative.

In Luke 14:9-11, Jesus said at a banquet take the lower place. When you host a banquet, invite the poor, crippled, and others who cannot reciprocate.

5. In Gen 23:3-20, Abraham was a very successful in business. But here, if he wanted to get the land for free, or for a very low price, he did not appear to be a good negotiator. – or was he?

A: One adage to remember is: "keep your eye on the prize". Sometimes a good business person knows that the lowest prices is not the only goal. Who would be around the land and the grave when Abraham and his family were away? It would be good not to drive a hard bargain that would leave hard feelings, but rather leave goodwill. He always wanted the Hittites to have a good memory of him, so they would not desecrate or re-purpose the gravesite when he was gone. In Genesis 25:9-10, Abraham was buried in the same cave, next to Sarah, as was Jacob in Genesis 50:12-13. In Genesis 50:25, Joseph did not want to be buried in Egypt.

6. In Gen 23:5, why did the Hittites consider Abraham a mighty prince among them?

A: Abraham was very wealthy. Abraham also had apparently cultivated close relations with them and they counted him as not only a friend, but also one of their own.

7. In Gen 23:15-16, why did Abraham have to weigh out the silver?

A: The shekel was a unit of weight, and only later became a unit of money also. Abraham had to "weigh" out the silver because coins were not used until about 800 B.C. according to Can Archaeology Prove the Old Testament? p.27. Likewise, Achan stole gold and silver "weighing" 50 and 200 shekels. The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1798 says the first known coins were from Lydia about 700 B.C. It also notes that the Latin word pecunia (from which English gets the word pecuniary meaning monetary) came from the Latin word pecus which is a word for cattle.

8. How do we avoid being "penny-wise and pound-foolish" in our negotiations?

A: In English money a pence or penny is like an American penny. A pound is a little more than a U.S. dollar, except until recently it was almost $2.

One way this was not done, was in a company I worked for a number of years ago. They decided to implement "defensive benefits". What this term meant was that if you were married and your spouse had a birthday where the month and day were earlier in the year than years, they would no longer provide benefits to your spouse and kids, only you. During an employee meeting, where the HR rep was unenthusiastically explaining this, I asked a question. About how much money do they anticipate this would save the company? She said it would save a lot, around $50,000 per year. I suppose that no one considered that if even only three or four people per year left the company because of this, and they used recruiters to replace them, that would be more than $50,000 right there.

9. How do we show grace in our relationships?

A: We can be quick to forgive, but not let people walk over us. Love them, not just with sentimentality but express it in caring and action.

10. In Mt 5:13, we are supposed to be salt of the earth. How are we supposed to do that?

A: Salt is added to food in small amounts to do one of four things. Christians likewise are salt of this world in four areas.

Life - Salt is essential for us to live. In the West African city of Timbuktu, where gold was plentiful, one pound of salt sold for one pound of gold. As Christians have the life of Christ inside of them, they are so display that life to this world. God uses our preaching, love, and service to bring others to Him to give them life.

Flavor - Salt adds flavor to food and makes it taste good. Likewise, we are the aroma of Christ to those who are saved. God also looks down and is pleased to see Christians in this world who are following Him.

Preservative - When there is no refrigeration, salt is also important to preserve food by keeping down the bacteria. Christians likewise are to be salt and light in this world by having a preserving effect by standing against sin.

Sacrifice - In Leviticus 2:13 the sacrifices were to be seasoned with salt. We too are to live our lives as a sacrifice for God.

11. How do we get people to think "I want to deal with Christians", "I want to be around Christians", and "I want to be like Christians?"

A: God deals with us graciously; giving us what we do not deserve. We should deal with others graciously, and value them above the financial transaction or negotiation. Try to have a win-win situation, where everyone benefits, and they want to do business with you again.

Genesis 24a – Don't Go Back There – some brief answers

Genesis 24 gives us a lot to think about. So much so, that today we are going to skip over some subtle but important things in Genesis 24. We are going to get to those things next week.

1. In Gen 24:15, what was the relation between Isaac and Rebecca?

A: Rebecca was daughter of Abraham's nephew Bethuel. According to Genesis 22:23 and 24:15, Bethuel was the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. This would make Rebecca the daughter of Isaac's cousin.

Isaac and Rebecca could not have disobeyed Leviticus 18, because it was not written yet. However, it turns out their marriage was still within the guidelines of the future rules in Leviticus.

2. In Gen 24:4, why wouldn't Abraham want to get a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites, or at least among the Hittites living in Canaan?

A: &&&

3. In Gen 24:4, why would Abraham insist on a wife from his own people?

A: The Canaanites thought it proper and religious to sacrifice their infant children in the fire, have religious prostitution. The Hittites were different. They were Indo-European, a colony of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey.) It is not as obvious why Abraham did not want a daughter-in-law from the Hittites, except that they did not believe in the One True God either.

Abraham lived in a different time, a different culture, and a different place, but in some ways, Abraham was not so different from us. Long ago, Abraham was aware of an easier way. There is always an easier-appearing way.

4. In Gen 24:1-4, what are some ways you know of, or through history, that believers have compromised?

A: When Constantine became Emperor, it appeared like the golden age of Christianity on earth had begun.

Abraham calling Sarah his sister twice (Genesis 12:11-20; 20:1-2)

Achan's beautiful Babylonian robe, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold (Joshua 7:20-23)

Christ to Peter: Get thee behind me Satan (Matthew 16:23)

Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Perhaps to force Jesus to act too. (Matthew 26:14-16)

Ananias and Sapphira selling the field and claiming to give all of the money. (Acts 5:1-11)

Demas because he loved this world (1 Timothy 4:10)

Martin Luther and Jews

The "normalcy" of slavery in America. 1/3 of southerners were slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation freed about 3 million slaves.

Some of the church in Germany and Mainland China compromised from fear

C5 missionaries: Trinity

In Genesis 25:1 marrying Keturah. Here children, the Midianites, were a thorn in the side of the Israelites later. When Abraham died, Isaac and Ishmael buried him, but the other sons did not even show up.

Nationally

In general, people seem to be better at following orders than asking if those orders should be followed.

American Indians: Breaking treaties with the Sioux when gold was discovered in Montana in 1874, Nez Perce, and others.

Nez Perce in violation of the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla, which granted the tribe 7.5 million acres in their ancestral lands and the right to hunt and fish in lands ceded to the government. However, later gold was found, and white settlers illegally founded the city of Lewiston on Nez Perce lands. Nez Perce War June-October 1877

Doing nothing about the 1.5 million killed in the Armenian genocide starting in Jun 5, 1915. In 1939 Hitler used that excuse to start exterminating the Jews.

Abortion: How many abortions since 1970 in the U.S.? The correct answer is that we do not know, since some states did not report. But from 1970 to 2012, it is more than 44 million That is about 1/5 to ¼ of all pregnancies. In Canada from 2007 to 2014 it is 720K. In Europe it is about 1/3 pregnancies. In Asia it is high too.

5. In Gen 24:1-4, what lessons can we learn from why other Christians have compromised?

A: Compromise is often because of some motivating factor. It can be safety, monetary greed, or other bad motives. We can compromise and displease God from good motives too, such as a desire to win more people to our message.

6. In Gen 24:1-4, what is sinful compromise in a Christian's life like?

A: Compromises can be both deadly and subtle. While a frog dropped into a pot of boiling water has enough sense to immediately jump out, a frog dropped in warm water, that is gradually brought to a boil, will stay there until it cooks to death.

Temptations to compromise are like dirt or grit coming into your life, and they are unavoidable. But what do you do with the grit? Do you let it infect or do you let it become as pearl and part of an eternal treasure? When you have temptation to compromise, rejoice! Your victory over that is an opportunity to please the Lord and have rewards in heaven.

7. In Gen 24:1-14, compromise itself is not a bad word; sometimes compromise is OK. What is the difference between a good compromise and a bad compromise?

A: Not all easier ways are bad. Compromise is often agreeing to things, or to do things in a way you would ordinarily not want to do, in order to get the cooperation of someone else. On non-moral things, in relationships, and many times at work compromise is a good and necessary thing. In church, compromise can be good on things that are neither Biblical nor anti-Biblical, such as what kind of music to use. However, when compromise involves explicitly doing things displeasing to God, denying our faith, it is better to lose the negotiation, the sale, the relationship, or the job, than compromise. But compromise can also involve implicitly doing things displeasing to God too. What about volunteering your time, money, or skills to help a charitable organization that funds Planned Parenthood? Planned Parenthood is a large abortion provider.

8. Gen 24:1-4, what are forces in our lives today that are telling us to compromise in a bad way?

A: There are a lot of influences.

Media: Internet, TV, movies, newspapers, etc. How many of you knew that Facebook has had some censorship of conservative information? If you are on AOL, how many of you know that AOL tries to play up anything that is negative about Christianity or Christian pastors.

Laws: Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion.

Courts: Should a beer company be allowed to let go a driver, if the Muslim driver's religious beliefs prevent him from distributing alcohol? Should a court rule in 2015 against a Christian couple owning a bakery in Oregon, and force them to pay more than $136,000, because they would not make a cake for a homosexual wedding?

Work: In some jobs there is pressure to lie and be dishonest. One Christian manager I know was taken to a strip club by his boss. Sometimes there are almost-mandatory parties where there is a lot of alcohol, and a person might feel pressure to drink or take a shot.

Sometimes friends: I met a Christian in Dublin Ireland who was an alcoholic most of his life. Once he became a Christian, he knew he should not get drunk, but it was difficult for him to leave his old ways, because his friends always asked him to go to the pub with him. He finally solved the problem by not carrying any money. When his friends asked him, he said he could go, but they would have to pay because he did not have any money with him. After one or two times they stopped asking.

Sometimes family: In north Africa a Muslim teenage boy became a Christian, so his mother put rat poison in his food. Sometimes a spouse will divorce because the other became a Christian, or stopped going to their religious group. In Utah Sandra Tanner said there were Mormon men she talked with who said they knew Mormonism was not true, but they could not publicly leave Mormonism, because their wife would divorce them, and take the kids with them. I personally know of one non-religious couple that got married many years ago, and when the husband became a Christian, the wife would not have intimate relations with him for a whole year unless he stopped being a Christian. Eventually it was resolved when she became a Christian. Sometimes it is more subtle, like always planning to go to the lake or other activities on Sunday mornings.

9. What is you see that you have already sinfully compromised? What then?

A: As much as possible, you need to "un-compromise".

Early church new Christian and a loose woman

When you recognize a temptation, and are victorious over it, Satan will congratulate you, pat you on the back, tell you how spiritual you are, and give you a different temptation, perhaps the opposite. When you turn away from the easy way that displeases God, you will often be given an even easier way, that also displeases God.

10. In Gen 24:5-8, what was so wrong with Isaac going back to Aram [Syria] to live?

A: Then everything about God's promise to Abraham to leave his people, and go to the promised land, would have been for nothing, due to Abraham's descendants abandoning the promise.

11. In Gen 24:5-8, what would be wrong with Isaac going back to Aram just to visit, and to pick out a wife for himself?

A: Given his kinship and wealth, his relatives would probably want Isaac to stay, just like Laban had Jacob stay for fourteen years. Abraham likely would not want any chance of Isaac being lured to go back and live permanently where his wife would be.

12. In order to spiritually protect ourselves and our family, what is wrong with "moving back to Aram" and isolating our family from non-Christian society and schools?

A: &&&

13. When should we do so, and when should we not?

A: liberal church

A: We are to be in the world but of it. We are to live in the world, talk with people in the world, and make friends with non-believers as well as believers. But that does not extend to doing compromising things or being in compromising situations for the sake of the friendship. The simplest way to deal with this is to make it clear early and up front what you will not do.

Genesis 24b – Parenting an Adult (or Teen) Child – some brief answers

1. In Gen 24:1-5, does it seem strange that a father would take such care for the marriage of his child?

A: &&&

2. In Gen 24:1-5, what do we do to show our children, as teens or adults, how much we love them?

A: &&&

A sad story of a father who was the top salesman at his company two years in a row. One day when he came home from work his wife told him that is older son was smoking marijuana. The father just made a joke about it. Later his other son started using heroin. Later his wife divorced him. But he was still the top salesman, two years in a row. But he had no one with him to even care.

3. What do we do to show our children, as teens or adults, to show that loving God is the most important?

A: &&&

As I told one little Christian girl, "God and church are even more important than piano lessons." The next week her (Christian) mother told me that her daughter checked with her if that was true or not.

4. In Gen 24:50,57 why would Bethuel and Laban would let Rebecca go so easily? Do you think they were right to do so?

A: &&&

Sometimes delay shows wisdom, but sometimes delay is not wisdom.

5. In Gen 24:63-66, why did Rebecca veil herself at this time? How does that relate to our culture today?

A: &&&

6. How does parenting a very little child differ from parenting a middle schooler or young teenager?

A: &&&

7. How does parenting a young teenager differ from your parenting a child older than 18?

A: &&&

Growing Kids God's Way

8. What do we need to give our adult children, besides advice?

Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes write, "God, like a father, doesn't just give advice. He gives himself. He becomes the husband to the grieving widow (Isaiah 54:5). He becomes the comforted to the barren woman (Isaiah 54:1). He becomes the father of the orphaned (Psalm 10:14). He becomes the bridegroom to the single person (Isaiah 62:5). He is the healer to the sick (Exodus (15:26). He is thewonderful counselor to the confused and depressed (Isaiah 9:6). (Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes, When God Weeps Zondervan, 1997 p.125)

In If God is Good by Andy Alcorn Multnomah Book p.4.

9. How should we parent our adult children?

A: Don't take it for granted when they invite you into their world

We should be free to admit that we do not have all of the answers.

Some things we definitely have answers though.

Sometimes they are not looking for answer, but support and validation of the answer.

The best way to parent is not the same for every kid, as Song of Songs 8:8-9 show.

It can be a group effort of parents. (a car vs. no car)

It is not the same for every type of situation.

It is not just giving advice, but also just being there.

10. How does discipline/advising shift with age of the child?

Control – immediate consequences

Control –eventual consequences

Advice

Suggestions when asked

Unconcern

Genesis 27b-28 – "Inert Parenting" Favoritism and Dishonesty – some brief answers

In comparing different people in the Bible one can often see common character traits. But it is just as interesting to see the contrasts, where they greatly differ, and their effects.

In Gen 26:34-35 when Esau was 40 he married two Hittite Canaanites, and they were a source of grief to both Isaac and Rebecca. Esau's wives could be both Hittite and Canaanite just as someone can be both Texan and American. In Genesis 27:46-28:1 Rebecca told Isaac to send Jacob away to get a wife from their own people, instead of the Hittites Canaanites.

1. In Gen 27:1-4, what did Isaac ask both Esau and Jacob to do before he would give them both his blessing?

A: &&&

Apparently Isaac favored Esau because he could provide delicious meat. His appetite governed his heart. Esau was all about the hunt. He lost his birthright right after a hunt, and he lost the blessing while he was on a hunt. See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.27 for more info.

2. How do you think favoritism toward a child affects family dynamics?

A: &&&

Isaac wanted to favor Esau with his blessing despite knowing God's prophecy about Jacob; was Isaac trying to go against God's plan? When Isaac gave the blessing he gave, he was going directly against God's prophecy.

3. In Gen 27:41 and 28:8-9, since Esau was Isaac's favorite, how did Esau respect his father? How about his mother?

A: Isaac and Esau probably thought Isaac was dying here, though Isaac actually lived many years after that. &&&

The NIV Study Bible p.47 says linguistically both could mean Jacob plus either Isaac or Esau. However, it would be Isaac and not Esau because Isaac was near death, Esau would kill Jacob right after that, and there was no threat to Esau. Unfortunately Rebecca might have been thinking about "both" of those she loved, and not "two out of three".

4. In Gen 27:5-13 while we think of Jacob as being a real trickster, who told him to use deception?

A: His mother Rebecca, told him to do this deception. Rebecca probably remembered that the LORD told Rebecca that the older will serve the younger in Genesis 25:23b. Esau sold his birthright in Genesis 25:29-34. So she was using a human, sinful means to try to accomplish God's promise. We should not use sinful means to do God's will or fulfill God's promise. God is Almighty; He wants us to strive and work towards His goals, but we can leave the results to Him. Of course Isaac himself used deception in Genesis 26; now he would be a victim of it. There is no indication of guilt on Jacob's part; only fear that we might be cursed if he got caught first.

5. In Gen 27:20 how did Jacob use his knowledge of God to further his wicked deception?

A: &&&

6. How do you think modeling deception affects family dynamics?

A: &&&

7. In Gen 28, were Rebecca and Jacob successful in getting what they wanted?

A: On the surface yes, but in actuality, no. They wanted Jacob to have the birthright, and by wrong means, lying and deception, they got it, so they were successful. But did they enjoy the blessing?

However, the son with the birthright usually had an honored place in the family afterwards; yet, Jacob had to flee for his life. Rebecca succeeded in helping her favored son; yet, though she sent Jacob away for what she thought would be a short time, she would never see Jacob on earth again. As Women in the Bible points out, Rebekah would have to live with the son she had wronged for the rest of her life. See Women in the Bible (by Georgia B. Settle 1978) and The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament p.72-73 for more info.

8. From Heb 11:20 how important was Isaac's blessing?

A: The Hebrew words for blessing barak, and birthright, bakarah, are related. This was like a legal will. Normally, the firstborn got the blessing, which meant a double share of inheritance, as well as being the family head. A 15th century B.C. tablet from Nuzi tells of a lawsuit between three brothers, as to who would marry a woman named Zululishtar. One brother won because he could show that his father authorized the marriage on his deathbed. See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.42-43 for more info.

Why couldn't Isaac bless Esau as he blessed Jacob? The Bible does not say why Isaac held the belief (whether right or wrong) that he could not bless both of them. However, Evidence That Demands a Verdict vol. 2 p.328-329 says that according to the tables of that time found in the city of Nuzi, deathbed wills were considered valid and irrevocable.

9. In Gen 27:42-44 did Jacob go to the town of Haran to flee Esau, or to get a wife?

A: Both. Sometimes there are multiple reasons to do one thing. Rebecca told Jacob to go to flee Esau in Genesis 27:42-46, but she told Isaac the reason was to find a wife in Genesis 27:46. Isaac's reason to send Jacob was to find a wife in Genesis 28:1-6. when Jacob went to Paddan-Aram (meaning the Plain of Syria) he took the reverse course Abraham took when he went to the promised land.

10. Contrast Gen 24:2-6 versus Gen 26:34-35, 27:46-28:3,8-9 in the selection of a wife for Isaac, Esau, and Jacob.

A: &&&

11. "Insert parenting" is not absentee parenting; the parent might still be present all the time. But inert parenting is not encouraging and teaching your children to grow in the Lord. What do you think are aspects of inert parenting?

A: &&&

12. On the other hand, maybe we cannot for certain blame inert parenting on how Esau turned out. What does Heb 12:16-17 say about Esau?

A: &&&

13. How come sometimes when we parent our child in the best way he know (or knew how), they still do not turn out loving God?

A: &&&

14. How come sometimes when parents make all kinds of mistakes in bringing up their child, the child still turns out to love God?

A: &&&

15. Historically what were the consequences of Jacob and Esau's split?

A: &&&

16. In Gen 28:10-15, this was like a stairway with angels walking up and down, more than a ladder with angels climbing over each other. Why do you think God gave Jacob this dream?

A: &&&

17. Does it seem fair that God would give this wonderful dream to a man who used his knowledge of God to deceive others?

A: &&&

God did not approve of Jacob's lies. First, the Bible accurately and honestly records the evil things as well as the good things people did. Second, even God's people in the Bible have done wrong things. As 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.43 says, "God did not bless Jacob because he lied and used deceit but in spite of it." See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.101-102 and When Critics Ask p.57-58 for more info.

18. What exactly does this ladder represent?

A: &&&

19. In Gen 28:13-15, was this a promise the same covenant as with Abraham or a newer covenant? What did God say Jacob had to do for this to happen?

A: &&&

20. In Gen 28:20-21, what was Jacob's response? Was it one of faith?

A: &&&

21. In Gen 28:20-21, what was Jacob's response? Was it one of faith?

A: &&&

22. Does Jesus make a covenant with us, or is there just one covenant in Christ?

A: &&&

23. Have any early Christians had a vision of a ladder of stairway?

A: Yes, the Christian lady Perpetua had a dream of a ladder while she was imprisoned, a few days before she was martyred. "And I, who knew that I was privileged to converse with the Lord, whose kindnesses I had found to be so great, boldly promised him, and said, `Tomorrow I will tell you.' And I asked, and this was what was shown me. I saw a golden ladder of marvellous height, reaching up even to heaven, and very narrow, so that persons could only ascend it one by one; and on the sides of the ladder was fixed every kind of iron weapon. There were there swords, lances, hooks, daggers; so that if any one went up carelessly, or not looking upwards, he would be torn to pieces and his flesh would cleave to the iron weapons. And under the ladder itself was crouching a dragon of wonderful size, who lay in wait for those who ascended, and frightened them from the ascent [to scare them away from ascending]. And Saturus went up first, who had subsequently delivered himself up freely on our account, not having been present at the time that we were taken prisoners. And he attained the top of the ladder, and turned towards me, and said to me, `Perpetua, I am waiting for you; but be careful that the dragon do not bite you.' And I said, `In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall not hurt me.' And from under the ladder itself, as if in fear of me, he slowly lifted up his head; and as I trod upon the first step, I trod upon his head. And I went up, and I saw an immense extent of garden, and in the midst of the garden a white-haired man sitting in the dress of a shepherd, of a large stature, milking sheep; and standing around were many thousand white-robed ones. And he raised his head, and looked upon me, and said to me, `Thou art welcome, daughter.' And he called me, and from the cheese as he was milking he gave me as it were a little cake, and I received it with folded hands; and I ate it, and all who stood around said Amen. And at the sound of their voices I was awakened, still tasting a sweetness which I cannot describe. And I immediately related this to my brother, and we understood that it was to be a passion, and we ceased henceforth to have any hope in this world." Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas (c.201-205 A.D.) ANF vol.3 p.700

Genesis 27b-28 – God's Will, Done in Our Way, Loses Delight and Gains Grief – some brief answers

Review (with your Bibles closed)

1. In Gen 27:1-4, what did Isaac ask Jacob to do before he would give him his blessing?

Nothing. Isaac spoke to Esau, not Jacob.

2. How was deception used in the family?

3. In Gen 27:20 how did Jacob use his knowledge of God to further his wicked deception?

4. In Gen 27:42-44 did Jacob go to the town of Haran to flee Esau, or to get a wife?

5. What does Heb 12:16-17 say about Esau?

6. What people came from Esau?

1. In Gen 27:41 and 28:8-9, since Esau was Isaac's favorite, how did Esau respect his father? How about his mother?

A: Isaac and Esau probably thought Isaac was dying here, though Isaac actually lived many years after that. &&&

The NIV Study Bible p.47 says linguistically "both" could mean Jacob plus either Isaac or Esau. However, it would be Isaac and not Esau because Isaac was near death, Esau would kill Jacob right after that, and there was no threat to Esau. Unfortunately Rebecca might have been thinking about "both" of those she loved, and not "two out of three".

2. In Gen 28, were Rebecca and Jacob successful in getting what they wanted?

A: On the surface yes, but in actuality, no. They wanted Jacob to have the birthright, and by wrong means, lying and deception, they got it, so they were successful. But did they enjoy the blessing?

3. From Heb 11:20 how important was Isaac's blessing?

4. Contrast Gen 24:2-6 versus Gen 26:34-35, 27:46-28:3,8-9 in the selection of a wife for Isaac, Esau, and Jacob.

A: &&&

5. In Gen 28:10-15, this was like a stairway with angels walking up and down, more than a ladder with angels climbing over each other. Why do you think God gave Jacob this dream?

A: &&&

6. Does it seem fair that God would give this wonderful dream to a man who used his knowledge of God to deceive others?

A: &&&

God did not approve of Jacob's lies. First, the Bible accurately and honestly records the evil things as well as the good things people did. Second, even God's people in the Bible have done wrong things. As 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.43 says, "God did not bless Jacob because he lied and used deceit but in spite of it." See also Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.101-102 and When Critics Ask p.57-58.

7. What exactly does this ladder represent?

A: There are two views, and the first one is incorrect.

Incorrect answer: Salvation in Christ. In this view this dream is a prefiguring of Christ. The ladder is the cross, upon which souls going up to heaven through Christ. This view goes back to the following Christian writers:

Irenaeus of Lyons (c.160-202 A.D.) "And Jacob, when he went into Mesopotamia, saw Him in a dream, standing upon the ladder, that is, the tree, which was set up from earth to heaven; for thereby they that believe on Him go up to the heavens. For His sufferings are our ascension on high. And all such visions point to the Son of God, speaking with men and being in their midst." Proof of Apostolic Preaching ch.45

Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) "This is that fan which even now cleanses the Lord's threshing-floor-the Church, I mean-winnowing the mixed heap of believers, and separating the grain of the martyrs from the chaff of the deniers; and this is also the ladder of which Jacob dreams, on which are seen, some mounting up to higher places, and others going down to lower. So, too, persecution may be viewed as a contest." Fleeing Persecution ch.1 p.116

Tertullian (207/208 A.D.) "When Jacob sees in his dream the steps of a ladder set upon the earth, and reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending thereon, and the Lord standing above, we shall without hesitation venture to suppose, that by this ladder the Lord has in judgment appointed that the way to heaven is shown to men, whereby some may attain to it, and others fall therefrom. For why, as soon as he awoke out of his sleep, and shook through a dread of the spot, does he fall to an interpretation of his dream? He exclaims, ‘How terrible is this place!'" Five Books Against Marcion book 3 ch.25 p.343

Origen (225-253/254 A.D.) "Celsus, too, agreeably to the opinion of Plato, asserts that souls can make their way to and from the earth through the planets; while Moses, our most ancient prophet, says that a divine vision was presented to the view of our prophet Jacob, -a ladder stretching to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it, and the Lord supported upon its top,-obscurely pointing, by this matter of the ladder, either to the same truths which Plato had in view, or to something greater than these. On this subject Philo has composed a treatise which deserves the thoughtful and intelligent investigation of all lovers of truth." Origen Against Celsus book 6 ch.21 p.583

Two other early Christian writers refer to Jacob's ladder without saying that it relates to salvation. Justin Martyr (c.138-165 A.D.) Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew ch.58 p.226, ibid ch.86 p.242; and Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.) Treatises of Cyprian Treatise 12 second part ch.16 p.522

Correct answer: Angels ascending and descending from heaven as they do God's will. If the first view were correct, what would descending from heaven mean? Are believers going to get kicked out of heaven? Notice that there are no people on the ladder; it is God's angels who are ascending and descending, and they are not carrying people. Angels are not advancing in rank by ascending, and angels are not falling away by descending. This dream was sent as a comfort to Jacob, showing that God's angels were active in accomplishing God's will even though he could see nothing with his physical eyes.

8. In Gen 28:13-15, was this a promise the same covenant as with Abraham or a newer covenant? What did God say Jacob had to do for this to happen?

A: &&&

9. In Gen 28:20-21, what was Jacob's response? Was it one of faith?

A: &&&

10. In Gen 28:20-21, what was Jacob's response? Was it one of faith?

A: &&&

11. Does Jesus make a covenant with us, or is there just one covenant in Christ?

A: &&&

12. Have any early Christians had a vision of a ladder of stairway?

A: Yes, the Christian lady Perpetua had a dream of a ladder while she was imprisoned, a few days before she was martyred. "And I, who knew that I was privileged to converse with the Lord, whose kindnesses I had found to be so great, boldly promised him, and said, `Tomorrow I will tell you.' And I asked, and this was what was shown me. I saw a golden ladder of marvellous height, reaching up even to heaven, and very narrow, so that persons could only ascend it one by one; and on the sides of the ladder was fixed every kind of iron weapon. There were there swords, lances, hooks, daggers; so that if any one went up carelessly, or not looking upwards, he would be torn to pieces and his flesh would cleave to the iron weapons. And under the ladder itself was crouching a dragon of wonderful size, who lay in wait for those who ascended, and frightened them from the ascent [to scare them away from ascending]. And Saturus went up first, who had subsequently delivered himself up freely on our account, not having been present at the time that we were taken prisoners. And he attained the top of the ladder, and turned towards me, and said to me, `Perpetua, I am waiting for you; but be careful that the dragon does not bite you.' And I said, `In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall not hurt me.' And from under the ladder itself, as if in fear of me, he slowly lifted up his head; and as I trod upon the first step, I trod upon his head. And I went up, and I saw an immense extent of garden, and in the midst of the garden a white-haired man sitting in the dress of a shepherd, of a large stature, milking sheep; and standing around were many thousand white-robed ones. And he raised his head, and looked upon me, and said to me, `Thou art welcome, daughter.' And he called me, and from the cheese as he was milking he gave me as it were a little cake, and I received it with folded hands; and I ate it, and all who stood around said Amen. And at the sound of their voices I was awakened, still tasting a sweetness which I cannot describe. And I immediately related this to my brother, and we understood that it was to be a passion, and we ceased henceforth to have any hope in this world." Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas (c.201-205 A.D.) ANF vol.3 p.700

Genesis 32 –Reaping Consequences – some brief answers

1. In Gen 32:1-2, why do you think God would have angels meet Jacob?

A: Without the encouragement of these angels, Jacob would be terrified. He took Esau's birthright, deceived their father to get the blessing, and fled, leaving behind his inheritance, because Esau stated he had decided to kill him. Now he is coming back to where Esau is. He might have viewed seeing the angels as encouragement that he would live, or he might have viewed them as a sign that he was going to leave this earth very soon after meeting Esau.

Jacob was probably changed after Mahanaim, and wrestling with God at Penuel, Perhaps God used the added stress of Esau to help effect the change.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.136 for more info.

2. In Gen 32:1-2; 33, how does God prepare us for conflict?

A: The issue is not just strength for the conflict, but also endurance. We can be strengthened in at least three ways.

a) We need to be reminded of what to set our eyes on, the goal ahead of us, and the love to strengthen us to carry on.

2) God can strengthen us by giving us new spiritual gifts, and deepening the spiritual gifts we already have. We might need to learn new skills and practice newly found abilities.

3) But paradoxically in Genesis 33, God weakened Jacob. By putting his hip out of socket, Jacob would be even less likely to resist Esau physically. God needs to help us part with extra baggage that we don't need, that weighs us down, in serving him. Sometimes something is not bad, but if we trust in it too much instead of God, God might want us to serve Him without it.

3. In Gen 32:1-3-6, what do you think were two purposes of Jacob sending messengers to Esau?

A: As God sent angelic messengers to him, perhaps this is how Jacob got the idea to send messengers to Esau. It has been 20 years since Jacob and Esau saw each other. What kind of reception would Jacob receive? On one hand Jacob was afraid to find out, but on the other hand Jacob knew he did not want to run from this, and remain with Laban forever. Note that Jacob does not tell Esau "your brother" but rather "your servant".

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.79-80 for more info.

4. In Gen 32:6-7, what do you think are two reasons Esau decided to meet Jacob with 400 men?

A: First of all, why would Esau have 400 men? Esau was probably quite wealthy, and he might have needed that army to fight the Horites who lived in the land.

At this time, perhaps Esau was coming to do what he vowed to do before; kill Jacob. Or perhaps Esau was undecided what he was going to do, but he wanted enough warriors to have all of his options open. Regardless, Esau wanted it clear that he was in control. If he had intended to frighten Jacob, he succeeded; Jacob was scared stiff.

5. In Gen 32:6-7, with Jacob's wives, what do you think were their first impressions of Canaan, and of Jacob?

A: Remember that Jacob narrowly escaped problems with Laban. One would wonder how close and trusting the relationship was between Rachel and Laban, given that he gave Leah to Jacob first. So she might be relieved to have some distance between her and Laban. The land looked similar, except that there were many fortified towns of Canaanites that Jacob had to get along with.

6. In Gen 32:7-23, what were the three strategies that Jacob tried simultaneously?

A: First Jacob tried to pave the way with large gifts for Esau. Second, Jacob separated his family into groups; if group was attacked and killed, the others might be able scatter and escape. Finally, Jacob, decided to go last. Jacob was really feeling desperate here, and that he was on his own. But as the Believer's Bible Commentary p.68 says, "By human security systems, we often protect ourselves from a dynamic prayer life. Why do we do ourselves this wrong?"

7. In Gen 32:22-32, was Jacob renamed to Israel here, or was Jacob renamed to Israel in Gen 35:9-10? (A liberal Christian mentioned this as evidence that multiple authors wrote Genesis.)

A: Genesis 32:22-32 is very detailed, and tells how Jacob wrestles with God, and God renames him to be Israel. Genesis 35 gives a summary of Jacob's life, and two verses, 35:9-10 mention Jacob being renamed so that we can place where the narrative in Genesis 32 occurred. Yes, these two verses are repetition, but this is helpful to the story, not an inadvertent inclusion of something twice. Today, when people write, they often repeat what they say in the body of an essay in the conclusion, but that does not mean the different parts of the essay were by multiple authors.

8. In Gen 32:27-28, why was Jacob renamed Israel?

A: Changing Jacob into Israel. Just like his name, Jacob's pattern of living had to radically change. While the Bible does not say there are two possibilities, and both may be true.

The act of renaming showed that God is in control of their whole life, even their name, and that they were a different person, with a different destiny, because of God. I suppose when we get to heaven we can just ask Abram, Sarai, Simon, and Saul of Tarsus about this, or rather should I say Abraham, Sarah, Peter, and Paul.

Names had great meaning in those times, and Israel apparently means "God perseveres" or else "He perseveres with God." as 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.45-46 says, and is linked to "you have struggled with God" according to The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.2 p.210.

It is interesting that Abraham and Sarah were never called by their old names again. But Israel was still called Jacob sometimes.

9. In Gen 32:24,27, since Jacob wrestled with a man, who turned out to be an angel or God, is God an angel or man?

A: God can appear as even a burning bush, but that does not make God a plant. While still being everywhere, God can also have a localized presence as anything He desires. The Hebrew root for "wrestle" and the root for Jabbok, way-ye'abeq, are the same according to the New International Bible Commentary p.136 and the Evangelical Bible Commentary p.29.

Here is what Clement of Alexandria (193-217/220 A.D.) thought. "Again when He [Jesus] speaks in His own person, He confesses Himself to be the Instructor: ‘I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.'… And He most manifestly appears as Jacob's instructor. He says accordingly to him, ‘Lo, I am with thee, to keep thee in all the way in which though shalt go; and I will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee till I do what I have told three.' He is said, too, to have wrestled with Him. ‘And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled with him a man (the Instructor) till the morning.' This was the man who led, and brought, and wrestled with, and anointed the athlete Jacob against evil." The Instructor book 1 ch.7 p.223

See also the answer for Genesis 3:8 for more info.

10. In Gen 32:24-32, was Jacob wrestling with a literal angel, or was he just wrestling with an issue?

A: Nothing indicates we can add to Scripture that this was not a real angel.

See Now That's A Good Question p.571-572 for more on the following three points:

1. Taking the Bible literally is the only honest way to interpret it

2. Taking the Bible literally does not mean to impose a wooden, concrete literalism

3. Taking the Bible literally means to interpret the book as it was written.

While the Jews Josephus and Philo interpreted Jacob's wrestling as a dream, dreams do not leave hip joints permanently out of socket. See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.131-133 and 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.46 for more info.

11. In Gen 32:24-30, is the Allah [God] of Christianity so weak that He takes all night to wrestle Jacob, as a Muslim mentioned?

A: First of all it was God's angel (whom Jacob called a man), not God Himself who wrestled. Jacob said He saw God face to face, but Jacob only encountered God through the angel. Regardless though, God sent this angel, who had the power to crush Jacob.

If a father wrestles his strong-willed two year old, and even let's the two year old win at times, that does not make him a weak father. In like manner, God's intention was to contend with Jacob's stubbornness, not to destroy Jacob and his tenacity. God wanted to bring Jacob to an understanding of who he was, not kill him.

Imagine how great it would be if your body was the same except that it was 1,000 times stronger. You could excel at athletics, break through walls, and run very fast. However, every time you tried to pick up a flower, you crushed it, every time you held a little child's hand you broke it, and every time you held your spouse, she went to the hospital. Maybe just having your muscles be 1,000 times stronger is not so good after all.

God is all-powerful, but God also has gentleness and finesse. God is infinitely times more powerful than us, but God has greater control over His own strength than we do of ours. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) gives an example of how the Almighty is gentle: "The LORD your God is in you, his is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

In 1 Kings 19:11-13 God tells Elijah he will experience the presence of the Lord. It was not in the ensuing powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in a gentle whisper.

So to summarize, Christians worship a God who is gentle without being any less the Almighty.

12. In Gen 32:30, can someone see God's face, since Ex 33:20 says nobody can and live?

A: Jacob saw an appearance of an angel; he at first thought it was a man, and he certainly did not see God in his glory face-to-face. See Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.213-214, Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties p.399, and When Cultists Ask p.29-30 for more info.

13. In Gen 32:24-32, why do you think God crippled Jacob, and when could Jacob expect God to make his hip whole again?

A: Scripture does not say, but we can see a couple of reasons. &&&

This might also tend to help Esau to take compassion on Jacob.

14. In Gen 32:26, why do you think Jacob was so intent on being blessed by God?

A: Jacob could have asked for more wealth, for safety, or for Esau to be kindly disposed towards him, but Jacob asked for none of the above directly. He only asked that God bless him. Jacob was not expecting God to enable him to avoid Esau, but Jacob wanted God to bless him to come through seeing Esau alive.

15. In Gen 32:34-30, how are we to wrestle with God today, and why?

A: &&&

Do you have a hunger for God?

See the Evangelical Bible Commentary p.30 for more info.

"A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7b)

1. In Gen 33:4, why do you think Esau had a change of heart about Jacob?

A: &&&

2. In Gen 33:8-11, why did Jacob insist that Esau have Jacob's "blessing" materially?

A: &&&

Here is what we know about Shechem. Though the city was in ruins in Abraham's time, the site of the city was known, as Can Archaeology prove the Old Testament? p.26 says. Abraham did not purchase the city, but rather land near Shechem.

The Wycliffe Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology p.518-522 gives a lot of detail on Shechem. It was always being rebuilt because it was on a hill that could be fortified and had an excellent spring. Shechem was rebuilt around 1900 B.C., but Pharaoh Senusert III (ca.1880-1840 B.C.) captured it. Shechem was destroyed again about 1750 B.C. It was rebuilt, but was destroyed again by the Egyptians c.1550 B.C.. It was rebuilt, in the time of the Amarna letters (1500-1370 B.C.) which mention it as the center of the king Lab'ayu who was in confederation with the "Habiru" invaders. It was rebuilt, but destroyed by the Assyrians by the Aramaeans, King Menaham of Israel, and the Assyrians in 723 B.C.

3. In Gen 33:18-19 and Josh 24:32, did Jacob purchase the land at Shechem, or did Abraham purchase it as Acts 7:15-16 and Gen 23:16-20 say?

A: Abraham purchased land in Mamre near Hebron for Sarah in Genesis 23:16-20, but that is not in the same place. As for the land purchased in Shechem, there are two possible answers.

Jacob and Abraham bought it: Both Joshua 24:32 and Genesis 33:18-19 say Jacob, Abraham's grandson, was the person who purchased the land near Shechem. Regardless of whether Abraham came to witness the purchase of the land with the money he passed on to Isaac or not, one could say that the clan of Abraham purchased the land. Even today, a teenager, with his father's consent, can buy a car in his father's name.

Stephen might be mistaken: Since Jacob purchased the land his sons were buried on, yet Jacob himself was buried at Mamre with Abraham, Stephen might have been accidentally combined these two separate events. Even if Stephen were mistaken, the Bible would still be inerrant. The Bible simply recorded, inerrantly, what Stephen said, mistake and all.

See Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.142-145, 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.309, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties 379-381, and the discussion on Genesis 50:13 for more info.

4. In Gen 33, how do you reconcile and make up for wrong things you did to others?

A: &&&

5. In Gen 33, why does humility work so well in patching things up with other people?

A: &&&

How does God change people's hearts?

Isaac was probably still alive.

Funeral in Gen 35:29

Think there are no consequences

No regrets

Where did Abraham's great wealth go? Perhaps some lost in Isaac's time. Most went to Esau. Jacob had flocks and herds when he left Padan Aram; a part of it Jacob gave to Esau.

What will you do when they come for you

Genesis 34 – Rage and Revenge – some brief answers

&&&

It did not say that Jacob later let the women and children and flocks go.

Q: In Gen 34, since Jacob had to move after his sons did this, what about the 100 pieces of silver Jacob spent in Genesis 33:19, and the altar he built in Genesis 33:20?

Genesis 35-36 – Getting Rid of Idols – some brief answers

These two chapters discuss going to Bethel, the deaths of Isaac and Rachel, Reuben's dishonor, and Esau's family.

1. In Gen 35:1-5, what was the sequence of events here?

A: Here is the order.

1. Jacob was apparently lax about permitting foreign idols among his nomadic group.

2. God told Jacob he wanted Jacob to live in Bethel and build an altar to Him.

3. Jacob correctly saw that if they were going to build an altar to God, it would not do to have any idols among them.

4. Once they fully dedicated themselves to the Lord, they had nothing to fear from the surrounding peoples.

2. In Gen 35:2, why did Jacob have to tell those under him to get rid of their idols?

A: Many of the servants might have had their idol gods with them. This shows that Jacob was aware of it, and prior to this Jacob had done nothing about this. There was also a bad example that was set. In Genesis 31:30,32,35 Rachel had stolen Laban's idol gods. Of course later Rachel died fairly young, in childbirth giving birth to Benjamin.

Jacob wanted to take this step before building an altar to the true God in Genesis 35:3. By our lives today we build altars to God too. But we need to rid our lives of all other altars, to other gods and whatever might be an idol in our life.

3. In Gen 35:5, why did God do this for them? Why did God need to do this for them?

A: Simeon and Levi (and the servants under them) had done what everyone recognized as evil, massacring an entire town for the actions of one person. God did not just protect them from danger, God was also protecting them from the just consequences of their wicked action. Sometimes, (but not all the time) God can do that for believers.

4. In Gen 35:9-10, why do you think God called Jacob Israel here, as well as in Gen 32:28?

5. In Gen 35:19-20, what is the significance of Rachel's tomb in subsequent history?

A: Jeremiah and the Exile in Jeremiah 31:15

Herod's massacre in Matthew 2:17-18

6. In Gen 35:21, were all of Jacob's sons born in Migdal Eber, or were they born earlier as other parts of Genesis say? (A liberal Christian brought this up as a contradiction.)

A: Genesis 35:21-26 does not say every single son of Jacob was born in Migdal Eber, especially since in Genesis 35:19-20, Rachel, mother of two sons, had just died prior to them moving there. Genesis 35:21-26 simply lists the sons, following the account where Israel (=Jacob) pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eber.

7. Contrary to Gen 35, one could get the idea that if a believer has not been fully obedient to God, or ever had idols, then God is through with you for the rest of your life. Why is this not true?

A: You can ask Jonah. &&&

Finally, while you are "playing around" with obedience to God, and harming your witness at Shechem or other places, an "alternative tribe" is still growing, as Genesis 36 indicates.

8. In Gen 36 are Esau's descendants are listed in such detail?

A: Admittedly this is not the most important chapter in the Bible. While the individual names are not important, we see six things from this.

1. This shows the Bible's claim of historical accuracy and attention to historical detail.

2. Esau's descendants (the Edomites), and the Israelites were very familiar with each other. In the book of Job, Eliphaz was a Temanite, a descendant of Teman in Genesis 36:11,15,42 and 1 Chronicles 1:45. Later, Jeremiah 49:7,20 poetically uses Teman as a synonym for Edom.

3. The two related peoples, though separate, were very friendly towards each other, at least at this time. Later, Amos 1:9-11 speaks of the "brotherly covenant" that the Edomites broke. This was not a formal covenant, but an informal relationship from the time of Genesis 33:4-16.

4. The Edomites basically combined with the Horites who had already lived in the land in Genesis 20-29. This combination is probably similar to what the Shechemites proposed to the Israelites. Centuries later there was actually a powerful middle-eastern nation, called the Mitanni, or also called the Hurrians, that were a combination of two peoples. The group that domination with partnership were the Hurrians, who apparently were from India.

5. As Canaan was given to the Israelites, the Edomites had Edom and Mount Seir. God said He gave Mount Seir to the children of Esau in Deuteronomy 2:5.

6. The number of Esau's descendents, plus the assimilation with the Horites, plus the early start at government showed that the Edomite nation was advancing rapidly, and they could be powerful rivals later.

Around 1407 B.C, in Numbers 20:14-21; 24:15-19 The Edomites would not let the Israelites pass through their land toward Canaan.

Here are the battles between Edom and Israel.

1 Samuel 14:47 They fought in Saul's time

1 Kings 11:14-22 The Edomites under Hadad fought in Solomon's time

2 Chronicles 20:1-23 the Edomites made an alliance and fought in Jehoshaphat's time

2 Kings 8:21 The Edomites fought in Jehoram's time

2 Chronicles 28:17 The Edomites fought in Ahaz's time

Psalm 137:7; Lamentation 4:21-22; Obadiah 10-14 The Edomites aided the Babylonians against Judah.

Malachi 1:2-5 around 433 B.C., after the return from exile the Edomites were still enemies.

In Ezekiel 25:12-17, after the fall of Jerusalem, the Edomites waited at the crossroads to kill and rob the fleeing Jews.

9. In Gen 26:34 and Gen 36:2-3, who were Esau's four wives?

A: Wives 1-2: At 40, Esau married two Hittites, Judith and Basemath daughter of Elon (Genesis 26:34-35).

Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite (Genesis 36:2), is probably another name for Basemath.

Wife 3: After Jacob left, Esau married the Ishmaelite Mahalath, sister of Nabaioth (Genesis 28:8-9)

Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nabaioth (Genesis 36:3), is probably another name for Mahalath.

Wife 4: Esau married Oholibamah daughter of Anah (Genesis 36:3).

Judith was probably not mentioned in the genealogies in Genesis 36, because she bore no children.

See When Critics Ask p.56 and Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.99-101 for more info.

10. In Gen 36:2 was Zibeon a Hivite city, or a Horite city as Genesis 36:20 reads?

A: There are two possibilities:

Misspelling: Many scholars assume this is a misspelling in the Masoretic text, since in Hebrew Hivite is h[i]wwt, and Horite is h[o]rrt. The Septuagint has Horites in Genesis 34:2 and Joshua 9:7.

Two names for one group or two merged groups: Horites (Hurrians) also settled in Palestine in the areas where Hivites lived, as evidenced by Hurrian personal names. Even the prince of Jerusalem in the 14th century B.C. had the Hurrian name of Abdi-Hepa.

See the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.801 for more info on both views.

11. In Gen 36:31, does the phrase "before any Israelite king reigned" show the date of authorship as Saul's time or later?

A: No. Not only was Moses able to know there would be a king over Israel (Deuteronomy 17:14-15), but all the Israelites back to Jacob's time, would know Israel would have a king from Judah, because of Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:10.

12. In Gen 35:1,3,14-15, for all of Jacob's faults, God seemed to be very pleased with the idea of Jacob building altars to Him. How can we build altars to God today?

A: &&& Jacob held God's promises as precious.

Genesis 37 – Envy Makes Enemies – some brief answers

1. In Gen 37:1-11, what set Joseph up for bad relations with his family? Do you think Joseph was aware of this?

A: There were five things.

1. Snitching on his brothers in Genesis 37:2

2. Jacob loving Joseph more than the others in Genesis 37:3.

3. Jacob giving Joseph, but not the other brothers an ornamented robe in Genesis 37:3-4.

4. Not Joseph having the dream, but Joseph telling his brothers his dream of the grain sheaves in Genesis 37:5-8.

5. Joseph telling his brothers and father another dream of the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to him in Genesis 37:9-11.

Joseph, a seventeen-year-old boy, seemed totally unaware of how other people would take what he said. Jacob, who was much older, likewise apparently never thought about how he might be inciting jealousy between brothers. You would think Jacob would know something about that. Apparently Jacob learned the "bad lesson" of playing favorites, but not the "good lesson" that playing favorites has bad consequences.

2. In Gen 37:1-11, why exactly did Joseph's brothers actually hate him?

A: Joseph's brothers probably thought that his dreams likely came from himself. It would be easy to feel that Joseph was proud and egotistical, because his father loved him (and his mother Rachel) more.

3. In Gen 37:1-11, what kinds of things do people do today that set up bad relations with others?

A: out of a heart of pride, envy, or malice, they can be controlling, boastful, slanderous, or gossiping. Our of a lack of empathy they can be insensitive. Out of insecurity they can be back-stabbing. Sometimes they deliberately do those things, and sometimes they are not self-aware thet they do those things. We naturally have self-centered hearts.

We need Jesus in order to love our neighbors as ourselves, and in order to continue to love our neighbors as ourselves.

4. In Gen 37:1-11, should you keep from showing favoritism to one of your kids over another? Given that different children have different dispositions, how do you do that?

A: &&&

5. In Gen 37:1-11, what can you do, in your workplace, or in other places, so that people don't dislike you because of envy?

A: &&&

6. How do the relations you set up with others impact the effectiveness of your witnessing?

A: &&&

7. How can you witnessing impact your good relations with others?

A: &&&

8. In Gen 37:17, if you were to ask Joseph's brothers why they intended to kill him, what would they say?

A: Joseph gets them in trouble (Jacob had sent Joseph to tell on them.). Joseph gave Jacob a bad (ra'ah) report about them, and they would report to Jacob that a bad (ra'ah) animal ate Jacob.

They called Joseph a dreamer.

Self-interest, jealousy that their father loved Joseph more. If the dreams were from God (as they ultimately proved to be), even God favored Joseph more.

Shechem was about 50 miles north of Hebron where Jacob was. Dothan was about 13 miles north of that. So that were probably too far away from Jacob for anyone to tell Jacob what happened.

It is ironic that early in his life, Jacob used clothing to deceive is own father Isaac about being Esau. Now, clothing would be used to deceive him by his own sons.

9. In Gen 37:17, were Joseph's brothers planning to kill him, or did they decide to sell Joseph to Midianite traders as Gen 37:28-29 says?

A: Both are true, because people can change their plans. Originally they planned to kill Joseph, except that Reuben planned to rescue him. However, when the saw the Midianite traders, they figure they could make some money off of Joseph and changed their plans. Naturally speaking one might think Joseph would have a "right" to become bitter over this. However, Joseph followed God, and hard times did not make him bitter, only better.

10. In Gen 37:25, were the traders Ishmaelites, or Midianites as Gen 37:28 says?

A: From a distance the brothers could not tell which people were coming, or if there were some of each. It did not matter to the brothers though, they just wanted the money. Either the word Ishmaelite or the word Midianite might be a copyist error. Or, the brothers thought they were Ishmaelites, but they actually were Midianites.

11. In Gen 37:28, was 20 shekels of silver about the right price for a slave like Joseph?

A: This is an interesting question. The answer is "Yes, but only in this time period." According to K.A. Kitchen in Ancient Orient and Old Testament Introduction p.52-53, this is the correct price about 1800 B.C. Centuries earlier they were 10 to 15 silver shekels, they were 30 silver shekels about the time of Moses, and later they were more expensive. In Hosea 3:2, a slave was worth about 30 shekels. See the Biblical Archaeology Review volume 21 no.2 p.53 for a graph of the price of a slave versus time.

12. In Gen 37:28, why didn't God make things easier for Joseph?

A: God could have made things a lot easier for Joseph. He could have not given Joseph those dreams, he could have had Joseph save his brothers so they would be grateful to him. God used Joseph to save his family when there was a great famine, but God could have done something else to save them from famine too.

We don't know why God chose the means that He did to accomplish His will. However, we can observe that Joseph's comfort was not God's primary goal; God used Joseph's time on earth to accomplish things in the lives of Joseph and his brothers.

13. Why doesn't God make things easier for us?

A: God is concerned about more important things than our comfort; such as our character, our witness, and His glory. See also Proverb 30:7-9.

Genesis 38 – A Landslide of Disrespect – some brief answers

Q: In Gen 38:1-21, why is this account of Judah and Tamar in the Bible?

A: On a scale from a low (not as bad) of 1 to a high (worst) of 10, with sexual immorality being a 10, what would you call intentionally never intending to keep a promise someone was depending on for the rest of her life? - It certainly is more than a 1. There are at least three things we can learn from this.

1. Lest we think that Judah and the other patriarchs were more righteous than everyone else, this and other accounts bring us back to the reality that they were not particularly righteous.

2. The Bible gives us a candid, accurate account of how people lived back then. The Bible does not sugarcoat their history in the least. We can learn from what they did wrong as well as what they did right.

3. This shows a type of sin that is present today but is not often discussed: shirking responsibility. This is considered a very serious sin in God's eyes, since Onan was killed because of it. Judah too did not act responsibility toward his daughter-in-law, and he broke his own word. Judah did not give his son in marriage to Tamar, because he feared for his son's life, because he mistrusted God's goodness. Obviously, Jacob did not think Onan deserved death for refusing to fulfill his responsibility.

Q: In Gen 38:29-30, what do Zerah/Zarah and Perez/Pharez mean?

A: First what they mean, and then two applications. Strong's, Bible dictionaries, and commentaries all agree that Perez/Pharez means breakthrough or a breach. He breached or opened the womb. There is a slight difference of opinion on Zerah/Zarah though.

Scarlet: Because of the scarlet thread tied on his hand, "Zerah therefore may mean ‘scarlet'" according to the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1844.

It means brightness or redness according to the New International Bible Commentary p.139.

It means ‘scarlet' according to The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.89.

Rising: Zerah comes from the Hebrew word Zerah, ‘rising' according to The New International Dictionary of the Bible p.1085.

A reason for the difference of opinion can be found in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (word 2226).It says it is the same as 2225 "zerach, zeh'-rakh from 2224; a rising of light:- rising." 2224 says "zarach, zaw-rakh'; a prim. Root; prop, to irradiate (or shoot forth beams), i.e. to rise (as the sun); spec. to appear (as a symptom of leprosy): - arise, rise (up), as soon as it is up. So the word Zerah came from the sunrise, and it could refer to the actual rising, or it could refer to the scarlet red color of the dawn.

The Messianic line in Matthew 1:3 briefly mentions the births of both Perez and Zerah. In His first coming Jesus said that He would bring division in Luke 12:51. Paul speaks of the brightness of Christ's second coming in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. So the twins came in the order of the two comings of Christ. However, on the other hand, John 1:5,9 mentions that Jesus was the true light that gives light to every man, and that He came into the world.

Achan, who was executed in Joshua 7 was a descendant of Zerah. so a person having a special or godly ancestry does not guarantee they are necessarily righteous or can escape judgment. It has been said that "God has no grandchildren." In other words, either you are child of God or you are not. But you cannot claim a relationship with God solely because of your parent's faith and not your own.

See also the Believer's Bible Commentary p.73 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary p.232-244 for more info.

In Gen 50, Jacob's descendants would bow down, not to Joseph's descendant, but to Judah's.

Q: In Gen 39:7-20, are there any other stories like this?

A: There is nothing very close to this, but there is one fictional story with a slight similarity. The idea of the wife straying when the husband is gone is not unique to Joseph. About 600 years after this time, in the thirteenth century B.C., there was an Egyptian story, called A Tale of Two Brothers that had a few similarities. When a husband was absent, the wife tried to seduce his brother, who refused her advances. When the husband returned, the wife made a false charge against his brother. Eventually the truth came out and in the end the wife was executed. See Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.32 for more info.

Genesis 40-41 – God Has Determined, - Even When Life Can't Make Sense – some brief answers

1. In Gen 40:1, what does a cupbearer do?

A: A Cupbearer would take the king's cup of whatever liquid, and sip it before giving it to the king. That way if someone had put poison in the cup, it would harm the cupbearer before harming the king. Often poisons people used were either strong alkalis, like Drano, or else bitter tasting. A cupbearer in later Persian times was also had other security responsibilities for the king; sort of like the head of the FBI in America today.

2. In Gen 40:6, who initiated the discussion of the dream: Joseph or the cupbearer and baker?

A: It was Joseph who saw that both of them looked down. When you see people that you often see, do you notice when they are especially happy or sad? If they are down, do you try to find out why? Note that in both Gen 40:6 and 41:16, Joseph denied that he could interpret dreams. Rather God could give him the interpretation. This is in contrast to Egyptian, culture. The Egyptians actually had "scientific treatises" on dream interpretation according to the New International Bible Commentary p.140. Sometimes humbly and publicly admitting what you don't know is the first step to gaining spiritual gifts from God.

3. In Gen 40:15, how was Joseph carried off from the land of the Hebrews?

A: On one hand Jacob was coming from the land that was the promised and future possession of the Israelite Hebrews. On the other hand, we think of Hebrew as synonymous with Israelite, but it was not the case back then. A Hebrew, or ‘Apiru, also meant a nomad, and Abram was called a Hebrew. Thus, Joseph either meant his descent `from Abraham and living in Abraham's new land, or else that he was from a land of nomads, or both.

4. In Gen 40:20-22, Mt 14:6, and Mk 6:21, are birthdays bad to celebrate since the only birthdays [allegedly] in the Bible are when Pharaoh executed the baker and Herod executed John the Baptist?

A: No. Jehovah's Witnesses try to use an argument from silence to prohibit birthday celebrations. Both Pharaoh and Herod were cruel, arbitrary rulers who killed people on non-birthdays too, but there are two stronger reasons why celebrating a special day for someone's birth is OK.

Job was a godly man, and each of his sons celebrated banquets at their house "on their own day" in Job 1:4. The phrase "their own day" means their birthday as showed by Job cursing "his day", which was the day he was born in Job 3:1-3.

Also, the angel Gabriel announced that many will rejoice over the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:14) and if angels could celebrate the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:13-14, it is OK for us to celebrate His birth too.

The idea of Pharaoh releasing a prisoner on his birthday is also mentioned in the Rosetta stone, according to the New International Bible Commentary p.140. Much later in Roman times Pilate would release a prisoner on the Jewish feast day.

5. In Gen 40:23, how could the cupbearer so easily forget Joseph?

A: At the time the cupbearer was concerned about what the dream meant. But after he was restored, he could reason that Joseph was not the one that restored him, and Joseph was not benefiting him now, so he focused on what and who could benefit him. He both forgot his gratitude to Joseph and his promise to Joseph to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh. By his brothers, Potiphar's wife, and the cupbearer, Joseph was abused, slandered, and forgotten. But God could still act despite the cupbearer's forgetfulness; it is just that it would take two full years. It is interesting that Joseph's first born was named Manasseh, which means "to forget" according to the Evangelical Bible Commentary p.33. The jealousy of Joseph's brothers, the character assassination of Potiphar's wife, and the forgetfulness of the cupbearer were insignificant compared to the defining verse of this chapter: Genesis 41:32, which says, that God has firmly decided.

6. In Gen 41:18, why are cows in the river?

A: In most places cows would not remain in the river. But in Egypt, cows are often there to get relief from the heat, and for some protection against flies. But a writer would have had to live in Egypt to know this. See The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament p.91 for more info.

7. In Gen 41:32, why would Pharaoh make a non-Egyptian second-in-command?

A: While kings can sometimes do strange things, in this case it made very good sense. If Joseph tried to rebel, Egyptians would not follow him. It is recorded that Canaanites, such as Meri-Ra, Ben-Mat-Ana, and a Semite Yanhamu deputy of Amenhotep III had high positions in the Egyptian Court. (Amenhotep III became Pharaoh after the Israelites had left Egypt.) In much later times the Turkish Ottomans often had Armenians in high court positions, knowing that the people would never support a non-Muslims who tried to take power. See Evidence That Demands a Verdict vol.2 p.331, Can Archaeology Prove the Old Testament? p.29, and 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.47 for more info.

8. In Gen 41:45, was Joseph's Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, a title or an Egyptian name?

A: It probably meant "he who is called life" or similar. There is no evidence of any Egyptians having a title like this, so it probably was a name. Pharaoh probably wanted Joseph to be able to appear more Egyptian to many of his officials. It does not mean Joseph abandoned his original name though. It is sort of like when people came from China to the West, many times they also assume a western name, and when people go from the West to China, many times they also assume a Chinese name.

9. In Gen 41:45, is there any extra-Biblical evidence for Joseph's Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah?

A: Yes. While scholars do not know any of the names of the viziers of Egypt during the centuries around Joseph's time, archaeologists have found a connection.

Zaphenath: Joseph's Egyptian name in Genesis 41:45 was probably transmitted down to us with the ‘t' and ‘p' switched. Zat-en-aph means "he who is called" which was a common phrase. Papyrus Brooklyn 35.1446 shows many examples of Asiatics given Egyptian names. Many of these names have "he/she who is called as the first part.

Paneah: "Pa" or "Pe would represent the Egyptian Ipi or Ipu. "anea" is similar to the Egyptian ankh, which means "life" or ankhu which means "is alive". Pharaohs and Kings : A Biblical Quest p.350 concludes by saying the name Ipiankhu and variations were common in the time of Joseph but not very common earlier or later.

10. In Gen 41:45 remembering how Isaac got his wife, and Jacob got his wife, what is different about how Joseph got his wife? How did Joseph cope with that?

A: Pharaoh was not a believer, and Joseph's wife probably was not either, at least initially. We do not see any care by believing people in choosing a wife for Joseph; but Joseph still got by. As God gave Adam governance of the land and a wife, Pharaoh gave Joseph governance of the land and a wife.

By the way, Potiphar and Potiphera are likely not the same person. There is a monument called the Potiphar stele in Egypt, which says, "Putiphar son of ‘Ank h-Hor". This is probably neither of these men; rather Potiphar was a common name.

11. In Gen 41:53-57, how was Joseph a type of Christ?

A: Joseph suffered himself so that he could provide provision for all of God' people. See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.75 for more info. From the time Joseph was sold as a slave to the time he became second in command was about 13 years. During that time Joseph had to be patient, even though he was given no external indication that his situation would ever improve. Think of how patient God is with us!

12. In Gen 41:57, did what happened to Joseph ultimately benefit Joseph?

A: In this case it benefited him secondarily, in that he was not in Canaan when famine occurred. But primarily it was not to benefit Joseph; after all, Joseph could have just slipped into Syria and lived alone there, as Jacob did. No the primary benefit was to the 70 people in his clan. God did not have this trouble on Joseph primarily for Joseph's benefit, but for his family's.

On the other hand, Joseph did benefit greatly in a different way. Imagine Joseph had stayed in Canaan or Syria, and done nothing his whole life. He might still have an upright character, but would not be considered a great hero of faith in the Bible without these experiences that molded him, though the molding was painful at times.

13. Has something ever happened in your life, or in the life of someone close to you, that just did not make sense? How did you handle it? How should we handle things like that?

A: for discussion

Genesis 42 – A Famine from a Diet of Lies – some brief answers

Q: In Gen 42:3-4, what did the family learn about favoritism?

A: In Jacob's case, apparently nothing. He did not send Benjamin down with the others on this adventure, because it appeared that he loved Benjamin more than them. In Jacob's mind his deceased wife Rachel (his (thought) deceased son Joseph and Benjamin were linked together, and he did not want to lose the last of them. Apparently the other brothers were though more expendable. This was an awful way to parent.

However, the brothers, feeling bad after sending Joseph off and keeping this a secret from their father all these years. But since then, given that Jacob was unfair towards them, and that was not going to change, they now learned to live with that.

Q: In Gen 42:7, why were Egyptian officials selling grain?

A: Under Joseph's leadership Egypt had saved up food for the severe famine. Either the Egypt government had taken more from the farmers than they needed, or some Egyptians would have less than they needed because they were selling the people's grain for a profit. Millennia after this, it was an all too common occurrence for food to be exported for a significant profit while the farmers who produced the food starved to death.

Q: In Gen 42:8, why wouldn't Joseph's brothers recognize him?

A: Nothing indicates this was miraculous or supernatural. They last saw a helpless, frightened seventeen-year old boy with a beard, and now they see a wealthy, powerful 30-year old man who, if he followed Egyptian customs, would have no beard. Furthermore, he pretended not to understand them, and had a translator. Even when people notice a resemblance, they often jump to the conclusion that it cannot be the same person, if circumstances seem to make it impossible that it is the same person.

Q: In Gen 42:6-20, why did Joseph treat his estranged brothers this way?

A: While the Bible neither approves nor criticizes this strategy, this proved shrewd on Joseph's part. Joseph wanted to know what their attitude was toward the other son of his mother, and what they had learned over the years. He wanted to see what was in their hearts before opening his heart to them.

While no one today will likely be in the same situation, the general principle is still valid of trying to know something of what is in a person's heart before taking them into your confidence. In a different context, Jesus said not to throw your pearls before swine in Matthew 7:6.

Q: In Gen 42:21-23, why did they feel so guilt-ridden here?

A: This was a big secret that nobody but the brothers knew. (They did not know that Joseph was before them and knew Hebrew.) Imagine having a secret festering in your past of what you did to someone close to you that you could not tell them. Think of how hard it was for the brothers all of these years because of their sin.

Reuben had an idea to rescue Joseph back in Genesis 37:21-22. Reuben did not agree to selling Joseph in Genesis 37:29, but he acquiesced in taking Joseph's robe and dipping it in blood. Here Reuben was still guilt-ridden like the others, but also had an "I-told-you-so" attitude blaming them.

Q: In Gen 42:25-28, after they had the jolt of having to leave Simeon behind in prison, how do you think they felt when they saw the silver money back in the sack?

A: Genesis 42:28b probably understated it when it said "their hearts sank." They were sorry for Simeon, and they were sorry for their father, and they dreaded telling their elderly father. Jacob later aid that if Benjamin were lost too, "you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave." (Genesis 42:38b (NKJV).

Reuben's plan was to return to Egypt alone with only Benjamin and the silver, and try to get Simeon back. But Jacob loved Benjamin more than trying to get Simeon back.

Q: In Gen 42:37, why would Reuben say "you can put both of my sons to death if I did not bring Benjamin back?

A: Jacob had no interest in putting any of his grandchildren to death. Reuben said this for effect to try to persuade Jacob. But it is a somewhat strange relationship where Reuben would offer this deal to Jacob. It seems that even though Jacob did not know the truth about Joseph, there was not a lot of trust between Jacob and his sons. Unfortunately, that can be true in some families today too.

Perhaps what Reuben said was just a Freudian slip. Whose son did they plan to put to death many years before?

Genesis 43-44 – Having to Do What you Can't Bear to Do – some brief answers

Riddle: While Jacob might have been the human in the Bible who tricked people the most, who was the most tricked human in the Bible?

1. In Gen 43:1-14, how did Jacob's favorite son cause him great stress to him?

A: &&&

2. In Gen 43:1-14, in different ways, how does spoiling a child or playing favorites bring stress to the parent later?

A: &&&

3. In Gen 43-44, the brothers were being tested. Why were they being tested?

A: Let's look at this situation from Joseph's perspective. One day, after so many years, Joseph's brothers show up in his court asking for help. At this point, what did Joseph know about them and their character? The only thing Joseph knew at this point was these were the same brothers, who are supposed to be loving, who discussed how to kill him and then sold him into slavery. Oh, and they knew how to tie a person up well. We don't know if the idea of revenge crossed Joseph's mind or not, but for other people it might have been only natural. What should Joseph do?

Joseph did not get any enjoyment from deceiving his brothers. But Joseph had a serious thing to decide; if his brothers had not changed from the time they sold him into slavery, then he saw no reason to provide deliverance for them.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.93-94 says, "Joseph, already brilliantly successful in creating tensions during their two visits, now produced his master stroke. He tested their concern for Benjamin in order to get them to recognize their evil. If they failed this test, if they had no compassion for this second son of Rachel, then they would have no part in the fulfillment of the promises. God could start over again and make Joseph into a great nation if the others proved unworthy (cf. Ex. 32:10)."

4. In Gen 43-44, what exactly did the tests test? Was it only a test?

A: &&&

Apparently Jacob was willing to sacrifice Simeon to prison to save Benjamin.

The tests also had the effect of making the brothers think about what they did many years ago and helping them repent of that.

You almost feel sorry for the sons of Jacob. They lived with the guilt of what they did to their brother all of these years. They might have been repentant, but they were unable to make amends and they had no opportunity to express their repentance. God was going to fix that now. But it still was not going to be easy.

What do you do when parents, bosses, or other people treat you unfairly? Sometimes it is just that it appears to be unfair to you, but in other cases it really is unfair.

5. Gen 43:23 and 43:34 why did Joseph give "hints" that he knew more than they might think?

A: Joseph was highly intelligent. &&&

This was a test for them

Off balance

Ease the transition

Set up for Gen 44:10.

6. In Gen Does it seem fair that Simeon was in prison all of this time?

A: Whom are you asking? Was it fair for the brothers to plan to kill Joseph and then sell him into slavery, presumably for the rest of his life? No it was not fair; all of the brothers should have been in prison all of this time.

7. In Gen 44:3 why were the brothers asked this?

A: This was the main point of the test of the brothers. To understand why they did evil, and were they still going to do evil.

8. In Gen 44:2-13, how would the silver cup in Benjamin's sack seam similar to Rachel stealing her father's gods?

A: The brothers might have known the story of Rachel stealing the idols of her father Laban. Laban and Jacob agreed that whoever was found with these idols would be killed. At the time they did not know that Rachel stole them. If Laban and Jacob agreed on that punishment, what kind of punishment would the high court official of Egypt give for stealing something that was (apparently) close to him and had a high monetary value?

9. In Gen 44:5, how could Joseph, a godly man, claim to use divination?

A: It does not say Joseph ever used that cup, only that he told his brothers he used that cup for divination. According to Genesis 44:15, Joseph was apparently not very concerned about the cup. We should not use divination (Deuteronomy 18:10, but we should avoid even the appearance of evil (2 Corinthians 8:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:22), and even Joseph was not a perfect person.

The Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.34 says water divination was common in Egypt. They would look at the drops of water and make predictions.

10. In Gen 44, when should we test others? Usually how should we test others?

A: Do you usually test your brothers and sisters this way? – I hope not. While we don't see godly people testing others as severely as Joseph did, people need to be asked questions and tested for leadership. People can learn when they are being tested, but that is not the primary point. The main point is to see if the person can be trusted to do something, or that they can be trusted to teach sound doctrine.

1 Timothy 3:10 says "But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, because found blameless." (NKJV) Revelation 2:2 speaks approvingly here of the Ephesian church, saying, "And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;" In Romans 16:10 Apelles was tested and approved; however, it was likely God who did the testing

On the other hand, if a person has passed the test, trying to trick them up under the ruse of further testing is wrong. The Pharisees were wrong to come to test Jesus by asking for a sign in Mk 10:2; Lk 11:16.

They tested Jesus with questions in Mt 16:1; 22:35.

Naomi tested Ruth and Orpah in Ruth 1:11-15. There was no point in them going to Israel, a land they had never seen, just because they liked Naomi. If they were not following the same God, they should just stay where they were.

King Saul was tested in 1 Samuel 13:7b-14, but it is unclear whether Samuel was accidentally a few hours late, or Samuel deliberately meant to be a few hours late.

I read one time that back in the days of the Soviet Union, one time some non-uniformed soldier with guns burst into an underground church service as it was about to start. They asked who the Christians were and said that all of the non-Christians could leave. Then they put down their guns, and worshipped too; they wanted to get all of the spies out of the service.

Genesis 45-46 – A Longing Fulfilled Brings Deliverance – some brief answers

This moving, tearful scene is the climax of the story of Joseph, when he reveals himself to his brothers. This was the third time (out of five) that Joseph wept over his brothers.

1. In Gen 45:3, what are four reasons why Joseph's brothers might be speechless?

A: The brothers were both 1) speechless because they were in shock, not only at seeing Joseph, but also at Joseph's position. 2) speechless because they had been discovered, and 3) speechless thinking what would happen to them now. 4) They had said, "Do you intend to reign over us" (Gen 37:8). Now Joseph ruled over all Egypt Gen 45:8.

2. In Gen 45:5,8; 50:19-20 who did Joseph say sent him into Egypt? Why?

A: How many times have you heard that when someone planned it murder it turned out well for them? It turns out well for the brothers.

Joseph specifically said it was not the brothers, but God. Joseph saw his difficulties and hard times coming from God, and He praised God for that, because now, and only now, Joseph saw the result.

3. In Gen 45:8, 50:19-20, does God enslave godly people? Did God enslave Joseph, or Joseph's brothers?

A: This is an example of the theological concept called concurrence. God not only knew the evil they would freely and voluntarily decide to do if in that situation, God enabled them to be in that situation and carry out their heart's intent. Furthermore, God planned for and used their evil to bring about good. As Romans 8:28 says, "...in all things God works together for good for those who love Him...". All things include even evil things.

4. In Gen 45:25-28, what are two reasons why Jacob is stunned to hear that Joseph is alive?

A: He thought he knew for certain that Joseph was dead; after all, he saw the blood-stained coat of many colors. Second, he would be stunned, either now or later, when he found out that his ten sons all conspired to deceive him for over twenty years.

5. In Gen 46:1-6 what as Jacob's reactions to this shocking news?

A: First he agreed to go down to Egypt like his sons said. Perhaps he saw no choice, with the famine in Canaan. But before Jacob went he went down to Beersheba where they had built an altar and offered sacrifices to God in Genesis 46:1. Beersheba was more or less in the same direction as Egypt, so he might have only had a short delay to go to the altar. Then that night God gave Jacob a vision telling him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt in Genesis 46:3. This is in contrast with Genesis 26:2 where God told Isaac don't go down to Egypt. Then Jacob and his clan hurried to Egypt. Later, in Genesis 46:7,10, Jacob went before Pharaoh and blessed Pharaoh in Genesis 47:7,10

Curiously it says that Jacob would be brought up again in Genesis 46:4. Of course both his descendants and his body were brought up from Egypt, though Jacob died there. But God mentioned that Jacob would die, for He said that Joseph would put his hand on Jacob's eyes to close them one last time in Genesis 46:4.

6. In Gen 46:3-4, is God speaking to Joseph as an individual, or his descendants?

A: Both. God is merging the two when he tells Jacob that "you" will be made into a great nation. While Jacob did die in Egypt, his body was brought back to Palestine for burial. This was a sign that "you" plural would come out Egypt 430 years later.

7. In Gen 46:4, why did Jacob die in Egypt, since God promised he would take him out of there?

A: People thought in terms of their descendants as well as themselves. Jacob's descendants were taken out of Egypt. In addition, Jacob's body was taken out of Egypt in Genesis 50:13-14. See When Critics Ask p.59 and Haley's Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible p.345 for more info.

8. In Gen 46:8-27, are there 12, 13, or 14 tribes?

A: There were 12 sons of Israel (10 + Levi + Joseph)

There were 12 fighting divisions and tribes with land (10 + Joseph's two sons Manasseh and Ephraim and not Levi.)

See When Critics Ask p.59-60 and Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.103 and for more info.

9. In Gen 46:8-27, I would like to know the 11 sons who Jacob had in the land of Israel, who were their wives? In The Bible exodus it is confirmed that 70 people went to Egypt including Jacob. Who were they?

A: Actually the "Exodus" is a different event; when they went out of Egypt. But to answer your question, the eleven sons of Jacob are:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali. Of course Joseph was Jacob's son, but Jacob was living in Egypt, not the land of Israel.

Jacob's descendants who went to Egypt are listed in Genesis 48:8-27; however it does not list those not biologically related to Jacob. The sons and male descendants of Jacob who travelled to Egypt then were 64 men. Jacob's daughter Dinah and Asher's daughter Serah went, too. When you add four more people, Jacob, his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and Jacob, that is 70 persons listed. Of course wives and others would have gone too, and the Bible does not say no more than 70 people went, only that 70 descendants of Jacob, including Jacob himself, went.

However, complicating matters is the fact that the both the Greek Septuagint and the Hebrew Dead Sea scroll 4QExod(a) say 75 people, and they list five more names. In Acts 7:14b, Stephen also said 75.

10. In Gen 46:33, is there any extra-Biblical evidence that shepherds were detestable to the Egyptians?

A: We do not have any direct proof, but we do have a couple of pieces of information.

1. When the foreign Hyksos ruled Egypt, later Egyptians called the despised foreign rulers "the shepherd kings".

2. During the time of Joseph, archaeologists say a large group of Asiatics lived in the Nile Delta. According to Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest p.354 analyzing the skeletal remains of sheep showed that about this time Asiatic settlers first brought long-haired sheep into the Nile Delta region of Egypt.

The Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.34 says that many times immigrants were given the worst land. But in the case of Joseph, they were given the widest area of good land. This land was like an "incubator" to grow the nation, separate from any influences from Canaan, until it was strong. See The Believer's Bible Commentary p.78 for more info.

11. In Gen 45:1-15, does God ever give someone a longing for something that is unfulfilled for many years?

A: Moses, Hannah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:29-38. &&&

Augustine of Hippo's mother Monica

Buddhist vs. Christian view in Thailand

12. In Gen 45:1-15, how should we handle it when our lives have an "incompleteness" even when it is no fault of our own?

A: &&&

Joseph

Jacob

The sin of Joseph's brothers

13. In Gen 45:1-15, if someone really wronged you many years ago, and you saw each other again, would you forgive them? Would you trust them?

A: Yes, you should forgive them. But if a person has proven themselves untrustworthy, and not demonstrated that they have repented, it might be foolish to fully trust them in everything

What if you invested half of your retirement to someone who used you money to travel around the world multiple times. (Or traveled to Oklahoma, depending on the amount of your retirement.) They later said they were sorry and asked you to forgive them. Then, in order to prove that you forgave them, they asked for you to invest with them the other half of your retirement money.

14. In Gen 45:1-15, how should reconciliation work?

A: Jacob is involved with three reconciliations: with Laban, with Esau, and as a minor player here. Jacob, the trickster, still had to forgive his ten sons for tricking him all of these years.

1) There needs to be groundwork. Both sides must be willing to reconcile, and make amends. They must think that it is worthwhile to reconcile.

2) Forgiveness needs to both happen and be expressed.

3) Both parties must have trust that the other side wants to reconcile.

They need to talk things out and hopefully come to some position of trust again. That apparently did not happen with Jacob to Esau though.

Genesis 47-48 – End Your Life as a Worshipper – some brief answers

1. In Gen 46:28-47:11, what kind of love did Joseph have towards his aged father?

A: For most of his life it could not be a present closeness kind of love, because he was separated, and his father thought he was dead. It had three aspects: respect, past, and future. Joseph was a son to make his father proud, he honored and respected his father. The love was a memory of the love they had for each other in the past. But it was also a future love, a longing to see his father again. It was not just an abstract sentimentality though; Joseph took steps to take care of his father and all that his father cared for.

2. In Gen 47:9-10 what two things are so unusual here?

A: Two things: his description of his life, and who he blessed.

First, even though he had lived to be 130 already, In Genesis 47:9 Jacob said that his years had been hard. One can see why he said that. Looking at running from Esau, working for Laban, having to meet Esau again, losing Rachel in childbirth, losing Joseph for good (so he thought). Actually much of the hardship he brought on himself. On the other hand, whether a part of your life is hard or enjoyable can depend on your attitude. After Laban had Jacob marry Leah, Genesis 29:20 says that at the time the seven years he served Laban for Rachel seemed like only a day because of his love for Rachel. What Jacob could have said was, "even though I had some hard times in my 130 years, I have been blessed with my wives, family, and I most fortunate of all, I saw visions from God." But regrettably this was not Jacob's attitude.

Second, usually the custom was that the greater blesses the lesser as Hebrews 7:7. Yet here Jacob, by virtue of his experience with God, is blessing Pharaoh. We don't know whether Pharaoh took that blessings seriously, or that it the wild ramblings of an elderly man. He should have taken that blessing seriously though.

Jacob was far from perfect, but his life ended as he had lived it, as a worshipper.

A: There are at least three different ways we ought to bless those over us.

First, don't stab them in the back, metaphorically speaking. Speak well of them, or don't speak at all.

Second, work for them. DO not just the letter but also the spirit of what they want you to do.

Third, communicate well with them, as well as others. Let them know how things are as regularly as they would like. Let them know, respectfully, when you think they are about to make a mistake or bad decision, and equally importantly, why.

On the other hand, we are not to try to bless our bosses by lying for them, being dishonest towards them, or doing wrong things just because they told us to. I have read of situations of bosses forcing someone to get drunk, or firing someone solely because they were almost vested in stock options, or other things. Sometimes the best approach is to be prepared to "take the fall" and being willing to lose your job for the sake of your integrity. One question to ask yourself is: three years from now, will you be able to look at the people you are now working with in the eye, without shame?

4. In Gen 47:11, how could Jacob's family live in the region of Rameses, when the city of Rameses had not been built yet?

A: They settled in the region of the Nile Delta where the Hebrew slaves would later build the city of Rameses. While it was not known as that when Jacob settled there, the city of Rameses had been built by the time Moses wrote Genesis.

5. In Gen 47:20-21, how could God approve of Joseph enslaving the people of Egypt to Pharaoh?

A: God did not comment on it, but allowed this income tax of 20% in Genesis 47:23-26. When Joseph saved lives in Genesis 45:5,7, these included Egyptian lives too in Genesis 47:8,19,25. However, one might criticize using the taxes the Egyptians paid as a means of enslaving those who paid the taxes.

6. In Gen 45:6 and Gen 47:28, did the Israelites become slaves while Joseph was still alive?

A: Yes. Looking at Genesis 37:2; 41:1; 41:29-39; 45:6; 47:28, Joseph was in Egypt for 71 years of his 110-year life. So the Hebrews became slaves again while Joseph was still alive, because they were slaves in Egypt for 400 years, and in Egypt for a total of 430 years.

7. In Gen 47:31, did Jacob die at the head of his bed, or leaning on his staff as Heb 11:21 says?

A: While one could be in a bed leaning on a staff to sit up to speak, there is a simpler explanation. The consonants for "bed" and "staff" are the same in Hebrew, and the Old Testament was originally written with only consonants. The Masoretic text put the vowels in to make this "bed", while the Septuagint translated this as "staff". Hebrews 11:21 in Greek says staff.

8. In Gen 48:5, what was the significance of Jacob saying that Manasseh and Ephraim belonged to him?

A: Genesis 48:1-7, this was sort of like Jacob adopting Joseph's two sons as his own. This would ensure that each of them would get a share of the land. In the future dividing up of the land, Manasseh and Ephraim were considered in the same category as Jacob's immediate sons. Thus, Joseph's descendants received two shares of land, not one. Often the firstborn received a double share. While Joseph was not the firstborn chronologically, he had been given the right of the firstborn.

The crossing of the hands and prophesying that Ephraim would have a more significant role than Manasseh showed the Jacob, not Joseph, had more prophetic insight here.

9. In Gen 48:21, what were Israel's main concerns as he was about to die?

A: Six words: his legacy in God on earth. It seemed to be joy at seeing all his children, and in Genesis 49 what will happen to his children's descendants. Though he would not make the journey alive, he was still very interested in God being with his descendants as they returned to the Promised Land.

10. In Gen 48:21, if your death takes a while, what do you think your main concerns will be as you are about to die?

A: Two concerns are being right with God, and encouraging those around you. There is no point in regretting what could have been.

11. In Gen 48:21, do you think Americans today think about death much? How do you introduce the topic to get them to spend some time considering it?

A: Different cultures are different. Vikings might have a skull at parties, just to remind people that everything is not a party. Orientals are very averse to talking about death, which makes things more challenging for life insurance sales people. In the United States few young Americans think of it at all. In fact, some high schoolers act (and drive) like they are immortal.

One biblical approach for Christians is not to neglect the study of Ecclesiastes and parts of Proverbs. They tend to give people more of an eternal perspective. In evangelism, one approach is to ask what people will do in the future. And after that? And after that? Is that all?

Genesis 49-50 – Blessings, Curses, and Providence – some brief answers

1. In Gen 49:3-4, why was it proper that Reuben, who excelled in honor and power, should no longer excel? Has that happened to other parts of the church?

A: this is actually a pun on the word "excel". This is because of what Reuben did in Genesis 35:22 and 1 Chronicles 5:1-2.

2. In Gen 49:7, when should a people or nation have fury and cruel anger?

A: In Genesis 49:6 they even crippled the oxen because of their fury: they were not agents of justice, they were agents of uncontrolled fury.

The answer to this question is: never. We are to be loving. Having hate is a sign of not being saved, according to 1 John 4:8,20. "For the anger of man does not bring about the righteousness of God." according to James 1:20.

Simeon and Levi were the next oldest sons after Reuben. They were disqualified solely because of their fierce anger. Likewise today sometimes competent, experience, and intelligent people are not considered for a position, or fired from it, because of their temper. We can miss out on a whole lot of good things, and good relationships, because of anger.

3. In Gen 49:9 why was not Judah disqualified because of Tamar in Gen 38?

A: Judah is the next oldest, after Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. All four were the children of Leah. Judah tried to have Tamar killed, but after his own sin was found out, Judah made things right, or at least as right as he could, in the end.

4. In Gen 49:9-11 what exactly does this prophesy?

A: Shiloh is simply "one to whom it belongs". The Jews themselves understood Genesis 40:10 as a Messianic prophecy. In the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, Chap.4 following 37, recto. Rabbi Rachman said, "When the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of the/their right over life and death, a general consternation took possession of them; they covered their heads with ashes, and their bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming: ‘Woe unto us, for the scepter has departed from Judah, and the Messiah has not come!'"

In a Dead Sea Scroll Commentary on Genesis (4Q252 [=4QpGen^a), fragment 2 in discussing Genesis 49:10, says "Whenever Israel rules, there shall [not] fail to be a descendant of David upon the throne. For the ruler's staff is the Covenant of kingship, [and the clans] of Israel are the divisions, until the Messiah of Righteousness comes, the Branch of David." See The Dead Sea Scrolls in English 4th ed. p.300-302, which also points out that this commentary sees the Jewish Hasmonean kings as illegitimate rulers, since they were not from Judah.

Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b, Rabbi Johanan wrote, "The world was created for the sake of the Messiah, what is this Messiah's name? The school of Rabbi Shila said ‘his name is Shiloh, for it is written; until Shiloh come."

Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin folio 24. "A little more than forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the power of pronouncing capital sentences was taken away from the Jews."

Targum Onkelos says, "The transmission of dominion shall not cease from the house of Judah, nor the scribe from his children's children, forever, until Messiah comes."

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 49:11a, "Kings and rulers shall not cease from the house of Judah … until King Messiah comes"

An additional Jewish source that indicates the Jews understood this was a Messianic prophecy are Targum Jonathan on Genesis 49:10,11a.

Early Christians who referred to this messianic prophecy are Irenaeus of Lyons (c.160-202 A.D.), Hippolytus of Portus (222-235/236 A.D.), and Origen (225-253/254 A.D.). Among heretics the Ebionite Clementine Homilies (-188 A.D.- uncertain date) mentions this.

5. In Gen 49:14-15, what is good or bad, about what the tribe of Issachar did?

A: Historically Issachar was a tribe in the far north. At various times they were under the control of Hazor, the Aramaeans and Phoenicia. They were in well-watered country, and gave up their freedom for comfort. During the time of the divided kingdom, they, like the other northern tribes were under the bondage of worshipping the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

Today people can compromise with idols for the sake of comfort, security, and "pleasant predictability". God calls us to an unpleasant life, if all pleasant roads lead away from obeying God.

Second, just as the tribes were called to possess the land, we can turn aside from what God has called us to do, because it is more comfortable to just continue with our halfway obedience.

6. In Gen 49:16-17, what could this refer to?

A: Samson was from Dan. Dan is the northernmost tribe ever since the time of Judges 18. Dan was supposed to provide justice, but instead they provided idolatry in Judges 18:30. Jeremiah 4:15-16 and 8:16 says that disaster will be coming from Dan.

Gilead, Dan, and Asher failed to support Deborah and Barak in Judges 5:17.

Revelation 7:5-8, none of the 144,000 are from the tribe of Dan. Some think the Antichrist might be a Jew from the tribe of Dan.

7. In Gen 49:22-26 what could this refer to?

A: Joshua, Deborah, and Samuel were all from Ephraim. Gideon and Jephthah were both from Manasseh.

8. In Gen 49:27 what could this refer to?

A: Benjamin was very warlike, but being warlike does not necessarily mean successful in war; just look at Germany or Japan after World War II. Benjamin was as large a tribe as any other until the time of Judges, when it became by far the smallest tribe I Judges 18-20. Every Benjamite was killed by the other Israelites except for 600 men. Saul was from Benjamin. Though it is not relevant, the apostle Paul was from Benjamin too.

9. In Gen 49:1-28 and Gen 48:17-20, how do God's providence and human will interact?

A: Despite no visible connection, they arrive at the same destination by God's mysterious working. God's decree did not force anybody to do anything, though God had 100% certain knowledge of what would happen. Suppose I read in a history book today that General George Washington crossed the Delaware. Did my knowing this with (near-certainty) after the fact force George Washington to take this action? – of course not. Now suppose I went in some time machine back 1,000 years ago, and I took the history book with me. Again, would me reading the history book have me force George Washington to make that decision. – of course not. But one thing we can see is that God does not have the same view of time that we have.

10. In Gen 49, how did the actions of those people affect their descendants, and how do our actions affect our children?

A: Ezekiel 18 teaches us that each person dies for their own sin. The righteousness of a father is not imputed to the son, and the son's unrighteousness is not counted with his son. Nevertheless, parents individually can set bad examples, and a generation collectively can establish evil traditions, and an evil sense of "normalcy". But if the descendants agree with the actions of their ancestors, then in a sense they, by choice, share in the sins of their ancestors.

How does Adam's sin effect us? Here are five views.

The heretic Pelagius denied that people have a fallen nature. He claimed that it had no effect except for setting a bad example. This is refuted by Romans 5:12-15. We all have a sin nature according to Rom 3:10-12; 5:12-15; 7:14,24;8:5-12; 1 Cor 3:3-4; 9:11; Ephesian 2:1-5; Colossians 1:21; 2:13; 3:5,7; and Psalm 51:5.

The Fallen Nature view says that every human (Jesus excepted) was born with a sinful nature. All of guilt comes from the sin we did, not the sins of others that we were framed for. They reject the other two views based on Ezekiel 18.

Traducianists say that in addition to having a fallen nature, each person is guilty of the sins of their parents and all of their ancestors. They base this in part on Hebrews 7:9-10.

The Federal Headship view says that in addition to having a fallen nature, Adam (but not his descendants or Eve) was our representative. They say that for Christ to be our representative for righteousness, Adam had to be our representative for sin. They based this on Romans 5:12-15.

Prevenient grace: all had the guilt of Adam's sin, but that God forgave Adam's guilt in everyone already. Some who hold to this are H. Orton Wiley and Norm Geisler.

11. In Gen 50:3, why did they take 40 days to embalm Jacob's body, and not more or less?

A: There is no need to try to read in an allegorical meaning here, when the Bible gives the reason. Genesis 50:3 says that 40 days was the time required for embalming. The Magazine KMT : A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt vol.3 no.3 Fall 1993 p.7 says that experiments on mummification of rats shows that forty days is the time needed to complete the drying of the body with natron salts. It also mentions that forty days is still the mourning period in modern Egypt.

12. In Gen 50:13, was Jacob buried in the cave that Abraham bought near Mamre, or were some of the Patriarchs buried near Shechem as Acts 7:15-16 implies?

A: First three points related to the answer, and then two possible answers.

First, The two were distinct places, as the distance between Mamre and Shechem was roughly 45 miles (72 kilometers).

Prior to the Exodus, Genesis 50:13 says that Jacob was buried near Mamre. Genesis 50:24-26, says Joseph's body was embalmed and stored in a coffin in Egypt, with the anticipation that it would later be buried in the Promised Land.

After the Exodus, over 477 years later, Jacob's sons were buried near Shechem as Acts 7:15-16 says. Joshua 24:32 also adds that Joseph's bones were buried in the tract of land near Shechem.

Here are two separate answers.

"they": Acts 7:15 says "And Jacob went down into Egypt and expired [i.e. died], he and our fathers." (Green's Literal Translation) "They" in Acts 7:16 refers to the twelve sons of Jacob (our fathers) who were buried after the Exodus, and not Jacob, who was buried over 477 years earlier.

Stephen's mistake: If Stephen had incorrectly "merged" these two events as one when he spoke, then Acts 7:15-16 is still inerrant. Acts 7:15-16 inerrantly records a trivial mistake that Stephen made. Nothing indicates Stephen had to be inerrant in all that He spoke. However, given Stephen's track record on other things in Acts 7, one might favor the first answer.

However, even if the second answer is the correct one, there is a lesson for us. When believers today are in the center of God's will, and speaking to others as God wants us to, God has not promised that all our words and doctrines are inerrant, either. But that is OK. God works in us despite our mistakes, and even through our mistakes to get out His truth.

Regardless of whether Stephen did not use modern precision with his pronouns or whether Stephen was mistaken on a small point of history, God's message is not whether Jacob was included in the "they" buried at Shechem or not. God's message is that God guided the Israelites in a Covenant relationship with Him, and God used the Israelites for thousands of years to set the background for the greatest event of all time, the coming of God's own Son, Jesus Christ.

See also the discussion on Genesis 33:18-19 and Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.142-145 for more info, and 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.309 for more on the cave of Machpelah.

13. In Gen 50:16, did Joseph's brothers lie when they said Jacob commanded Joseph not to harm them?

A: The Bible does not say whether Jacob ever explicitly commanded this, so the brothers might have been lying. On the other hand, certainly Jacob implicitly desired that Joseph not get revenge on his brothers. Today, we hear many things from people without knowing for certain whether the person is completely telling the truth or not. We still need to respond wisely, and the way God would want us to reply, even when we cannot prove or disprove the truthfulness of what is said.

Initially in Egypt Joseph was uncertain about the heart of his brothers. Now Joseph's brothers are uncertain about his heart. Regardless of whether Joseph changed, or whether Joseph was always this way, Joseph reassured them of his forgiveness and love.

As an aside, 110 years was the ideal length of life in Egyptian literature according to the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.37. Joseph was the only one to see his great grandchildren in Genesis 50:23.

A: As we learn from Christ, follow Christ, and spend time with God, our character should be more Christlike. We will see things that we did not see before, that we should do. And even the things we saw before but did not do, we will do them now.

15. In Gen 50:19-20, how can we make our own choices, since God "intends" that we make the choices we make?

A: Three simple points that explain this concurrency.

God never coerces people to sin or makes them choose this evil. God does not tempt anyone, according to James 1:13.

God foreknew their choices and allowed them to make those choices. Charles Hodge refers to this concept as "permissive decrees".

God used their evil choices as a part of His plan. Indeed, everything is included in God's plan, according to Ephesians 1:11 and Proverbs 16:4. Louis Berkhof coined the term "concurrence" for this concept.

See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.135-136 for more info.

Genesis closes with an "unfulfilled feeling", that you think might get fulfilled in Exodus. But it is unfulfilled in Exodus too, and does not get fulfilled until Deuteronomy and Joshua.

Gen 27?

Slave rebellions

Slave revolts did occur within the system (notably ones led by Gabriel Prosser in Richmond in 1800 and by Denmark Vesey in Charleston in 1822), but few were successful. The slave revolt that most terrified white slaveholders was that led by Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831. Turner's group, which eventually numbered around 75 blacks, murdered some 60 whites in two days before armed resistance from local whites and the arrival of state militia forces overwhelmed them.

620K dead Civil war

Jacob was in Canaan for 27 years, with Laban for 20 years, back in Canaan for 33 years, and in Egypt for 17 years.

Jacob had strife with Laban, Esau, Reuben, and Joseph

Simeon and Levi caused problems

Your sins can come back to haunt you

Meeting up with your past sins

X Joseph did not have any character flaws, but even he was not perfect and mature. As a teenager Joseph seemed unaware of how people would take his words. Perhaps he could have been more humble. He might not have been perfect, which who among us is perfectly mature; - at seventeen years old.

by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.