After the Flood, Genesis 10 - 50 (summary with little explanation)
Genesis 10 - The descendants of Noah's three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, those who emerged from the Ark to repopulate the earth.
Genesis 11 - the Tower of Babel and the scattering of all the people who as the result of God's direct intervention suddenly spoke many languages and could no longer understand each other. God said over and over to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth but the people wanted to be in one place with a high tower to challenge God's authority. Who won? God enforced what he commanded when the people would not obey.
Noah-Shem-Nahor-Terah-Abram. Abram married Sarai.
Genesis 12 - God calls Abram away from his home to a land God would show him after he obeyed and left home. Pharaoh of Egypt finds out that God is protecting Abraham.
Genesis 13 - Abraham and Lot separate due to their flocks and shepherds being tightly packed due to their great numbers. God makes promises to Abram that Abram will not be diminished but his descendents will be like the dust of the earth (everywhere).
Genesis 14 - Abram has to rescue Lot. After a successful fight, Abram meets Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High. Abram refuses the bounties of war to show that all he has is given to him by God; he takes it from no one.
Genesis 15 - Abram and God talk. God promises Abram's offspring will be a great number like the stars in the sky. Abram does a pivotal thing. "And he [Abram] believed in (trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness (right standing with God)." (verse 6)
Genesis 16 - Abram's wife, Sarai, is barren and has no children. Sarai, following custom of the day, gives her maid Hagar from Egypt, to Abram to bear a child on behalf of Sarai. Ishmael is born. Hagar runs away but God sends her back.
Genesis 17 - God changes Abram's name to Abraham (father of a multitude). God changes Sarai's name to Sarah (princess). God introduces circumcision of all males associated with Abraham. Very important! God promises that Sarah will have a baby boy name Isaac (laughter). Abraham offers God the opportunity to make Ishmael his heir but God corrects him. God will bless Ishmael exceedingly but his covenant promises will be established through Isaac. Abraham has his household males circumcised.
Genesis 18 - Up until now God has spoken only to Abraham. Three angels, one of which we now take to be Jesus, visit Abraham and Sarah hears that she will have a child while both she and Abraham are very old. In verse 14 the visitors say, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Abraham intercedes with God on behalf of Sodom. God promises Abraham that he won't destroy Sodom if He can find 10 righteous people there. Sometimes people feel the people of God are judging them. But often, they are asking God to be merciful.
Genesis 19 - The angels meet Lot at Sodom. Lot tries to protect the angels from the people there. The angels can take care of themselves! The angels destroy Sodom and tell the fewer than 10 righteous people there to run for their lives! The men Lot's daughters were to marry stayed and perished. Lot's daughters executed their own plan to have offspring and commit incest after getting Lot drunk.
Genesis 20 - Like Pharaoh earlier, King Abimelech of Gerar learns God protects Abraham and Sarah. In verse 7 God calls Abraham a prophet and tells Abimelech all will be back to normal after Abraham prays for him. Be careful if you move to harm someone God is protecting.
Genesis 21 - Sarah births Isaac. Sarah wants Hagar to leave and God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah. God will make a nation of Ishmael because he's is Abraham's son. But God will reckon Abraham's posterity through Isaac. God takes care of Hagar and Ishmael in the desert. Abraham is getting so wealthy others are afraid of him and make an agreement with him not to conquer them. Abraham digs a well at Beersheba (well of oath).
Genesis 22 - God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of his old age, the son of the promises from God to have more offspring than the stars in the sky and the dust of the earth. Did God go crazy? No, God was showing Abraham that He would sacrifice His son someday and He would go through with it. Both Abraham and Isaac understand they must do as God says although it looks really bad. In response to Abraham and Isaac's obedience, God promises Abraham's offspring will be as great as all the sand on the sea shores. Verse 18 says, "And in your Seed (Christ) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice."
Genesis 23 - Sarah dies and Abraham buys a burial cave for her in Hebron.
Genesis 24 - Abraham sends a trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac and gives strict instructions should Abraham die before a wife is found. God helps the servant and Rebekah is brought back from the extended family to be Isaac's wife. Isaac loved her.
Genesis 25 - Abraham remarried and had more sons but Abraham gave everything he had to Isaac. Abraham sent away the sons of his concubines (one of which was Hagar), giving them gifts, but getting them away "from Isaac his son [of promise]." Abraham dies. Esau and Jacob are born to Isaac and Rebekah. Jacob gets Esau to give up his birthright. It should have been Abraham, Isaac, and Esau but we all know it as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Genesis 26 - Isaac has a similar problem with Abimelech that Abraham had. Abimelech puts out a death threat to anyone who harms Isaac. A covenant is made so that the extreme prosperity of Isaac never negatively affects the population. Isaac digs the well at Shibah.
Genesis 27 - Rebekah who favored Jacob instructs Jacob how to steal Isaac's blessing of Isaac's favorite, Esau. The plot is discovered too late and Esau loses out. He has not lost his birthright and his father's blessing due him as the first born. Rebekah tells Jacob to flee to relatives' home (Padan) and he does.
Genesis 28 - Esau takes a daughter of Ishmael as his wife. Jacob dreams of a ladder which represented an open heaven above him. He's running scared now and for the first time meets God. He calls this place Bethel, the house of God. God promised to watch over him wherever he goes and Jacob says he will trust God to eventually bring him back home.
Genesis 29 - Jacob arrives at relatives. He loves Rachel and agrees to marry her in exchange for 7 years of work. (Jacob had only the shirt on his back, he had no dowry.) Laban, father of Rachel, switches the daughters in the name of social customer and Jacob marries Leah who is older and hasn't really got any other chance of marrying. He works 14 years for both. Jacob tricked Esau out of the birthright and blessing. Now Laban is tricking Jacob out of the terms of agreement of work and marriage.
Genesis 30 - Leah has children, Rebekah is barren, just like Sarah. Rachel gives Jacob her concubine just as Sarai gave Abram Hagar. No matter how many sons Leah has, Jacob still doesn't love her. Finally, Rebekah birthed Joseph. Jacob may have used a plan God showed him (see Genesis 31:8-13) to build up his own flocks as opposed to those of Laban. Jacob became exceedingly rich.
Genesis 31 - God is now speaking promises and strategy to Jacob as he had to Abraham and Isaac. God calls himself in verse 13, "the God of Bethel." God tries to warn Laban in verse 24 not to give Jacob verbal abuse. He does it for Jacob's sake but also so he doesn't have to protect Jacob by hurting Laban.
Genesis 32 - Jacob discovers he is being protected by two armies of angels. He sends a messenger to Esau to announce his return. Esau gets the message and comes to meet Jacob with 400 men. Jacob sends presents ahead successively hoping to appease Esau, his brother, from whom he stole the birthright and the blessing. Jacob sent his wives and sons and all he had across the brook by night and was now alone. A Man wrestled with Jacob all night long. When asked his name, Jacob had to answer "supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler" since this is what his name meant. The Man changed his name to Israel, which means "contender with God." Why? Jacob would not let the Man go "unless You declare a blessing on me." "And the Angel of God declared a blessing on Jacob there." (verse 29). Jacob called the place "Peniel" (the face of God). After this Jacob always limped.
Genesis 33 - Jacob was very scared as Esau approached with his 400 men and bowed 7 times. But Esau kissed him and they wept. Esau expected Jacob to follow him home but Jacob figured out a way not to do so. Jacob bought land near Shechem and erected an altar and called it "God, the God of Israel."
Chapter 34 - A local Canaanite man, Shechem, wanted to marry Dinah, one of Jacob's daughters, after he raped her. Jacob was ready to see what could be done but Jacob's sons took matters into their own hands and tricked Shechem's men into being circumcised, and killed them. Jacob felt all was lost.
Chapter 35 - God told Jacob to go to Bethel where Jacob had met God when he first ran away from Esau many years before. A terror from God fell on the towns so that Jacob was not pursued. Rachael died at Ephrath (Bethlehem) as she birthed Benjamin. Reuben, Jacob's oldest son, raped Jacob's concubine. Isaac died and was buried by both Esau and Jacob.
Chapter 36 - Esau took wives of the women of Canaan. Esau and Jacob separated since the land would not support both herds. Esau moved to Edom. Esau's lineage is listed.
Chapter 37 - "So Jacob dwelt in the land in which his father had been a stranger and sojourner, in the land of Canaan." (verse 1) Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, has a dream which makes his brothers angry. Then he has a dream which makes Jacob, his father, angry. Jacob sends Joseph to see how things are with the rest of his sons who are working as shepherds while Joseph stayed home with Jacob. Jacobs's sons, who are Joseph's brothers, sell Joseph to a caravan headed for Egypt, while claiming to their father Jacob that a wild animal killed him. They produce Joseph's bloody coat. The brothers thought their troubles were over but Jacob vowed never to get over Joseph's death. Now they could never be rid of him! It was Reuben who kept Joseph from being killed but could not keep Joseph from being sent to Egypt.
Chapter 38 - Judah, a son of Jacob, leaves his brother and marries a Canaanite woman. Judah's oldest son Er married Tamar. God was wicked in God's sight and the Lord killed Er. At that time the correct thing to do was for Judah's next oldest son to take Tamar as wife so Er's lineage and inheritance would be preserved. Technically, Onan did what was correct but acted in a way so as to get out of supporting a family that would never be his. God was displeased and killed Onan. Rather than accept that his sons were killed by the Lord, Judah decided the problem was Tamar. He sent her back to her father saying to Tamar to wait until Judah's third son grew up and could marry her. It seemed to Tamar that Judah was not going to go through with it so after her mother, Judah's wife died, she devised a plan to get pregnant by Judah and the plan worked. Judah wanted to kill Tamar but then realized Tamar had been more righteous than he had been.
Chapter 39 - The Lord was with Joseph. Joseph was sold to Potipher, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain and chief executioner of the royal guard in Egypt. "The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake." (verse 5) Joseph became supervisor over Potipher's house. Potipher's wife expected Joseph, a slave, to obey her and lie with her." Joseph always said no. She was angry and lied to her husband and said Joseph had tried to rape her. Potipher put Joseph into prison. "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and loving kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison." (verse 21). Joseph became in charge of everything in the prison.
Chapter 40 - The Pharaoh's butler and baker were put in the same prison with Joseph. Each had a dream the same night and they were concerned what the meaning might be. Joseph interpreted the butler's dream that he would again hand Pharaoh his cup. Joseph asked him to remember him to Pharaoh as he was innocent. Joseph interpreted the baker's dream that he would be killed. This all happened as Joseph said on Pharaoh's birthday. The butler forgot all about Joseph.
Chapter 41 - Pharaoh had a dream which no one could interpret. The butler remembers Joseph who interpreted his and the baker's dreams correctly. Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream and tells Pharaoh what God is about to do. Joseph recommends to Pharaoh a plan of action and puts Joseph in charge. In 13 years Joseph, now age 30) is second in command in Egypt. The result is that Egypt saved food from 7 good harvest years which would sustain Egypt through the next 7 years of famine. It was a world-wide famine and only Egypt had food.
Chapter 42 - Jacob sends all his remaining 11 sons (except Benjamin) to Egypt for food. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize Joseph. In addition, although Joseph understood them, he spoke to them through an interpreter. Joseph accuses them of being spies and requires they bring Benjamin to Egypt while Simon stays in an Egyptian prison. Reuben tells his brothers the ancient equivalent of "I told you so" (God requires of us Joseph's blood). Jacob won't send Benjamin since if he lost him, all the offspring of Rachel, his beloved dead wife, would be gone (Genesis 30:22-25 Joseph, Genesis 35:16-19). They were irreplaceable.
Chapter 43 - The famine got worse. Circumstances were that they must go back to Egypt but only if Benjamin would go with them. Judah volunteers his life to his father Jacob if Benjamin does not return from Egypt safely. Jacob reluctantly says OK and sends gifts and double the money for the same amount of grain with them, asking God for mercy and favor with the man in charge in Egypt. Joseph asks them to eat at his house and arranges them in order of birth while giving Benjamin 5 times as much as any of the others. How does this man know so much about us they wondered? And what's going to happen? Joseph had to go away and compose himself.
Chapter 44 - Joseph sends them away, devising another plan, to catch up with them on the way back to Canaan and accuse them of the theft of Joseph's silver drinking cup which is found in Benjamin's grain sack. Judah explains to Joseph that if Benjamin doesn't return home to Canaan, it will kill their father Jacob.
Chapter 45 - After Joseph sent away all the Egyptians, he wept, although the Egyptians could hear him weep. Joseph said to his brothers in Hebrew, "I am Joseph!" "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt!" Joseph interprets what they did as God sending him ahead to save them from famine. Joseph and Pharaoh, #2 and #1 in Egypt, send the brothers back home to bring all they have back to live in the best part of Egypt, Goshen as there were still 5 years of famine left. When they saw Jacob again, they said, "Joseph is still alive! And he is governor over all the land of Egypt!" (verse 26) "And Israel said, 'It is enough! Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.'" (verse 28)
Genesis 46 - God appears to Jacob in route to Egypt saying, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation." (verse 3) More importantly God continued saying, "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you [your people Israel] up again; and Joseph will put his hand upon your eyes [when they are about to close in death]." (verse 4) They (66 persons listed as Jacob's offspring) met with Joseph at Goshen. Joseph was 39 years old.
Chapter 47 - Jacob appears before Pharaoh and does not bow down. Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is and Jacob replies 130 and for God's people, that's young. People ran out of money to buy food from Pharaoh so Joseph accepted their livestock as payment and finally their land. In the end all the Egyptians had to pay Pharaoh 1/5th of their crops forever in return for food. Did they complain? No, they said, "You have saved our lives!" (verse 25). At age 147 Jacob made Joseph swear to take his body out of Egypt after he died.
Chapter 48 - Jacob adopts Joseph's two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. If Joseph has other sons, they shall be counted as sons of Joseph. Jacob blesses the sons of Joseph as being his own saying the younger (Ephraim) will be more prominent than the elder (Manasseh). Thus, Jacob gives Joseph's lineage so far a double portion. Jacob calls God "the redeeming Angel [that is, the Angel the Redeemer-not a created being but the Lord Himself] Who has redeemed me continually from every evil." (verse 16)
Genesis 49 - Jacob is about to die and tells his sons what will happen in the future. He tells
Reuben, his firstborn, that due to his behavior, he has lost his birthright.
Simeon and
Levi will be scattered in Israel because of their killing the Shechemites.
Judah is told, "The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people." (verse 10) He would replace Reuben in the family which was to become very significant at some future time.
Zebulun shall live by the sea shore and be a haven for ships.
Issachar would be subject to forced labor.
Dan was to become a judge which would play out via circumstances.
Gad would win in unprovoked skirmishes.
Asher will have abundant and delightful food.
Naphtali will have lovely offspring.
Joseph has already shown how strong God made him. Greater blessing from father to son comes to Joseph than came before from Abraham to Isaac or from Isaac to Jacob.
Benjamin will be very successful in war in greater proportion than his numbers.
Jacob charged them all to bury him not in Egypt permanently but in the cave Abraham bought, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah was buried, in Canaan. Jacob died.
Chapter 50 - Joseph had Jacob embalmed and the Egyptians mourned Jacob's death for 70 days as if he were royalty. Joseph obtained permission from Pharaoh to bury Jacob in Canaan. Now Joseph's brothers were afraid that maybe Joseph had been good to them all the years Jacob was alive only to please Jacob. They were afraid of what Joseph would do next. They realized that while the leadership went to Judah, the double portion of the birthright went to Joseph who still #2 in Egypt. They offered to become Joseph's servants and bowed down to him (Genesis 37:5-10, Genesis 50:15-18). Joseph answered wisely, "Fear not; for am I in the place of God? [Vengeance is His, not mine.] As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day. Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for and support you and your little ones. And he comforted them [imparting cheer, hope, strength] and spoke to their hearts kindly." (verses 19-21) Joseph tells his brothers God will visit them and at that time, take his bones out of Egypt. Joseph dies at age 110, was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt.
The end of the book of Genesis.
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