Genesis
Lesson 25Genesis Chapters 26 through 47
We continue our study of Genesis, now entering the second half of the book. It is interesting to note that the first 24 chapters covered everything from the Creation story, the Fall of man in sin, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, to the life of Abraham. The remaining 26 chapters focus on the lives of three people: Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, who were Abraham’s direct descendants. They comprise the beginning of the creation of God’s chosen people.
In order to establish the proper backdrop for these chapters, and the three people who will be their focus, it is useful to introduce a dimension of this study which perhaps you have never considered before. The goal is to help put into context the stories that many of us have all come to know: the birth of the twins, Esau and Jacob, the deception of Isaac, the birth of the twelve sons to Jacob, and the many trials that befell Joseph.
As we test these stories with logic, and apply some inductive reasoning to our studies, we may get fuller picture of these events. So let’s examine a new dimension in the story of these three men and their families, specifically, their ages.
For example, I’m sure that if you ask even the most regular Bible student how old the twins Esau and Jacob were when Jacob deceived Isaac; they would reply with a guess that the twins were probably teenagers or maybe in their early twenties. However, similar to our findings last week when we re-read the scriptures concerning Isaac in which we noted that Isaac had prayed for Rebekah for twenty years before she bore the twins, we will also see something different about these twins, their age, and what it tells us about our walk with God.
So, don your thinking caps and be prepared to read a lot of scripture, scripture that I know will open your eyes and add understanding to the second half of Genesis.
Read the following passages from the latter half of Genesis:
- Genesis 26:34
- Genesis 27:41
- Genesis 27:42-45
- Genesis 29:26
- Genesis 30:24
- Genesis 37:3
- Genesis 31:38
- Genesis 35:28-29
- Genesis 37:2
- Genesis 41:46
- Genesis 47:9
- Genesis 47:28
Based on your findings above, answer the following questions:
- How old was Isaac when the twins, Esau and Jacob, were born?
- How old was Isaac when he died?
- How old was Jacob when he came to Egypt during the famine, during the time that Joseph was the Pharaoh’s "main man", administering the gathering and dispensing of food.
- How old was Jacob when he died?
- How old was Esau when he married Judith? By this time, had Esau already been tricked out of his birthright and had his blessing stolen from him by Jacob?
- How old was Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery?
- How old was Joseph when the Pharaoh put him in charge?
- How long did Jacob work for Laban in order to earn his two wives, Leah and Rachel? And how long altogether did Jacob work for Laban before he left with his family?
- Given all of the above facts and verses, and assuming that Jacob came to Egypt during the second year of the famine, how old were the twins when Jacob and Rebekah deceived his father? And if you remember this from our previous study, just providing the age isn’t good enough. You need to "show your work" and write down how you determined their age.
- How many years before Jacob traveled to Egypt during the famine was it when Isaac died? Would Isaac have heard about the "death" of Joseph when the brothers sold him off to slavery?
Hopefully you have noted that when we apply ourselves to studying God’s Word and look for the opportunities to induce and integrate what we find there, we will discover new principles that we may have missed before. For example, we found that the main figures in the narrative are older and theoretically "mature" people who are acting in very immature ways. We see youth both from its good side and from its bad side, as God’s plan continues to unfold perfectly, in spite of man.
Thanks for studying with us, and have a great week!
In Christ,
Wes
[2010]