If you have been reading the One Year Bible with us up to this point, well done. Tomorrow we come to the end of the Book of Genesis and will start the Book of Exodus.
I will list some sample of what some of you have said you have been learning from the Book of Genesis in the light of the rest of the Bible and include Scripture references:
“I have learned afresh that we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). God originally created us to be like Jesus Christ. He is the image of God perfectly expressed (2 Cor 4:4, Col 1:15, Heb 1:3). Now that I have been born of the Holy Spirit, He is making me more like Jesus." (Romans 8:29).
“I saw God’s pattern to reflect the community of oneness that exists within the Trinity in marriage (Genesis 2:24), family (Gen 1:28) and the church." (Ephesians 5:29-32; John 17:21)
“I saw that the first woman was made from the first man, was originally in the first man, composed of the first man and brought alongside the first man to be the beloved co-regent of the first man (Genesis 2:21-23). Even so, the church is purchased by the blood from the wounded side of the second man, is bone of His bone, born of His Spirit, “for we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:29-32)
“I saw that no sooner had mankind fallen into sin then God sprang into action to give His promise and execute His plan for a perfect work of redemption that would ultimately be fulfilled by the Seed of the Woman (Gen 3:15), the virgin born Son of God, of the line of the appointed substitute, Seth. The prophesied Messiah would come through the line of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah. Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. He comes to finish the work of redemption that the Father set in motion: “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working” (John 5:17). On the cross Jesus would declare that the prophecies concerning the Seed of the Woman had come to completion: “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Our Redeemer was bruised for our iniquities but Satan’s head was crushed by our Redeemer."
OLD TESTAMENT READING: GENESIS 48:1-49:33
Today we read in Genesis 49 of Jacob blessing his sons and accurately prophesying that the Messiah would come through the line of Judah, saying, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:10) Jesus truly is “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David.” (Rev. 5:5).
How much did Jacob and his family understand God’s great redemptive plan? By this time the promise given to Abraham (Gen 12:7) had been renewed (Gen 13:15, 15:7) and sealed with an oath (Genesis 22:15-18) and a covenant (Gen 15:18, 17:4-8). This promise was renewed as the Lord appeared to Abraham’s son, Isaac, (Genesis 26:2-5) and Jacob (Gen 28:12-15). Jacob remembers this promise as he is in his last days and prophesies over his family (Genesis 48:4).
There is an interesting incident in which Jacob adopts and blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh in Genesis 48. They are accepted and treated with the full privileges and tribal rights as sons. They are the children of Joseph and were born in Egypt, but are legally decreed as belonging to Jacob by adoption with the full privileges due the ‘sons of Israel’. It reminds us of the full inheritance and covenant blessings won by the chosen firstborn of the new creation, Jesus Christ (Col 1:15,18, Romans 8:29; Heb 1:6), that are freely conferred upon us; the blessings of sonship:
“ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:15-17)
The prophecy (Genesis 25:23) that had been given to Rebekah while she was carrying twins in her womb that the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob). You may remember that the first sighting we have of Jacob is when he is born grabbing Esau by the heel! That’s where he gets his name: “Heel-catcher!” This is a fitting picture as Jacob spends the first part of his life taking matters into his own hands and deceiving others. What was his by the gift of a divine decree he continually fights for. He is continually getting in the way of the God who wants to bless him freely by wrestling in his own strength. Then, when Isaac sends him to get a bride, for the rest of his life, Jacob finds that matters are no longer in his hand. He is no longer in control and he is deceived by others, and victimized by his deceiving relatives on all sides! Now at the end of his life he is a picture of a man who has been dealt with by God. He is under control, but not the control of his deceitful flesh that insists on wrestling for a blessing, nor the control of his relatives (he will not even allow himself to be controlled by Joseph’s hands!) but He is under the control of God, the true Blesser. He consciously will bless the younger by grace.
Jacob gives Joseph, the firstborn of his chosen bride, Rachel, the double portion due the rightful heir (instead of Reuben who was the firstborn by deception and had forfeited his birthrights through sin). Jacob does this by honoring Joseph and adopting his two sons and consciously putting into effect the God-given pattern he previously tried to fulfill by deceiving his brother and father. The pattern represents a principle that we discover later in the New Testament, first comes that which is natural, the first man, Adam, then the spiritual, Christ.
First comes that which is born of the flesh. Then comes that which is born of the Spirit. First comes the righteousness of the law, that condemns. Then comes the righteousness of Christ, that fulfills and grants us an inheritance available to us by grace (1 Corinthians 15:45-50; John 3:6-7). We will see more of this pattern as we read through the Bible. Jacob had learned by sorrow that God’s will is to be done God’s way and not through the deceitfulness of taking matters into his own hands according to his deceitful heart.
It is also interesting to note that Jacob had enjoyed 17 years with his son Joseph in Hebron. Now he had the joy of 17 years with his grandsons in Egypt. He had been robbed of 22 years of life with Joseph in between, but was experiencing in his old age, a double portion with Joseph and his grandsons.
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Matthew 15:29-16:12
During the first miraculous feeding of the multitude (in Matthew 14) there were 5000 men plus women and children fed with 5 loaves and 2 fish and 12 baskets of leftovers. Here, in the second miraculous feeding (in Matthew 15), there were 4000 men plus women and children to be fed with 7 baskets of leftovers. Don’t do the math. There is no formula, just that, with Jesus, there is MORE THAN ENOUGH!
These miracles are reminders that the Lord wants to employ His disciples to meet needs. We are to bring all that we have, no matter how meager, and put it in His hands. He knows how to use it and we can trust Him to do miraculous things.
Jesus warns his disciples to be on their guard about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt 16:6). Once again he gives the Pharisees and Sadducees the warning that the only sign he will give them is the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39, 16:4). The yeast that Jesus tells his disciples to be on guard against is the false teaching of religion that deceives people into accepting a religion of adherence to practical principles, precepts, piety or rituals without a relationship with Christ through repentance and faith.
Pastor David
