This was a major contrast to the head-strong young man who was so overbearing.

Transcription

1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview May 18, 2008 "Make Major Life Adjustments" Background & Lesson: Genesis 46:1-50:26 Motivation: In times of transition, uncertainty or adversity we are often tempted to question God's providence. These chapters from the life of Joseph give us valuable insight into the "behind the scenes" work that God does for His children. Examination: (Note: Since we will not have Bible Study on Memorial Day Sunday, material from the 5/25 lesson is included here.) I. Worthwhile Move (46:1-34) When Pharaoh invited Israel and his family to move to Egypt, there must have been some reluctance. Canaan was the land promised by God, not Egypt. Also, Abraham had gotten into trouble in Egypt. Yet, the chapter closes on a happy note. What can we learn: A. In a Time of Transition, First Seek God (46:1-4) Israel sacrificed to "the God of his father Isaac " and sought direction. This was a major contrast to the head-strong young man who was so overbearing. Of course, we should seek God's direction every day; but, the fact that Israel " 1 / 10

2 offered sacrifices " reminds us that transitional times may require us to go beyond "business as usual" and to especially concentrate on God's leadership. God honored Israel's sacrifice and comforted him. B. In a Time of Transition, Consider Everyone's Needs (46:5-27) Genealogies may not "ring your bell" for Bible Study; but, their inclusion is significant: 1. The list of people is a picture of the unity God desires for His people. They were "all present and accounted for." (Stephen's number of 75 (Acts 7:14) included Joseph's grandsons.) Ephesians 4: The list of people includes Christ's ancestors (Matthew 1). 3. The list of people is a foreshadowing of another list in heaven; J. Vernon McGee, (Thru the Bible, Vol. 1, p. 183) "There is another reason, and it is very personal. Have you heard of the Lamb's Book of Life? The question is: Is your name written there? Just as you got into the line of Adam (and we all are in that line), you get into the line of Christ - that is, by birth. But in the case of the Lamb's Book of Life, you get there by the new birth which comes about by receiving Christ as your personal Savior. When you do that, you become a child of God." (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17; Col. 3:12-17; I John 3:1-3) 2 / 10

3 C. In a Time of Transition, Plan Ahead, (46:28-34) Notice that both Israel and Joseph are pro-active rather than reactive: 1. Scout Ahead "So he sent Judah before him..." (28) 2. Savor the Change "fell on his neck and wept a good while" (29) 3. Smooth the Bumps "every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians" (34) The word " cattle " in the KJV is probably best understood as " livestock." Joseph is not telling his brothers to lie; nor are they as stupid as they appear to be in 47:3. Believer's Study Bible, p. 27: " 46:34 Joseph's plan was to use the Egyptian prejudice against shepherds to provide his family with a place where they could flourish. It also helped them to remain culturally and spiritually distinct. Goshen was in the eastern Delta region, not far from the court at Memphis (cf. 34:25)." II. Promising Home (47:1-12) In a Time of Transition, Be Humble (remain dependent upon God) The best way to see the change in Israel's life is to contrast the brash Jacob of 29:4-14 with the humble Israel of 47:9. "And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.'" Here's a lesson in human relations: 3 / 10

4 humility and genuineness endear you to new people much more than arrogance and pride. (Matt. 23:12) III. Benevolent Administration (47:13-26) Joseph has been criticized for taking advantage of the people's poverty. By the end of the chapter, the Pharaoh owns all the land and all the livestock. The end of the story, though, is one of gratitude " You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my Lord... " (25) When the issue is survival, property rights and possessions become moot points. Joseph, in fact, took desperate measures to save an entire culture; the people called him a savior, another comparison to Christ. IV. Timely Promise (47:27-31) "Let me live with my fathers" (30) Jacob/Israel has become a very wealthy patriarch of a large nation. He made Joseph promise to take his bones back to the land of promise. The cave at Machpelah was the family burial plot of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah, (49:31). Jacob realized that his change of geography did not negate God's promise. V. Special Blessings (48:1-22) Upon his deathbed, Israel reflects upon his life and adopts Joseph's sons as his own (Hebrews 11:21). Jacob had been in Egypt for seventeen years and is 147 years old. Several prophecies are valuable in helping us understand Jewish (and Christian) history. 4 / 10

5 All Henry Morris quotations are from The Genesis Record (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976.) Jacob recounted God's blessings and gave praise for the "Angel who has redeemed me &q uot; (16). This is the first use of "redeem" in the Bible. We associate the " Angel " with Jesus Christ. Jacob gave the double blessing of the first-born to Joseph by making his two sons equal to Joseph's brothers. The incident of blessing the younger (19) is in line with Isaac being chosen over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Joseph over Reuben. We are reminded that the only birth order that's important to God is the New Birth. (John 3:7, 36) VI. Prophetic Pronouncements (49:1-33) A. The Future of Reuben (49:3-4) "you shall not excel" "In the history of Israel, the tribe of Reuben never furnished a leader of any kind for the nation as a whole. In the later journeys to the promised land, the Reubenites were the first tribe to ask for a place to settle, not waiting to cross the Jordan with the others (Numbers 32). They participated in the erection of an unauthorized place of worship (Joshua 22:10-34).During the later wars with the Canaanites, in the days of Deborah and Barak, the tribe of Reuben failed to answer the call to arms (Judges 5:15,16). Jacob's prophecy concerning Reuben has continued to be fulfilled ever since. Never has Reuben excelled in anything." 5 / 10

6 (Morris, p.652) B. The Future of Simeon and Levi (49:5-7) "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." "This prophecy was fulfilled in different ways in the case of each brother. Simeon was given an inheritance within the inheritance of the children of Judah' (Joshua 19:1), but some of the sons of Simeon were captured and dwelled in some of the lands of the Edomites and Amalekites, outside of Canaan (I Chronicles 4:39-43). In the days of the divided kingdom, many of the Simeonites left Israel to join Judah (II Chronicles 15:9). Apparently they were eventually either mostly assimilated by Judah or scattered outside of Israel altogether, and little is heard of them after the days of King Asa. As far as Levi is concerned, his descendants never had an inheritance of their own in the land, but only cities scattered throughout all the other tribes (cities of refuge (Numbers 35:5-6, 11-15), Joshua 21:1-3). However, the Levites largely redeemed themselves by their stand against idolatry in the days of Moses (Exodus 32:26)." (Morris, p. 653) C. The Future of Judah (8-12) J. Vernon McGee writes about the key prophecy that "Shiloh", the Messiah, will be descended from the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5): "Not only is Christ Shiloh, but also One who will hold the sceptre. The sceptre of this universe will be held in nail-pierced hands. In the last part of verse 24 of this chapter we read that from God will come the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. So this Shiloh is also a shepherd and a stone. When we get to Numbers 24:17 we will find that a Star is prophesied. Think of all that the coming of Christ means. 6 / 10

7 Seed promised to the woman and to the patriarchs. Shiloh who brings rest. King who holds the sceptre. Shepherd who gave His life, and chief Shepherd who is coming someday. Stone that the builders dis-allowed but who is now become the headstone of the corner. Star, the bright and morning Star for His church. This is the line that went from Adam to Seth (after Abel was murdered). From Seth it went through Noah to Shem and to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and now to Judah. Friend, don't miss this wonderful fact that God is moving according to a pattern and a program here. This is very important for us to see." ( Thru the Bible, p. 193) D. The Future of Dan (16-18) "Dan shall be a serpent by the way" "...the reference to the serpent may also refer symbolically to the fact that it was the Danites who introduced idolatry into the land of Israel on a regular official basis (Judges 18:30, 31). It was also in Dan that Jeroboam, who led the rebellion that culminated in the divided kingdom, set up one of his two golden calves (I Kings 12:28-30). It may be that this is why Dan is not listed among the tribes in Revelation 7:4-8 (note 7 / 10

8 Deuteronomy 29:16-21). This line of inquiry has led many to believe that the anti-christ will come out of the tribe of Dan. E. The Future of the Remaining Tribes (19-33) Gad (19), Asher (20), Naphtali (21), Joseph (22-26) and Benjamin (27) are all blessed in the latter half of the chapter. VII. Fulfilled Obligation (50:1-14) Jacob saw the promised land as a physical place; we see it as a spiritual home. His insistence upon being buried in Canaan (rather than Egypt) was in line with his desire to possess the land. Some ancient sources suggest that the normal time needed to embalm a body was thirty days; the period of mourning for a Pharaoh was seventy-two days. So, the high regard for Joseph is seen in the royal burial of his father. (cf. Joshua 24:32 for Joseph's burial) VIII. Confirmed Forgiveness (50:15-26) "... you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive " (20) This is a key not only to understanding the Joseph story but also to understanding the Christian life. Romans 8:28 means, at least in part, that God can take bad things that happen to us and turn "lemons into lemonade." Such a view on life should help us be slow to anger, quick to forgive, and generous in 8 / 10

9 thanksgiving. Application: 1. God enables us to move to new opportunities. 2. God provides us a view of the future through prophecy. 3. God comforts us with His providential direction in the midst of adverse circumstances. Leader Pack Item 19: Poster: Make Major Life Adjustments; Item 20: Handout: Finish Well Illustrator: pg. 26 "Threshing Floors" Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: y.org/ ; Dates: March 24 thru September 6- No events in Worship Center; 5/25 - Memorial Day weekend - two a.m. services, No Ascend, no Bible classes ; 6/6 - METRO live; 6/ VBS; 6/23-27 Middle & High School Camp; 6/ Children's Camp; 7/6 - Independence Day, normal schedule; 7/ Houston Project; 7/11 9 / 10

10 - METRO live and Houston Project; 7/ First Place Annual Leadership Conf.; 8/1 - METRO live; 8/31 - Labor Day Weekend - normal schedule; 9/7 - Promotion Sunday; 9/19 - All Sunday School leader training - 6:30-12:00 pm; 9/21 - Parent Commitment & Reception; 10/ Women's Omni Westside; 10/18 - Shaping Your Child's Character; 11/2 - Fall Back (time change Sun.); 11/7 - FBA Veteran's Recognition Service; 11/ Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; 11/16 - Parent Commitment & Reception; 11/30 - Thanksgiving - one service (10 am) plus Ascend, no Bible classes; 12/6 - Preschoolers Christmas Party; 12/6 - MTC Christmas Store; 12/28 - Christmas Break - All three worship services, no Bible classes. 10 / 10