Study 5: The Family of Jacob who God called Israel

Events that shaped the Children of Israel’s life

The rape of Dinah (Genesis 34:1-7)

• The rape by the Canaanites (Genesis 34:1-7)
• The consequences
1. The rapist wishes to put things right and marry Dinah  (Genesis 34:8-17)
• Rapist’s city are all circumcised (Genesis 34:18-24)
• The Law: The primary passage concerning the punishment for rape is found in Deuteronomy 22:25-27.
2. Evil of Simeon and Levi (Genesis 34:25-31)
• Lessons
1. Intermarriage with the Canaanites would destroy Israel’s distinctive identity
2. The Canaanites needed to be destroyed
3. No assimilation could be permitted

Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38)

• Judah leaves the family (Genesis 38:1)
• Judah intermarries with Canaanites (Genesis 38:2-5)
• The messianic line is through Judah, and thus could include the Canaanites
• God has a problem – preventing assimilating with the Canaanites – forms key reason for the events that subsequently unfolds
• Judah had five sons in all – only three are spoken of here (2 Chronicles 2:4)
• Wickedness of Judah’s son and the consequence (Genesis 38:7)
• Tamar is made a widow
• Levirite law should have given Tamar a child through Onan (Genesis 38:8-11)
• Tamar is left destitute (Genesis 38:12)
• Judah’s son Shelah was supposed to marry Tamar
• Tamar takes it upon herself to have a child, through deception (Genesis 38:12-26)
• Note: Tamar had a right to have a child
• What she did was dangerous and risked punishment, but were within the laws of the day
• Tamar has twins (Genesis 38:27-30)
• Perez and Zerah are born
• Perez is a forerunner to Jesus – Matthew 1:3, Luke 3:33

What we learn from this episode:

1. The writer of Genesis interrupts the story of Joseph to include this episode
2. Its’ importance is in tracing the messianic line, through Tamar’s son Perez
3. It shows why God sent the Children of Israel to Egypt – to prevent intermarrying with Canaanites
4. It should although Judah was the Messianic line, sexual temptation is not resisted.

Selling of Joseph (Genesis 37)

• Joseph’s coat                     Genesis 37:2-4
• Joseph’s dream                 Genesis 37:5-11
• Joseph sold                        Genesis 37:12-36

The faithfulness of Joseph

• Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 38:7-19)
• Consequence of Joseph’s righteousness: imprisonment (Genesis 39:19 – 30:23)
• God’s response (Genesis 39:21)
• Joseph interprets dreams(Genesis 40)
• Joseph released (Genesis 41:1-14)
• Joseph made ruler (Genesis 41:37-44)

Drought forces Jacob’s children into Egypt

• First trip (Genesis 42) – Joseph tests the brothers, except Benjamin
• Joseph’s brothers bow down to him as God had indicated in (Genesis 37:1-11)
• Joseph tests the brothers; partial truth told (Genesis 42:13)
• Returns the money
• Keeps Simeon (Genesis 42:24)
• Second trip (Genesis 43-44) – Joseph tests the brothers again
• Second encounter with Joseph (Genesis 43:15-34)
• Second test – arrest of Benjamin (Genesis 44:1-17)
• Note Judah’s prominence, the one who instigated the sale of Joseph
• Repentance (Genesis 44:15-34)
1. The brothers had repented of their sin
2. They were clearly concerned about their father
3. They had a special concern for their half-brother, Benjamin

The consequence

• Joseph brings his family to Egypt: (Genesis 46)
• The family settles in Egypt: (Genesis 47)
• Summary
• Acts 7:6–15
• Acts 13:16-17

Blessings of the Children of Jacob (Genesis 49:1-27)

Death & burial of Jacob & Joseph (Genesis 49, 50)

Standard practice was a 40 day mourning period

Jacob is buried in the land of Canaan, in Cis-Jordan (Beyond the Jordan)

Joseph's brothers are submissive to him (Genesis 50:15-21)

Joseph dies (Genesis 50:22-26).