1. The Patriarchs Abraham: Father of Faith Isaac: Child of Promise Jacob: Father of Israel

2. Abraham’s Refining Gen. 12:1-5 A partial obedience... 1.Strength in numbers 2.Trusting in wealth 3.Doing God’s work in a human way 4.Loving the gift of God more than God Himself 5.An improper view of God as Father

3. Direct Prophecies of the One Gen. 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.

4. Through the Semitic Peoples Gen. 9:25-27 25 So he said, "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers." 26 He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. 27 "May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant."

5. Through Abraham Gen. 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

6. Through Isaac Gen. 17:19 But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”

7. Through Jacob Gen 28:14 "Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

8. Through Judah Gen 49:10 10 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.

9. Pictures of the One 3:21 garments of skin 6:23 ark (see 1 Peter 3:18-22) 9:18-17 rainbow—limitation on judgment 14:18-20 Melchizedek 15:7-11 an upside-down covenant 18:9-15 Isaac (Laughter) Child of Promise

10. The Great Picture—Genesis 22 Sacrifice of Isaac 3 days into death wood of the sacrifice on his back YHWH Jireh (lit. ‘sees’)—the ram Mt. Moriah—see 2 Chron. 3:1

11. More Pictures 28:10-22 Jacob’s ladder (see John 1:51) 29:31-35 Messiah will ultimately come through Leah, the unloved wife (symbol of rejection) 32:22-32 Jacob’s encounter is with Someone he understands to be God, but who is distinct from God (like Isaiah 48:12-16)

12. And then, Joseph Like Jesus in many ways... loved by a father, rejected by brothers punished, exiled, but righteous withstands temptation has supernatural knowledge begins ministry at 30 his suffering leads to life for others

13. Still more forgives his tormentors he weeps says, “Be not afraid” says to brothers, “you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

14. Narrative Structure Genealogies give evidence of importance of the One—list brothers that won’t carry line in sparse detail, then finally list the one that will in much greater detail (Joseph an obvious exception) Isolated stories included in Genesis for sole reason that they relate to the theme of the One

15. Jacob’s Children Jacob (renamed Israel—one who wrestles or strives with God) has 12 sons and a daughter by his wives Leah and Rachel, and their maids, Zilpah and Bilhah

16. Dysfunctional Family Leah Reuben: “looked upon” (the Lord has seen my affliction) Simeon: “heard” (the Lord has heard I am unloved) Levi: “attach” (my husband will become attached to me” Judah: “praise” (this time I will praise the Lord)

17. Rachel Fights Back Rachel’s by Bilhah Dan: “judged” (God has vindicated me) Naphtali: “wrestled” (I have prevailed against my sister)

18. Leah Fights Back Leah’s by Zilpah Gad: “fortune” (how fortunate) Asher: “happy” (happy am I; women will call me happy) Leah Issachar: “wages” (my wages for giving my maid) Zebulun: “dwell” (now my husband will dwell with me) Dinah

19. Rachel’s Sons Rachel Joseph: “add to me” (may the Lord give me another) Benjamin: “son of my right hand” (renamed from “son of my sorrow” at Rachel’s death)

20. Stories of 4 Sons Aside from Joseph (whose story explains the presence of the Hebrews in Egypt), there are only stories of 4 of the 12 sons Reuben—sexual misconduct (35:22; 49:3-4 Simeon & Levi—violence... absence of the Name (34:1-31;49:5-7) Judah (37:26; 38:1-30; 44:18-34; 49:8-12)

21. Why Judah? He, too, sins, but unlike his brothers, he accepts his sin and faces it squarely when he is confronted (Gen. 38) In this he is like his famous descendant, David (2 Sam. 12) These are the only people in the OT that face their sins so directly (contrast the response of Simeon and Levi)

22. But this is not all... Judah gives himself in the Joseph story as a sinless sacrifice for his younger brother, Benjamin (contrast Gen. 44:18-34 with what Reuben says in Gen. 42:37) In this Judah is like his most famous descendant: Jesus Without this, you might conclude that Genesis had simply been written to glorify David; no— a Super-Intelligence is at work