Scripture Storyline: An Invitation to Biblical Theology

By Todd R. Chipman

Scripture Storyline guides the reader through the Old and New Testaments, showing how every section of Scripture is connected as part of a grand narrative of God's redemptive work. As Chipman covers Old Testament passages, he explains their meaning, their place in God's story, and how New Testament authors used and interpreted them to m

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fontes Press
• Release date: Oct 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781948048415

Todd R. Chipman

Todd R. Chipman is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Teaching Pastor at The Master's Community Church (SBC).

Book preview

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Genesis with Select Psalms and Proverbs

Genesis 1; Psalms 33, 136, 148

The opening chapter of the Old Testament establishes a framework for understanding all of Scripture. In Genesis 1, God demonstrated His power through His word. Using no pre-existent physical matter, God spoke and created the universe (Heb 11:3). But the emphasis of Genesis 1—as well as Psalms 33, 136, 148, and others—is upon the excellence of God’s creative word.

Throughout Genesis 1, the author of Genesis repeated God’s statements of self-commendation. In Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, God recognized His own creative acts as good. In a summary statement in Gen 1:31, God called His work very good. Genesis 1 provides an account of the created order and God’s self-evaluation. In God’s view, everything went according to plan. It is no wonder then that in Psalm 148, the Psalmist called even the sun, moon, and stars to praise their Creator.

In the storyline of Scripture, the natural world is the framework within which the drama of redemption unfolds. Psalm 136:1-9 accentuates God’s wisdom and power in creation and the balance of the Psalm recounts the exodus—all with the refrain: His love is eternal. God’s redemptive purpose in creation is also portrayed in Psalm 33, where the Creator is confessed as the source of national protection for Israel (Ps 33:12-22).

The authors of the New Testament described creation and redemption as activities that both God and Jesus accomplished together.

(1) John began his Gospel by describing Jesus as the Word, God’s agent in the creative acts of Genesis 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created (John 1:1-3). John went on to explicate Jesus’ role in redemption, writing, The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

(2) In his letter to the Colossians, Paul described Jesus as God’s agent in creation, writing, He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together (Col 1:15-17). Paul turned immediately to the roles God and Jesus fulfill in redemption: He (Jesus) is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross—whether things on earth or things in heaven (Col 1:15-20).

(3) At the outset of his Epistle, the author of Hebrews coordinated the work of the Father and Son in creation and redemption, noting that God accomplished both by His word. In Heb 1:1-3, the author stated that in former times God spoke by the prophets of Israel but in the last days spoke through His Son. The Father appointed the Son as heir of all things and through the Son created the universe. The Son, by His word, sustains the created order. He is able to sustain the universe because after the Son atoned for sins, He sat down of the right hand of the Father, the majestic and exalted One.

Genesis 2; Psalms 8, 19; Proverbs 8

These chapters of the Old Testament are linked by their dual portrayal of God’s wisdom in creation and in His instruction to humanity. Genesis 2 begins with a portrayal of the wisdom and power God displayed in creation. God’s creative work was so good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) that God rested for a day (Gen 2:1-3). God’s design had been accomplished and it could not be improved.

God’s wisdom in creation sets the stage for the wisdom of His instruction, noted in Genesis 2, Psalms 8 and 19, and Proverbs 8. In Gen 2:15-17 God commanded Adam concerning what he should eat and what was forbidden. This wise instruction was given so that Adam could continue to enjoy the intimate fellowship of God in the Garden. Proverbs 8 personifies God’s wisdom. God wants to be known and His wisdom seeks out those who long for His instruction. Psalm 19 further develops the connection between God’s wisdom in His creative acts (Ps 19:1-6) and His instruction (Ps 19:7-11). In Ps 19:4 the Psalmist describes the pervasive communicative power of the heavens writing, Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. Paul saw in Ps 19:4 a fitting description of the pervasive prophetic instruction God sent to Israel—instruction they rejected (Rom 10:18).

Like Ps 19:4, Psalm 8 is also formative for the storyline of Scripture. In Psalm 8, the author reflects on the greatness of God’s creative power and the relative frailty of humanity: What is man, that You remember him, or the son of man, that You care for him? You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet (Ps 8:5-7). The author of Hebrews employed Ps 8:5-7 to help his audience understand Christ’s full humanity and dominion. While Jesus is superior to angels (the point of Hebrews 1), for a time, in accord with Psalm 8, Christ was made a little lower than the angels. Through Christ’s incarnation and death, God demonstrated His grace and crowned Jesus with glory (Heb 2:9). But Psalm 8 also signaled Jesus’ resurrection. To the Corinthians, Paul argued that even death, the last great enemy of humanity, has been put under Christ’s feet, subjected to Him (Ps 8:6b)—with the result that as Jesus was raised from the dead, so all those in Him will be raised as well (1 Cor 15:27).

Although Adam had perfect fellowship with God in the Garden in Genesis 2, there was yet no created helper found suitable for him from among the animals. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the LORD God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man (Gen 2:21-22). In the creation of woman, God formed not only a distinct person but a distinct institution, marriage. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh (Gen 2:24), the author of Genesis wrote. In the storyline of Scripture, God’s creation of male and female provides a framework for the enduring character of marriage. Both Jesus and Paul employed the marriage of Adam and Eve as a pattern to be followed in every generation.

(1) When some Pharisees approached Jesus to ask Him about rules for a husband to divorce his wife (Matt 19:1-9//Mark 10:1-12), Jesus replied with Gen 1:27 and Gen 2:24. Since God made distinct genders and brought Adam and Eve together in a permanent institution, for all ages marriage is the union of one man and one woman in a covenantal bond.

(2) Instructing the Ephesians about marriage, Paul employed Gen 2:24 when addressing husbands. Men should love their wives as Christ loves the church, the members of His body. In Eph 5:31, Paul argued that the fixed union of Christ and the church reflects the original union of man and woman described in Gen 2:24.

Genesis 3; Psalms 12, 14, 38, 53

Adam and Eve’s sin in Genesis 3 resulted in spiritual isolation from the most necessary and basic human relationship, their relationship with God. They became self-conscious before Him (Gen 3:10) and consequences were in order. Eve and her descendants were assigned physical agony in childbirth (Gen 3:16). Adam and his descendants must work cursed soil and toil in their labor (Gen 3:17-18). And death entered the world (Gen 3:19). There were also horizontal effects to Adam and Eve’s sin. They had a sense of isolation due to the self-consciousness of their nakedness (Gen 3:7), they had a propensity to blame others for their own faults (Gen 3:12-13), and Eve experienced a desire to rule over her husband (Gen 3:16).

But the promise God made to the serpent in Gen 3:15, I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head and you will strike his heel, sparks the redemptive plan into action. Forthcoming Scripture becomes a storyline explaining the consequences of sin and the power of God to reconcile sinners. Paul’s letter to the Romans provides a summary of redemptive themes that are set in motion by Adam and Eve’s sin. In Romans 3, Paul applied portions of Psalms 14 and 53 to both Jews and Gentiles—to show that humanity is unable to meet God’s standards of righteousness and should thus humble themselves and receive His righteousness in Christ. In Rom 5:12-21, Paul compared the power and consequences of Adam’s sin with the power and consequences of Christ’s death and resurrection. The gift is not like the trespass, Paul wrote (Rom 5:15a). Though by Adam’s sin, death reigned over all of humanity, in Christ, the anti-type of Adam, righteousness reigns over those united to Jesus (Rom 5:15b-17). Paul understood that through Adam’s sin, all of humanity was assigned to sin, made sinners (Rom 5:19a). But Christ’s victorious death and resurrection are of greater consequence: Through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous, Paul exclaimed (Rom 5:19b). Paul understood that when sin entered the world, death entered too. Jesus’ death reversed the consequence of Adam’s sin with the result that, Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:21; 1 Cor 15:45). In Romans 8, Paul wrote that the grace of eternal life would have liberating effects for all of creation. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption in the glorious freedom of God’s children (Rom 8:19-21).

All of this is true because Jesus defeated the Devil, finally triumphing over him through death and resurrection. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve were persuaded by Satan’s lies; in the wilderness, Jesus fought Satan with the truth of God’s word (Matt 4:1-11//Mark 1:12-13//Luke 4:1-13). Jesus cast out demons and displayed power over Satan’s domain (Matt 8:28-34//Mark 5:1-17//Luke 8:26-37). Jesus showed Himself to be the strongman coming to plunder the devil’s domain (Matt 12:22-30//Mark 3:22-27//Luke 11:14-23). As Jesus neared the day of His crucifixion, He said, Now is the judgement of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to Myself (John 12:31-32). In being lifted up, Jesus atoned for the sins of His people, removing the devil’s weaponry against the church. Paul wrote that at the cross Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities that would accuse those in Christ, triumphing over them in it (Col 2:11-15). The author of Hebrews wrote that the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation was so that He could fully identify with humanity and defeat the devil at the cross (Heb 2:14-15).

Though Satan is powerless to accuse believers before God, God yet allows the devil to chastise those who act in pride. James wrote, Submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! (Jas 4:7-8). And Peter warned his readers saying, Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world (1 Pet 5:8-9). In the Revelation, John wrote that God will allow Satan to deceive the nations and gather them for war against God’s people (Rev 13:1-8; 19:19-20; 20:7-9) before finally being thrown into the lake of fire forever (Rev 20:10).

Genesis 4-5; Proverbs 1

From Genesis 3 onward, sin’s destructive power in interpersonal relationships becomes a theme of the storyline of Scripture. Sin naturally employs jealousy as a means of causing division in the human family. Cain’s jealousy of Abel is the first in a pattern of jealousy-laden relationships in Genesis: Ishmael was jealous of Isaac (21:9), Esau was jealous of Jacob (27:36), and Joseph’s brothers were jealous of Rachel’s firstborn (37:19). Further in the history of redemption, Aaron and Miriam were jealous of Moses (Num 12:1-2), Saul was jealous of David (1 Sam 18:7-9), the Pharisees were jealous of Jesus (John 11:47-48), and selfish preachers were jealous of Paul (Phil 1:12-17).

Sin’s reigning power in the pre-flood period is seen not only in the way it divides the human family in Genesis 4 and following, but also in its ability to drastically diminish the lifespan of humanity (Genesis 5). The thrust of Genesis 5 is that God did not contrive an empty threat in the Garden. Death entered as sin’s partner so that they would rule over humanity and restrain the gift of a long life on earth. The themes of humility in Proverbs 1 censure humanity’s jealous pursuits. The author of Proverbs warned his audience against the dangers of striving, concluding Proverbs 1 with two contrasting ways of life: The waywardness of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be free from the fear of danger (Prov 1:32-33).

In the storyline of Scripture, the relationship between Cain and Abel becomes a paradigm of good and evil. Cain’s jealous murder of his brother provided an object lesson for John in 1 John 3:11-12: For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Jude described the false teachers of his day as followers of Cain—greedy and destructive (Jude 11).

The author of Hebrews began his catalogue of faithful Old Testament saints by noting that Abel’s gift was superior to Cain’s. By this he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, the author wrote, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through this (Heb 11:4). The author of Hebrews saw in Abel’s blood a type of Christ’s sacrifice, writing that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant—and His blood speaks better things than the blood of Abel (Heb 12:24). Abel and Jesus were both killed unjustly but Jesus, as God’s Son, laid down His life willingly as a sacrifice for sin.

Genesis 6-8; Psalms 1, 29

The story of the flood in Genesis 6-8—like so many scenes in Genesis—establishes principles that will be reaffirmed throughout the Bible. Here three ideas stand out. First, sin’s dominion over humanity knows no bounds. Genesis 6 records that, Man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time (Gen 6:5). Second, God is a God of destruction toward those walking contrary to His word. In Genesis 6, God was so angered with the choices of sinful humanity that He issued an indictment of destruction upon all of mankind—for none are innocent before Him (Gen 6:6-7). The theme of universal guilt may not be popular but cannot be ignored. Third, God is free to grant deliverance to whomever, whenever, and however He chooses. Genesis 6:8 records that the Lord looked graciously upon Noah. Noah deserved to drown but God is a God of destruction and deliverance. Yet the text does not portray deliverance as a passive activity. Noah toiled to build a gigantic structure precisely according to God’s instruction (Gen 6:22; see Psalm 1). As a result, Noah, his family, and representatives of the animal species were all spared (Gen 7:1-10). In sum, the flood narrative displays God’s faithfulness to His word. Even generations later the psalmist reflected on the truthfulness of God’s word: The LORD sat enthroned at the flood; the LORD sits enthroned, King forever. The LORD gives His people strength; the LORD blesses His people with peace (Ps 29:10-11).

Both Old and New Testament writers saw in the flood sequence of Genesis 6-8 themes appropriate for their audiences.

(1) In Ezekiel 14, God gave Ezekiel a word of judgement that emphasized God’s faithfulness to keep His word and destroy the earth via the flood. The Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy that if He declared a famine or plague against a land for their unfaithfulness, that judgement would certainly happen. Even if righteous men like Noah, Daniel, and Job interceded for the people, they would only save themselves (Ezek 14:14, 20).

(2) When Jesus taught His disciples about the need to be watchful for His return, He told them that future generations would resemble the people of Noah’s day. At that time, the people went on with life despite Noah’s warnings; they ate and drank and married without reference to God. Jesus held up Noah as an example of alertness to God and His word. Noah escaped while the world was swept away. Jesus told His followers that they likewise needed to be alert for the hour that the Son of Man would return to rescue His own from the final day of destruction (Matt 24:37-39//Luke 17:26-27).

(3) The author of Hebrews also set Noah as an example for his audience writing, By faith Noah, after being warned about what was not yet seen, in reverence built an ark to deliver his family. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith (Heb 11:7).

(4) In 1 and 2 Peter, Peter called his audiences to consider God’s character displayed in the flood recorded in Genesis 6-8. In 1 Pet 3:20, Peter described God’s patience as a means of encouragement for his audience. God waited on Noah to build the ark, delaying the cataclysm of the flood until it was finished. Peter encouraged his audience—those suffering for their faith—that though God is patient, He would rescue His faithful ones even if their remnant is small. Peter wrote the same to the audience of 2 Peter, pairing God’s deliverance of Noah with God’s rescue of Lot in Genesis 19. Peter wanted his audience to understand that God simultaneously acts to condemn the wicked and rescue those who are sensitive to His word (2 Pet 2:4-10).

Genesis 9-11

The book of Genesis is the book of generations and covenants. Although the Abrahamic covenant is arguably the most foundational covenant of the Bible, Noah was the first to receive the offer of a covenant relationship with God (Gen 6:18). This covenant was God’s promise to deliver Noah and his family while destroying the rest of the human race. In Genesis 9-11, the gift of deliverance God bestowed upon Noah was followed by the command that Noah and his descendants repopulate and manage the earth.

This blessing/requirement rubric is stated in Gen 9:1-17. The demands God made were the natural and logical progression of the deliverance Noah and his descendants received when the rest of humanity was destroyed. In Gen 9:8-17, God confirmed His covenant with the Noahic family—a covenant that would be memorialized in the sky to reassure Noah and his descendants that God would keep His covenant with them (Gen 9:12-17). The early chapters of Genesis establish patterns that will be followed throughout the lives of the Patriarchs. In the latter half of Genesis 9, Noah heard the promises of God’s covenant only to falter in faithfulness. Abraham (Genesis 16), Isaac (Gen 26:7-11), and national Israel (Exodus 32) follow in Noah’s footsteps by failing to keep the requirements that would bring God’s blessing. Genesis 9:20-27 records the drunken stupor of a father, the shameful curiosity of a son, and Noah’s harsh words of discipline.

God’s faithfulness to Noah did not inspire faithfulness in Noah’s descendants. They settled in one place—as opposed to obeying God’s command to spread out over the whole earth (Gen 9:1, 17; 11:1-3). Their motive was self-preservation, as seen in their statement in Gen 11:4, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. Noah’s descendants were afraid that they would not be able to maintain their corporate identity. In an effort to sustain posterity, they built a tower to make a name for themselves. In so doing, they rejected God’s name upon them, and the promises God had made to Noah. God disciplined those inhabiting the plain of Shinar. He said, Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech (Gen 11:7). Genesis 11:9 reveals that God not only halted their building project by confusing their speech, He also scattered them across the earth, creating geographic boundaries that would reinforce the diverse languages the people would speak.

The Noahic covenant and the tower of Babel, like so many statements and events in Genesis, establish tracks upon which the plotline of the Bible progresses.

(1) In God’s promise to Noah that He would never flood the earth again, Isaiah saw an illustration for his audience to understand God’s mercy upon them. ‘In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting love,’ says the LORD your Redeemer. ‘For this is like the days of Noah to Me: when I swore that the waters of Noah would never flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you,’ the prophet stated (Isa 54:8-9).

(2) God’s decision to confuse human languages established people groups, ethnicities that would be redeemed through Jesus. The diversification of languages in Genesis 11 provides the backdrop for the call of Abraham in Genesis 12. In the flow of Genesis to ch. 11, God has continually sought His image-bearers, wanting to relate with them. His choice to make a covenant with one nation, the descendants of Abraham, becomes the vehicle through which God will reveal Himself to all nations. His promise to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3 concludes with the phrase that all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. The Old Testament storyline reiterates God’s international concern (see Ruth 4; Psalm 67; Isaiah 56). Jesus commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). After Jesus’ resurrection, God sent the Spirit on those gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost and the people heard God’s word in their own language (Acts 2). Paul told the Athenians that from one man God made all the nations of humanity and determined their times and boundaries so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27). In Rev 21:24, 26, John noted that the nations will walk in the light of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Genesis 12-14

The book of Genesis is the book of genealogies, the study of the earliest generations. In Genesis 12-25 the patriarch Abraham takes center stage. God’s call on one man—from whom He would make a nation and relate directly with them—complements the scattering of languages in Genesis 11. Through Abraham and his descendants, God would reveal Himself to all peoples (Gen 12:1-3). The international scope of the Abrahamic covenant casts a shadow extending across Scripture’s storyline. In Rev 7:9, John described a multi-national chorus singing God’s praises. John wrote that the leaves of the trees surrounding the river flowing from God’s throne in the New Jerusalem were powerful enough to heal the nations (Rev 22:1-2).

The concept of land introduced in Genesis 12 plays a significant role in God’s redemptive plan. God set forth the land of Canaan as a place where His special people would one day dwell in safety, rest, and obedience—making the other nations jealous for a God like the Lord of Israel (Deut 4:1-8; Josh 21:43-45). The patriarchs took this promise so seriously that Jacob—even at a time of severe famine and when his son Joseph was ruling in the prosperous land of Egypt—was hesitant to leave Canaan (Gen 46:1-7). While the Israelites initially failed to enter the Promised Land, displaying cowardice when provided the opportunity for conquest at the southern edge of Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 13-14; see Psalm 95), they eventually entered the land under Joshua. The construction of Solomon’s massive, ornate temple was intended to signify Israel’s permanence in Canaan (1 Kings 8-9//2 Chronicles 6-7). But it did not last. In time the Lord removed Abraham’s descendants from the land because of their propensity toward idolatry (2 Kings 17, 24)—just as Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 28-30.

The author of Hebrews saw in the scenes of Genesis 12-14 themes and events that helped him explain the days of fulfillment in Jesus, God’s Son.

(1) The promise of land and rest and peace from enemies is enjoyed spiritually through the new covenant and faithfulness to Jesus. The author of Hebrews deduced that under Joshua the people never experienced the rest God intended for them in the land of Canaan—and his audience was in danger of not fully enjoying the promise of rest in Christ, writing: For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day. A Sabbath rest remains, therefore, for God’s people. For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience (Heb 4:8-11). For the author of Hebrews, rest in Christ was synonymous with the kind of courageous faith Abraham displayed when he responded to God’s call and set out to a place he did not know (Heb 11:8-9). Abraham looked forward by faith to what God had for him (Heb 11:10). Abraham was searched-out by God’s word of promise and was approved for his faithfulness. The author of Hebrews concluded his exhortation about faith and rest in Hebrews 3-4 by noting that God’s word is living and active to judge the thoughts of the heart (Heb 4:12-14).

(2) Jesus’ priesthood in the new covenant is eternal—like that of Melchizedek. The priest who met Abraham in Genesis 14 is referenced in the New Testament only by the author of Hebrews, in chs. 5-7. He used Melchizedek’s priesthood to legitimate Jesus’ priesthood. The record of Melchizedek in Gen 14:17-24 provides no genealogy—so important for the concept of priesthood in Judaism (see 1 Chronicles 6-7; 23-26). If Melchizedek had no genealogy, he must have been an eternal priest, the author of Hebrews deduced. Jesus, too, has an eternal priesthood. And Melchizedek was recognized as a priest even though he was not of the descendants of Levi, preceding them by many generations. So, Jesus—as a descendant of Judah and not Levi—could also serve as a legitimate priest. But in Hebrews, Jesus is more than Melchizedek. Only Jesus is the Son of God who offered Himself to atone for the sins of His people. Access to God comes through Jesus alone.

Genesis 15-17; Psalm 32

Genesis 15-17 further establishes Abraham’s role in the metanarrative of Scripture. Paul employed the real-life events of Abraham to illustrate the blessings and allegiance that correspond to faith in Jesus Christ. By the time of Genesis 15, Abraham did not yet have a single blood-line heir—let alone enough posterity to be called a great nation as God had promised in Gen 12:2. Then the word of the Lord came to Abraham saying: Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them…Your offspring will be that numerous (Gen 15:5). Abraham responded with courageous faith and the Lord credited Abraham’s response as righteousness (Gen 15:6), establishing Abraham as the model of faith. God affirmed Abraham’s faith through the smoking fire pot and flaming torch—reminding the patriarch that he would not only become a great nation, but that his descendants would also dwell in the Promised Land (Gen 15:9-21).

Nevertheless, the first words of Genesis 16 reveal that Abraham was yet waiting on the fulfillment of God’s promise: Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne him children (Gen 16:1). Sarah interpreted God’s delay as a definitive act, saying, Since the LORD has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps I can have children by her (Gen 16:2). Abraham failed to respond appropriately in this crisis of faith and the result was not what Sarah had intended; rather than fulfilled, her life was made bitter by the birth of Ishmael to Hagar (Gen 16:4-7).

Genesis 17 records God’s covenant affirmation to Abraham, given years after Abraham’s unfaithful act with Hagar. God promised that He would bring many descendants from Abraham and Sarah’s union. To give Abraham a constant reminder of this promise, God changed his name from Abram to Abraham (father of nations) and promised again that Abraham’s descendants would have their own territory (Gen 17:1-8). God commanded Abraham to circumcise both of his sons (Gen 17:9-14). Thus, the anatomical locale of procreation was marked for God’s special purpose, reminding future generations that only by God’s help could their nation increase in number and carry on. The sign of circumcision reminded Abraham’s descendants that they were a special people, heirs of promise and faith. In Gen 17:15-22, God affirmed that the child of promise would be born to Abraham through Sarah—stating the exact time the child would be born.

The events in Genesis 15-17 provide the blueprint for understanding God’s redemptive plans. Paul saw in God’s promise to Abraham and the patriarch’s faith a framework for how sinful humans could be made right with God.

(1) In Romans 4, Paul wrote that sinful humanity’s inability to be right with God apart from divine intervention reflects Abraham and Sarah’s inability to conceive. In Rom 4:4-8, Paul wed the concept of faith expressed by Abraham (Genesis 15) with the theme of forgiveness in Psalm 32. Paul wrote that if someone works, payment is not a gift but what is owed to them. In Gen 15:6, however, God bestowed righteousness to Abraham on the basis of Abraham’s faith, before giving Abraham the covenant of circumcision in Gen 17:1-14. Paul saw in God’s kindness to Abraham a link with David’s description of the joy that comes upon those whose sins are covered (Ps 32:1-2).

(2) The bulk of Paul’s argument to the Galatians was based upon the record of Abraham in Genesis 15-17. In Gal 3:6-18, Paul set forth the faith (and justification) of Abraham to help the Galatians understand that they needed faith and the Spirit, not circumcision or obedience to the law, to be justified. Paul said the purpose of Christ’s work was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Gal 3:14). The chronological flow of the Scripture storyline was fundamental to Paul’s argument: since Abraham received the promise of justification by faith more than 400 years before the law was given on Mount Sinai, all who had faith like Abraham became heirs apart from the law.

Genesis 18-21

Throughout Genesis, the God of promise is portrayed as stronger than the obstacles that arise through the unfaithful actions of His people. In Genesis 18-21, the primary obstacle to God’s promise is the sin of unbelief. When the three heavenly visitors came to Abraham in Genesis 18 to affirm the Lord’s promise that Abraham and Sarah would conceive—despite their advanced years—Sarah responded with sarcastic laughter (Gen 18:12). But God was not joking. The Lord’s response set forth the theme of salvation for all who look beyond their total inability to a God who is faithful to His word. The Lord asked Abraham, Is anything impossible for the LORD? (Gen 18:14; see Luke 1:37).

Finally, after 25 years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah were biological parents of a son, confirming God’s word in Gen 12:1-3 and 15:1-6. Sarah’s response represents the joy of all who experience God’s faithfulness despite seasons of unbelief: God has made me laugh, she exclaimed, and everyone who hears will laugh with me (Gen 21:6). But the arrival of the child of promise sparked tension in Abraham’s family. Sarah recognized that Ishmael, the son born of natural means through Hagar, was a threat to Isaac (Gen 21:8-21). The work of God and the work of man would have to be separated.

God’s faithfulness to His words of judgement and promise in Gen 18-21 established a framework for New Testament authors to help their audiences understand God’s acts in the new covenant.

(1) In Galatians 4 Paul employed episodes from the life of Abraham in Genesis 16-21 to help the churches of Galatia understand Christian freedom from the Mosaic law. Paul argued that Abraham’s first two children were representative of the old and new covenants. Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, conceived through the natural laws of procreation (Genesis 16). Hagar corresponded to Mount Sinai and the Mosaic law (Gal 4:24-25). But Sarah, who conceived in her old age, received her child by promise and faith (Genesis 21). In this way, Paul argued, while Ishmael was the child of slavery to the law, Isaac was the child of freedom and promise (Gal 4:26-30). Isaac’s birth was the work of God and not man. Paul proposed that believers—born by the supernatural work of the Spirit—are children of promise, corresponding to the child of promise, Isaac (see Rom 9:7), while those desiring to be under the Mosaic law are slaves, corresponding to Hagar’s child Ishmael. Abraham’s fleshly act with Hagar represented a lack of faithful living. By submitting to the Mosaic law and circumcision, the Galatians were in danger of succumbing to a life of slavery. Those attempting to display their faith in Christ through the Mosaic law had no hope of eternal inheritance. Paul admonished them quoting from Gen 21:10, Throw out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never inherit with the son of the free woman (Gal 4:29). For Paul, religious practice was an expression of identity—and he reminded the Galatians: Brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman (Gal 4:31).

(2) Peter and Jude noted that just as God was faithful to His word of judgement against Sodom and Gomorrah, He would be to His word of judgement against those who opposed the message of Jesus. In 2 Pet 2:5-7, Peter wrote that though the Lord saved Lot from destruction, He destroyed the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah. Peter wanted his readers to understand that the Lord would destroy in like manner those who blasphemed God and prophesied lies concerning the day of Jesus’ return. In Jude 7, Jude cited God’s judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of how God treats those who persist in sin and deny the Master, Jesus Christ.

Genesis 22; Psalms 15, 24; Proverbs 3

Abraham’s faithfulness in Genesis 22 is remarkable in that he not only willingly followed God’s plan to sacrifice his son, but in this act of obedience the patriarch was offering up the child of promise. The sacrifice of Isaac is profound not only because of what God called Abraham to do, but because the birth—and life—of Isaac had been the focus of Abraham’s life for more than three decades. God’s initial promises to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3 and 15:1-6 were now in question.

Genesis 22 is a drama of faithfulness. When Abraham heard the word of the Lord, he did not delay. Early in the morning Abraham got up, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac (Gen 22:3). For Abraham, the sacrifice of Isaac was an act of worship. Fearing God and obeying His word took precedence over any other commitment—even to his family (Gen 22:5, 12). Abraham’s courage in Genesis 22 contrasts his cowardliness in Genesis 16 when he esteemed Sarah more than God and conceived a child with Hagar. Abraham’s actions provided Isaac with a living illustration of Prov 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and he will guide you on the right paths. Ultimately, Abraham trusted in God’s ability to provide. In Gen 22:8, Abraham spoke to his son’s searching heart and said, God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.

Abraham’s faith and faithfulness in Genesis 22 established a grid for New Testament authors to help their audiences understand God’s work in Christ and how to respond to it.

(1) In Heb 11:19, the author of Hebrews commented that when Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham was expressing confidence that God could raise Isaac back to life.. Abraham’s reliance on God was a mode he wished for his audience to follow as they persevered in the new covenant. He reminded His audience that after Abraham offered Isaac, the Lord promised to bless and multiply him abundantly (Heb 6:14).

(2) In Romans 4 and Galatians 3-4, Paul cited Abraham’s declaration of trust in God as the basis on which we believe that faith, and not works, justify us in Christ. For Paul, the timeline of Abraham’s life was all important. Abraham made his confession of belief in Genesis 15 and received the covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17. Abraham was thus justified by faith and not circumcision, Paul told the Romans and Galatians.

(3) In Jas 2:15-17, James cited Abraham’s work of faith as an example for his audience. James noted—with Paul—that Abraham was justified by faith in Genesis 15. And James saw in Abraham the kind of behavior he desired for his readers. James urged his audience toward Christian maturity, faith that works itself out in loving service toward those in need. James questioned: If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself (Jas 2:15-17). James presented Abraham’s faithfulness in Genesis 22 as the example of Christian works, the fulfillment of Abraham’s faith commitment in Genesis 15. In Jas 2:22-23, James wrote, You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend. James understood that Abraham’s confession of faith in Genesis 15 was worked out in his obedience with Isaac in Genesis 22. Abraham’s justification was not on the basis of works, such as offering up his son Isaac, but his faith was not lacking in works.

Genesis 23-26; Proverbs 2

These chapters portray the covenant family in transition. Ever since God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12 and 15, obstacles had arisen and threatened the fulfillment of God’s word. Although at each occasion God superintended to prevent His plans from being thwarted, the question remained as to how Abraham’s descendants would respond to the promises God had made to Abraham.

Sarah’s passing in Genesis 23—though marked by sadness and remorse—shows the progress of God’s promises to Abraham. In purchasing a burial plot for Sarah, Abraham came to have a stake in the land God had promised him (Gen 23:14-20). In the flow of the narrative, the author initially dealt with how Sarah’s death would affect her son, Isaac. Genesis 24 is the lengthy and detailed account of Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah. Abraham was steadfast in his requirement that Isaac enjoy a bride from within the covenant family (Gen 24:1-9). Abraham’s servant was prayerfully dependent upon God to display His providence in connecting the relationship of Isaac and the woman who greeted him at the well in Canaan (Gen 24:12-30). The literary structure of the text is an inclusio, pointing the reader back to Sarah’s passing in Genesis 23. Through his relationship with Rebekah, Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death (Gen 24:67).

In time Isaac also had to deal with the loss of his father (Gen 25:1-10). While Isaac was the child of promise—the one through whom both lineage and land would be realized—the text does not turn directly to a restatement of God’s promises to him. Rather, the text records the birth of Isaac’s sons (Gen 25:19-34). The surety of God’s promises to Abraham can be seen in the account of Isaac’s sons, Abraham’s grandchildren. The promises to Abraham would carry on through Isaac, the child of promise. The word of the Lord then came to Rebekah concerning the future of Isaac’s line. Jacob, the younger of Rebekah’s twin boys was favored of God even from the womb (Gen 25:19-23). In due time the Lord turned directly to Isaac, promising him land and lineage just as He had Abraham (Gen 26:3-4).

Jacob and Esau are foundational in the development of the storyline of Scripture.

(1) In Rom 9:6-13, Paul deduced from the birth account of Jacob and Esau, that there the children of promise are a distinct subset of Abraham’s descendants. In Paul’s day, many wondered why so many Jews—the physical descendants of Jacob—were rejecting the Messiah. The Gentile population was more numerous in the church. In Romans 9, Paul looked back to the events of Genesis 25 to provide an answer. Paul stated in Rom 9:7 that the Lord’s word to Abraham in Gen 21:12, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac, established God’s elective purposes in the patriarchal family. God chose Isaac and not Ishmael to inherit His promises to Abraham. In the same way, God chose Jacob and not Esau (Gen 25:19-23). Based upon the Lord’s word to Rebekah in Gen 25:23, The older will serve the younger, Paul noted that the prophet Malachi understood God to have loved Jacob and hated Esau (Mal 1:2-3). In Paul’s view, God’s elective purposes in Christ could be traced to God’s elective purposes in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

(2) In Heb 12:15-16, the author of Hebrews cited Esau’s lack of perseverance as a negative example for his audience. In Gen 25:27-34, Esau’s failing, near-sighted hunger prompted him to forgo his birthright for a meal. Esau’s character was consistent with God’s rejection of him. The author of Hebrews saw in Esau’s lack of endurance a lesson for his audience. But the author of Hebrews broadened the lesson of Esau and applied it to the community of the church. According to Hebrews, mutual edification in the church can prevent believers from acting like Esau. The author encouraged his listeners to look out for those in need of grace among them, and supply words of grace and encouragement so that none in their number fall away from faith in Christ (Heb 12:15-16).

Genesis 27-29

Jacob and Esau struggled to live in covenant faithfulness just as their father Isaac (Gen 26:7-11) and grandfather Abraham (Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). However, God’s redemptive plan was never stifled. Genesis 27-29 is framed by literary bookends: Jacob, at the prompting of his mother, played the role of trickster and supplanted Esau of the birthright (Gen 27:5-40). Later Laban, Jacob’s father-in-law, played a trick on Jacob and gave him Leah instead of Rachel (Gen 29:13-30). Nonetheless, Jacob showed the persevering spirit of those called to inherit the promise (Gen 25:23) and worked seven more years for Rachel. God’s appearance to Jacob at Bethel in Genesis 28:10-22 is the center point of these chapters. After Jacob saw the stairway extending to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it, he confessed his faith and built an altar of worship to God.

Jacob’s confession in Genesis 28:10-22 introduces a theme that can be followed throughout Scripture’s storyline. At Bethel, Jacob set up a marker-stone that he hoped would be God’s house (Gen 28:22). Later Jacob did return to Bethel, where the Lord reaffirmed His promise saying, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed, an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. And I will give the land to your descendants after you (Gen 35:11-12). Throughout the Old Testament, the place of God’s dwelling was no small matter. The Lord resided in a special way in the tabernacle (Exodus 40) and Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8-9//2 Chronicles 6-7). But with the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, there is a shift in the locus of God’s house. No longer is the place of God’s dwelling identified with a geographical locale, but it is identified with the Person of Jesus Christ and His followers:

(1) God’s dwelling in Christ. John records that when Jesus told Nathaniel, Philip’s brother, that He knew him under the fig tree even before Philip called Nathaniel to come and see Jesus, Nathan exclaimed, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! (John 1:49). Jesus’ response demonstrates a point of fulfillment for Jacob’s experience in Gen 28:10-22. ‘Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.’ Then He said, ‘I assure you: You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’ (John 1:50-51). Jesus’ interaction with Nathaniel at the end of John 1 reinforces John’s statements earlier in the chapter. John introduced Jesus by stating: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1, 14). In John 2, John wrote that during a certain Jewish Passover celebration Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the court of Gentiles in the temple and said: Get these things out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a marketplace! (John 2:16). When asked for a sign of His authority to say and do such things, Jesus said that if His opponents destroyed the sanctuary, He would raise it up in three days. John recorded that Jesus was speaking about the sanctuary of His body" (John 2:21).

(2) God’s dwelling with the people of Christ. To the Corinthians Paul wrote: We are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: ‘I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people (2 Cor 6:16). Paul told the Ephesians, You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building is being fitted together in Him and is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit (Eph 3:19-22). In the vision of the new creation, John heard a loud voice from the throne (saying): ‘Look! God’s dwelling is with men, and he will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’ (Rev 21:3).

Genesis 30-33

Genesis 30-33 portrays the initial fulfillment of the ‘lineage’ promise in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6)—despite continued challenges against the covenant family. Jacob had to endure the perils of both Laban and Esau. Yet, by the conclusion of Genesis 33, Jacob enjoyed a parcel of land in Canaan.

The latter portion of Genesis 29 and the initial developments of Genesis 30 provide a picture of the expansive covenant family. But Genesis 30 relates more than an increase in lineage among the descendants of Abraham. Under Jacob’s care, even Laban’s livestock prospered (Gen 30:27). The balance of Genesis 30 and the preliminary scene of Genesis 31 explain how God worked through Laban’s greed to provide Jacob and his clan with enough plunder to live and thrive as an independent family. After Jacob had grown wealthy and Laban’s sons began to view the patriarch as a threat, God called him and his family to return to the Promised Land (Gen 31:1-3). Despite confessing God’s providence over Jacob’s increasing fortune, his wife Rachel faltered in allegiance to the God of the covenant. Rachel choose to adopt her father Laban’s family idols into her religious practices (Gen 31:19). When Laban set out after his son-in-law Jacob, God warned Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob, the heir of promise (Gen 31:22-24).

Genesis 30-32 details how the covenant survived—even thrived—in the midst of threats and family strain. While this had been the case even in Jacob’s servitude of Laban, Jacob had yet to face what may have been considered the greatest obstacle to God’s promises, his brother Esau. The previous encounter between the brothers was so severe that Jacob’s parents sent him away simply to ensure his survival (Gen 27:41-28:9). Though blind and aged and deceived, in Gen 27:29 Isaac spoke prophetic words to Jacob that he would be master over his older brother and in time Isaac’s words were coming true.

God, ever quick to remind His people of covenant faithfulness, met with Jacob at the ford of Jabbok (Gen 32:24-32). There God rewarded Jacob’s persistence by touching his thigh and disabling the patriarch. Weakened, Jacob was made stronger in faith and God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The threat of Esau proved to be no real cause for alarm. Genesis 33 records that Esau departed to the mountains of Seir (see Genesis 36) and Jacob purchased a section of land for his family, And he set up an altar there and called it ‘God, the God of Israel’ (Gen 33:20).

Jesus and the author of Hebrews saw the faithful acts of Isaac and Jacob as illustrative for teaching their audiences to respond faithfully to Jesus as the Messiah.

(1) According to the author of Hebrews, Isaac’s trust in God is a model for all Christians. The author of Hebrews wrote that by faith Isaac prophesied that Jacob, the younger, would be favored over Esau. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come (Heb 11:20), he observed. Even though Isaac was blind, he acted in a faithful manner and ultimately trusted God to fulfill His earlier word to Rebekah, Two nations are in your womb; two people will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger (Gen 25:23). For the author of Hebrews, the point of the Genesis narrative was that if blind Isaac could act in a faithful manner and trust God in the blessing of Jacob and Esau, his audience—who lived with the profound insight of God’s faithfulness in Christ—should trust God to work out the details of life as they walk by faith in Christ even during persecution.

(2) Jesus claimed superiority over Jacob and his well. God’s faithfulness to Jacob at the end of Genesis 33 elevated Jacob’s status in the history of Israel. Esau did not take revenge on his brother and Jacob was able to build a house for himself in the Promised Land (Gen 33:16-20). Jacob purchased land and built stalls for his cattle. Wells provided for his needs and Jacob built an altar to God and called it God, the god of Israel (Gen 33:20). The Samaritan woman Jesus met in John 4 questioned Jesus’ claim that He could provide her with living water. You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock (John 4:12), she quipped. Jesus replied Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life (John 4:13-14). Jesus claimed not only superiority over Jacob but deity. Jacob built an altar to the Lord because the Lord had faithfully provided even the wells that nourished his herds. Jesus said that He could give the water of eternal life.

Genesis 34-36

Since Genesis 12, the narrative has displayed the endurance of the Abrahamic covenant. Genesis 34-36 traces how the descendants of Abraham would live in the Promised Land. While Jacob and his sons attempted to establish themselves in the land of Canaan, the family of faith capitulated to their pagan neighbors. In the events of Genesis 34-36, God’s purposes are not thwarted by the sin of His people.

Genesis 34 recounts Dinah’s disposition in Shechem. She went out to see some of the young women of the area (Gen 34:1). Dinah was fitting in a little too well with pagans. But Shechem’s actions more obviously display moral depravity. While the violation of Dinah is horrific in any culture, Shechem’s proposal of marriage would likewise be disastrous to the covenant family. The intermarriage Shechem proposed would have compromised the covenant God made with Abraham—even if he loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her (Gen 34:3), urging his father to get her for him as a wife (contra Genesis 24, where Abraham renounced a foreign wife for Isaac).

Dinah’s brothers wished to avenge what Shechem had done to their sister. They thus deceitfully agreed to the Hivite proposition of intermarriage between the two clans. While the pain of circumcision would have been crippling to the adult male Hivites, it would prove to be only a foreshadowing of the murder and plunder that would follow (Gen 34:25-29). Jacob finally entered into a dialog with his sons in Gen 34:30-31, recognizing that the actions of his children had caused his situation in the Promised Land to go from bad to worse.

Throughout Genesis, God works through the choices of humanity, causing even the sins of the covenant family to advance His redemptive plan—yet never excusing the wicked moral choices of anyone. This principle is illustrated in Gen 35:1-8. After the failures of the covenant family in the northern part of Canaan, God called Jacob to go south, to the covenant land of Bethel, the place where Jacob had made a vow to God (Gen 28:20-22).

The genealogical records of Genesis 35-36 help trace God’s promises in relation to Abraham’s descendants. Esau’s wives were all Canaanite women, those outside the covenant family (Gen 36:1-3; see Gen 26:34-35; 27:46). Esau’s marital choices reveal that he was not the heir of the promise. Nonetheless, he prospered and enjoyed the prophecy that even kings would arise from his family line (Gen 36:31). The point of Genesis 36 is that Esau settled away from the land of promise (Gen 36:6, 8). The descendants of Esau were known as the Edomites, those who opposed the people of Israel when they were traveling toward the Jordan River and their entrance into Canaan—even threatening them with the sword (Num 20:14-21). All of this is in contrast to Jacob, who had twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) and lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan (Gen 37:1).

The number of Jacob’s sons provided a structure that Jesus and the New Testament authors employed in various ways. Their use of the number twelve demonstrated that they were fulfilling the promises made to Jacob and Israel. Jesus chose twelve disciples (Matt 10:2-4//Mark 3:13-19//Luke 6:14-16) and after Judas’s departure, the eleven were inclined to find a replacement so that their numbering of twelve would be maintained (Acts 1:15-26). Fulfillment—how the new relates to the old without setting it aside—will be forever observable in heaven. In the Revelation, John saw both Jacob’s sons and Jesus’ disciples as significant for God’s heavenly habitation with His people:

Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal. The city had a massive high wall, with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; on the gates, names were inscribed, the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The city wall had 12 foundations, and on them were the 12 names of the Lamb’s 12 apostles (Rev 21:9-14).

Genesis 37-41

Genesis is a story of generations, especially the lives of Abraham’s lineage. The first book of the Bible colorfully recounts the endurance of the covenant-heirs. To this point in the narrative they have survived threats from within and without, and at each step God’s redemptive plan worked through both the faithfulness and failure of His covenant partners.

At the beginning of Genesis 37, the text portrays the same kind of internal strife that characterized the covenant family since the early days of Jacob and Esau (25:27-34; 27:1-46), noted most recently in Jacob’s fragile relationship with his sons (34:30-31). But Joseph’s brothers went farther, selling their brother into slavery. While the perceived loss of Joseph was not a technical obstruction of the covenant (Jacob yet had eleven other male children), the fact that Jacob lamented so upon hearing that a wild animal had eaten his favorite son displays no small setback for the covenant family (Gen 37:33-35).

Judah’s aggressive personality can be seen in his intercession for Joseph in Gen 37:2-27 and in his immoral behavior in Genesis 38. While Judah’s pursuit of a prostitute in Gen 38:15-18 is repulsive, Judah’s initial sin was his lack of faithfulness as a family leader. He should have disciplined his son Onan for not having children by Tamar following the death of her husband, Er (Gen 38:8-9). Judah should have arranged for Shua to marry Tamar (Gen 38:11-12, 26). Judah was ultimately convicted of his sin and he confessed of Tamar, She is more in the right than I (Gen 38:26).

There may be more to the arrangement of Genesis 38-39 than a recounting of the life and times of various members of the covenant family. Judah’s violation of Tamar in Genesis 38 is placed just before Joseph’s ardent moral capacity in Genesis