Jacob, on his deathbed, calls in his twelve sons and tells each one what will happen to his descendants in days to come. To his fourth son, Judah, he utters one of the most detailed and explicit prophecies about Jesus in all the Bible. Early Christian writers such as Justin Martyr used this prophecy as
Jacob's Final Blessing of His 12 Sons (Genesis 49:1-27) View Lesson
Jacob's Final Blessing of His 12 Sons (Genesis 49:1-27) View Lesson
As the famine continues, Jacob moves his family to Egypt and reunites with his son Joseph. After seventeen years in Egypt, Jacob recognizes that death is approaching, and he blesses Joseph’s two sons. But this is an unusual blessing. Novatian, an early Christian writer, offered a wonderful insight for Christ’s followers today. This lesson touches
The Unusual Blessing Given to Joseph's Sons (Genesis 46-48) View Lesson
The Unusual Blessing Given to Joseph's Sons (Genesis 46-48) View Lesson
After being sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers, Joseph is falsely accused of a crime and spends two years in prison. Then, a remarkable turnaround! Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and is raised up to be second in command over all of Egypt. From that position God uses him to save many lives
Joseph - from Prisoner to Ruler in Egypt (Genesis 40-45) View Lesson
Joseph - from Prisoner to Ruler in Egypt (Genesis 40-45) View Lesson
One of the reasons to study the Old Testament is to get to know the true heroes of the faith so we can imitate their lives. We can learn much by looking at the character of Joseph, who is an upward call for all Christian men. In this lesson we start by looking at Joseph’s
The Extraordinary Character of Joseph (Genesis 39b) View Lesson
The Extraordinary Character of Joseph (Genesis 39b) View Lesson
**Genesis 38 contains some adult material that may be inappropriate for young listeners.** With Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers and bound for Egypt, the story of Genesis takes a strange detour as we are introduced to Tamar, who, facing a terrible situation, deceives her father-in-law Judah and bears twins. We see how God
Tamar's Story; Joseph Sent to Prison (Genesis 38-39a) View Lesson
Tamar's Story; Joseph Sent to Prison (Genesis 38-39a) View Lesson
We now turn to the story of Jacob’s son Joseph, whose life will fill most of the remaining pages of Genesis. The story of Joseph is full of lessons for us today, including the pivotal role he played in Israel’s history, his character qualities worthy of our imitation, and foreshadowing of things to come in
Genesis 36 gives us the genealogy of Esau, father of the Edomite nation. In this passage we survey the important role of the Edomites in Biblical history, including lessons we can learn from their sin of arrogance. This chapter also provides a surprising key to unlocking the mystery of who Job was, when taken together
This lesson includes quite disturbing material: serious problems in Jacob’s family. While it might be tempting to skip over troubling stories that involve exploitation, violence, vengeance and unrestrained passion, there are important lessons to learn here as well. This passage of Scripture also provides the backdrop for fascinating prophecies to be fulfilled at the birth
After cheating his twin brother of his birthright and blessing twenty years earlier, Jacob finds himself in big trouble. He learns that Esau (who had previously wanted to kill him) is approaching Jacob's family with 400 men. What kind of man has our deceptive, conniving Jacob become over the past two decades? How will he
Jacob’s twenty years in Mesopotamia was a time of great trial and suffering. There is much to learn from Jacob’s experience and how it transformed him, as well as the role suffering is to play in the life of a Christian. This lesson examines what Jesus, Paul and Peter taught about suffering, as well as
Jacob Departs Mesopotamia a Changed Man (Gen. 31:14-54) View Lesson
Jacob Departs Mesopotamia a Changed Man (Gen. 31:14-54) View Lesson