Bereans of Trinity

In this study the narrator of Genesis tells us the striking story of the mourning and burial of Jacob. In all of Scripture there is no other account of someone's burial that goes into such detail. What important points is the Lord wanting to impress upon us with this account? What does God want to leave in our minds concerning the man Jacob? What is the importance of this story at the end of the patriarchal era? Why does a person of faith, like Joseph, grieve so much over the death of his beloved father? How is Joseph's arrival back in Mamre similar to his departure from Canaan as a slave many years before? What are we to learn from the fact that the family returned to Egypt following the burial of their father in their land of promise? (48 min)

In this lesson we continue to consider the blessing Jacob pronounced on the descendants of his twelve sons. Who were the "peoples" who would give obedience to Shiloh? What was the true source of the blessings/prophecies which Jacob pronounced? How were these blessings a help to the tribes of Israel? How and when were these blessings realized? How can we be helped by thinking about Jacob blessing his descendants at this particular time in their history? In Jacob's charge to his sons concerning his burial, why does he repeatedly stipulate so precisely the exact place? Why is God so concerned about "place" in Genesis and throughout scripture? What comfort and encouragement can we draw from the narrator's description of Jacob's death? (46 min.)

In this lesson we begin examining the third major faith event at the conclusion of Jacob's life, the blessing of his twelve sons. The passage is both prophetic and poetic. How should these aspects of the passage influence the way we understand the blessings? What caused Reuben to forfeit his preeminence in the family? Why did Jacob not want his family's glory to be associated with Simeon or Levi? In what way would the tribe of Issachar relinquish some of the blessings that were intended for it in the land of promise? How is that analogous to how we as Christians sometimes live? What animal is representative of the future of the tribe of Judah? Who or what is "Shiloh?" What does the reference to Judah tying his donkey to a grape vine represent? To what does all this talk about Judah ultimately point? (60 min)

We continue the account of Jacob's adoption and blessing of Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. What is this about the young men being at the knees of Jacob? Why did Joseph bow down before his father, who had earlier bowed to him? How is this a metaphor of our own adoption by God? Why did Joseph arrange his sons the way he did? Once again we find the rule of primogeniture set aside in the story of the patriarchs. What can we learn from this repeated disregard of this cultural norm? In what three ways does Jacob identify the God whom he invokes in his blessing? How are these significant? How has Jacob changed as he grew older? What brought about these changes in his life? How is the end of Jacob's life instructive to us? (67 min.)

In this week's lesson we consider the second of the three key things which Jacob did at the end of his life. The first was to arrange for his burial in Canaan. The second is to adopt and bless the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim. It is important not to view this passage as the ramblings of an aged and ailing man. What is the significance of Jacob collecting his strength to sit up on the bed? Why does the narrator refer to him as Israel at that moment? How has Jacob changed from his early life? Why does Jacob recall for Joseph his own experience at Luz in Canaan (Bethel)? What are the key aspects of God's appearance to him at Luz which Jacob mentions here? What three subtle differences in how Jacob retells the story of Bethel reflect his current frame of mind here at the end of his life? (53 min)

In this passage a dramatic contrast is shown between the condition of then Egyptians and that of the family of Israel. Why did God bless Israel in contrast to the Egyptians? Why does God bless us? We also encounter in this section the first of three experiences in Jacob's life as he nears death. Each of these incidents reveal a man who has moved from fatalism to faith. What is the significance of Jacobs age? What are the two aspects to Jacob's request of Joseph? What is the meaning of the gesture of Joseph placing his hand under Jacob's thigh? Why was it important to Jacob that he be buried in the cave of Machpelah with his ancestors? How does this story about Jacob serve as an instruction to us? (56 min)

The focus of the narrator now returns to the subject of the famine that was overwhelming Egypt and Canaan. What are the reasons why this part of the story is recorded in Scripture? How does Joseph's plan for Egypt foreshadow the future political/social structure of Israel in Canaan? This passage tells how Joseph, who was himself once sold into slavery, now buys the Egyptian people into slavery to Pharaoh. How does our modern perception of slavery present difficulties when we encounter biblical accounts or references to slavery? What was slavery in the ancient Near East, and why is that important to know as we study the Bible? How was typical slavery in the ancient Near East different from slavery in the West in the last few centuries? How was the slavery of the Egyptians different from the slavery of the Israelites to the Egyptians in the book of Exodus? Why did God not explicitly condemn and prohibit slavery in the Old Testament? (67 min)

In this passage, upon their arrival in Egypt, the family of Israel is presented to Pharaoh. First, the brothers come, hat in hand, asking for the land of Goshen. They openly identify themselves by that which makes them loathsome to the Egyptians. What can we learn from this example? Finally, Jacob is presented to Pharaoh. Why are these two presentations done separately? The two men, Pharaoh and Jacob, are a study in contrasts. How does Jacob's blessing of Pharaoh turn things on their head? What does the Lord want us to learn from Jacob's view of his own "sojourn?" How does Jacob's seemingly pessimistic view coincide with his pronouncing a blessing on Pharaoh? How does Jacob's response to Pharaoh reflect a disposition of faith? (60 min)

In this passage today, Jacob and Joseph are finally reunited after twenty-two years. We now see in Jacob something we've not seen in his entire life: contentment. What do we learn about Joseph as he weeps on his father's neck? Two men could hardly be more different in how they have lived their lives. Yet this father and son have something remarkable in common. What is that, and how does it make this reunion like a theophany? Why does Joseph insist on Pharaoh knowing that his family are shepherds and keepers of livestock knowing the Egyptians hold such people in contempt? Why does God allow the family of Israel to experience such contempt, and eventually slavery? What can we learn from this about suffering in our own lives? (43 min.)

There is a purpose in the genealogies in Scripture. In this lesson we continue to consider the genealogy describing who went down to Egypt with Jacob. What is the purpose of this genealogy, and what are we to learn from it? What is the significance of the men in this list. Why is the narrator so focused on achieving the number of seventy? How does this group of people compare to those that come out of Egypt four hundred years later? What kind of a day do we live in, and why are our faithfulnesses important? What is so encouraging about Judah leading the family to Goshen? (47 min)