genesis in review

genesis in review... 3/90 (just my 2cents...)

adam and eve… we all know what eve did… befriended the serpent and got a conscious… bummer! … the girl gets the guy to go along… yeup! Drama!!! That is how we came to be intertwined and aware of good and evil… there is an angel that protects the tree of life… have you any idea what I am talking about???

Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel, the first a farmer, the second a shepherd. Cain murdered Abel… God cursed Cain a wanderer on the earth. Seth was born in lieu of Abel. The generations of Adam bring forth Noah. The family tree ends with the birth of Noah's sons, from whom all human kind descends.

God sets the days of man at 120 years… Noah "a righteous man, blameless in his generation," builds an Ark as God requested him to… and took his family and representatives of all animals… God destroys world with Flood… God promises promising never again to destroy mankind in this way. 70 generations of the descendants of Noah are named, "and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood."

Men decide to build "a tower with its top in the heavens"… God fears the ambition of mankind: and thus confuses the language in the city of Babel … scattering mankind over the face of the earth…

Abraham married Sarah who gave birth to Isaac in her old age…God tested Abraham by commanding that he sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeys; but, as he is about to lay the knife upon his son, God restrains him, promising him numberless descendants. On the death of Sarah, Abraham purchases Machpelah for a family tomb and sends his servant to Mesopotamia, Nahor's home, to find among his relations a wife for Isaac; and Rebekah, Nahor's granddaughter, is chosen. (there is a cute story here about water, etc… it is sweet… )

Isaac's wife Rebekah is barren, but Isaac prays to God, and she gives birth to the twins Esau, and Jacob. Jacob deceives his father Isaac and obtains the blessing of prosperity by pretending to be his brother Esau (the first born)… the blessing should have been Esau's.

Fearing Esau's anger Jacob flees to Haran, the home of his mother's brother Laban. Jacob hires himself to Laban on condition that, after having served for seven years as a herdsman, he shall marry the younger daughter, Rachel, with whom he is in love. At the end of this period Laban gives him the elder daughter, Leah, explaining that it is the custom to marry the elder before the younger. Jacob does get to marry Rachel at the same time, but to be allowed to leave with her he must serve another seven years. During the next seven years, he has sons by his two wives and their two handmaidens, the ancestors of the tribes of Israel. Jacob then works another seven years, deceiving Laban to increase his flocks at his uncle's expense, and gains great wealth in sheep, goats, camels, donkeys and slave-girls.

Jacob flees with his family and flocks from Laban... Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies giving birth to her second born son of Jacob, Benjamin. Laban pursues and catches him, but God warns Laban not to harm Jacob, and they are reconciled. On approaching his home he is in fear of Esau, to whom he sends presents under the care of his servants, and then sends his wives and children away. "And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day… Neither Jacob nor the stranger can prevail, but the man touches Jacob and pleads to be released before daybreak, but Jacob refuses to release the being until he agrees to give a blessing; the stranger then announces to Jacob that he shall bear the name "Israel", "for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." … he was freed… he encountered God in person!

The meeting with Esau is good and the brothers reconcile instead of fight over the betrayal years prior: "to see your face is like seeing the face of God," is how Esau greeted Jacob!!! (LOVE WINS!)

Jacob makes a coat of many colours (yeup, the technicolor dreamcoat!!!) for his favorite son, Joseph. Joseph's jealous brothers sell him to some Ishmaelites and show Jacob the coat, dipped in goat's blood, as proof that Joseph is dead. Meanwhile the Midianites sell Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard, but Potiphar's wife, unable to seduce Joseph, accuses him falsely, and he is cast into prison. Here he correctly interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners, the king's butler and baker. Joseph next interprets the dream of Pharaoh, of seven fat cattle and seven lean cattle, as meaning seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the good years. He is appointed second in the kingdom, and, in the ensuing famine, "all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth."

Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain. The brothers appear before Joseph, who recognizes them but does not reveal himself. After having proved them on this and on a second journey, and they having shown themselves so fearful and penitent that Judah even offers himself as a slave, so save the life of Benjamin and the brothers, Joseph reveals his identity, forgives his brothers the wrong they did him (LOVE WINS again!), and he promises to settle in Egypt both them and his father Jacob brings his whole family to Egypt, where Pharaoh assigns to them the land of Goshen Jacob receives Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh among his own sons, then calls his sons to his bedside and reveals their future to them. Jacob dies and is interred in the family tomb at Machpelah... Joseph lives to see his great-grandchildren.(there is way more to the story of Joseph and Benjamin and the brothers... very much worth reading/listening to in its entirety)... :)

whew... that's genesis...

drama!!! and this is just a quick recap... i recommend u hear the complete book urself... check out "inspired by: the bible experience" it is AWESOME! just great!!!

Love wins!!!
jillY