The Open Word

Genesis 37–38 record two separate incidents. The first introduces Joseph, the main character in the remaining chapters of Genesis. In Chapter 37, Joseph recounts his dreams, causing his brothers to sell him into slavery in Egypt. In Chapter 38, we have the account of Judah's incest with Tamar in which she bore Zerah, and Perez through whom the Messianic line ran.

Genesis 34 records the rape of Dinah by Hamor the Hivite and the subsequent slaughter of all the men of Shechem. Levi and Simeon, the perpetrators of the slaughter, lost their privileges as the second and third son of Judah because of this, making Judah the one through whom the Messianic line would descend (as Reuben was disqualified due to incest). This causes Jacob to return to Bethel, then to Ephrath where Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. Genesis 36 records the descendants of Esau.

Genesis 32–33 chronicles Jacob's return to Canaan. On the way, he meets the Angel of the Lord, wrestles all night, and receives a blessing and a new name. He also meets up with Esau, who in the meantime became a wealthy individual himself.

We continue our discussion of Jacob and Laban. Jacob found himself working twenty years for his uncle, during which time he married two of Laban's daughters, had several sons, and increased in wealth. At the end of that time, Yahweh appeared to Jacob instructing him it was time to return to Canaan, the land of promise. 

Jacob, fleeing his brother's wrath, makes his way north to Padan-Aram to stay with his uncle Laban. On his way, he has his dream of a ladder to heaven, and a confirmation from Yahweh that he is the one through whom the Abrahamic Covenant will flow. Jacob, know as a conniver, meets his equal in Laban, a conniver himself, who tricks Jacob into marrying Leah over Rachel, who bore him four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.

In this session, we pick up the account of Jacob and Esau. Since Esau was the oldest, the blessing of the firstborn would normally belong to him. However, with Rebekah's help, Jacob was able to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. This subterfuge so enraged Esau that he vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac's death, which prompted Rebekah to send Jacob to Padan-Aram to her brother Laban.

Genesis 25–26 covers the life of Isaac and Rebekah. We read of the death of Abraham, the birth of Jacob and Esau, and Isaac's sojourn in Gerar. Interestingly, the life of Isaac is only recorded in three chapters in Genesis, which makes him the least known of the three Patriarchs. However, the Bible sees him as a man of faith, and the link between Abraham and Jacob.

Genesis 24 contains the account of Abraham obtaining a wife for his son Isaac. Unlike Ishmael, Abraham desired that Isaac have a son from their kindred, not from the land as was the case with Ishmael. As a result, he sends his oldest servant, who many believe to be Eliezer, back to where Abraham's brother, Nahor, lived to find a wife from his family.

In Genesis 24 we find a shift from Abraham as the main character to Isaac. Of all three of the patriarchs, we know the least about Isaac. Nevertheless, he was the bridge from Abraham to Jacob, and the conduit through which passed the Abrahamic blessing.

In Genesis 22 we find the account of Abraham's test of faith where he is told be Yahweh to offer Isaac on an altar as a sacrifice to Him. This was not because Yahweh did not know about Abraham's faith, but instead that Abraham would know of his faith. Of course, Yahweh spared Isaac, providing a lamb instead as a picture of Christ's substitutionary atonement for all humanity.

Genesis 20 records the background of the birth of Isaac. Due to a severe famine in the land, Abraham travels to Gerar where he encounters Abimelech, the king of Gerar. In order to cement a marriage alliance, Abimelech seeks to marry Sarah, as Abraham said she was his sister and not wife. God had to intervene, again, showing that even when we make a mess of things, He ensures things work out.

Genesis 18–19 records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah along with the story of Lot and his family. Although Lot was what the Bible calls a righteous man, he is a prime example of what happens to oneself, and one's family, when exposed to a wicked culture.

In Genesis 17, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him to reaffirm His covenant with Abraham. This reaffirmation concerned both the promise of a land, and the promise of an heir from the union of Abraham and Sarah. Additionally, the sign of circumcision was given to Abraham at this time, a ritual that every Jewish male had to have performed in order to be part of God's covenant people.

In Genesis 16, we find the account of the birth of Ishmael. Although Abraham is a man of faith, God's delay in providing an heir resulted in Abraham and Sarah taking things into their own hands. Using a legal option in that time, Sarah designated Hagar to have a child in her name. Ishmael was born when Abraham was about 86 years old, and is the father of the Arabic nations. The conflict between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac continue to this day.

In Genesis 14, we are introduced to Melchizedek, one of the more mysterious figures in the Old Testament. He blessed Abraham upon his return from rescuing Lot, and later he is seen as a type of Christ's priesthood in Psalm 110, and Hebrews 5 and 7.

In this session, we examine Genesis 12–13 in which we find the account of Abraham's journey to Canaan, his sojourn in Egypt, his return to the land, and his separation from Lot.

Starting in Genesis 11:27, the focus shifts from humanity in general to Abraham. After a brief introduction on the family tree of Abraham, Genesis 12 begins with his call while in Ur of the Chaldees in which Yahweh tells him to leave his father's homeland and go to a "land which I will show you." This general description of an undefined land will become more and more defined in subsequent chapters of Genesis, but Abraham's initial response of faith is what is in view, and which makes him the model of faith throughout the Bible.

Genesis 11:10–26 records the generations from Shem to the time of Abraham. What is interesting to observe is that Shem was alive during a significant time of Abraham's life. This would have allowed Abraham to have known Shem and been familiar with life before the flood.

We now turn our attention to Genesis 11, in which we find the account of the Tower of Babel. This occurred about four generations from Noah, when humanity most likely numbered between one and two thousand people. Instead of spreading out over the earth, humanity decided to stay together until God scattered them by confusing the languages. Also, Genesis 11 contains the generations from Noah to Abraham, setting up Genesis 12 in which God calls Abraham.

We examine Genesis 10 which lists the various nations and people groups that descended from Noah. These nations and people groups are seen throughout the Old Testament, and it is interesting and instructive to see how humanity spread out after the flood.

We now come to Genesis 9 and the end of the flood. Disembarking from the ark, Noah and his family were faced with a completely new world, unlike the one that existed just a little over a year earlier. Everything they knew, and everyone they knew, no longer existed, and now it was time for them to repopulate the world.

We continue our discussion of the global, universal flood as recorded in Genesis 7-9.

We continue our study on the Global Genesis Flood. There are a lot of evangelicals who deny there was a universal, global flood, instead seeing it a local flood only. In this study, we will continue to make the case that the flood of Genesis 6–9 was a global deluge, the effects of which are seen today.

We begin a multi-session study on the Global Genesis Flood. There are a lot of evangelicals who deny there was a universal, global flood, instead seeing it a local flood only. In this study, we will make the case that the flood of Genesis 6–9 was a global deluge, the effects of which are seen today.

We look at the descendants of Adam, as recorded in Genesis 5. The genealogies in this chapter connect the creation of Adam to the flood, a period of 1,651 years.

We continue our discussion of Cain and Abel along with the descendants of Cain as outlines in Genesis 4:17–24.

We begin a look at the account of Cain and Able in Genesis 4. 

We continue our look at the fall of man as found in Genesis 3, with a focus on the results of the fall both on humanity and the creation.

Although the initial creation of the universe by God was good, it did not take long for sin to enter. We begin a discussion of the fall of mankind as found in Genesis 3, looking at the reasons for it as well as its implication on God's perfect creation.

We continue our discussion of the creation of man in Genesis Chapter 2. We look at the uniqueness of man's creation as we have been made in the image of God.

In this session we focus on the creation of Man, God's crowning achievement. Secular scholars and scientists want to make man nothing more than the end product of evolution - an intelligent primate. the Bible paints a much different picture. Man is made in the image of God, which sets him apart from all of the rest of creation.

We complete our study of creation week by focusing on Days 6 and 7. On day 6, God created the land animals and man, and on day 7 He rested from all His work. This was not the rest of exhaustion, but the rest of accomplishment.

In this session we examine the first five days of creation: the creation of night/day, the atmosphere and separation of the waters, the emergence of dry land and vegetation, the sun, moon, and stars, and the creation of insects, birds, and swimming creatures. 

Although Genesis 1 goes to great lengths to portray the days of creation as literal 24-hour periods of time, many try to explain them away as long geological ages, or just figures of speech. In this session, we examine this question to show that the best way to view the days of creation as literal 24-hour days.

One of the common arguments for an old-earth view is radioactive dating techniques. In this session we look at the top three: Uranium-Lead, Potassium-Argon, and Carbon-14. We examine the presuppositions of each of the models to show their respective weaknesses, and make the case that they are not reliable indicators of age.

For those who hold to a creationist viewpoint, one of the arguments is whether the earth is as old as evolutionary models believe, or if the earth is only about 6,000 years old, as a clear reading of the Bible would indicate. In this session we look at this debate to make the case that the biblical record of 6,000 years is congruent with the teachings of Scripture. 

In the second session on the book of Genesis we explore various theories on the origin of the universe, including the Big Bang, Steady State, and Supernaturalistic views.

We begin a new series looking at the book of Genesis. In this session, we introduce the book, explore its background and importance in the canon of Scripture, and take a quick tour through it topics.

Paul finishes his conclusion to the book of Romans with some final exhortations regarding false teachers and those who cause division, followed by some final greetings to individual believers in Rome.

Paul continues his lengthy conclusion in Romans 16:1–16 by naming many of the people with whom he ministered and asks for greetings to be sent to them. Of note is Phoebe, whom Paul describes as a servant of the church in Cenchrea, the sister city of Corinth and the location that many think Paul wrote the letter of Romans from. Two other co-workers are noted, Priscilla and Aquila, who were fellow tent-makers and companions of Paul in Corinth.

Paul ends his letter to the Romans with an extended discussion of his plans to visit Rome along with personal greetings and a final exhortation. In this section of Scripture, he focuses on the first theme, that of his desire to visit Rome after taking aid to the saints in Jerusalem as the result of a famine in the late 50's AD (see 2 Corinthians regarding the collection he took for this relief effort). He then relates his desire to pass through Rome on his way to Spain, and closes with a request for prayer to be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea.

Paul continues his defense of his ministry to the Gentiles, proclaiming that he had faithfully carried out God's commission to him as the Apostle to the Gentiles, of which the church in Rome was a recipient.

In this short section of Romans, Paul speaks of his ministry to the Gentiles by quoting several passages in the Old Testament that speaks of God's blessings being poured out on Gentiles, not just the Jewish nation. The Jewish nation had assumed, wrongly, that they were the only recipients of God's blessings, however, God had never intended His blessings to end with Israel, but to encompass all people.

Paul encourages those who are strong in the faith to bear with the failings of the weak, not too see them as a burden. Christ did not come to please Himself, but to minister to others, and in the same way those who are strong believers are to help those weaker or more immature in their faith as an act of love to them so that together both the strong and weak may glorify God.

We complete our look at Romans 14 by examining the responsibility we have to not cause our brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble over those things that are no essential. The central theme is that we are to consider others over ourselves, because what may be fine for us is sin for others since whatever we do that is not of faith and violates our conscience is sin.

We continue our look at Christian liberty in Romans 14 by looking at the freedom we have in Christ which is bounded by the reality that someday we will all stand before Him and give an account. Our actions in the gray areas are not going to be evaluated by other believers, instead they will be evaluated by Christ. So instead of comparing ourselves to others, we need to compare ourselves to Christ with the understanding that we will give an account to him someday.

How can a believer exercise their Christian liberty while at the same time considering those who still feel many things are off limits for believers? We continue our discussion of this important topic in Romans 14, in which Paul instructs those that are mature in Christ to not look down on others and pass judgment on them because they have not yet understood their freedom in Christ.

In Romans 14, Paul turns his attention to the exercise of personal liberties and disputes over doubtful things. We begin our study of this topic by introducing this concept and how to practice it in the body of Christ.

We complete our study of Romans 13 in which Paul exhorts his readers to be alert, because the night is gone and the day is at hand. It is no time to be complacent, rather it is time to put off the works of darkness, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ so that we can walk in the day.

Paul continues his discussion of Christian virtues by discussion the golden rule in Romans 13:8-10. He points out that we should owe no one anything, except to love them and consider others over ourselves. In fact, love is the fulfillment of the law. If we love our neighbors and God as we should, then keeping the Ten Commandments becomes a by-product of that love, and not a duty.