Sermon and Worship Resources

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Genesis 44:1-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Sons Return to Egypt: With the supplies of grain almost gone, Jacob finally accepts the reality that his sons must return to Egypt to buy more grain. After they arrive in Egypt, Joseph orchestrates a sequence of incidents that moves to the climactic moment when he makes himself known to his brothers. This, one of the most powerful accounts in history, has seven scenes. Jacob’s family discu...

2. Abraham and Abimelech

Genesis 20:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Abraham before Abimelech of Gerar: Abraham settles for a brief time in Gerar, a city-state in the Negev to the west of Beersheba, ruled by a Philistine king, where he again identifies Sarah as his sister. The local king, Abimelech, takes her into his harem. The rabbis speculate on the legendary beauty of Sarah in her old age, believing it to be a result of God’s blessing on the great matriarch of ...

3. Abraham Pleads for Sodom

Genesis 18:16-33

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

18:16–17 This is the beginning of the second major section of this chapter (vv. 16–33). Having accomplished their primary purpose in visiting Abraham and Sarah, the three messengers set out on their journey. The reference to their looking down toward Sodom introduces the subject of this section. Continuing to be hospitable, Abraham walked along with them for a while to see them on their way. Yahwe...

4. Abraham Tested

Genesis 22:1-19

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Binding of Isaac: In an episode repulsive to a contemporary audience, God commands Abraham to offer up his son Isaac as a whole burnt offering. How could the God who created life and blessed humans with fertility require his faithful servant to offer up his only, beloved, son as a sacrifice? How could God ask Abraham to give up the son of promise for whom he had waited so long? On the other ha...

5. Abram and Lot Separate

Genesis 13:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Abram and Lot Separate: This account unfolds in the four scenes of Abram’s return to Canaan (vv. 1–4), the separation of Abram and Lot (vv. 5–13), God’s renewal of the promise of land and offspring to Abram (vv. 14–17), and Abram’s settling near Mamre (v. 18). 13:1–4 Abram went up from Egypt with Sarai and Lot to the area south of Canaan called the Negev. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock...

6. Abram in Egypt

Genesis 12:10-20

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Abram’s Perilous Encounter in Egypt: On reaching the southern region of the land of promise, Abram faces two dangers that cast a heavy shadow over the promises God has made. A severe famine strikes Canaan, causing Abram to leave the land of promise for Egypt. Then, in Egypt Sarai is taken to Pharaoh’s harem. Only God’s intervention delivers Abram and Sarai from Pharaoh’s power so that they may ret...

7. Abram Rescues Lot

Genesis 14:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Abram Rescues Lot from Captivity: This episode reveals Abram as a strong military commander. Employing shrewd battle tactics, Abram defeats a coalition of four kings from the East who have taken his nephew Lot captive. On his triumphant return Melchizedek, priest-king of Salem, comes out to meet him and blesses him. Abram in turn gives him a tithe of the spoil. This episode describes Kedorlaomer’s...

8. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Adventures in the Garden of Eden of the First Humans: This narrative addresses the most troubling question faced by every human: “Why must I die?” In addition it gives a reason for several fundamental features of human experience—wearing clothes, pain in childbirth, toil and sweat in work, growth of thorns and thistles, and the enmity between humans and snakes. Much more importantly, this simp...

9. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Cain Slays Abel and Lamech Boasts: The first siblings are unable to live in harmony. Hatred propels Cain to murder his own brother. The tragic, brute power of sin also finds expression in Lamech’s boasting song, in which he brazenly gloats over a wanton killing while pronouncing threats against others. These incidents illustrate how Adam and Eve’s disobedience unleashed sin as a destructive power ...

10. Dinah and the Shechemites

Genesis 34:1-31

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Rape of Dinah: A number of years after Jacob settled in the vicinity of Shechem (33:17–20), a man named Shechem, the son of Hamor, rapes Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. The approaches of the two parties to resolving this offense reveal the deep conflict between two different ways of life: shepherds in conflict with urban dwellers and worshipers of one God in conflict with polytheists. Several acrid t...

11. Esau's Descendants

Genesis 36:1-30

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Descendants of Esau: Following the report of Isaac’s death (35:27–29), the narrative records the genealogy (toledoth) of his two sons, Esau (36:1–43) and Jacob (37:1–2). As with Ishmael (25:13–18) and Isaac (25:19–20), the genealogy of the son who is not the direct heir of God’s special promises to Abraham appears before that of the son who is the heir of that promise. These lists contain seve...

12. From Adam to Noah

Genesis 5:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Descendants of Seth to Noah: In contrast to the increasing wickedness recounted in Cain’s genealogy, the line of those who worshiped God is presented in Seth’s genealogy. Ten generations from Adam to Noah span 1, 656 years. After the deluge another epoch is identified by the ten generations from Shem, Noah’s son, to Abram (11:10–26; also note the ten generations from Perez to David: Ruth 4:18–...

13. From Shem to Abram

Genesis 11:10-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Descendants of Shem to Abraham 11:10–26: This linear genealogy opens with a toledoth formula and recounts the lineage of Noah’s son Shem. Following the Table of Nations (ch. 10), this genealogy focuses on the line that leads from Noah to Abraham, through whom God would build his own people. The list consists of nine persons as it points to a tenth person (Westermann, Genesis 1–11, p. 560) and ...

14. God’s Covenant with Abram

Genesis 15:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

God’s Covenant with Abram: In this account God appears twice to Abram, each time giving him special promises. The text gives no indication of the length of time between these appearances, although it must have been at least a day. In the first appearance God gives Abram an object lesson at night (v. 5), and in the next there is mention of the sun setting (v. 12). On both occasions Abram receives G...

15. God’s Covenant with Noah

Genesis 9:1-17

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

God’s Blessing on Noah and His Offspring: After the great deluge God gives to Noah and his sons the same blessing he gave to humans at their creation (1:28), empowering them to prosper and to replenish the earth. Further, we learn that humans continue to bear the image of God; each person possesses intrinsic value.Yet God introduces three drastic changes. First, God grants humans permission to eat...

16. Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 16:1-16

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Birth of Ishmael: In this account Sarai gives Hagar to Abram (vv. 1–6); the angel of Yahweh instructs and blesses Hagar (vv. 7–12); and Hagar responds and gives birth to Ishmael (vv. 13–16). The setting alternates in the pattern of A:B:A′: Abram’s house (first and third scenes) and the desert (second scene). 16:1–2 Sarai, Abram’s principal wife, remained without children despite God’s reiterat...

17. Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

Genesis 21:8-21

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Birth of Isaac and the Expulsion of Ishmael: Sarah bears the child of promise. In light of this couple’s waiting twenty-five years for God’s promise to be fulfilled, it is amazing how matter-of-fact is the report of Isaac’s birth. Directly following this happy, triumphal account comes the report of an ugly incident in which Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be expelled from the household. T...

18. Isaac and Abimelech

Genesis 26:1-35

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Isaac Settles in the Negev: Genesis preserves only a few of the traditions about Isaac. The episodes in which Isaac is the main actor cluster primarily in this chapter, which opens by identifying him as the true heir of the promises to Abraham (vv. 3–5). These accounts picture Isaac as following in the footsteps of Abraham. Both face famine in the land (26:1–6 // 12:10); during the famine both go ...

19. Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:1-67

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Finding a Wife for Isaac: Abraham’s last major responsibility in light of God’s promises is to find a wife for Isaac. Otherwise the promise of numerous offspring will perish for lack of an heir. The text does not address why Abraham waited so long to fulfill this responsibility. Abraham commissions his most trusted senior servant to travel to Haran to find a wife for his son. In order to preserve ...

20. Ishmael’s Sons

Genesis 25:12-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Ishmael’s Lineage and Death: Since Abraham had great affection for Ishmael and since he played a major role in two different episodes, the tradition includes his lineage and obituary. As elsewhere in Genesis, the genealogy of the nonelect occurs before that of the elect (chs. 4, 36). 25:12–16 Ishmael’s genealogy (toledoth) is given. His sons numbered twelve like Nahor’s (22:20–24), Esau’s (36:9–14...

21. Jacob and Esau

Genesis 25:19-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Birth and Early Rivalry of Esau and Jacob: The next patriarchal narrative, that of Jacob (25:19–36:43), extends from Jacob’s birth to Esau’s lineage. (See the Introduction for an overview of the Jacob narrative as a whole and its relationship to the Joseph story.) Three incidents set the stage for the drama of Jacob’s life: the struggle of Jacob and Esau in the womb and at birth (vv. 19–26), a...

22. Jacob Apprehension in Meeting Esau

Genesis 32:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Enigmatic Wrestling Match: Before Jacob’s wrestling match (vv. 24–30), he has a vision of angels at Mahanaim (vv. 1–2). On the surface this brief report seems to be disjunctive. Nevertheless, several terms tie these two passages into the flow of the Jacob narrative. Jacob meets the angels or messengers of God (mal’ake ’elohim), and he sends “messengers” (mal’akim) to meet Esau. There is a ...

23. Jacob Arrives at Paddan Aram

Genesis 29:1-14

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob Arrives at Laban’s House: This episode is a betrothal type-scene. In such a scene a person travels to a distant place, stops at a well, meets a girl, and draws water for her flock by overcoming some obstacle. The girl’s father invites the traveler to stay; eventually the young man marries the local girl (other variations of this type-scene are Abraham’s servant and Rebekah in 24:10–61 and Mo...

24. Jacob Blesses His Sons

Genesis 49:1-28

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Last Testament: Just before his death, Jacob, the patriarch whose name Israel will become the name of the nation that will develop from his children, delivers his last testament, focusing on the destinies of his twelve sons. Since God has appeared to Jacob from time to time, he has the authority to describe the character of each tribe in regard to its future settlement in the promised land...

25. Jacob Flees from Laban

Genesis 31:1-21

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob Departs from Laban’s House: Four scenes make up this account, in which Jacob prepares to leave Laban’s house (vv. 1–16); Jacob’s family flees (vv. 17–24), Laban confronts Jacob (vv. 25–42), and Laban and Jacob make a covenant (vv. 43–55). 31:1–3 Jacob became aware that Laban’s sons were disgruntled with him, complaining that he had gained much wealth at their father’s expense. They claimed t...

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