Fellowship Church of Winter Springs

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Bible Study-13 (Genesis 48-50)

Book of Genesis“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” – Winston Churchill – 1942
These are the words of Winston Churchill in the early days of WWII. As we complete our study of the book of Genesis, I feel the same way. Genesis (Hebrew – Bereshit) means “in the beginning”. This book provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible. In it we have the creation account, the fall and the early judgment of mankind. I have called these judgments “God’s acts to limit the expression of evil through mankind”. Following these judgments, we have the revelation of the beginning of the redemption process which has now been working out in the human community for 4000 years. Again, Genesis gives us the basic foundation for what will follow. God made a covenant with three successive generations of his elect family: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He brought the infant nation (at this point an extended family) into Egypt which served as an incubator for Israel. Finally, God revealed how the two leading tribes, Judah and Joseph, came to be in leadership positions and that ultimate redemption would be accomplished through Judah.

Jacob was approaching death. He was 147 years old and had spent the last 17 years in Egypt. Now Jacob passed on both tribal leadership and the double blessing. Tribal leadership was bestowed upon Judah who had already demonstrated his selfless leadership. He willingly laid down his life for his brother. The double portion was given to Joseph. In order to accomplish this in a meaningful way, Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own sons. This is prophetic because the practical implications of it would not be fully realized until Israel conquered its land 400 years later. When the land was allocated to the various tribes, the Biblically meaningful heartland was given to Judah and Joseph. This is the area called today “the west bank”. It is the most highly contested real estate in the world today (see my book “Israel, God’s Interdimensional Portal”, available at Amazon).

One of my favorite Scriptural quotations is found in the section. Jacob declared to Joseph,

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads….. (Genesis 48:15-16a)

I feel a kinship with Jacob because his confession is also true in my life. As I look back over the years, I realize that the Lord has guided me each step of the way and that he has delivered me from evil along the way.

When Jacob died, he was taken to Hebron and buried in the cave of Machpela. He was the last to be buried in the cave following Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca and, finally, his wife Leah. Can you imagine the significance of this site to the remnant of Israel who have returned and possessed the land in our day? My favorite rabbi and friend, Rabbi Eliezer Waldman, led one of two families to return to Hebron in 1968, following the Six-Day war, to establish a Jewish presence there. The ancient Jewish community of Hebron had been annihilated by Moslem Palestinians in 1929. I have had the awesome experience of visiting this site on several occasions.

Finally, Genesis ends with a bold faith expression made by Joseph. Joseph’s was confident that God would deliver Israel from Egypt. He did not know when. He made the sons of Israel promise that when God delivered Israel from Egypt and they returned to the land of Israel, that his bones be taken with them and buried in the land. Four hundred years later in the Exodus from Egypt, this was fulfilled. Joseph body was carried along the way and buried in Shechem near the border between Ephraim and Manasseh. There is a synagogue in Shechem at Joseph’s tomb today. This is also the site of Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim and the community of Kedumim. Fellowship Church, the congregation that the Lord used me to pioneer, has an ongoing project in Kedumim. It is awesome to sit at this site and drink in the historical as well as the future significance of this area.

Between the death of Joseph (Genesis 50) and the birth of Moses (Exodus 1) there is a gap of approximately 280 years. During this period, Egypt was conquered by Semitic invaders known as the Hyksos. Eventually the Egyptians rose up and expelled the Hyksos and established Egyptian rule again. This would be the Pharaoh that did not “know” Joseph and was responsible for enslaving the Hebrews. This is the beginning point for the book of Exodus.

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Bible Study-12 (Genesis 44-47)

Book of GenesisAs noted in previous studies, the latter section of the book of Genesis is prophetic in nature (chapters 37-50). The future leadership of the nation of Israel is described hundreds of years before the fact. Joseph is a unique type of Messiah. His descendants, Ephraim and Manasseh will become leaders of the northern tribes of Israel. Judah, on the other hand, will be the dominant tribe in the south. Through Judah, God will preserve a remnant to complete His purpose of redemption. Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. Even though the division of Israel between Judah and Joseph is only temporarily healed from time to time during the first kingdom era (1447 – 586 BC/BCE), the unification of the whole house of Israel will be accomplished in the diaspora. Ezekiel prophesied of this unification (Ezekiel 37:15-23).

The Silver Cup (Genesis 44)Judah was faced with the ultimate test of leadership. Benjamin had been found guilty of stealing Joseph’s cup and was destined to be thrown into prison for the rest of his life. Judah approached Joseph and proposed that he be imprisoned in the place of Benjamin. Judah laid down his life for the sake of his father and his brothers. In the words of Messiah Jesus, Judah took up his cross. This was the ultimate test of leadership. As a result, Judah became the unquestioned leader of the clan. Jacob, as a prophet, would recognize this through his prophecy concerning Judah.

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you, Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up, he couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:8-10)

God revealed Himself to Jacob one last time (at least this is the last recorded revelation to him). On the way to Egypt, God met Jacob at Beersheba and exhorted him not to fear moving the clan to Egypt. Here God revealed His purpose in moving Israel to Egypt.

“And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes”. (Genesis 46:3-4)

God was in the “nation building” business. God did not reveal the fact that it would take about 400 years for the nation to be built.

We may ask the question, why was it necessary for God to do this nation building in Egypt. Couldn’t God accomplish the same thing in the land of Canaan? Even though the Bible does not clearly answer this question, it does give us sufficient information to infer an answer. We believe that Judah’s interactions with the Canaanites (chapter 38) show that Israel was assimilating into the Canaanite population. Israel was in danger of becoming indistinguishable from the Canaanites. Israel would not become assimilated in Egypt. The Israelis were shepherds, and Egyptians despised shepherds. Israel would not be allowed to assimilate into the Egyptian population.

“for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.” (Genesis 46:34b)

Thus Egypt served as an “incubator” for the infant nation of Israel. Israel maintained their distinct identity for the 400 years spent in Egypt. They grew from 70 souls (without counting Joseph Exodus 1:5) to something like 2 to 3 million people in that time.

It is awesome to consider the wisdom of God and His revelation to man.

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Bible Study-11 (Genesis 41-44)

The portion of the Bible recorded from Genesis 37-50 gives an account of the character of two men, Judah and Joseph. This is prophecy because it provides the foundation for subsequent leadership in Israel. When Israel finally possessed the land following the Exodus, the tribes of Judah and Joseph received the territory of the central highlands from the Judean wilderness north to the Jezreel valley. This is the area of the land that is most significant from a spiritual standpoint. It is referred today in the international media as the “Israeli occupied West Bank”. It is, without doubt, the most highly contested real estate in the world. During the First Kingdom era (1447 – 586 BC/BCE), the tribes of Israel were most often divided into two groups; Judea in the South and Ephraim (Joseph) in the North. Ultimately, Judea was predicted to be the primary vessel of redemption (see Jacob’s prophecy – Genesis 49:8-10).

Joseph’s portrayal is one of the most positive in the Bible. He was a man of strong revelation faith. He was confident of his election and, therefore, refused to be discouraged. He was falsely charged by Potipher’s wife and thrown into prison. He didn’t complain. Instead he was positive and productive so that he was placed in charge of all the prisoners under the oversight of the chief jailer. Even though he spent many years in prison, his faith never faltered. When presented with the dreams of his fellow prisoners, he readily received interpretation of those dreams and credited the interpretations to God. The same was true when he interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh.

After interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph was placed in charge of all of Egypt with the exception of the Pharaoh himself. Joseph was a type of Messiah. He was a man full of faith. He was always extremely productive. He was always subordinate to the one who granted him authority. He fulfilled his responsibilities and in the process purchased the whole land of Egypt for the Pharaoh. In this way Joseph became a powerful type of the Messiah to come, portraying Messiah’s characteristics, position and purpose.

The account of Joseph interacting with his brothers is one of the most heart-warming stories in the Bible. However, as inviting as the story is, we must not lose sight of the reason the account is included in the Bible. The Bible is giving us an account of the emerging leadership characteristics of Judah. Judah was the fourth born son of Israel and therefore not in the position to assume leadership. The events recorded in these sections of the Bible shows how he emerged as leader. Note that in the first encounter of the brothers with Joseph, Simeon was taken as a hostage by Joseph. Reuben, the first-born, failed to offer himself in the place of his younger brother Simeon. When Israel decided to send his sons back to Egypt for more grain, he understood that his youngest son, Benjamin, would have to be sent on the journey. Reuben told his father that he could kill his sons, Jacob’s grandsons, if Benjamin did not return safely. Judah told his father that he would assume full responsibility for the safe return of Benjamin. In the second encounter of Joseph with his brothers, Benjamin was taken as a prisoner because of the charge that he had stolen Joseph’s cup. Judah stepped in and offered himself in the place of his younger brother. Judah was willing to lay down his life for his brother (John 15:13). This is the reason that Judah emerged as leader.

Later Messiah Jesus will exhort His followers to “take up their cross and follow Him”. Judah provides us with a picture of “taking up the cross”. As followers of Messiah Jesus we must lay down our private ambitions and passions and consecrate ourselves to the work of the Kingdom of God. We must follow the example given to us by Judah.

One final thought concerning the information included in this section. We are told that the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews. In other words the Egyptians actively discriminated against the Hebrews.

“So they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians, who ate with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians.” (Genesis 43:32)

In a later section we will develop the point that God brought Israel to Egypt to make them a nation there. We believe the reason that God used Egypt for this purpose was because the Egyptians would not allow Israel to assimilate into their society. Therefore, Egypt served as an incubator for the infant nation of Israel. We suspect that if God had left Israel in Canaan in this crucial developmental stage, they would have assimilated into the Canaanite society.

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Bible Study-10 (Genesis 37-40)

Joseph's Coat of Many ColorsThe book of Genesis is prophetic in nature. The theme from chapter 12 through 36 is God’s interaction with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God established His election through these three witnesses. Later when God called Moses at Mt. Sinai, He declared that His eternal, memorial name was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:15). From Genesis chapter 37 through chapter 50, God’s elect vessel is the infant nation of Israel rather than individual patriarchs. The book is prophetic in nature because it outlines the leadership within the nation of Israel for the future. We have an account of events in the lives of Judah and Joseph. These would become the leading tribes of the nation of Israel. The prophetic promises and hence God’s work of redemption would be carried out primarily through these two tribes.

According to the tradition of the time, tribal authority and the double blessing would go to the firstborn son. The firstborn son of Jacob and Leah was Reuben. Reuben eliminated himself from leadership and the blessing by sleeping with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. (Genesis 35:22) Jacob’s second-born, Simeon, and his third-born, Levi, both eliminated themselves in the matter concerning their sister Dinah at Shechem. (Genesis 34:1-31). Judah was next in line. On the other hand, Joseph was the firstborn son to Jacob and Rachel. In the remaining chapters of Genesis both Judah and Joseph are shown to be worthy of tribal leadership (Judah) and the double blessing (Joseph).

Joseph was a man of faith. He received prophetic dreams and interpreted dreams of others as well. Through dreams he foresaw, in the short term, all of the tribes of Israel including his father’s household bowing down to him (Genesis 37). These dreams foretold Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt and future interactions with his family there during a famine. Joseph became a type of Messiah (he was rejected by his family, went to a distant land and received a kingdom, saved his people in a time of great stress and was ultimately reconciled to his family and ruled over them). It is amazing to me that his prophetic ministry did not extend beyond himself. His direct descendants failed to distinguish themselves in the manner that Joseph did. Those enduring faith characteristics will be seen in Judah rather than in Joseph.

Ultimately, redemption would be worked out through Judah. In the current section of study we have an unusual account of Judah interacting with his sons and daughter-in-law. At first, this appears to be a glimpse of cultural life during the patriarchal era. The real purpose of this account, however, is to demonstrate something crucial in the character of Judah that will distinguish him as a leader of God’s people. Judah promised Tamar, his daughter-in-law, that she would be given to Judah’s youngest son in order to raise up descendants for her deceased husband. Judah failed to fulfill his promise. Tamar disguised herself as a temple prostitute and became pregnant by Judah. When Judah became aware that Tamar was pregnant, he ordered her executed. At this point Tamar revealed that Judah himself was the father of her child. Now this is the point of revelation concerning Judah. He could have attempted to hide his involvement with her and she would have been executed. Yet, Judah, when confronted with his sin, confessed what he had done, i.e., he took responsibility for his sin instead of blaming others. This is one aspect of character that is crucial for leadership. Later King David would be confronted with his sin concerning Uriah. Like Judah before him, David confessed his sin. In contrast to this, King Saul blamed others when he was confronted with his sin concerning Amalek. Saul was rejected from leadership.

Joseph was sold by his brothers into bondage. When in Egypt, he was again sold to Potiphar. Later he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and was thrown into prison. There he faithfully served the chief jailer. In this capacity, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s servant who had been imprisoned. The dreams of Pharaoh’s servants were fulfilled and the cup-bearer was restored to his previous position. He forgot about Joseph who was left in prison. In each of these situations, Joseph had every reason to feel sorry for himself, yet, he did not. Due to the prophetic visions that God had given him, Joseph saw himself in faith as an instrument of the Lord. He continually confessed that God was using him to accomplish His purpose.

This is the hard part for us as believers. Firstly, our vision and mission must be established by a clear “faith word” (Romans 1:17). Secondly, we must walk out that faith word without doubting. Even when we face all manner of injustices, we should follow the example set for us by Joseph and give praise and glory to the Lord. Messiah Jesus declared repeatedly that the one who endures to the end will receive the promise.

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Bible Study-09 (Genesis 32-36)

Torah: Vayishlach (And he sent)Last week’s study dealt with Jacob’s travel to Haran and his time there working for his uncle Laban. I consider this to be the first dispersion. Jacob spent 20 years there. This week’s study deals with Jacob’s return to the land of promise. Indeed, the vessel of promise returned to the land of promise. This is in accordance with the promise God made to Jacob at Bethel.

“And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

Jacob’s life serves as a prophecy concerning the future of his descendants. We believe that the return of a remnant of Israel to the land of Israel in our days follows this same pattern. As we consider the Hebrew prophets, we recognize that God has promised this and much more to the people of Israel.

After 20 years of “discipline” at the hands of Laban, Jacob was prepared to trust God in faith rather than depending upon himself to accomplish his purpose. Jacob camped on the east side of the Jordan River. He was informed that his brother Esau was coming with 400 men. In Jacob’s last encounter with Esau, he threatened to kill Jacob. Obviously, Jacob feared that Esau and his accompanying militia were coming to fulfill that threat.

Jacob spent the night in prayer. Please note the difference in attitude exhibited by Jacob compared with that when he left the land. Here Jacob humbled himself, reminded God of the promise He had made and simply asked God to intervene to save him. Previously, Jacob had attempted to bargain with God.

Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’” (Genesis 32:9-12)

Now Jacob is acting in faith. He is trusting God.

Jacob experienced a violent struggle that night.

“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” (Genesis 32:24)

We can debate who this man was but whoever he was he had the authority to change Jacob’s name to Israel. I conclude that the possibilities include God Himself, a pre-incarnate manifestation of Jesus (like the captain of the host of the Lord who would later meet Joshua on the plains of Jericho), or a high ranking angel. I would like to propose that Jacob was hearing two voices speaking to him that night. One voice, that of Satan, would have been encouraging Jacob to rely on his ability to manipulate his brother and, thereby, escape his wrath. The other voice would have been telling Jacob to trust God. The latter voice prevailed as did Jacob. Jacob chose faith rather than self reliance and as a result prevailed and was given a new name. The ultimate test of that faith came the following morning when Israel met Esau, bowed before and exposed his neck to Esau’s sword. The miracle of God’s intervention in the soul of Esau is evident as he embraces Israel rather than attempting to kill him.

Israel finally accepted his election as God’s vessel of redemption. This had been his dream as a young man. He manipulated his brother and father to receive it only to be driven further from it. Finally, he received it in the only way that it can be received, that is, by faith. Paul would later declare to the Ephesians,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God”. (Ephesians 2:8)

Do you strive to obtain and fulfill God’s calling in your life? There is only one way to prevail and Israel demonstrated that for you.

Who We Are

Fellowship Church is a non-denominational congregation of believers in Messiah Jesus who love, worship and serve the Holy One of Israel with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. We are located in Winter Springs, Florida.

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Fellowship Church
5340 Red Bug Lake Road
Winter Springs, Florida 32708
407.699.1011