Lesson 12

Question 1

• Discuss the sovereignty of God in his preserving Joseph

Question 2

• Explain the importance of the Joseph narrative for the themes and context of the book of Genesis

Question 3

• Explain the significance of Jacob’s final words to his children.

Answer 3

D. The fulfillment of the promises of God
1. I will make your name great
2. I will make you a blessing
3. I will make you into a great nation
4. Nations will come forth from you
5. I will give you this land

Question 4

1. What is the theme of this section? How does it play out through the story of Joseph?

Answer 4

A. The theme of this section is that God fulfills his promises in spite of the evil intentions of people

1. Evil intentions
   a. The hatred of Joseph’s brothers (Gen 37)
   i. Joseph’s favored status (Gen 37:3)
   ii. Reporting on his brothers (Gen 37:2)
   iii. The dreams of Joseph (Gen 37:5, 8, 11)
   iv. The key question in Gen 37:8
   v. Plans to get rid of Joseph (Gen 37:18)
    Reuben’s intercession (Gen 37:22)
    Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery and to deceive Jacob
    Was Reuben a coward (Gen 37:30)
   vi. Hints of well-being (Gen 37:36)
   b. False accusation leading to prison (Gen 39:7-20)
2. God blesses Joseph in his adversity
   a. Overseer of Potiphar’s house (Gen 39:4)
   b. Blessed in prison (Gen 39:21-23)
   c. Elevated to high position in Egypt (Gen 41:39-43)
3. The faithfulness of Joseph
   a. Thirty years old (Gen 41:46)
   b. Given a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah (Gen 41:45)
   c. Given a wife, Asenath, daughter of Potiphera the priest of On
4. The testing of Joseph’s brothers (Gen 42-45)
   a. Have they changed?
   b. Bring back Benjamin, the youngest son (Gen 42:17-24)

Question 5

2. How has “Shiloh” in Genesis 49:8-12 been interpreted? Discuss the various views and give the meaning of the passage

Answer 5

iii. Until “Shiloh” comes
 A proper name (“until Shiloh comes,” KJV, NKJV, NASB, NCV) or a place name (“until he comes to Shiloh,” Syriac)
 A combination of several small Hebrew particles (shi - l - oh), meaning “of who it is to him” [i.e., to whom it belongs]
 “The scepter will not depart from Judah . . . until he comes to whom it belongs” (NIV)
 A shortened form of a phrase in Ezek 21:27, “not restored until he comes to whom it rightly belongs.”
 The “tribute” option: “until tribute is brought to him and his is the obedience of the peoples” (NRSV, NEB, ESV)
 The meaning is that the authority to rule would stay within the tribe of Judah

Question 6

3. How does Genesis 38 fit into the larger Joseph narrative?

Answer 6

d. Connections to the Joseph narrative
i. The theme of deception
 Joseph’s brothers
 Tamar
 Potiphar’s wife
ii. The contrast between the guile of Judah and the faithfulness of Joseph
iii. The development of Judah’s character
 Selfish lack of concern for the covenant family
 Hypocrisy (Gen 38:24)
 Confession (Gen 38:26)
iv. Tamar the heroine
 Rejects her father’s house (Canaanite) and remains faithful to Judah
 Included in the Messianic line
v. Prominence of the youngest son
 Perez, the youngest continues the Messianic line (Gen 38:28-30; Ruth 4:18; Matt 1:3)
 Joseph and his brothers: “shall you rule over us?” (Gen 37:8)
vi. The necessity of separating from the Canaanites