Page 22 - Old Testament Survey Student Textbook

Chapters 12-50 focus on four key characters; - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

When God destroyed the earth with a flood, he made a covenant with Noah (check Noahic Covenant in
the introduction). This time God was going to make another covenant with a man named Abraham.
NOTE; Covenants were a way God related with mankind. Also, a covenant was something that people
in the middle-eastern culture understood well. It was way making an agreement under oath. God made
a three-part promise to Abraham;

 To make him a great man and bless him
 Create a great nation out of him (these words sound very ironic in the instance when they are
spoken because Abraham and his wife were past bearing age) and give them a land (Canaan)
forever.
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 Bring blessing to all peoples through his descendants.

Abraham was promised a seed not seeds, meaning one. The idea of “the Seed” is further explained by
the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3-4 and it was point to Christ as the ultimate. Isaac is the promised son but
not the ultimate seed. God fulfilled his promise by giving Sarah and Abraham (in their old age) a son,
Isaac. Isaac (25-26) begot twins, Esau and Jacob. It is also important to understand that God confirmed
his covenant with Abraham to Isaac. Of his two sons, God chose Jacob. As it is written, “Jacob have I love
and Esau I hated. NOTE; - Esau is the descendant of the Edomites.

Jacob, whose name also means trickery or supplanted, begged God to change his name to Israel (means
one who struggled with God. The idea that God chose Jacob over Esau simply means that he would
continue his covenant with Abraham with Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons (twelve tribes of Israel) but he
loved Joseph (the eleventh son) more than the rest. He gave Joseph a special coat which increased
jealousy among his siblings. Joseph was later sold into slavery by his brothers, something that hate
Jacob. All this happened God’s sovereign control. Joseph is a picture of Christ of Christ in the New
Testament. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers but his betrayal turned into providence for God’s
people. In a time when there was famine Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s (in Egypt) dream
saved the entire Middle East. Joseph became second in command to the Pharaoh (very high position- in
modern day he could have been a prime minister). His entire family including Jacob came to Egypt and
settled there. Genesis ends with Jacob and his family in Egypt. Jacob blesses his Children and died. Note,
the blessing of his twelve sons had a prophetic link to their character and future. Also, because of
Joseph’s character, Jacob added his two son’s Manasseh and Ephraim as a part of the twelve son of
Israel.
vi

6 Ibid, Denis J. Mock. P. 36
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