THROUGH THE COMMENTARY

This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.

Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.

Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears.

Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418

GENESIS
CHAPTER 36

1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

This is something you'll want to remember as you study through
the Old Testament. Essau the man and Edom the nation are synonomous.
Essau fathered a nation of people who were like him in nature -
full of pride. Read Obadiah 3-4.

2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

Essau married two Canaanite women and one Ishmaelite woman.

4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel; 5 And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.

Essau's five sons are named. No daughters are named.

6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. 7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. 8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

Essau had been living in the SE corner of Canaan in a place called Seir.
Now he moves to Mt. Seir. This becomes his inheritance from God. (see Deut. 2:5)

9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir: 10 These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife. 13 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife. 14 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. 15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz, 16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah. 17 And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife. 18 And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. 19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

The descendents of Essau are traced through his five sons. Notice
they are all called "dukes" or chiefs. There's a lot of pride in this
family. One is reminded of Prov. 28:2 which says,
"For the transgression of the land, many are the princes thereof..."

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, 21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister was Timna. 23 And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. 25 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26 And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. 27 The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran. 29 These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, 30 Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

This is a list, probably of notable people who were in the land when Essau
moved into it. His family and their families mixed together to form the
whole nation of Edomites.

31 And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. 32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. 34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead. 35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. 36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. 37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead. 38 And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. 39 And Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 40 And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, 41 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, 42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, 43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.

It seems Essau's descendents eventually took over the whole land.
And it looks as if they established a system of government where there
was a king and many "dukes."
Isn't it interesting that the Edomites had a kingdom long before Israel?
Sometimes it seems that the children of God are left behind, but God
says His people will ultimately triumph. Earthly kingdoms soon rot
and decay; but the vision from God will speak in the land and NOT DIE
(Hab. 2:3).

CHAPTER 37

1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

While Essau is building a kingdom in Mt. Seir, Jacob is living at Hebron.
A very interesting and wonderful story is about to begin here: the story
of JOSEPH. Joseph is now old enough to work with his brothers.
When Joseph saw the wrongs that his brothers did, he told them to his father.
He was probably called a "tattletale."
But we should notice, at the very beginning of this interesting story,
that Joseph cared about doing right things. And he didn't
want to cast a shadow upon the family with wrongthings.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Joseph is the oldest son of Jacob's preferred wife Rachel, and Jacob
shows preferential treatment here. You'd think Jacob would
have learned from his own family life and not done that.
Whatever you decide about the meaning of the name "coat of many colors,"
it surely set Joseph apart from his brothers. And it certainly shows
preferential treatment.
As we study the story of Joseph, please note:
1st - He cares about doing what is right,
2nd - He is "preferred" by his father, (see John 1:15)
3rd - He is "hated" by his brothers, (Is. 53:3)
4th - He is SENT to his brethren, (John 1:11)
5th - He is sold into slavery by his brethren, (Matt. 26:15)
6th - He becomes their saviour in a troubled time.

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

These dreams undoubtedly caused the fires of hatred to flame
even higher. Joseph told the dreams. Did he not know that he would
anger them? Even though he is only 17, and is unfamiliar with worldly
ways, he is surely "rubbing the cat the wrong way."
Joseph told the dreams in innocence, because he certainly didn't
want to anger his father. And the brothers envied Joseph, but
his father listened.

12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Shechem is about fifty miles North of Hebron. That may give us some
idea of how LARGE Jacob's flocks were. Joseph willingly
makes the trip. How many of us would willingly go where we KNEW
we were unwanted?

15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

Joseph didn't find the brothers where they were supposed to be.
How many times has our Saviour come to us and not found us where we
ought to be? (IE. in church, in prayer, in Bible study, in witnessing, etc.)

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. 22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

The brothers saw Joseph coming and set up a plot to kill him. But Reuben
intervened and said, (in effect) "Let's just table that motion and
figure out what to do with him."

23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

So they dropped him in a deep pit, and Reuben planned to go back and rescue him.

25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

They hated Joseph so much, their actions didn't even affect their appetite!
Now Judah steps up with an alternate plan. He says, (in effect)
"Boys, we can't make any money killing this 'dreamer,' so let's
SELL him!"
At least Judah, from which tribe comes our Lord, wanted to SAVE Joseph.
((Interesting facts here: Ishmaelites are descendents of Abraham
by his son Ishmael; Midianites are descendents of Abraham through
his second marriage to Keturah. These are ALL Semites plotting
to sell this innocent lad.

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Our Lord Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15).

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? 31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

When Reuben came back to rescue Joseph, and found him gone, he was
genuinely concerned. He'd already angered his father by sleeping with
one of Jacob's wives. He is also the OLDEST son, and is probably the
one held responsible for the others.
So they plotted to deceive old Jacob. You will notice that jacob was
deceived the same way he deceived his father. (see Gal. 6:7)

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

Jacob mourned heavily. When the family tried to comfort him, he vowed
he would go to his grave mourning for Joseph. This kind of grief
depicts an unstable faith! (vs 35)
He who wallows in grief knows no joy!
When we lose someone we love, let us grieve; then, let us praise
God for the time we have had with them, and get on with life.
(See 1Thess. 4:16-18)

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

Now we see that Joseph is sold to the captain of Pharoah's special guard.
God has a very special purpose for Joseph. And these are all steps in God's
plan to bring this young man to be a mature adult.
Yes, sometimes bad things happen to good people. Ill-fated works do come
to the children of God. But, praise His Name, He is always,
"working all things together for good to them that love Him.."
(Rom. 8:28).
We'll have to leave Joseph's story for a while and see a sad story
about Judah (Chap. 38).

Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.