Book of Genesis - Ch. 35, Vs. 5-Ch. 37, Vs. 36 (03/25/2001)

King James Bible Preference and the Authority of the Text

Before we start with our lesson this afternoon, I'd like to make some comments supporting what Brother David said this morning. I know with several of you I have encouraged you to get one version or another, but I am convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that I will accept nothing but the King James.

If you have a different translation, that's fine. I just won't believe everything it says. Another thing I noticed, everything keys to the King James. If they skip a verse, they leave it out, but they continue the numbering.

There will come a time when they will not do that, when they'll just omit the verse and the number. But so far, I don't know why, unless it's Strong's or something, but it's all keyed to the King James.

So why not use the King James? Now, our session today takes up with Jacob, right after he had met and left Esau. And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the city that were around about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

I'm sorry, this right after the killing of all of the males in the city. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his brother.

El Bethel means house of God. We started with 35 .5. But Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak, and the name of it was called Alon Bacchus. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Perdanaram, and blessed him.

Jacob Renamed Israel and the Promise Reaffirmed

And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob. Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called his name Israel. God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply.

A nation of, and a company of nations shall be of thee. Kings shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give it.

All of Jacob's descendants still owned that very important piece of land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked to him. This was not a vision or a vision of God, Jesus Christ himself. Fourteen.

Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink off him thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

Rachel's Death, Benjamin's Birth, and Reuben's Sin

And they journeyed from Bethel, and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath. And Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. What of the other son has Rachel bore? And it came to pass when she was in hard labor that the midwife said unto her, fear not, thou shalt have this son also.

And it came to pass as her soul was departing, for she died, that she called his name Ben-O-I, but his father called him Benjamin. Ben-O-I means son of my sorrow. Benjamin means son of my right hand.

Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethel. Jacob set a pillar upon her grave, that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. And Israel journeyed and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

This is the only mention of the tower of Edar. Perhaps, we don't know for sure, but it's probably a lookout tower for shepherds. And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. Makes no mention of what Reuben did, but he remembers. Now, the rest of that chapter, they make sure Isaac gave up the ghost. He died and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days.

And his son Esau and Jacob buried him. That is out of context, but he isn't dead yet. Now the 28th, no, the 36th chapter, we're going to skip because it has to do with the descendants and their offspring.

Joseph, His Brothers, and the Coat of Many Colors

Now 37, and Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Jacob being seventeen, Joseph being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren.

And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah. And when the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Joseph going to be quite something. He's an obnoxious teenager.

He doesn't get along with his brothers at all. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all of his children because he was a son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. If there is anything, anything, in the family troubling you, it's sin.

It can be traced to sin. And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren. Now this was a problem with the other brothers, and it's a problem every time. Anytime a child is loved by one and not by the other, it creates a problem.

They hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. They couldn't even talk with him peaceably. And Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brethren. And they hated him yet the more. And he said unto him, it didn't stop him.

And he said unto them, here I pray you this dream which I have dreamed. They said, shut up. 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 obedience to my sheaf.

And his brothers said to him, shall thou indeed reign over us? Or shall thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. Now you would think that Joseph would have learned by this not to relate any of his dreams anymore to those brothers.

Go tell somebody else if you wanted to, but let's not bother them. Not Joseph. 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 moon and the eleven stars made obedience to me.

And he told it to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, 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?

Now we know, knowing the rest of the story, that they did exactly that. But at this point in history, that's unknown to them. And his brethren envied him, but his father observed the same. And his brother went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

And Israel said unto Joseph, do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send thee to them. And he said to him, here am I. Now we come to a turning point in the history of the world. We have here a very, very simple request.

This points out the importance of each decision that we make. We know that God has ordained everything, his judgment is just, because everything we do, we do it because we want to. That's the only way it worked.

So he judges us because we wanted to do it, not knowing that he's already ordained it. Now he said to him, go, I pray thee, see whether it is well with thy brethren and well with the flock, and bring me word again.

So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. Simple request. It's about 50 miles. So he goes to Shechem. Now he finds out, and a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field.

And the man asked him, saying, what seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren. Tell me, I pray thee, where do they feed their flocks? Well, it was another 15 miles, so it makes 65 miles that he is separated from his father now.

And the man said, they are departed hence, for I heard them say, let us go to Dothan. Jesus went after his brethren and found them in Dothan. And when they saw him afar off, now how far was that? David, how did they know it was him?

Even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to slay him. So they started talking now, saying what's on the heart of each one and all of it was to slay him. And they said one to another, behold, this dreamer cometh.

We're going to fix him now. He doesn't have papa around to protect him. Come now therefore, and let us slay him. Cast him into some pit, and we'll say some evil beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

They thought by destroying the dreamer, they would destroy the dreams. They didn't know that God was behind all of it. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands and said, let us not kill him.

And Reuben said to 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 again to his father. Reuben's the oldest, remember.

Reuben is responsible for all of the others. It's to Reuben that Israel will look for anything wrong or right, much as the captain of the ship submarine. He says it stops with me, whether I did it or not.

Joseph Sold Into Egypt and Jacob's Grief

And it came to pass when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped him out of his coat, his coat in many colors that was upon him. So we know that that was the symbol that they hated. And they took him and cast him into a pit, and the pit was empty.

There was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread. Does this remind you of anything? Nothing? Yes. And they sat down to eat bread and lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

And Judah said unto his brethren, what profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? What is the Greek translation of Judah? Judas. Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother in our flesh, and his brethren were content.

They said, that's all right with us. He'll go into slavery, and we won't see him anymore. It's one way of getting rid of him. We won't kill him. We won't have that blood on us, but we'll make money besides.

There passed by, and there passed by many knights, merchantmen, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he rent his clothes. Why, John? Well, why should he care? All right. And he returned unto his brethren and said, the child is not, and whither shall I go?

And they took Joseph's coat, killed a kid of the goats, dipped the coat in the blood, and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, this have we found. Know now whether it be thy son's coat or not.

They started off lying. They started off from a sin, but now they're going to have to tell more to hide it. They said, we found this coat. It's got blood all over it. We don't know if it's your son's coat or not.

Was that a lie, David? They knew exactly. These boys are liars. 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. And Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many, many days.

And the boys said nothing. And all his sons and all of the daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, for I will go down unto the grave, unto my son mourning. This thus his father wept for him.

And many a night sold him into Egypt, unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and captain of the guard. His children never told him any different. We have not recorded where they ever told him anything different, but it's all going to come out.

Are there any questions or statements from anybody? Verge dismisses, please.