Good evening, everyone, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Genesis.  Tonight is study #6 of Genesis 30, and we are going to read Genesis 30:4-8:

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

I will stop reading there.  We were looking at the name of the first son that Jacob had through Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, and that name was Dan.  And “dan” means “to judge,” as Rachel said in verse 6: “God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.”

Then we saw in Genesis 49 when Jacob was near death, he called each of his sons to him so that he could pronounce information – I will not say it was always a “blessing.”  But, actually, whatever Jacob was thinking at the time, historically, is insignificant, but it was what God moved him to say, because that would be full of spiritual meaning.  And we also know from Genesis 49:1 that it had to do with “the last days,” and “the last days” could be anywhere from the establishment of the New Testament church in the first century A. D., and all the way through the church age to the Great Tribulation when God would bring judgment on the churches.  It says in Genesis 49:16-17:

Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O JEHOVAH.

We were looking at some Bible verses that spoke of the serpent and adder, and we saw that it has to do  with Satan, who is called the Serpent several times in the Bible, and with the wicked.  The wicked bite like a serpent.  Their tongues are like the adder, full of poison.  And Dan is related to that in the thing that the Lord had moved his father Jacob to declare, so that leads us to understand that Dan is often used in the Bible as a figure of judgment upon the people of God: “Dan shall judge his people…Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path.”  Christ is the way.  The truth of the Bible is the way.  The faithful doctrines of the Bible are the way for God’s people on the earth.  And “by the way” is lurking the serpent or adder, and his desire is to bite the horse’s heels, so that the rider will fall backward.

And falling “backward” is not a good direction to go.  In general, going “backward,” as far as Scripture is concerned, is not a direction that anyone should want to travel.  And, yet, it is the direction that many go in when they are tried by God.  And they failed the trial, and they often return back, like the Israelites desired to return to Egypt, or like Lot’s wife who “looked back behind him,” and turned into a pillar of salt.  So “backward” is not the way that the Bible lays out for the (true) people of God – it is always to go forward: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  We take the step forward in the commandments of God or statutes of God, which the Bible directs us to take.  We follow the Word of God, and that is following Christ, and as we do so, affliction will arise, and that is where we must take up the cross, and that is where the suffering for the sake of Christ comes in.

We looked at Psalm 58 and Psalm 140, which speak of the wicked that have sharpened their tongues like serpents, with the adder’s poison under their lips, and now let us go to Proverbs 23:29:

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

Six times the questions start with “who hath,” and the number “six” relates to “works,” so that helps to explain the “trouble” that is in view.  Then it goes on to say in Proverbs 23:30:

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

In the Bible, “wine” or “strong drink” is likened to gospels, and, in this case, it is false gospels that bring woe, sorrow, contentions, babbling and redness of eyes. 

Then it says in Proverbs 23:31:

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

That is, when you look at the wine in the cup, it has this attractive color.  It looks delicious.  It looks like something you would want, and which is good for you.  But watch out because it brings all those troubles along with it.  It can ruin your life.  And that is what a false gospel does.  It sounds good.  “It is wonderful to hear that God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life.  I did not know that.  Oh, He loves me, even though I have done all these things.  And all I have to do is to accept Christ because He died for everybody?”  But everything I just said is a lie – lie, after lie, after lie.  They are untrue statements, but flattering statements designed to tingle the ear and to attract and allure.  It is the promise of life, the promise of liberty, and the promise of salvation.  What is not appealing about that?  But it is just like the wine that gives its “promise” in the cup before you drink it.  It is promising quite a bit, but then you drink it, and it does not turn out at all like expected or like it appeared to be. 

Likewise, man follows the road of “easy believe-ism” of the free will gospel, or any other kind of false gospel that sounds good: just be baptized; or the church can do something for you because of your good attendance or your faithful giving.  However it is packaged by the various churches, it all amounts to the same thing.  It is a “works gospel,” which is another gospel, and it is not the true Gospel of the Bible.  It is not the faith and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is not God making the decision to save whom He will save, but it is man’s efforts and man’s doing.  It is his work, and it will always bring ruin.

Finally, the verse we want to look at is Proverbs 23:32:

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

And that reminds us of Dan, does it not?  It reminds us of the things that Jacob was moved to say about Dan.  He was likened to “a serpent by the way, an adder in the path.”  Remember how Genesis 49 began: “In the last days…”  So, here, it says, “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”  That was exactly what has happened at the time of the end, at the last of the corporate church.  God had put up with them, and He had endured their errors, misunderstandings, false doctrines and gospels, to a great degree, throughout the church age and He kept the churches going as the “faithful city” because the Holy Spirit dwelt in the midst (in general), and, yet, at the last, it was not the case.  Dan will judge his people.  Dan took over.  The serpent was loosed and entered into the congregations, and Satan, the man of sin, took his seat, and there was spiritual destruction and spiritual desolation upon the New Testament churches in all the nations of the world.

Also, we could go to Jeremiah 8:13-17:

I will surely consume them, saith JEHOVAH: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for JEHOVAH our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against JEHOVAH. We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble! The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith JEHOVAH.

So, once again, notice Jeremiah 8:15:

We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

Remember, the handmaid’s name means “trouble” or “terror.” 

Then notice what it said in Jeremiah 8:16:

The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan…

It is interesting how God referred to Dan who will judge his people.  He will be that serpent that bites at the horse’s heels, throwing the rider backwards.  So, here, there are horses in relationship to Dan.  We are beginning to see the connection and, therefore, we see judgment – God’s judgment upon His people.  Then we see the reference to serpents and cockatrices or things that “bite,” just as Dan would be a serpent and an adder.

Let us go to one other place in the Old Testament, in Amos 5:18-20:

Woe unto you that desire the day of JEHOVAH! to what end is it for you? the day of JEHOVAH is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of JEHOVAH be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Right away, we see that this has to do with Judgment Day, the day of JEHOVAH, or the day of the Lord.  It is the judgment of God that comes at the end of the world, but keep in mind that judgment began at the house of God; it began upon the churches and congregations all across the face of the earth.  So God is speaking of that judgment, and in verse 19 we find an amazing verse.  It is an incredible verse because it is “jam packed” with types and figures.  I do not know if there is another verse that I can think of which has so many types and figures all together.  You might find this number of types and figures in an entire passage, but let us look at this verse in Amos 5:19:

As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him…

In the Bible, the “lion” could be Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah.  Or, it could be Satan who goes about as a roaring “lion” seeing whom he may devour.  But the “bear” is what directs our attention to Satan.  For example, we read in Proverbs 28:15:

As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

Here, the roaring lion and ranging bear are both likened to a wicked ruler, and the wicked ruler would be Satan.  He is the prince of the earth.  He was the ruler over the unsaved people of the world.  So that is very helpful.  As I mentioned, he is a lion going about seeking whom he may devour.  That would seem to satisfy our search regarding Amos 5:19, which is speaking of the day of JEHOVAH, Judgment Day, beginning with judgment on the churches: “As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him…”

Remember that in 2Kings 2, we read a very strange historical statement.  It says in 2Kings 2:23-25:

And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of JEHOVAH. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

This is referring to Elisha who was mocked by these 42 little children, and he cursed them.  Then the two she bears came out and killed them all.  There were 42 children, and it was an awful tragedy at that time, but God records it to paint a spiritual picture.  The 42 children represent the churches, as the Bible often refers to believers as little children, but these little children came out and they were mocking God’s true prophet.  And that is characteristic of the end-time churches that have no proper sense of faithfulness or obedience to the Word of God, and that indicates a lack of respect for the Bible, which Elisha seems to be a type of, or a type of Christ, and Christ is the Word, so it would be the same picture.  Therefore, the Word pronounced the curse that destroyed the corporate church, and the corporate church was destroyed by Satan.  So the two “she bears” are picturing Satan who wreaked havoc on the churches and congregations.  And the number “42” is a number that identifies with Great Tribulation, as we can see with the reference to 42 months in the Bible, which is three and a half years, which relates to the three and a half days the “two witnesses” were laying dead in the street, and so forth.

Both of these things, the lion and the bear, are pointing to Satan.  The picture is that a man fled from a lion.  He went into the church to either flee the wrath of God, who is the lion that will destroy the sinner; or, he is fleeing from Satan and his sins, so he felt under the power of Satan, or whatever the situation, and he went into the churches, and the bear met him.  He has not escaped the Devil at all.  The Devil was in the churches, just as 2Thessalonians described.  The “man of Sin,” who is Satan, took his seat in the temple, and “to sit” in the Bible means “to rule.”  He took his seat in the corporate church, showing himself that he is God.  That is the “bear” that meets those coming into the congregation, as they were fleeing the “lion,” as it were.

We have already seen two figures, the lion and the bear, but then it goes on to say the same thing a little differently, which is why we can have confidence that the “bear” meeting him is meeting him in the corporate church, because it goes on to say, in Amos 5:19:

…or went into the house…

And the “house” is often used as a figure of the “house of God.”  The house of God were the churches, as it says in 1Peter 4:17: “…judgment begins at the house of God.”  But then you have those in the churches saying, “No, no, it is not the New Testament churches.  The house of God was the temple in the Old Testament, and it had to do with the Jews, not the churches.”  They say that out of one side of their mouths, and then when they come to 1Timothy 3:15, where it says, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, ”  and they want to be known at the “pillar and ground of the truth,” so they acknowledge that the house of God is the church.  So they are wrong, too, because it is the living God that is the pillar and ground of the truth.”

But, yes, the house of God is the corporate church, and that is the church that is in view in Amos 5 when the man went “into the house,” and he leaned his hand upon a wall.   When you lean upon something, you are trusting it, as we see in Proverbs 3:6: “Trust in JEHOVAH with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”  Do not trust your own understanding, but trust God’s understanding.  Trust the Word of God, the Bible.

So a man hears the Gospel.  He is at the Billy Graham Crusade, and maybe he walked down the aisle at that stadium, or maybe his pastor or a friend said to him, “Here are the steps.  One, two, three.”  Snap your fingers, and you are saved.  And he believes it.  It sounds good.  It is not too difficult to do.  It will not take that long.  It is easy, instant pudding salvation.  He believes it, so he went into the house of churches, and he leaned his “hand,” which represents his will, on the wall.  He is trusting on the wall.  And what does the “wall” represent in the Bible?  The answer that the Bible gives is that it represents salvation.  We read in Isaiah 26:1:

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

Also, we see in Isaiah 60:18:

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

This is how God defines His own terms.  This is how God hides truth in the Bible.  He uses types and figures, and you have to search the Bible, which is its own dictionary, to define these things, or else it does not really make that much sense.  What would be the point of telling us that some man goes into the house and leaned his hand on a wall, and a serpent bit him?  “Big deal.  Too bad for him, but big deal.”

Then when you realize that the house is the church, and “to lean” means “to trust,” so he is trusting in his will for salvation by “accepting Christ.”  He is trusting the gospel presented to him by the leaders of the corporate church.  What results?  The serpent bit him.  Satan bit him, a poisonous asp bit him.  And no good came from it when he leaned upon that wall, and he trusted what his church was telling him.  It did him in at the end, just like the wine in the cup, where at the last it biteth like a serpent.  It is a false gospel.  It is not the true Gospel of the Bible.

So you think you are saved, and you think you are at peace with God and you are going to heaven.  But, at the last, you are going to be “bitten,” and it is going to result in your eternal destruction.  It will be the ruination of your being in both body and soul.  You will be destroyed for evermore, and annihilated out of existence because you trusted in men.  You trusted in the lie.  Satan is the father of lies.  God is the Truth, and the truth that the Bible presents is that the Gospel that saves is always – one hundred percent – the faith of Christ, and the grace of God, and we play no part in it.  It is all God’s doing, from beginning to end.