Good evening, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Genesis.  Tonight is study #21 of Genesis 33, and we are going to read Genesis 33:19-20:

And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel.

That brings us to the end of the chapter.  We are looking at Jacob’s travels after he has come out of Haran, and he journeyed to Succoth, and he made booths for his cattle, and called the name of the place Succoth (booth).  And he came to Shalem (Salem), which is the word for “peace,” and we are told in the King James Bible that it was the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.  So he had come to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land that God had promised to Abraham, and this is the land that typifies heaven.  And Jacob had come from Padanaram (verse 18), and Padanaram is another name for Syria.  Actually the second part of this word, “ar-am',” is translated as Mesopotamia on occasion, and also as Syria or Syrians.  So Padanaram was in the land of Syria. 

Then in the last part of verse 18, we are told that Jacob pitched his tent before the city, and this actually helps us.  Remember that the first part of the verse said,  “And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem,” which is how the King James translators translated it, and I mentioned that in Jay Green’s interlinear translation, it said: “And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem,” instead of translating it as, “And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem.”   And now I think we can understand that the King James translators were correct, and Jay Green was incorrect because if Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, then we would read that he pitched his tent in Shechem.  Instead, we read that he pitched his tent before the city, and that would give more credence to the idea that he is in Shalem (Salem), a little town outside the city, like a suburb of Shechem, so I think that the King James translators were correct.

Then we go on to Genesis 33:19:

And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.

Jacob bought a parcel of a field, and he had spread his tent there.  So he owned this parcel of land because he bought it from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father.  In the next chapter, Genesis 34, we will read of Shechem and his father Hamor.  We will get to meet these people that are referred to here. 

Hamor is an interesting name.  It is #2544 in the concordance, and it is identical to the word listed before it, Strong’s #2543, which is the word for “ass.”  It is the same word that is used often in the Old Testament when speaking of a donkey or ass.  For example, it is the word we find in Exodus 13:13:

And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

We have mentioned before how God can use an “ass” in the Bible to typify man.  For example, one of Samson’s great feats of strength had to do with taking up the jawbone of an ass and slaying a thousand Philistines.  And that is a spiritual picture.  The jawbone is like the “mouth,” and Samson was a type of Christ, so it is illustrating that God is using man (an ass) and man’s mouth to slay the wicked through the Word of God, as Christ moved in His people over the course of history to proclaim His Word, a twoedged sword.  And, indeed, it can cut to death,  as it is the savour of “death unto death” for those God has not chosen to save.

We also see in Genesis 49:14 that God does identify a people as being like an “ass,” as it says in Genesis 49:14:

Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

I just wanted to go through that quickly as it gives us some idea of who Hamor and the children of Hamor can represent.  It is unusual that Hamor’s name is the same word used for “ass,” but we can see how God uses the figure of an “ass” to represent men, or people. 

So purchasing the parcel of a field from the children of Hamor would be like purchasing it from mankind, and it would be similar to Abraham’s purchase.  Remember that we studied Abraham’s purchase of a field back in Genesis 23 when Abraham purchased the field to bury his wife Sarah.  It is the same field that Abraham was later buried in, as we read in Genesis 25:10:

The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

When we were going through that Bible study, we spent some time noting how it identified with God’s purchase of the world, and the Lord, therefore, having ownership of the world.  Remember the parable that the Lord Jesus spoke in Matthew 13, where He said that the field is the world.  So purchasing a field can spiritually represent purchasing the whole world.

In the book of Ruth, which is a historical parable, we read that Boaz was ready to purchase a field that belonged to Naomi’s husband Elimelech, and we read in Ruth 4 that Boaz went before the elders of the city, and it says in Ruth 4:3:

And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab…

The word “country” is the word translated as “field” in this same context, as we will see in verse 5.  Again, it says in Ruth 4:3-4:

And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

So Boaz went before the elders, and calls aside a certain man who was a nearer kinsman than was Boaz to Elimelech and Naomi, and this man had the right of redemption.  He could purchase the land because he was a near kinsman.  This man would represent mankind, and mankind could legally redeem the field (the world), and so forth, but he does not have the ability or power to do so.  He has his own problems, or his own sins, which he must take care of, so he is not really qualified to perform the work of redemption.  So it goes on to say in Ruth 4:5-10:

Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

We see how purchasing this field in the book of Ruth is tied to inheritance and to the purchasing of a wife, Ruth the Moabitess.  And Ruth would typify God’s elect.  So, you see, the field is the world, and the inheritance that God has given to His people, as the land of Canaan typifies that inheritance.  It is actually the eternal inheritance of the new heaven and new earth.

So Jacob’s purchase of this parcel of a field is spiritual, just like Abraham’s purchase of a field was spiritual, and they pointed to Christ’s purchase of the new heaven and new earth to come, as well as His eternal bride made up of all those He has saved, and they will dwell therein for evermore.

We find this field that Jacob purchased is mentioned in Joshua 24:32:

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

The bones of Joseph were taken out of Egypt by Moses and the children of Israel.  They carried his dead bones out of Egypt, and the Bible is clear that this is what happened, as we read in Exodus 13:18-19:

But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

Joseph had told them that they would take his bones up, and Moses is fulfilling that Word, and the people of Israel took Joseph’s bones when all the living Israelites left Egypt, and Joseph’s bones also left Egypt.  Who does Joseph typify?  Joseph is a great type of Christ.  Therefore, who would Joseph’s bones typify?  And the answer is that they typify the elect children of God.  We are “bone of his bones.”  So the dead bones of Joseph typify the elect.  We could say it is almost a picture of what will happen on the last day when Christ comes and raises up the dead that are physically in the grave.  Their bones are resurrected, and then they will be transformed into their new, resurrected spiritual bodies.  And all the elect that are alive and remaining on the earth will also be taken up, and we will also finally be delivered out of this world, which Egypt typifies.  So there is that picture.

And this was all done by faith, as we read in Hebrews 11:22:

By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

You know, the Bible is an incredible and amazing book.  It is fascinating that these kinds of statements and acts are recorded, and they are all consistent with the Gospel, teaching the salvation of God. 

So in the book of Joshua, we see what happened to Joseph’s bones.  They were taken up out of Egypt, and in the last chapter of the book of Joshua, again, it says in Joshua 24:32:

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver…

And the number “100” would represent the completeness of the purchase price.  And what was that purchase price that the Lord Jesus paid for His people?  It was His very life.  He shed His blood as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  And then it says at the end of the verse, in Joshua 24:32:

…and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

That tells us that Shechem and this land that Jacob purchased is within Ephraim, as Ephraim and Manasseh were children of Joseph, and Joseph received a “double portion.”  But it is also telling us the spiritual truth that this parcel of land became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.  And since Joseph was a figure of Christ, the parcel of ground became the inheritance of the children of Christ, the elect of God.  Therefore this parcel is similar to the whole land of Canaan that God promised to Abraham for an everlasting possession.   The land of Canaan became a representation of the whole world because the Bible says, “The meek shall inherit the earth.”  Abraham and his seed, who is Christ in the first instance, and all those the Lord has saved are counted for the seed in Him, and our inheritance is this world, but not in its present form since God will destroy it and recreate a new heaven and new earth.  That is what the parcel of the field is pointing to in Genesis 33:19.