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Patriarch Matriarch created August 17, 2022 Last edit 8/27/2022
almost finished
NET (NET) Bible. THE NET BIBLE, NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, COPYRIGHT © 1996 BY BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. This Bible is a free download from www.bible.org. The First edition without notes is free from https://netbible.com/download. The second edition with notes is $4.95 download as of 2018. The NET 2nd edition can be read online for no cost at https://netbible.org/bible/Romans+1 (starts at Romans Chapter 1).
(VINE) Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary 1996 Thomas Nelson Publishers
(NBC) The New Bible Commentary Revised 1970 Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(NBD) The New Bible Dictionary 1973 Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(WYC) The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, editors Pfeiffer and Harrison, 1972 Moody Press
(glc) Thoughts from Greg Clements … I put this (glc) in this document sometimes to emphasize that the following are my thoughts. I tried to reference the material I pulled from other sources (Morris, NBC, Vine, etc).
Some of the Bible studies I create are posted on www.gpclements.com .
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The New Bible Dictionary has an entry titled “Patriarchal Age, The,” starting on page 939 There is no entry related to matriarch. “The patriarchal age, covering the life-spans of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (between 1900 and 1600 BC…” “Inside each family the father was the head of the clan, and a patriarchal system prevailed.” “The father, as head of the family, led the worship of the family, and had wide powers.” “The patriarchal blessing was important, and once given could not be revoked (Genesis chapters 48 and 49).” “In matters of religion few details are given. It is clear, however, that the Patriarchs knew the need for a personal faith in God who guided them through life and who encouraged them with His promises.” “An intense awareness of God’s activity among them caused the Patriarches to name places and children according to some evidence of God’s dealings with them.” “The sense of personal relationship, the knowledge of God’s promises and the awareness that obedience to the will of God is of the essence of true faith, may be said to form the heart of patriarchal religion.” (NBD)
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From google.com define: patriarch
1. the male head of a family or tribe.
2. any of those biblical figures regarded as fathers of the human race, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their forefathers, or the sons of Jacob.
define: matriarch
1. a woman who is the head of a family or tribe.
"in some cultures the mother proceeds to the status of a matriarch"
2. an older woman who is powerful within a family or organization.
Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel have been labeled as matriarchs by some due to their role as mothers of the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. Even though Leah’s and Rachel’s servants Zilpah and Bilah were the mothers of 4 of the tribe's leaders.
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After my father, Dwight L Clements, died in 2022 (February 1st), I had a few thoughts about what it meant to be a patriarch … the oldest male in my family. I believe our children are independent. I also believe that I, and my wife Pam, should have some influence and set a good example for our children, our grandchildren, and the future generations. One way I am seeking to do this is by creating documents in Google Docs about Bible topics. These documents are in the Google cloud and also on my computer and the backup portable hard drives (look in the folder Greg/Church/Bible Studies 2018 and later).
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Adam
Genesis 2:7 “ 7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (NET)
Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.” (NET)
Genesis 2: 21,22 “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. “ (NET)
Genesis 3:8-10 “8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”” (NET)
(glc) Adam had a close relationship with God. I believe they spoke regularly. Even though Adam’s creation was “good,” (Genesis 1:31) Adam (and Eve) chose to disobey God and lose their special relationship with God. We all have sinned by our own decision. We can’t blame Adam for putting us on the path of going towards sin. But, Adam (and Eve) lost the opportunity to be better examples for their children by completely obeying God. Especially before you deliberately sin, think about the effect your actions will have on yourself, on your relationship with God, and the lost opportunity to be a better example to those around you and to your family.
Noah
Genesis 6:8,9 “8 But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord. 9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God. “ (NET)
(glc) Noah had a good start as a patriarch. He talked with God and obeyed God in building the ark. Because of his relationship with God his wife and sons and their wives were saved in the ark. But we can’t follow all of Noah’s examples. He let himself get drunk with wine and lost the respect of his sons (Genesis 9:20-23).
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 12 Patriarchs
Acts 7:1-9 “ Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” 2 So he replied, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God made him move to this country where you now live. 5 He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child. 6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your descendants will be foreigners in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for 400 years. 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there and worship me in this place.’ 8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 9 The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him” (NET)
(glc) This is the dialogue that took place at the stoning of Stephen. Stephen names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the leaders of the 12 tribes as patriarchs. Stephen emphasizes how God led Abraham and gave promises to Abraham.
Hebrews 7:4 “ But see how great he must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his plunder” (NET)
(glc) Abraham is the important patriarch for Israel. He was selected and directed by God to start the line of peoples that became Israel.
(glc) In the category of patriarchs in the Bible I would include individuals beyond Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. As the first human, Adam is the ultimate patriarch. Until he sinned by disobeying God, he walked and talked with God. Noah sought to be close to God and was spared the punishment of the flood because of his trust in God. Others were described as leaders and as having a godly, positive, influence on people.
Joseph
Genesis 50:15-23 “15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay us in full for all the harm we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died: 17 ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept. 18 Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.” 19 But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. 21 So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly to them. 22 Joseph lived in Egypt, along with his father’s family. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. He also saw the children of Makir the son of Manasseh; they were given special inheritance rights by Joseph. “ (NET)
(glc) Joseph was Rachel’s first child and a favorite of Jacob. Joseph’s brother sold him into slavery but God directed Joseph’s life and he became second in command in Egypt (Genesis 41:40). Joseph provided for his father and the extended family when they came to Egypt for food. Due to their mistreating Joseph, Joseph’s brothers gave up their right to be a patriarch. Joseph showed mercy to them. He had seen God work in his life and he showed his reliance and trust in God by saying “God intended it for good” in Genesis 50:19,20. Leaders should be humble and make their actions in line with what God wants for them and the people they influence.
Moses
Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy
(glc) I would list Moses as a patriarch, a leader, even though he was not the genealogical head of all the people of Israel. He was selected by God and he obeyed God. He had some hesitations in his obedience (saying he was not good at speaking Exodus 4:10). Later in life he did actions that brought attention to himself rather than to God - Numbers 20:7-11. This caused Moses to miss out on entering the promised land. We need to obey God and not just do what we want to do.
Gideon
Judges 6:11-14 “ The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 Then the Lord himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?”” (NET)
Judges 6:34 “ The Lord’s Spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.” (NET)
(glc) God called Gideon to be a leader. Gideon asked God to verify the message through signs. Today, we can verify God’s message to us by seeing if the message is in agreement with what we read in the Bible.
Deborah
Judges 4:4,5 “Now Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled” (NET)
(glc) The rest of Judges 4 describes the victory of Israel.
Judges 5:1-31 “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this victory song:
2 “When the leaders took the lead in Israel, When the people answered the call to war—
Praise the Lord! 3 Hear, O kings! Pay attention, O rulers! I will sing to the Lord! I will sing to the Lord God of Israel! … 7 Warriors were scarce; they were scarce in Israel, until you arose, Deborah, until you arose as a motherly protector in Israel. 8 God chose new leaders, then fighters appeared in the city gates; but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found among 40 military units in Israel. … 11 Hear the sound of those who divide the sheep among the watering places; there they tell of the Lord’s victorious deeds, the victorious deeds of his warriors in Israel. Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates—12 “Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, sing a song! Get up, Barak! Capture your prisoners of war, son of Abinoam! … 15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah; the men of Issachar supported Barak; into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command. Among the clans of Reuben there was intense heart searching. … 23 ‘Call judgment down on Meroz,’ says the angel of the Lord; ‘Be sure to call judgment down on those who live there, because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ 24 The most rewarded of women should be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite! She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents. … 26 Her left hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workmen’s hammer. She ‘hammered’ Sisera, she shattered his skull, she smashed his head, she drove the tent peg through his temple. … 31 “May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord! But may those who love you shine like the rising sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years. “ (NET)
(glc) Deborah was used to help lead Israel to be delivered from oppression by the Canaanites. In Verse 7 she is described as the motherly protector of Israel. She had the office of prophet and was respected by those in Israel. She used her influence to help raise an army that freed Israel.
David
Acts 2:29 ““Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “ (NET)
(glc) The Greek word for forefather also carries the meaning of leader or patriarch. David was selected by God to be King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:8-13). David had the Spirit of God on him. David’s inner self was directed towards God - “a man after God’s own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22. David described how he sought after God in many of the Psalms he wrote. He was led to kill Goliath, soothe King Saul, became a military leader, survived many attempts by King Saul to kill him, became King, became complacent, committed adultery with Bathsheba, had her husband killed, admitted his sin, had family troubles, appoints Solomon to be King after him. David led Israel to military victories but failed to have victory in his personal life. A true leader must follow God’s ways in all areas of his or her life.
Solomon gives instruction to the people
1 Kings 8:54-61 “54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. 55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 58 May he make us submissive, so we can follow all his instructions and obey the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, so that he might vindicate his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 60 Then all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are now doing.” ” (NET)
(glc) We should learn from the mistakes of Israel. God had led them to the ‘promised land.’ For a time, the people and leaders followed the ways of God and the nation was blessed and grew strong. After Solomon some of the kings, and the people, drifted away from wholly trusting God and the nation was taken into captivity. But God restored the nation and ultimately provided a spiritual answer for all people when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Each of us has a choice to make. The choice is to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for sin or to reject Jesus. If you have faith in Jesus you will be accepted by God. You may still have troubles on this Earth but you will have a lifetime of blessing living with God in heaven. If you reject Jesus your eternal future is eternal separation from God and eternal punishment. Please read the Bible and seek God.
Grandparents
Grandmother - Lois
2 Timothy 1:5 “I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you.” (NET)
2 Timothy 3:14,15 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (NET)
Psalm 71:17, 18 “ O God, you have taught me since I was young, and I am still declaring your amazing deeds. 18 Even when I am old and gray, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell the next generation about your strength and those coming after me about your power. “ (NET)
Psalm 78:5-7 “He established a rule in Jacob; he set up a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors to make his deeds known to their descendants, 6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 7 Then they will place their confidence in God. They will not forget the works of God, and they will obey his commands. “ (NET)
Psalm 103:14-18 “For he knows what we are made of; e realizes we are made of clay. 15 A person’s life is like grass. Like a flower in the field it flourishes, 16 but when the hot wind blows, it disappears, and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew. 17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers and is faithful to their descendants, 18 to those who keep his covenant, who are careful to obey his commands. “ (NET)
Psalm 145:4 “ One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (NET)
Deuteronomy 4:7-10 “ In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? 8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this whole law that I am about to share with you today?
9 Again, however, pay very careful attention, lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren. 10 You stood before the Lord your God at Horeb and he said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I can tell them my commands. Then they will learn to revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their children.”
“ (NET)
Titus 2:3-5 “ 3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. 4 In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited.” (NET)
(glc) Grandmothers and grandfathers can have a godly influence on children and grandchildren.
YOU
How will you be a leader for those around you? Will you pass on Godly wisdom and instruction by your words and examples in living, or will you pass on worldly wisdom and instruction? If you pass on Godly wisdom and instruction you will pass on a blessing to those around you.
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