Spivey's Unauthorized Biblical Timeline
a Scripture-centered journey through God's redemptive story from a historic perspective. 

Genesis - Chapters 25, 26 and 27: Isaac

​

WORLD HISTORY

2000 BC – 1550 BC: Middle Bronze Age (Academia)

Mesopotamia - The Isin-Larsa period (c. 2025–1763) began after Ur was attached by both Amorite and Elamite armies.  Both cultures filled the void and seem to have co-habitat without a unified government. Rebecca did come from Aram-Naharaim (Genesis 24:1-10), near Haran where Terah settled and died.   This area seemed to be under the unorganized control of the Amorites, and coalesced as the Yamhad Dynasty in 1810 BC.

Canaan - Not much is known about the ancient history of Canaan, but the Holy Bible does see interaction with the Philistines through their leader Abimelech and Abraham (Genesis 20) /Isaac (Genesis 26). The year before Isaac was born, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God for their wickedness around the Dead Sea (Genesis 13:10-13, Genesis 14, Genesis 19:1-29).

Egypt - Much of ancient Egyptian history is unknown.  There are many King's lists and several historians who have tried to piece the information together, but there is not much consistency.  I believe that the current timelines are longer than they should be and that they are not linear. After the 4th Dynasty, I believe that the same struggles for peace and stability in other cultures occurred in Egypt so that the 5th-17th Dynasties reflect more regional power centers within a 200-year period rather than a united or upper/lower ruling of Egypt. As such, my timeline shows the 2nd Dynasty, with its capital in Thinis, from 2060 BC - 1900 BC.  Isaac was warned by God not to go to Egypt during a famine (Genesis 26:1-6).

​

ISAAC

There is not as much background on Isaac. The influence and obedience of Abraham must have greatly impacted Isaac's relationship and worship of God. His part in Abraham's testing was significant, for Abraham knew that Isaac was the child of the promise and that either God would provide another sacrifice or that God would raise Isaac from the dead so to go from that moment of death-and-life must have been life-changing. He was a type or foreshadow of Jesus, who was the promised prophet of Moses, the Son of God and also the Lamb of God that was sacrificed for sin. Isaac married Rebecca, who gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. 

Issac was partial to Esau, while Rebecca was partial to Jacob, especially since Esau married Hittite women.  Isaac and Rebecca were aware of the influence of Esau's wives and his rejection of God. Esau also rejected his firstborn's birthright, but Jacob coveted it.  Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup and bread to Jacob when he was famished. Later, Rebecca would persuade Jacob ("Yaakov" means "supplanter" from the word for "to grab the heel," (Genesis 25:26) which figuratively means "to trip or deceive," to trick Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing that God bestows from Abraham to Isaac. Jacob, during his deception, spoke words that Esau would have said, "The Lord your God gave me success," not "my God" (Genesis 27:19-21). Esau was very upset, even though he despised his birthright years ago, and set his heart to kill Jacob. Upon realizing the deception done to him, Esau's state of mind and Rebecca's wish that Jacob not marry the local Hittite women, Isaac formally blesses Jacob and sends him away to relatives so that he could find a wife. 

​

   2066 = Genesis 21:1-7 Isaac, son of Abram and Sarah, was born.

     -37 = Sarah dies at 127 years old.

   2029 = Genesis 23 Isaac was 37 years old.

     -03 = Issac moves to Paddan Aram

   2026 = Genesis 25:19-20 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca.

     -20 = Rebecca was barren, but gives birth to twin boys

   2006 = Genesis 25:21-26 Esau (first) and Jacob (second) was born.

     -15 = Abraham dies.

   1991 = Genesis 25:1-11 Isaac was 75 years old and Jacob was 15 years old.

     -56 = (guess) Esau sells his firstborn's birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup and bread.

   1991 = Genesis 25:29-34 Isaac was 90 years old and Jacob was 30 years old.

     -56 = (guess) Jacob deceives Isaac to receive blessing.

   1935 = (guess) Genesis 27 Isaac (131 years old) blesses Jacob (71 years old) and sends him away.

     -49 = Isaac dies.

   1886 = Genesis 35:27-29 Isaac was 180 years old and Jacob was 120 years old.

​

Genesis - Chapter 38: Judah

JUDAH

Although Judah was Jacob’s fourth-born son, he became the chosen line for kingship and ultimately for the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:14-16). Jacob’s final blessings in Genesis 49 explain why Judah was elevated above his brothers.

The Disqualification of the Older Brothers

​

• Reuben (firstborn): Lost his birthright because he defiled his father’s bed by sleeping with Bilhah.

  • Genesis 35:22 "v3 “22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it."

  • Genesis 49:3-4 "3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it."

• Simeon and Levi (second and third born): Cursed for their violence in the slaughter at Shechem after the Dinah incident.

  • Genesis 49:5–7 "5 “Simeon [second born] and Levi [third born] are brothers — their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel."

    • They abused circumcision, the covenant sign, by using it to weaken their enemies. God reserved circumcision as a sign of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17). The brothers tricked the Shechemites into being circumcised in return for their family staying in their community and receive the blessing of God through Jacob (Genesis 34). This seems to be the beginning of the rift between the Canaanites and the children of Israel. After all the Shechemite men were recovering from their circumcision, they slaughtered everyone male in the city for defiling Dinah (Genesis 34:25-31). 

    • As a result, Levi received no tribal land but priestly cities (Numbers 18:23-24, Numbers 35:1-8, Joshua 21).

    • Simeon’s territory was eventually absorbed into Judah (Joshua 19:1-9; Judges 1:3; 2 Chronicles 15:9).

​

The Blessing of Judah

​

Genesis 49:8-12 “8 Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk."

Key prophetic images:

• "your brothers will praise you" → fulfilled in Christ’s exaltation (Philippians 2:9-11)

• "neck of your enemies" → Christ defeats sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)

• "father’s sons will bow down" → Israel will return and worship their Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-9; Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:10-11)

• "Lion's cub / Lion / Lioness" → royalty, strength, Messiah as the Lion of Judah (1 Samuel 17:32-37; Revelation 5:5)

• "you return from the prey" → Jesus triumphed over death and the grave. (Revelation 1:18, Hosea 13:14)

• "scepter / staff" → kingship, fulfilled in David and ultimately Jesus (Revelation 11:15, Micah 5:2)

• "he to whom it belongs shall come" → The Messiah, from the line of Judah (Revelation 5:5)

• "donkey / colt"→ fulfilled in Jesus’ triumphal entry (Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-12)

• "vine / branch" → Christ as the true vine (Isaiah 5: 1-7, Isaiah 11:1-16, John 15:1-8)

• "wash his garments in wine / robes in blood" → Christ’s sacrificial death (1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 19:13)

• "grapes" → wrath of God (Revelation 14:14-20)

• "eyes darker than wine / teeth whiter than milk"  → wine and milk reflect blessing and prosperity, but prophetically, his holiness will be that which instills the fear of the Lord (1 Samuel 16:12; Matthew 17:1-9; Revelation 19:13)

​

Judah’s Role in the Joseph Narrative

• Persuaded his brothers to sell Joseph rather than kill him (Genesis 37:26–27).

• Became a surety for Benjamin, offering himself in place of his brother (Genesis 43:8–9).

• Spoke as family representative before Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 44:14-33).
  These actions reveal leadership and self-sacrifice that foreshadow Christ’s redemptive role.

​

Later Affirmations of Judah’s Role

• God rejects Ephraim and chooses Judah, establishing Zion.

  • Psalm 78:65-68: "65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,  as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.66 He beat back his enemies;  he put them to everlasting shame.67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,  he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,  Mount Zion, which he loved.

• Though Joseph received the rights of the firstborn, rulership came through Judah.

  • 1 Chronicles 5:1-2: "The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, 2 and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph) -"

• Genealogies of Jesus – trace Christ’s line through Judah (Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38).

​

Balance Between Joseph and Judah

• Joseph received the double portion of the firstborn through Ephraim and Manasseh

  • Genesis 48:3-6 "3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’ 5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers." 

    • (instead of Joseph and Levi, Jacob made Ephraim and Manasseh there own tribe.)

  • Genesis 48:22 "And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land [near City of Shechem], I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow

    • (probably what Simeon and Levi did in Genesis 34).

  • Genesis 49:26 "Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

    • (Joseph received the greater amount of blessing and as first born, made prince over his brothers)

• Judah received the scepter and kingship, culminating in the Messiah. Together, Joseph and Judah illustrate both inheritance and rule within Israel.

  • Genesis 49:10 "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his."
     

​​​​​​