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GENESIS, LESSON 1 THE STORY OF CREATION READ GENESIS CHAPTERS 1 & 2 TRY TO READ AS IF FOR THE FIRST TIME...you might read from a different translation and read two or three times. WHAT DO YOU HEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME? WHAT WORDS, PHRASES, VERSES ‘SPEAK’ TO YOU, OR JUMP OUT AT YOU...MAKE NOTE OF THEM WHY ARE THERE TWO CREATION STORIES? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT? (See the attached optional sheet) HOW ARE THEY THE SAME? DOES IT MATTER? WHAT DO THE OPENING WORDS OF GENESIS, “IN THE BEGINNING GOD...” SAY/MEAN TO YOU? WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE PURPOSE, THE MESSAGE, THE MEANING, OF THESE TWO CHAPTERS? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD? ABOUT OURSELVES? NOTES, CHAPTER 1 & 2 Before we begin to look at chapters 1 & 2 of Genesis, I’d like to say a few things about the book of Genesis... THE BOOK OF GENESIS IS THE STARTING POINT OF ALL THEOLOGY...THE STARTING POINT OF ALL THAT WE KNOW...THE STARTING POINT OF OUR HISTORY...IT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT STORY, THE GREAT DRAMA, WITH GOD AS THE MAIN CHARACTER & GOD’S CREATION...US...AS THE SUPPORTING CAST. GENESIS means beginning or origin the origin of the world the beginning of the OT beginning from within as well as without the key to the beginning of the Bible as a
whole (Layman’s) A book about origins......but not the origin
of God! God is main subject of Genesis,
the main
character and the driving force behind all that happens in the entire
Bible. There was no beginning for
God...God is eternal. It
is all about
God...even from the beginning! Genesis tells the story of our beginnings, about our history and the story of Israel. It is not primarily interested in “facts”. Its purpose is to focus on who God is & what God intends for humans to be and to do...and then on the narrower plan of God to choose Israel in a special way and to be with his people through Thick and Thin. We will not find a perfect, scientific explanation of the world, nor and complete, accurate, chronological record of ancient history. The writers of these stories knew only so much of these things... On the other hand they had a sharp vision of who God was and how we, as humans, were to act in relationship to God. We should expect to find in Genesis who God is, what he does & what he wills. TEN THEOLOGICAL THEMES........ GENESIS DIVIDED INTO 2 PARTS 1-11.......HAVE TO DO WITH A TIME VERY LONG AGO, BEFORE HISTORICAL TIMES...IN THE BEGINNING! 12-50...HAVE TO DO WITH THE HISTORY OF A PARTICULAR PEOPLE, GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE...SOMETIMES THIS IS CALLED PATRIARCHAL HISTORY...AS THE STORY OF THE PARTRIARCHS, GOD’S CHOSEN LEADERS, IS TOLD IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT WHOLE STORY OF GOD & HIS PURPOSE FOR CREATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS OF GENESIS...so lets get to it! GO TO OUR LESSON WHAT DID YOU SEE...HEAR UPON READING THE CREATION STORIES AGAIN? The word blessing is key, it is good! Only with the addition of man is God able to survey His newly formed world and to pronounce it exceedingly good (v. 31) GOD WAS PERFECT AND DID NOT NEED ANYTHING TO MAKE HIM MORE COMPLETE...AND YET HE CREATED ALL THAT IS FOR GOD’S OWN GLORY, HE CREATED! WHY ARE THERE 2 STORIES? See notes! WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD? Here we meet the God of creation nature of God is firmly established....he is creator, all-powerful orderere and giver of meaning to history, bestower of blessing to living creatures, giver of choice to human beings, 3 principal themes in 1 & 2...total and uncompromised power of God as creator: the intrinsic order and balance of the created world; humankind’s key position in the scheme of creation. 2 motifs appear that will become important later in Genesis...the idea of blessing (v.22, 28, 2:3) point to a central idea in the Patriarchal stories....also, the concept of order and its logical conclusion....that history makes sense....is prominent in the histories of the book. ABOUT OURSELVES? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD? IT MEANS THAT WE ARE OF ESTIMABLE WORTH TO GOD! WE ARE THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN OF CREATION! GOD CREATES, BLESSES, AND ORDERS CREATION. WE ARE TO BE THE IMAGES OF GOD IN THE WORLD, CREATING, BLESSING AND ORDERING SO GOOD CAN FLOURISH...SO THE WORLD CAN SEE & KNOW GOD. WE ARE TO NAME & celebrate THAT WHICH IS GOOD WE ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD...ALL OF US TOGETHER...OBVIOUSLY NOT PHYSICALLY! WE ARE NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT EACH OTHER GOD CREATED US & KNIT US TOGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL, WORTHY, IN ORDER TO GLORIFY HIM!
GENESIS, LESSON 2
THE STORY OF SIN READ GENESIS CHAPTER 3
IN YOUR OWN WORDS, DEFINE SIN. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, DEFINE TEMPTATION. WHY DO YOU THINK THE SERPENT CAME TO THE WOMAN, NOT ADAM? WHAT DID THE SERPENT TEMPT HER WITH? WHY DO YOU THINK THE WOMAN LISTENED TO THE SERPENT AND ATE? LOOK CLOSELY AT HOW THE WOMAN, ADAM & GOD RESPOND TO SIN ENTERING THE GARDEN. WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD IN THIS CHAPTER? ABOUT OURSELVES? NOTES & thoughts, CHAPTER 3 SIN IS...... Estrangement from God Iniquity overstepping or transgressing the word, the command of God To miss the mark (set by God) to fail...spiritual and/or moral failure Defiance against God...rebellion and/or transgression not mere failure or mistake, but willful disobedience Sin rooted in rebellious heart...act of perverted freedom....man is always responsible for it Trespass....individual lapse, not a condition of sinfulness...but the act of transgression Debt...the burden of guilt which sinner bears in sight of God “In the Bible man has only 2 theological concerns involving himself: his sin and his salvation. Man finds himself in sin and suffers painful effects: God graciously offers salvation from it .” This is in essence what the whole Bible is about. (Int. Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 4). Sin in NT dominated by real & certain victory of Jesus Christ over sin/ Christ is the answer, the cure for sin. Sin is any voluntary transgression of a religious law or moral principle. Sin may consist in commission, when a known divine law or moral principle is violated, or in omission, when a positive divine command or a rule of duty is voluntarily & willfully neglected. TEMPTATION IS..... To try the strength of (Webster)
To test/try/put to proof
the purpose of God’s tempting....Deut. 8.2 God’s testing is always for the good....for the purpose of exposing loyalty & disloyalty, faith & unbelief, for what they are....it is NEVER an enticement for evil. Satan entices men to evil...not God! Typical, inner core of all forms of testing is the enticement to apostasy...to refuse to stand up for God & for God’s will & word....the temptation is to doubt God....Did God really say that? Will God really provide? Will God really keep His promise? It was this core temptation that Jesus faced and resisted in the wilderness. God has cause to test man, but man has no ground whatsoever to put God to the test. In the OT & NT, testing God is an assertion of unbelief & it is always condemned. Christian knows it is not God who entices him to evil, but his own desires that produce sin. DO WE HAVE FREE WILL/CHOICES BECAUSE GOD DOES? WE ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE..... God is...a just punisher of evil and at the same time, a merciful ruler, and a maker of covenants....in later chapters we will find that He is the shaper of human destiny through the chosen people of Israel.... God of creation & of covenant God provides coverings made from animals,
killed for this purpose...blood is shed for the 1st time!
This foreshadows the ritual of sacrifices to atone for sin
that God would establish for the nation of Israel. These
foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ, the sacrifice that would finally
& decisively deal with separation between God & man. God demonstrates willingness to provide a means to restore us to fellowship with Him....this is redemption. See Romans 5:12-21 “The Fall” resulted in 3 major areas or
alienation...separation from God, separation from one another &
humanity at odds with the rest of creation.<!--[if
!supportEmptyParas]-->
Below are the notes from Sylvia Dooling that she shared with her leaders..... A year with Genesis: Lesson
#2 Introduction: This will be a year of reviewing what we’ve probably read and studied all of our lives. Why? Because we need to increase our knowledge
about God and what he has revealed about himself and his plan for
creation. And, we always need to be reminded of the
truth about ourselves. “The Book of Genesis is the starting point of all theology. It’s teachings about God and man, the nature of sin, and the divine plan of redemption are fundamental to the understanding of both the Old and New Testaments.” Genesis—The Layman’s Bible Commentary We will be studying pre-history events (this means we don’t have exact dates to hook onto these stories). (for example: Creation, the Fall, Cain and Abel, the flood) We will also be studying God’s plan before “the foundation of the world” to restore a broken world to himself (redemption) by grace alone. (God’s Covenant with Abraham). A review of Genesis 1 and 2: What was God’s creation like “in the beginning?” What did we learn about God’s intention for creation? What was the relationship like between God and Adam and Eve “in the beginning?” God gave Adam and Eve permission to “freely eat of every tree of the garden.” Genesis 2:16 God gave Adam and Eve a prohibition: “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Genesis 2:17 Chapter #3 Verse 1— This is the first conversation in scripture “about” God—rather than communication with God. The temptation: The serpent asks—“Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The question put to Eve is for the purpose of planting DOUBT. The woman’s reply Notice: she adds to the prohibition that which God did NOT say. “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” Genesis 3:3 The serpent’s lie. “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 Suspicion is now cast on God’s motive The
couple moves on to making their decision by their own self will. Notice that temptation began with doubting God’s Word. Then it moved on to desiring to be like God rather than to submit to his care and wisdom. The couple believed a lie. They saw that the tree was appetizing, it was beautiful to look at, and it held the power to make them “like” God. They then reached out and took it and ate it. The consequence of their disobedience: Their “eyes were opened.” They were ashamed. “…they knew they were naked.” Instead of allowing God to care for them, “…they sewed fig leaves together and make loincloths for themselves.” They tried to hide from God “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God…” Genesis 3:8 Relationship to God was broken. Genesis 3:9 “But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Relationship between Adam and Eve was broken. Adam said, Genesis 3:12 “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Adam blamed God and Eve. Eve said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” Eve blamed the serpent. Genesis 3:13 God declares divine judgment (what is called “The Curse”) On the serpent Genesis 3:14 On the woman Genesis 3:16 Pain in childbirth Adam and Eve no longer “partners” Now the woman would be under the authority of her husband. On the man Genesis 3:17 Cursed is the ground and creative work will now be “toil” From dust you came and to dust you will return—DEATH God also declares a word of hope and grace Genesis 3:15 Speaking to the serpent—“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” The seed of the woman points toward our Savior. Jesus will one day defeat The Tempter—striking his head while the Tempter will think he’s destroying Jesus and will only strike his heel. An act of grace Genesis 3:21 “And the LORD God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.” Notice: “the skins of animals—death” Another act of grace Genesis 3:22 and 23 “Then the LORD God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and life forever”—therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.” God sent them out of the garden so they would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in this broken state. Adam and Eve were ordained by God to be our representatives. As Paul states in Romans 5:12 “…sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned…” Possible questions for class discussion: What do we learn about God from Genesis chapter 3? What do we learn about the creation that was created good, in the beginning? What do we learn about God’s judgment and grace? GENESIS,
LESSON 3 THE STORY OF SIN, PART 2 READ GENESIS 4:1-6 CONSIDER WHY ABEL’S OFFERING WAS ACCEPTABLE & CAIN’S WAS NOT. HOW DOES GOD RESPOND TO CAIN’S ACTIONS? READ GENESIS 6:5-8:22 & 9:8-17 TRY TO READ AS FOR THE FIRST TIME...WHAT DO YOU SEE & HEAR THAT YOU HAVEN’T BEFORE? WHAT IS THE SITUATION OF CREATION & HUMANKIND AT THIS TIME? WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT NOAH? WHAT IS THE 1ST THING NOAH DOES AFTER LEAVING THE ARK? WHAT DOES GOD PROMISE? READ GENESIS 11:1-9 WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN THIS STORY? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING THE TOWER? HOW DOES GOD RESPOND IN ALL OF THESE STORIES, WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD? A Year with
Genesis: Lesson #3 from Sylvia Introduction: This will be
a year of reviewing what we’ve probably read and studied all of our
lives. Why? Because we
need to increase our knowledge about God and what he has revealed about
himself and his plan for creation. And, we
always need to be reminded of the truth about ourselves. “The Book of
Genesis is the starting point of all theology. It’s
teachings about God and man, the nature of sin, and the divine plan of
redemption are fundamental to the understanding of both the Old and New
Testaments.” Genesis—The Layman’s Bible Commentary
We will be
studying pre-history events (this means we don’t have exact dates to
hook onto these stories). (for example: Creation,
the Fall, Cain and Abel, the flood) We will also
be studying God’s plan before “the foundation of the world” to restore
a broken world to himself (redemption) by grace alone.
(God’s Covenant with Abraham). Review of Genesis 3
From the perfection of God’s creation—Adam and Eve choose,
of their own free will, to disobey God’s prohibition not to eat of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Temptation often leads to disobedience. The
consequences of their disobedience are immediate: separation
from God and separation from each other. As a
result of their disobedience all of creation is under a curse.
But along with the curse comes an act of “grace.”
God clothes them with the skins of animals (a death
occurs) and removes them from the Garden so they will not eat of the
tree of life and live forever in their broken state. Cain and
Abel; the Flood Genesis 4,
6:5-9:17 We now see
sin (rebellion) intensified. Adam and Eve
have two sons—Cain and Abel.
Abel was a “keeper of sheep.”
Cain was a farmer. At some point
they both brought an offering to the LORD.
The LORD accepted Abel’s offering. He
did not accept Cain’s.
We are not given the reason for God rejecting Cain’s
offering. We are told
that Cain was angry!
The LORD talks with Cain and asks him why he is angry?
His question comes with a warning—that if Cain gains
control of his anger and changes his behavior, all will be well.
However, if he does not change his attitude (repent) “sin
is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Again, we see the Deceiver or the Tempter at work—The Lord
describes this as a power that is like a predatory
animal—crouching—waiting to pounce. Cain ignores
the LORD’s warning and draws his brother, Abel, out into the field.
We have the record of the first murder. Similar to
the LORD looking for Adam and Eve after they hid from his presence
(Genesis 3:8), the LORD comes to Cain and asks him, “Where is your
brother?”
Cain responds, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
We not only see that Cain has murdered his brother, but
his relationship to the LORD is severed. He lies! And the LORD said, “What
have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is
crying out to me from the ground! And now you are
cursed from the ground…” 1. His life’s work is
gone. And, Cain sees this punishment as “greater
than he can bear!” Not only is his life’s work
gone—but he sees this as also the LORD turning away from him. 2. He also fears that
everyone who runs across him will want to kill him. The LORD will not permit that—however, he
places a mark of guilt and grace upon Cain. “So
that no one who came upon him would kill him.” However,
the mark would also communicate to all what he had done. The saddest part of this
account is in verse 16—“Then Cain went away from the presence of the
LORD.” In this story
we see humanity’s sin intensified! Now we fast forward to
chapter 6:5
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great
in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their
hearts was only evil continually. And the LORD was
sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to
his heart.” Sin had grown to such
intensity that the earth was inhabited with cruel, violent, selfish,
self-centered, godless people As a result
of this condition on the earth the LORD said, “I will blot out from the
earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and
creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made
them.” Another
act of the LORD’S grace: He would choose a “remnant”
Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in
the sight of the LORD.” “He walked with God.”
Genesis 6:9 This was not due to Noah’s fine character. The LORD, by his Sovereign and gracious will,
laid hold of Noah (revealed himself to
Noah). Selected portions of
Scripture that portray the story of Noah and the Ark: “The LORD saw
that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every
inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on the
earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD
said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have
created…for I am sorry that I have made them.” But
Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD.” “And God said
to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth
is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them
along with the earth. Make yourself an ark…”
“…For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on
the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the
breath of life…But I will establish my covenant with you; and your
sons, your wife, and your son’s wives with you. And
of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind
into the ark, to keep them alive with you…” “…Noah did
this; he did all that God commanded him. Then the
LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark…And the LORD shut him in.” “…The flood
continued forty days on the earth. The LORD
“blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground,
human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air…Only
Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. And
the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred fifty days.
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all
the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And
God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided…” “…In
the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was
dry. Then God said to Noah, Go out of the ark, you
and your wife, and your sons and your son’s wives with you.
Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of
all flesh…they went out of the ark by families. Then
Noah built an altar to the LORD…And when the LORD smelled the pleasing
odor, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground
because of humankind for the inclination of the human heart is evil
from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I
have done.” “…Then God
said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my
covenant with you and your descendents after you, and with every living
creature that is with you…I will establish my covenant with you, that
never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and
never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God
said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you
and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of
the covenant between me and the earth.” Reflections
on this story: We see such intensification of evil that God
judges the whole creation God chooses a “remnant” (Noah’s family)
revealing his grace and mercy. Noah obeyed God—he had faith that what God
was telling him was true and trustworthy. Hebrews
11:7—“By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen,
respected the warning and build an ark to save his household; by this
he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is
in accordance with faith.” God took care of all those that were in the
ark—“God shut them in.” Noah’s response upon exiting the ark was to
build an altar to the LORD The LORD “accepted” his offering and made a
covenant with the whole creation Sin’s consequences were so serious that only
God, through his Son, was able to redeem the creation and bring us back
to God. I Peter
3:18-22
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the
righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the
spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in
prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in
the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that
is, eight persons, were saved through water. And
baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you; not as a removal of dirt
from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at
the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made
subject to him.” Mention of the flood in
this passage leads to a comparison with baptism; then water destroyed;
now in baptism it is a sign of God’s salvation through grace.
GENESIS,
LESSON 4 A NEW STORY READ GENESIS 121-9 WHO IS ABRAM? WHAT DOES GOD ASK OF HIM? DEFINE ‘COVENANT’.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “BE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING”? READ GENESIS 15:1-21 WHAT IS ABRAM’S SITUATION/STATE OF MIND? HOW IS ABRAM REASSURED? WHAT IS DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL COVENANT IN GENESIS 12 AND THIS RESTATING OF THE COVENANT IN CHAPTER 15? READ GENESIS 18:1-15 WHAT IS ABRAHAM’S SITUATION AT THIS POINT? WHAT IS PROMISED AND/OR FORETOLD? WHY DID SARAH LAUGH? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD IN THIS LESSON? ABOUT OURSELVES? Chapter 12 of Genesis marks a shift in the story of Genesis...in chapters 1-11 the history is general, universal, sometimes called primeval. In chapters 12-50, the history becomes particular...the story is about a particular people...a particular, chosen people. It is the story of God’s people. It is the story of the One True God and His particular people. It is often referred to as Patriarchal History, as the story of the great Patriarchs of the faith is told...beginning with Abraham, the 1st patriarch, the “Father of our Faith.” Following the scene at the Tower of Babel, the people are scattered throughout the world. What will happen to these people? Had the Lord given up on them, weary of their wicked ways? God initiates a new story. God initiates the covenant with Abram, God calls Abram. God has a plan and a purpose for those He calls. God calls one man out from among the multitude of nations to be the channel of His saving grace to the world. The unique quality of the God of Genesis, the God of Judaism, the God of Christianity, the God of creation, is that GOD reaches out, even seeks out, man and woman. GOD always takes the initiative to reach out & restore relationship. This is God’s amazing, mysterious grace! Who is Abram? He is the son of Terah, husband of Sarai, who is barren, who came from the Ur of Chaldeans to Haran. Like Noah, he was upright in character. We learn he had a simple trust, a willingness to listen to God What does God ask of him? To go from everything he knew and loved, to a land God would give him, to blessing beyond Abram’s imagination. It is a summons away from his old life & an invitation to a new relationship built entirely on trust. How does Abram respond? Verse 4...”and Abram went, the Lord had told him...” The story of God’s chosen people, chosen to bring reconciliation & salvation to the world, begins by Abram very simply “going.” He departs, without holding back, with his family & possessions, leaving all he has known before, and wherever he stops, he worships God & and “consecrates” a new land. What is a covenant? A central element of Bible, of God’s relationship with His people the foundation of our faith in the OT, a binding agreement before 2 parties, often sealed with the shedding of blood a solemn agreement between individuals and/or groups What are the elements of the covenant? A promise and a blessing a promise/an election...I will bless you an obligation/condition...so that you will be a blessing a prophecy/mission...by you all the nations of the earth will be blessed a promise of land & a multitude of descendants an everlasting covenant 5 points that will follow history of this people throughout their history... I will give you a land I will make you a great nation You will be blessed & become a source of blessing I will bless those who bless you & course your enenmies other nations will benefit from your blessing (FromThe International Bible Commentary, William Farmer, Editor). The phrase, “blessed to be a blessing”, is the heart of the meaning of stewardship...God has blessed us so that all the world, thru us, might be blessed. It is tied to the command of God to Abram, “Go” and that of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 28:19 to “Go and make disciples...”. In Chapter 15, Abram questions, despairs of God’s promise to give him an heir. God clarifies that the son, Ishmael, of the slave Hagar, will not be his heir. God assures Abram by “ratifying” the covenant between them, or by “cutting” the covenant. In chapter 12 the covenant is established by God’s word, just as at creation. In chapter 15, the covenant is established through a sacrificial ceremony, but the shedding of blood. In Chapter 18, it is important to note that Abram & Sarai’s have been changed. God has changed their names to Abraham, which means ‘the father of many nations’, and Sarai’s to Sarah, which means ‘the mother of nations’. Also, circumcision has been established as the mark, the sign of the covenant. It was an outward of membership in community of faith. Abraham, still childless and pondering the promise of an heir, is visited by three men, whom he invites to join him and he lavishes hospitality on them. One of these visitors Abraham recognizes as the Lord, who tells him that by this time next year, he and Sarah will have a child. Sarah, listening from the tent, laughs at such an incredible idea. She is old! When confronted, she denies laughing, but the Lord had heard her. Sarah will again laugh, with joy, in the next year when she bears a son, just as the Lord said she would. With God, the impossible is made possible. Our God is a promise keeper, the one who seeks us out for blessing and makes all things possible!
GENESIS,
LESSON 5
THE STORY OF HAGAR & SARAH READ GENESIS 16 WHO IS HAGAR? WHAT IS REQUIRED OF HER? HOW DOES HAGAR REACT? HOW DOES SARAH RESPOND? HOW DOES GOD INTERVENE? READ GENESIS 21:1-21 WHAT IS SARAH’S REACTION TO GOD’S KEEPING HIS PROMISE? HOW DOES SHE REACT TO ISHMAEL PLAYING WITH ISAAC? HOW DOES ABRAHAM FEEL ABOUT WHAT SARAH ASKS OF HIM? HOW DOES GOD RESPOND? HOW DOES GOD AGAIN INTERVENE FOR HAGAR AND HER SON? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD IN THIS LESSON? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT OURSELVES? NOTES & thoughts God had promised a son to Abram & Sarai, who in chapter 17 will have their names changed by God to Abraham & Sarah. It has been 10 long years since they had come to the land God had promised them, but still they had no heir. Sarah grew impatient and offered her slave woman, Hagar, to Abraham to bear a child for them. This was a legally permissible step in their culture, but only with the barren wife’s free consent.. Sarah takes the initiative, and Abraham agrees....sound familiar? Hagar was expected to humbly grant this right to her mistress. But she unexpectedly takes an attitude of superiority. After all, childbearing was the most important marker of a woman’s status. Don’t forget, Abraham is an important man, with much wealth. Hagar might imagine that bearing his heir would bring her certain rights and honor. Sarah is well within her rights to insist that Abraham take steps to insure her honored place, and Hagar’s recognition of her status as slave. But Abraham puts it all in Sarah’s hands. Hagar is sent away & in her distress is visited by an angel and instructed to return & is given a promise...much like the promise given to Abraham & Sarah. Though Sarah tries to “help” God along with his plan & promise, God steps in and again acts in mercy. In Chapter 21, God’s promise is fulfilled and Sarah bears a son, Isaac. It displeases her greatly to see Ishmael with Isaac, she is threatened by their interaction...she is again, jealous. She insists that Abraham send both Hagar and Ishmael away. This was contrary to the law of the day, as it was illegal to expel the handmaid & her offspring once the wife had a child. All of this meets with Abraham’s displeasure. This is, after all, his first born son. To send away this son is another testing of Abraham’s faith. God assures Abraham of God’s protection over Hagar & her son, and Abraham sends them away, with the barest of provisions. They are near death when God hears their cries and answers with living water and the promise of life and a great nation. God does not abandon those He calls his own. Though Ishmael is not the promised child, he is Abraham’s child and as such, is blessed and protected. Consider who these women are? Where are they from? What is their status? How much might these factors influence their relationship? Look back at the study’s introduction and the 10 Significant Theological Themes of Genesis. In the stories of Hagar and Sarah and their sons, do you see the following themes? The story is a story of promise... God uses crooked lines to write straight... Genesis is a story of faith... What do they tell us about God and about ourselves? GENESIS, LESSON 6 THE STORY OF FAITH READ GENESIS 22:1-19 WHAT DOES GOD COMMAND ABRAHAM TO DO? FOR WHAT PURPOSE? HOW DOES ABRAHAM RESPOND? WHY? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW THAT ISN’T GIVEN IN THE TEXT? WHERE WAS SARAH? WHAT WAS ABRAHAM FEELING? DOES ISAAC HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING? HOW DOES GOD REWARD THE OBEDIENCE OF ABRAHAM? DOES GOD ASK US TO TAKE UNIMAGINABLE RISKS TODAY? DOES HE PROVIDE FOR US, AS HE DID FOR ABRAHAM? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD IN THIS LESSON? ABOUT OURSELVES? NOTES & thoughts The Sacrifice of Isaac is another story of the testing of Abraham. It is the climax of Abraham’s life. Abraham has been tested before and is tested again. Why? We are not told and Abraham does not ask. He simply says, “Here am I.” Abraham is told to sacrifice his only son, his beloved son, the child of the promise. What must he feel? Can he accept the fact that Isaac is not his own, but a pure gift of God’s grace? Can he obey? If he sacrifices Isaac, what becomes of God’s promises of seed and land? Abraham has learned that God is true to His word. He has already seen God work wonders....Sarah was barren and now there is the child, Isaac. Cannot God resolve this contradiction of the death of Isaac and fulfillment of the promise? Strengthened by the mercy he has already experienced, sure of the God he knows personally, Abraham goes forward and prepares the altar. Abraham is ready to sacrifice Isaac when the Angel of the Lord stops him. A ram found nearby becomes the substitute for Isaac. Abraham names the place, “the Lord will provide”. This could be Abraham’s motto. Time and time again, the Lord provided for Abraham. Abraham’s obedience is rewarded with a renewal of the covenantal promises of a multitude of descendants and the inheritance of the land, plus the new note that his descendants will conquer and possess the cities of the land. We see in this story a preview of the sacrificial death of Christ, the death of God’s beloved son. God’s people will not be obedient as Abraham and God will provide the path of reconciliation. God will provide the sacrifice of His son in order to reclaim us and call us beloved. TO: ALL PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN of FIRST, LA FOLLETTE FROM: SUSAN KING SUBJECT: PW BIBLE STUDY for 2006-07 At the June PW meeting, it was decided that we would not study the Horizon’s Bible Study for the year, but we would study the same passages from Genesis that Horizon’s was offering. I offered an alternative...and this is it! I have worked with Malcolm in developing these and have used many resources, which I will share in another place. I will also be sharing this with Sylvia Dooling of Voices of Orthodox Women, and she will share back with me, so there may be some editing/additions. My thought is to hand out the study pages for the lessons, 3 lessons at a time...you have in your hand the first installment. You will be asked to read the Scripture and consider the questions on the study sheet. This will be our outline for our study together at our meetings. The leader will give background information, etc. I hope that we will continue to share the leadership of the Bible study. Since we do not have a book to work from, it will require meeting with me or Malcolm or both, to fill in the blanks and get the background information. I will have a sheet of notes on each lesson for those who lead. Your input and ideas are greatly welcomed & appreciated. I have done this with fear and trembling! It is my prayer that this study will “renew in us a right spirit” and bring us a new understanding of who God is and who we are as His creations. The book of Genesis contains 10 Significant Theological Themes woven throughout the book. Keep them in mind as you read. 1. Creation is divinely planned, ordered & good. 2. Humans are in God’s image and are God’s servants. 3. God has blessed humanity. 4. Sin is turning away from God. 5. God, however, both punishes and forgives. 6. Israel has been specially chosen by God. 7. The story is a story of promise. 8. God uses crooked lines to write straight. 9. Genesis is a story of faith. 10. Don’t forget the importance of worship.
THE STORY OF THE MATRIARCHS
READ GENESIS 24-25, 27-32
Bethuel’s daughter
Laban’s sister
Abraham’s niece!
wife of Isaac
mother of Jacob & Esau she is barren, but becomes pregnant with
twins in answer to Isaac’s prayer on her behalf. Her pregnancy is difficult as the 2 babies
struggle within her, and she prays to God in distress. Why,
O God, is this happening? And the LORD speaks to
her, and the answer tells of all that will come in the lives of her
babies...2 nations in conflict, the younger overtaking the older, the
older serving the younger.
GENESIS, LESSON 7 THE STORY OF THE
MATRIARCHS (continued)
WHAT PART DO
THEY PLAY IN FULFILLING THE COVENANT?
CONSIDER THE
PART THEY PLAY IN THE GROWTH OF JACOB?
WHAT DO WE LEARN
ABOUT GOD IN THIS LESSON? ABOUT OURSELVES?
NOTES &
thoughts Who are Leah &
Rachel? daughters of Laban sisters wives of Jacob rivals mothers through Leah &
Rachel, & their maids Bilhah & Zilpah, come the 12
tribes/nation of Israel Judah is the son of
Leah...David & Jesus are descendants of Judah Consider how they
contribute to Jacob's growth.... Jacob loves, is
deceived, toils, is loyal, fathers a nation. The time comes to leave
Laban and move his family...and he becomes again the deceiver. He
confides in his wives, & Leah & Rachel assist him in leaving
& deceiving. Finally, there is reconciliation & blessing Jacob prepares to
enter Canaan, the promised land, but first must face Esau. First he
displays his cleverness, in case Esau does not meet him in a kindly
manner (32.8) Second, he goes to God & prays for deliverance
(32:9-12) "the fact that Jacob can and does express his need of God
prepares him" for his upcoming wrestling match. In 32:24, Jacob
reaches a crossroad, he can’t go forward nor can he go back... so he
has to change. Jacob's battle is not really with Esau, but with God. He
must make things right with God before he can make things right with
Esau. God deals directly & personally with Jacob. His life will be
changed, so will his name...Jacob will be a new creation. God initiates
the struggle...God wrestles with Jacob, not Jacob with God. It is God's
action that breaks the stubborn, willful Jacob. Jacob fights...and
clings...until he receives a blessing. And that
blessing is a new name...Israel. Jacob goes forth
humbled, blessed, a new man, seeking God and God’s purpose for his life
[paraphrased from the Layman’s Bible Commentary, vol 2, pp 95-96]. What do we learn
about God? About ourselves? God uses all that
we are...the lovely & the unlovely...what is good and what is not.
God will not let us go or leave us to our sinful selves. He will seek
& find us, and wrestle with us and bless us when we acknowledge Him
as God. Are we willing to allow God in? To give Him all that we are so
that we can live according to His purpose?
GENESIS, LESSON 8 THE STORY OF JOSEPH READ GENESIS 37; 39-45;
50 WHO IS JOSEPH? CONSIDER & DISCUSS THE
HEIGHTS & DEPTHS OF JOSEPH LIFE...
HIS
ROLE AS FAVORITE SON
THE
BETRAYAL OF HIS BROTHERS
HIS
ENCOUNTER WITH POTIPHAR’S WIFE
HIS
TIME IN PRISON
HIS
ROLE AS A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL IN EGYPT HOW DOES HIS
GIFT OF INTERPETING
DREAMS INFLUENCE THESE EXPERIENCES? FROM WHERE DOES JOSEPH’S CONFIDENCE COME FROM? AGAIN, CONSIDER JOSEPH’S REUNION
WITH HIS BROTHERS....
CAN
YOU RELATE TO THE CONFUSION, DOUBT & FEAR
OF THE BROTHERS?
COULD
YOU WITHHOLD JUDGEMENT AND BE SO
FORGIVING, AS WAS JOSEPH?
AN IMPORTANT TRUTH OF REFORMED
THEOLOGY IS THAT “GOD USES EVIL FOR GOOD”, AND THAT GOD IS PRESENT IN
ALL
CIRCUMSTANCES. HOW DOES JOSEPH
EXPERIENCE THIS? HIS BROTHERS? IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD IN
THIS LESSON? ABOUT OURSELVES? NOTES & thoughts There is much reading for this
lesson...for the full story of Joseph, read Genesis 37-50.
For the purpose of this lesson, you might
read only 37; 39-45 & 50. Joseph, oldest son of Jacob
& Rachel, now becomes the focus of the story...though as long as
Jacob
lives, it will be Jacob’s story, as he is the head of the family, the
Patriarch. Joseph’s life is full of ups and
downs, the greatest heights, the deepest depths. He
knows betrayal and success.
He is the victim of a parent’s favoritism & his
siblings jealousy,
even hatred. He does not help his
situation by bringing bad reports about his brothers to his father, nor
by
sharing his dreams, which seem to elevate him above the rest of them. He is sold into slavery by his brothers and
their treachery increases when they deceive their father by telling him
that
Joseph is dead. Jacob, the deceiver, is
again deceived...and his sorrow is boundless. Joseph finds himself a slave in
Egypt. He should be bitter, unruly, but
instead is obedient, pleasant, reliable.
What is his secret? In verses
39:2-5 we are told 5 times that it is the Lord who is the cause of
Joseph’s
success. “The Lord was with Joseph” is
the key...and Joseph lived out the command of God to Abraham that he
was
blessed to be a blessing. He is
unjustly imprisoned & forgotten, yet he remains faithful...and
finds
himself as the most important government official in Egypt...second
only to
Pharaoh. Joseph comes face to face with
those who betrayed him, his brothers, who have come to ask for food and
favor. Joseph recognizes them, they do
not recognize him. It seems that he
“plays” with them & makes harsh demands of them.
The brothers are reminded of their own harsh deeds &
acknowledge & confess among themselves their wrongdoing. Joseph, who understands their words, turns
away & weeps. The seeds for
reconciliation are sown. The brothers
return
a second time to Egypt, as Joseph commanded.
Joseph is overwhelmed to see his brother Benjamin. The story plays out as Judah pleads for
Benjamin, who had been set up as the one who took Joseph’s cup. Judah shares the anguish of Jacob in losing
Joseph and pleads that Benjamin cannot also be taken from him. In telling the story...the brother’s guilt
is revealed and they plead for mercy.
Joseph is moved and realizes that his brother’s have had a
change of
heart. Joseph finally reveals himself
to his brother’s. Imagine their
amazement...and fear! It is important
to note 45:7-8 and the emphasis on God’s providence...”for God sent me
before
you...” Joseph remarks that God uses
man’s sin for His holy purpose. In
the closing chapter of Genesis, chapter 50, vs. 20, Joseph sums up his
experience, his faith, the basic theme of his story...
“As for you, you meant evil against me; but
God meant if for good, to bring it about that many people should be
kept alive,
as they are today” Joseph is seen as the “hero” of
the story, but Biblical scholar Derek Kidner writes that God, not
Joseph, is
“the “hero” of the story; it is not a tale of human success but of
divine
sovereignty.” (quoted from ‘Genesis: God’s Grace from the Beginning’ by
Debbie
Schmidt) The Layman’s Commentary, volume
2 on Genesis, says that Joseph is “the model son, a perfect servant,
and an
ideal administrator. His character is
exemplary, he is poised and self-assured...and above all, he has an
unshakable
faith in God which helps him overcome all difficulties.” What
do we learn about God in
this story? Certainly we learn that God
can and does use evil for good.
Joseph’s life was “a crooked line”, but his heart always
went straight to
God. His suffering is unjust, he is
rejected, but he is the deliverer. In
him we see a model of the Perfect One, who brings deliverance to the
world. What do we learn about
ourselves? Like the brothers, we are
not faithful, we do not practice kindness or mercy or love. Like the brothers, we must confess, &
like the brothers, we have received
unmerited forgiveness. Like Joseph, we
must acknowledge God in our lives and look for His purpose in all
circumstances, good & evil. And,
like Joseph, we must forgive!
NOTES
& thoughts... Some
of you will need a 9th lesson and I am suggesting a review of
the previous lessons, a review of Genesis, a discussion of what we have
learned...of what the study has meant to us. Perhaps it would be helpful to
come up with a one sentence summary of each lesson...maybe just one
word. Some questions we might
ask are...What is Genesis about?
What does it teach us? Perhaps the most important questions we can
ask are those we have asked at the end of every lesson...WHAT HAVE YOU
LEARNED ABOUT GOD IN THIS STUDY?
ABOUT YOURSELF? Here
are my thoughts...and perhaps some starting places for discussion.
WE
BEGAN, “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED...” AND ENDED WITH JOSEPH
PROCLAIMING, “AS FOR YOU, YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME; BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR
GOOD...” OUR
FOCUS HAS BEEN ON THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS, GOD! THROUGH OUR LESSONS WE HAVE GOTTEN
SOME IDEA OF WHO GOD IS. WE
HAVE MET THE PARTICULAR PEOPLE OF GOD & MARVELED THAT GOD’S CHOSEN
PEOPLE COULD BE SO FLAWED, SO FAITHLESS, SO... HUMAN. WE
HAVE LEARNED ABOUT COVENANT AND WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN THAT COVENANT...
EVEN WHEN GOD ASKS FOR THE LIFE OF YOUR ONLY SON. WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT PROMISES
KEPT & BROKEN. WE HAVE
LEARNED ABOUT BETRAYAL & FORGIVENESS. WE HAVE LEARNED THAT NOTHING CAN
THWART THE PLAN OF GOD... NOT DECEIT, NOT WILY MOTHERS, NOT SIBLING
RIVALRY Genesis is a book about
God, about love, about God’s desire to have intimate relationship with
humans & all creation, about mercy & forgiveness, about imperfect
people being used by God for God’s purpose (paraphrased from GENESIS by
Debbie Schmidt) Genesis is the beginning
and sets the stage for God’s amazing acts...being chosen, promise, freedom, forgiveness, redemption,
salvation. Genesis is about who God
is & what GOD’S plan is for creation & what part God intends for
us to play
in His great plan. It is
about blessing. It is about
faith. It is about
love. I would suggest that you look at the 10
Theological themes mentioned at the beginning of our lessons(see below)
...did you find them to be true?
How did they play out? The
book of Genesis contains 10 Significant Theological Themes woven
throughout the book. Keep
them in mind as you read. 1. Creation is divinely planned,
ordered & good. 2. Humans are in God’s image and are
God’s servants. 3. God has blessed
humanity. 4.
Sin is turning away from God. 5. God, however, both punishes and
forgives. 6. Israel has been specially chosen
by God. 7. The story is a story of
promise. 8. God uses crooked lines to write
straight. 9. Genesis is a story of
faith. 10.
Don’t forget the importance of worship.
(taken from pg. 351 of The
International Bible Commentary, William R. Farmer,
Editor) The Book of Genesis is the starting
point of all theology. It’s
teachings about God and man, the nature of sin, and the divine plan of
redemption are fundamental to the understanding of both the Old and New
Testaments.”
Genesis—The Layman’s Bible
Commentary Thank
you for allowing me to share with you as we have studied Genesis
together... May
you walk in the blessing of Abraham, and fulfill your purpose...to glorify
God and enjoy Him forever!
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