Tag: bsf genesis lesson 10

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 2: Genesis 30:1-13

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

Summary of Genesis 30:1-13:

Rachel gets mad at Jacob, blaming him because she has had no children. Jacob rightly tells her that it is God, not he, that is preventing her from having children. So Rachel gave Jacob her servant, Bilhah, to have kids for her. Bilhah had Dan, which means “he has vindicated.” Bilhah had another son by Jacob named Naphtali, meaning “my struggle.” Leah, seeing what Rachel did, gave Jacob her maidservant, Zilpah, to bear kids for her. Zilpah bore Gad, meaning “good fortune, or a troop,” and Asher, meaning “happy.”

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 2: Genesis 30:1-13

3a) Rachel says she’s jealous of Leah and angry. The names mean, “he has vindicated” and “my struggle” shows Rachel’s pain at not having children. Leah is just being petty and jealous too with Zilpah. She already had 4 kids; she does not need more. Pretty sure Leah and Rachel did not talk to each other and probably pretended the other didn’t exist, sad as sisters.

b) It’s human to be zealous of others. We all can relate, especially those who have struggled to have kids. Prayer truly is all that fixes it.

4a) He rightly corrected her, telling her God was in charge. Yet, he wrongly went along with her plan. No one learns in OT times, it seems.

b) Not slept with the maidservants and prayed to God instead.

5a) Pray about it. Pray about your feelings towards that person. Pray for that person. Love that person despite the pain or hurt. Pray to forgive them. Pray for God to solve the problem.

b) God is with you. God answers prayers, even when He doesn’t answer them, that is His answer. Have faith God knows what He is doing.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 2: Genesis 30:1-13

Noticed Jacob didn’t protest any of this nonsense, especially Leah’s request. She already had kids. She was being petty here. No one learned from Abraham here. You could argue Jacob was a typical man here. Who turns down an offer of free sex? Since there is no mention of Jacob’s protest, this seems likely.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 2: Genesis 30:1-13

Note that these are the first words recorded in the Bible that Rachel uttered, showing the depth of her despair: “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Jacob seems unsympathetic to Rachel’s plight here, probably due to the culture at the time. Still, we saw in Genesis 25 how Isaac prayed for Rebekah to have a child. What would have happened if Jacob had done the same instead of answered with “that’s your problem”? Would God have answered and no maid servants would have been needed?

Scholars debate if the surrogate (Bilpah) was sitting on the lap of the adoptive mother during conception and birth. There is no proof that this custom was followed or practiced. Some believe the child was merely placed n the knees of the one who adopted the child.

In the competition between the two women, Jacob’s 5th son was born, Dan, and his 6th, Naphtali. Rachel felt somewhat vindicted now, as Dan’s name implies.

Leah ups the ante in this petty competition by providing her maidservant, Zilpah. Jacob’s 7th and 8th sons are born, Gad and Asher, respectively.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 10, Day 5: Romans 4:13-25; Galatians 3:6-9, 16, 29; Hebrews 11:8-19

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Romans 4:13-25:  Abraham received God’s promise by faith, not by works or by following the law (which didn’t exist or hadn’t been given in Abram’s time).  For if you follow the law, then why would you need faith?

God’s promises are by faith in Him and by His grace to all who believe not just to those who follow the law.  Through hope and faith Abraham believed God when God said he would be a father of nations even though he and Sarah were almost 100 years old and were close to death.

Abraham was strengthened in his faith and gave God the glory when he had a son.  It was through his faith Abraham was righteous and it is the same for all believers who believe Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead for our justification.

We must remember Paul is writing explaining the Christian faith and just got done in Romans 3, saying we are righteous only because of faith in Jesus and nothing else.

Galatians 3:6-9, 16, 29:  Abraham believed God and was thus righteous.  Therefore, those who believe are children of Abraham and are blessed along with him.  The Scriptures say that God justifies the Gentiles though faith as evidenced when God said he would bless all nations through Abraham.

God’s promises apply to all if you belong to Christ.

Hebrews 11:8-19:  Abraham when called obeyed by faith to go to the promised land and make his home there for he was looking forward to the city with foundations (heaven).  Abraham became a father by faith and had descendants as numerous as the stars.

All of these people when they died were living by faith for they did not receive the promises in their lifetime on earth.  They were strangers in this land for their home was in heaven.

Abraham offered his only son Isaac as a sacrifice to God for he had faith that God could and would bring him back from the dead.

Questions:

9)  Personal Question.  My answer:  It all comes down to faith in God, who He is, what He says, and what He does. We have nothing to worry about if we have God.

10)  Genesis 12:3:  God says “…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  Galatians tells us that all who believe are children of Abraham and are thus righteous and blessed as God blessed all through Abraham.

11a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  He had unquestioning faith.  He never questioned.  God spoke; Abraham obeyed.  Even when it was scary, uncertain, or painful (like called to sacrifice your only son).  He believed in God’s promises.

b)  Genesis 21:12:  God says, “…it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”  The ultimate blessing is our forgiveness of our sins and salvation through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Isaac and Abraham.

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  God’s promises have been the same since the Fall.  That He would provide us an eternal home with him.  He would cleanse us of our sins and redeem us.  He would provide the way.  And not only for God’s chosen people, the Israelites, but also for the Gentiles.  All through faith.

Conclusions:  Definitely dreaded this lesson after yesterday’s, especially when I noted nothing from Genesis (or the Old Testament) in the reading AND Hebrews 11 AGAIN!

Interesting how often the Bible does repeat itself or the same idea (like in these passages about Abraham’s faith) just in different ways.  Guess we have to drill it into our heads to get it!

This lesson brought to mind the study of Isaiah where the importance of Israel and the Gentiles was prominent.  Here, I first learned the significance of both and the difference.

Summary of today:  God’s promises are for ALL.  Which includes salvation.

 

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 10, Day 4: Genesis 11:26-32; Acts 7:2-8

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Genesis 11:26-32:  The account of Terah from the line of Shem who was Abram’s (later Abraham’s) father.  Lot was Abram’s nephew.  Abram married Sarai (later Sarah) and she was barren (had no children).

Terah, Abram, Sarai, and Lot left Ur for Canaan but settled in Haran where Terah died.

Acts 7:2-8:  Stephen tells us the back story:  God appeared the Abram/Abraham while he was still in Ur in Mesopotamia before he left for Haran and told Abram to leave Ur and to go to Canaan.  So he went to Haran.  Then after Terah, his father, died God sent Abram to Canaan.

God gave him no inheritance in Canaan but He promised him his descendants would possess the land.  God told Abram his children would be strangers in the land and would be enslaved for 400 years.  But God would punish that nation and afterward they will come back to Canaan to worship Him.  Here, God instituted the covenant of circumcision as a sign of this covenant.

Then Abraham had Isaac whom he circumcised.  Isaac had Jacob who became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Questions:

7a)  Ur, a city in Mesopotamia where the Chaldeans or Babylonians ruled at that time (approximately 2091 BC).

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  That God told Abram beforehand that they would suffer and be enslaved before they would have their inheritance of the land.  Also, the covenant of circumcision was a sign of this promise.

8a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I learned that Lot was Abram’s nephew and was one of those chosen along with Abram to share in God’s inheritance of Canaan.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  This one is pulling teeth.  Not sure how the facts of Abram’s calling encourage my family.

Conclusions:  My favorite part of this lesson was writing the summary.  The rest I could have done without.

I gave up on 8b after 20 minutes.  Couldn’t think of one thing.

This one was definitely a filler lesson in my opinion.

Map of Abram’s Journey out of Ur to Canaan:  http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/old-testament-map.html#Peninsula.

Recommendation:  If you are interested in map work, I would purchase a good Bible Atlas.  The one I own is Zondervan’s Atlas of the Bible by Carl S. Rasmussen.  This has a much, MUCH better map of Abraham’s possible route than I could find on the Internet as well as detailed background information, dates, and what’s going on in the known world in the same time period.

I’m sure there are many more wonderful ones out there but the detail given in a book is invaluable to me as I need to picture Abram trekking through the desert in order to understand a world more than 4 millenia before mine.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 10, Day 3: Skim Genesis 6-9

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Please see previous posts.

Questions:

6a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  The judgment was final.  There was no going back once it began.  Once God closed the door to the ark God’s judgment had been complete. So it will be in the End Times for Jesus’s Second Coming.  No one will know when it will happen.  It will just happen.

b)  Believers are spared God’s punishment in terms of punishment.  We are judged for rewards for God has forgiven our sins.  Unbelievers are judged for punishments for their sins have not been forgiven.

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I am a Christian through faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit indwells my body to guide me in this life.

Conclusion:  Honestly, again, dreading the repetition.  But part b did give me a chance to clarify in my mind the Final Judgment and research the passages for this, which is important in explaining to others why they need to accept Christ.

Great, succinct answer to who is judged and when HERE

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 10, Day 2: Skim Genesis 1-5

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Please see previous posts.

Questions:

3a)  Physical Needs:  God clothed them.  Food:  now man must sow the ground for his food.  The garden had provided shelter for man.

Spiritual Needs:  A Father (God) to lead man.

Man thought he needed the knowledge of good and evil (or of God and what God knows) but in all actuality man doesn’t.

b)  3:15  “…and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”  Matthew and Luke recounts how God provided Mary a child through the Holy Spirit.

4)  Faith is believing in what we cannot see and being sure of it despite this.  The writer uses the example that we believe God made the universe even though no one saw this happen and believing God made all we see from what we do not see.

5a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Abel knew God demanded the best from him so he brought the best.  Just like God demands the best from us so we must give Him our best.  Whatever that looks like for each of us.

b)  Faith.  Hebrews 11:5:  “By faith Enoch was taken from this life…”

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I must keep the faith.  Hebrews 11:13:  “…They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them…”  Hebrews 11:39-40:  “…yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better for us…”

Even though I cannot see it, it is there.  God’s promises for me.  In Him.  And when I feel like this life sucks I must keep moving towards Him.  Through faith.  For He has a better plan.

Conclusion:  Interesting how 2 obscure men in the Bible (Enoch and Abel) who maybe have a dozen verses between them (that’s being generous) made such an impact on others who remembered their faith.  For we are not told much about what they did.  Only Enoch walked with God and Abel brought the fat.  That’s about it.  Then they die.

This gives me hope.  Currently, I am struggling with my life and its meaning.  I feel like God has so much more for me and here I am languishing.

For who am I?  Who was Abel?  Just a guy who had faith and got killed for it.  Who was Enoch?  Just a guy who walked with God and because of it was spared a physical death. Who will remember me?  No one will read about me when I die.  Yet there is something out there for me that will make an impact.  I just feel I’m not there yet.

End Note:  Admittedly, I skimmed this Lesson (a review lesson) and was dreading it.  I skimmed today’s passages and thought Not again!  I mean, how many times do I have to read Hebrews.  Seriously?

So I thought God must have something here for me.  So I read all of Hebrews 11.  And sure enough I came up with the answer to question 5c and the conclusion.

That even though I am only one person out of 7 billion people or however many people are on the planet now I can make a difference and an impact.  If I have the faith in God and trust Him to do it.  Not me.  But Him.  Just like all the people mentioned in Hebrews 11.  All had one thing in common:  faith in God.  And all accomplished His mission in their lives.

This is my prayer for me and you:  keep the faith and accomplish His purpose in our lives.

Fun Fact:  Check out this website with cool charts on the world population throughout history:

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/