6) I did a purely online study and was blessed by those who learned from me, and I was blessed learning from others, too.
7) I learned the importance of praying for others and how it’s important to ask for prayer, too.
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2a) How incredibly blessed we all are by God’s grace and Jesus’s sacrifice for our undeserving souls. It gives me a deeper appreciation for what Jesus did for me on the cross and hopefully I can convey that better both with my actions and with others.
b) Jesus’s grace, his inclusion of all people, including women, his compassion on all people no matter who they were, his desire to always do God’s will no matter where he went.
3) There are so many it’s hard to choose. Right now in these uncertain times, we can have faith that God is in control. As the economy changes every day, we can have faith that God will provide. As events happen that we don’t understand, we can have faith that God has a purpose. Jesus prayed in the Garden for strength; so should we during these times. Perseverence, strength, and will to keep moving forward, one day at a time.
4) I did not have children in the program
5) The chance to pray for one another.
6) Good question. I am unsure. Immediately, it’s to be strong in faith for my family and to remind them of all that Jesus teaches.
7a) It’s given me such a deeper understanding of God’s grace and my undeserving nature of Jesus’s sacrifice.
b) I know that God’s plans are not my plans, so I pray for His will to be done. I know that I am here for a reason, so I try to remember that each and every day.
8a) Grace
b) Dear Lord. I thank you for the blessings you have given me, for the life I lead, for my incredible family and their health and happiness, and for your will to be done in my life. I take each day as a blessing and try to do your work. I pray others see you through me, and I pray you continue to guide me in this life. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Summary of passage: Judah’s brothers will praise him and bow down to him. The scepter will not leave Judah’s hand until it comes to whom it belongs and obedience is his (reference to Jesus). His (Jesus) robes will be washed in blood, his eyes darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships. Issachar will submit to forced labor. Dan will provide justice for his people. Gad will be attacked but he will attack back. Asher will have rich food. Naphtali is free.
Questions:
5) “Your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub; you return from the prey…like a lioness who dares to rouse him?”
“The scepter will not depart form Judah nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
6a) The obedience of the nations is his. His colt is the choicest branch. His robes will be washed in blood. His eyes will be darker than wine. His teeth whiter than milk.
b) Revelation 5:5 “The Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed.”
c) Personal question that has nothing to do with this passage. My answer: He is my Lord and Savior. I am unworthy. He is ruler over all and in control of all things.
7) Zebulun lay by the sea and the lake along the Jordan. It settled between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea so Zebulun could see both seas.
8 ) Personal Question. My answer: Issachar was the third largest tribe (Numbers 26). Hence, they were often targets for the enemy. Eventually, they were put into servitude.
9) Two possibilities: Samson (Judges 13) or Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:26-33). Some scholars believe the “serpent by the roadside” might even be referring to the Antichrist coming from the tribe of Dan (Daniel 11:37; Jeremiah 8:16). Of course, we are not sure who Jacob is referring to here.
Conclusions: Didn’t like this lesson. Feel like Genesis 49 is being drawn out for filler purposes.
Most people would not know the answer to these questions unless they used a commentary (which is what I did). This is what irks me about BSF. They ask these questions that only someone intimately familiar with the Bible (which is not me) would know and then they tell us not to use outside sources. Ridiculous. And borderline hypocritical to me. Don’t ask if 95 % of us will miss it. It only creates doubts about the level of our faith and whether or not we should know this. It does nothing for our understanding of the Bible UNLESS we do use outside sources.
Map of 12 Tribes Showing Zebulun’s Location: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:12_Tribes_of_Israel_Map.svg
End Note: “He will tether his donkey to a vine” emphasizes the richness of Judah’s land as well. They were wine growers.