Tag: questions answers bsf genesis lesson 12

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 12, Day 4: Genesis 13:14-18

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  The Lord told Abram He was giving him and his offspring all the land Abram could see forever.  God will make Abram’s offspring as numerous as the dust on the earth.  God told Abram to walk his land.  So Abram moved his tents and settled near Hebron where he built an altar to the Lord.

Questions:

8a)  Lot chose the best, greenest, most fertile land for himself.

b)  Abram stayed in Canaan which had been overgrazed.

c)  Not everything is as it seems.  Matthew 6 says you need to be concentrating on storing up treasures in heaven and not treasures on earth (or having the best) for where you treasure is lies your heart.  Matthew 10 says its about following Jesus and sacrificing all for him.  Matthew 19 reminds us its about giving and not receiving to earn treasures in heaven.  Luke reminds us the earth is not our home.

9)  Abram got all the land he could see forever plus his offspring would inherit it and his offspring would be numerous as dust.  Lot’s was probably temporary and subject to takeovers.

10a)  Matthew 19:29:  “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5.  My favorite is Matthew 5:10:  “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Luke 6:22-23:  “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

b)  Our greatest blessing is having our sins forgiven and promised an eternal life with God.  What we give up seems paltry next to Jesus’s sacrifice especially in the 21st century.  When I read the Bible, God’s commandments in essence are simple. He asks nothing impossible of us.  Yet we fail repeatedly.  Overcoming our sinful nature is where the battle is but with training and practice we can all become better.

God does not ask us to give up much it seems.  To just be a good person.  Do what Jesus would do.  Hard?  Yes.  Impossible?  No.

Conclusions:  For Question 8 I had to go back to Genesis 13:10.  I believe our sacrifices for Jesus are small compared to his.  We must remember this world is not our home and if we keep that in the forefront of our minds when we are tempted by our eyes then we should be alright.

Myself, though, I’m jaded anyways.  I don’t believe half of what I see anyways.  If it’s too good to be true, it probably is, as the saying goes.

Yet so many get caught in the materialistic trap.  Just look at Black Friday.  I don’t leave the house on that day.  It’s not about the latest gadget.  It’s about the fact you are able to purchase the latest gadget through God’s provision.  So many lose sight of that.

Everything is God’s.  It is just on loan to us.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 12, Day 2: Genesis 13:5-13

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Lot, Abram’s nephew, was traveling with Abram until he had to separate because their herds of animals were growing too big to support both flocks. This caused quarrels between the two groups.  The Canaanites and Perizzites were living there as well so it was crowded.

Abram approached Lot and suggested they separate, giving Lot the choice of which lands he wanted.  Lot chose the plain of the Jordan which was well watered and they parted, leaving Abram in Canaan and Lot near Sodom.  Sodom was wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord.

Questions:

3)  Genesis 13:5-13:  Abram saw tensions rising and he took quick action.  He came up with a solution and gave the choice to Lot instead of Abram choosing which way to go. He approached Lot out of love and deferred to him.

1 Corinthians 6:1-8:  This passage says to settle disagreements between believers without bringing in unbelievers.  Appoint an arbitrator from the church.  Paul says it is better to be wronged than to wrong your brother.  Abram followed this advice Paul later wrote.  He approached Lot with their disagreement and came up with a fair solution and Abram humbly let Lot chose.

Ephesians 4:1-3:  Paul advised to live humbly and be patient and deal with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity, to get along.  Abram did just that.  He loved Lot as a brother so he wanted to settle the problem quickly.

Ephesians 4:31-5:2:  Paul says to not be angry or slanderous but to be kind and compassionate and forgiving to one another.  Be imitators of God and live a life of love. Abram did just that.

Seems Abram and Paul had a lot in common!

4a)  He was the eldest and God gave Abram the land (Genesis 12:1), not Lot.  Lot just tagged along.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I have no concrete example but no, I would say my attitude is usually pretty poor when it comes to submitting rights.  But I will say as time passes and I grow in God I do become more generous, compassionate, and yielding.  This is hard when we are born selfish.  It definitely takes time to develop.

In this day and age when it’s all about personal rights and people thinking others owe them, this is a shining example of how to show God’s love to others.  The Canaanites and Perizzites were watching.  They saw the quarrels and probably didn’t think much of Abram’s God.  But when Abram did something not many others would in the ancient world, the Canaanites and Perizzites probably wondered, Who is this God of theirs?  

And just like that, the seed is planted…

We must remember everyone is watching (this isn’t too hard in the age of YouTube and hidden cameras).  We must reflect God to the un-Godly.

Conclusions:  I liked this lesson.  It’s a great reminder that we don’t always have to be right or even exercise our rights.  By submitting our will and rights, we are submitting to God’s will and showing trust in God that all will work out as He planned (not as we planned) and God will take care of us.

End Note:  It’s interesting the turn around in Abram.  We’re not told how much time has passed between Egypt and Abram and Lot separating but here was a man in Chapter 12 who did not trust God to save him so he took matters into his own hands by prostituting his wife.

Now we see Abram completely surrendering his rights to his nephew, trusting God will take care of him and his animals.

People do grow in faith.  This gives me hope that I can as well.