Tag: Old Testament Bible Study

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 9- Sarah

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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Read Genesis 11:27-12:20

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Questions to Consider

1. What facts can we glean about Sarah from this passage? What was her original name? (11:29) Who were her family members? (11:27-29, 31) Where was she originally from, and where did she move to? (11:28,31) What was her physical condition (11:30) and why is this “backstory” being given to us? (12:7) What was Sarah’s physical appearance like? (12:11,14)

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2. We can learn more about Sarah from other passages of Scripture. What does the name Sarai (see footnote) mean? What was Sarah’s familial relationship to Abraham? How old did Sarah live to be? How does Paul use Sarah as an allegorical example in Galatians? How does Hebrews describe Sarah’s faith? How does Peter hold Sarah up as a godly example to Christian women? Overall, how does the Holy Spirit frame and describe Sarah’s character in the New Testament? Does this mean her thoughts and behavior were always flawless?

3. Consider that Sarah, though sinful and imperfect in many ways, is spoken of by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament as a woman of faith and godly character, and an example to be looked up to by Christian women. Does this bring you comfort and reassurance as a sinful and imperfect, yet faithful, follower of Christ? What are some ways you can set a godly example for other Christian women even though you sometimes stumble into sin? How will God speak of your faith and character at the end of your life?

4. While the events in Genesis 11-12 are told from Abraham’s perspective, Sarah, his wife was right there with him, experiencing those same events. Consider the following parts of the story from Sarah’s perspective:

Barrenness (11:30): In a patriarchal society in which women established status largely by bearing sons, what might Sarah have thought about being barren?

Traveling and relocating (12:1-9): Examine the map above. Strange lands she’d never been to before. Strange and possibly hostile people. How far would Sarah and her family have had to travel? What might have been some of Sarah’s concerns for her family?

God’s promises and instructions (12:1-3,7): What questions might Sarah have had about her role in God’s promises to Abraham, how her barrenness would affect God’s promise for offspring, and how it would all play out once God’s promises were fulfilled?

Trusting, obeying, and worshiping God (12:1-9): In instructing Abraham, God was also instructing Sarah, as his wife, to obey and follow Him. What were some ways Sarah would have had to obey God? How could she have served as a helper to her husband? How would she have needed to trust God? How would trusting and obeying God have led to worship for Sarah, right alongside her husband? (7,8) How might Sarah’s relationship with God have grown through this experience?

5. Examine 12:10-20. Summarize the story in your own words. What did Abraham ask Sarah to tell the Egyptians in verse 13? Why? Was this true? What can we learn from this story about honesty, deception, and half truths? How did Abraham’s deception put Sarah in danger? In what way did Abraham put his own needs ahead of Sarah’s well-being? How might Abraham’s actions have damaged his relationship with his wife?

6. Compare Abraham’s trust in God in 12:1-9 with his lack of trust in God in 12:10-20.

7. In what ways did Sarah have to trust God and trust her husband in 12:1-9? In what ways did she have to trust God and trust her husband in 12:10-20? Was Abraham acting in a trustworthy way in both of these instances? Why or why not?

8. Have you ever had to trust God through a situation in which your husband, parent, or someone else you depended on, wasn’t acting trustworthy? What did this teach you about God and His trustworthiness and dependability?

9. True or false: “In some ways and at some times Sarah may have had to trust God even more than Abraham did.”? Why?

Homework

How can trusting God through a difficult time lead you to worship Him? Describe a trial you’ve been through and how you trusted God in the midst of it. Take some time to worship God for the specific ways He carried you through that trial: how He provided for you, comforted you, strengthened you, and encouraged you.

Suggested Memory Verse

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Genesis 12:7

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 8

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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Read Genesis 10-11:26

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Questions to Consider

1. Read through the names and places listed in chapters 10 and 11. Do you recognize any of them from other parts of the Bible? What roles did they play in biblical history?

2. Often, when we approach “list passages” of Scripture (such as genealogies, censuses, inventories, etc.) we do so in a very ego-centric way: “How does this help me?” “How does this apply to my life?” “This is boring to me.” Could it be that God had a purpose for including these things in Scripture that have nothing to do with your personal life or mine? Why did God put the genealogies of Genesis 10-11 in the Bible? Examine these genealogies in light of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. How are they profitable, how do they equip, etc.?

3. Matthew 1 traces the genealogy of Christ back to Abraham. Can you pick up where Matthew leaves off and follow Christ’s family tree from Abraham (Abram) back to Noah? (Hint: start at 11:26 and work backward)

4. Why don’t the genealogies of Genesis 10-11 list any women? (Hint: think about Israel’s societal structure, the twelve tribes of Israel, inheritance, land allotment, etc.)

5. Compare 10:5,20,31 with 11:1,6. What do these verses say about the language(s) of the peoples? Is this an example of Scripture contradicting itself or of non-linear chronology in Scripture? Briefly review Lesson 2, question 1 (link above). Are we seeing something similar in chapters 10-11 to what we saw in chapters 1-2 (the “two” Creation accounts)?

6. Read 11:2,4 with 10:8-10. Who led the people to settle in Shinar? According to God’s command in Genesis 9:1, were they supposed to settle down or spread out? (11:4) What happened as a result of God confusing their languages? (11:8-9)

7. Besides rebelling against God’s command to spread out and fill the earth, what sin were the people committing by building the tower? (11:4) What does the Bible say about those who act in pride or attempt to take God’s glory for themselves? Why is it so important to glorify God in everything we do?

8. In your job, at your church, on social media, among your friends and family, etc., do you try to “make a name for yourself” (11:4) by the way you act and speak? Do you hunger to be the center of attention, crave adulation, constantly try to impress people? How might pride and love of self be the foundation for these actions and attitudes? Is there anything you need to repent of and ask God’s forgiveness for? Nimrod’s people would have brought glory to God by obeying His command to spread out and fill the earth instead of building the tower. What are some practical ways you can glorify God by obeying Him instead of glorifying yourself?

Homework

If you’d like to read up more on biblical genealogies and their importance, here are a couple of good resources:

Why were genealogies so important to Israel? at Got Questions

Why the Genealogies? at Grace to You

Suggested Memory Verse

Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
Genesis 11:9

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 7

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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Read Genesis 6-9

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Questions to Consider

1. Genesis 4:26b says, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Compare this statement to the spiritual condition of mankind in Genesis 6. Why did God decide to destroy the earth? (6:5-7,11-13)

2. Compare the depravity of mankind with the uprightness of Noah. Who validated Noah’s righteousness? (6:8-9) How do chapters 6-9 describe Noah’s righteousness? How did Noah demonstrate righteousness before, during, and after the flood? In God’s eyes, is righteousness outward (behavior) only, inward (heart condition) only, or both?

3. Review question 7 from lesson 6 (link above). At this point in Old Testament history (Genesis 6), had God given the Law? If not, how could He hold mankind responsible for breaking His Law – being “wicked,” “evil,” and “corrupt” – to the point of killing everyone and destroying the earth and still be a just God? What does this tell us about how seriously God views sin?

4. Compare God’s wrath for sin poured out on the earth in Genesis 6-9 to His wrath for sin poured out on Christ at the cross. How does Noah’s salvation from God’s wrath toward sin by being in the ark point ahead to our salvation from God’s wrath toward sin if we are “in” the cross? What is the type and shadow significance of God (rather than Noah) closing and sealing the door of the ark when His work of saving Noah was finished? (7:16) Do you see any other types and shadows in Genesis 6-9?

5. Examine 6:5-7, 8:21, and 9:11. An unbeliever might look at these passages and think that God realized He made a mistake by creating man, attempted to correct that mistake with the flood, and then regretfully realized that the flood was overkill. The unbeliever might even question God’s sovereignty and omniscience: “Didn’t God already know that man would become so sinful? Why create humans in the first place?” How would you answer these challenges to God’s nature and character?

6. Genesis 9:8-17 is the text of the Noahic (no-WAY-ick) Covenant. What does God promise in this covenant? What is the sign of this covenant? Is the Noahic Covenant bilateral (if people do X, then God will do Y) or unilateral (God says, “I will do X.”)

7. Compare God’s instructions to Noah for His “re-Creation” (9:1-7) with God’s instructions to Adam and Eve for His Creation. What are some similarities? Differences?

8. The Holy Spirit has spent nearly four chapters emphasizing Noah’s righteousness contrasted with the depravity of the rest of mankind. Yet 9:20-27 demonstrate that Noah and his sons were still quite capable of sin. How does this confirm that we inherited our sin nature from Adam and that even the most righteous man on earth is sinful and imperfect?

Homework

If you’d like to do more research on Noah’s story, Answers in Genesis has some great resources on their Noah page.

For even more on Noah and the flood, visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.

Suggested Memory Verse

When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
Genesis 9:16

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 6

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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Read Genesis 4-5

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Questions to Consider

1. Briefly review Lesson 5 (link above).

2. What do we know about Adam and Eve’s life after their expulsion from the Garden? (4:1-2,25) What do Eve’s statements about Cain’s birth (1) and Seth’s birth (25) tell us about her ongoing relationship with and attitude toward God? What does Adam say about God in chapter 4?

3. Examine 4:2-7. When, in Old Testament history, were the laws about offerings (what to offer, what was acceptable or unacceptable) given by God? How were Cain and Abel to know what kind of offering would be acceptable to God? Considering the character of God and His remarks in verses 6-7, did He arbitrarily and capriciously reject Cain’s offering and accept Abel’s? What, then, might we safely surmise about Cain and Abel’s knowledge of making offerings to God?

4. Who was Cain angry with? (5-8) Did Cain have reason to be angry at God? At Abel? At himself? What did God tell Cain about his anger? (6-7) Do human beings ever have a righteous reason to be angry with God? Think about the latter part of verse 7 (“And if you do not do well…”) What does this mean? How does it apply to your heart and life?

5. Read 4:8-16. What was the root sin (pride, jealousy, hatred, etc.) of Cain’s heart that eventually led him to kill Abel? Can you list all of the sins (in thought, word, and deed) that Cain committed in verses 3-10? Describe how a sinful attitude of heart can “snowball” as it did in Cain’s case. What does this teach us about killing sinful thoughts and attitudes before they lead to more sin?

6. We nearly always focus on Cain and his sin when we read the story of Cain and Abel, but who else did Cain’s sin impact? (4:1-2,14-15,25) How do you think it affected Eve to lose one son at the hand of the other? Do you know someone who has lost a child or sibling to a violent crime like this one? What are some ways you could minister to that person?

7. When, in Old Testament history, did God first give the law prohibiting murder? Was murder a sin prior to God giving that law? How does this help us to understand that God’s moral law (laws about right and wrong) is transcendent and still binding on Christians today, though the Old Testament ceremonial laws governing temple worship, and the civil law which governed the Old Testament nation of Israel, were fulfilled in Christ and no longer required of Christians?

8. Examine Cain’s words in 4:13-14. Does he sound repentant over his sin? Is Cain exhibiting a godly grief or a worldly grief? What is the difference and how does this apply to your own repentance from sin? How did God show grace to Cain? (15-16)

9. In your own words, summarize the remainder of Cain’s life and descendants in 4:16-24.

10. What does verse 26 mean when it says, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”?

11. Compare God’s command to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28 to the information in Genesis 5. Why would it have been important to the fulfillment of Genesis 1:28 for people to a) live so long, and b) be able to have children at such old ages?

12. What is the final statement God makes about every father in chapter 5 (ex: verses 5, 8, 11, etc.) except Enoch? (21-24) What happened to Enoch, and why? How does the repeated phrase “and he died” drive home and demonstrated the fulfillment of God’s promise in Genesis 2:16-17?

13. In what ways do Genesis 4 and 5 point us ahead to Christ?

Homework

Where did Cain get his wife? It’s one of those biblical questions that can be challenging. If you’d like to study up on this topic, here are some helpful resources:

Who was Cain’s wife? Was Cain’s wife his sister? at Got Questions

Who Was Cain’s Wife? at Answers in Genesis

Where Did Cain Get His Wife? at CARM

Suggested Memory Verse

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 
Genesis 5:1-2

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 5- Eve

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4

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Read Genesis 3:7-4:2,25

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Questions to Consider

1. Briefly review Lesson 4 (link above).

2. Compare the serpent’s statements to Eve in Genesis 3:4,5 with verse 7 and the remainder of today’s passage. Were his statements factually correct? Did Eve die when she ate the fruit? Were Adam and Eve’s “eyes opened”? How can a statement be factually correct and deceptive at the same time? Have you ever been tempted to sin by facts that were correct, yet deceptive?

3. What two things did Adam and Eve do in verses 7-8 in response to their sin? Why did they do these things? (10) Compare Genesis 2:25 to verses 7-8,10 and explain the concept of shame as it relates to sin. How did shame over their sin cause Adam and Eve to act toward God? In what ways can shame over our sin be a blessing?

4. What three questions does God ask of Adam and Eve in verses 9, 11, and 13? Did God ask these questions in order to find out information He did not know, or to elicit a response or confession from Adam and Eve? Does God ever ask someone in Scripture a question He doesn’t know the answer to?

5. Why did God call out Adam first (9) instead of Eve? Whom did Adam blame for his sin? (12) Yet, whom did God hold primarily responsible (in a “the buck stops here” kind of way) for the fruit-eating debacle: Adam or Eve? Why? Did God give Eve a pass on her sin? (13) How did the fact that God held Eve accountable for her own sin demonstrate that He created her, and womankind, with intelligence, understanding, her own abilities, etc.?

6. Examine 1 Timothy 2:12-14 in light of what we have studied about the creation of Eve and the deception of Eve in lessons 4 and 5 of this study. How does the fact that verses 13 and 14 (of 1 Tim. 2) give the creative order and the deception of woman as the rationale for verse 12 help us to understand that this instruction regarding the role of women in the church is universal (to all women at all times in all cultures), not just limited to the time at which Paul wrote 1 Timothy?

7. In what order (who is 1st, 2nd, 3rd?) does God mete out the consequences for sin? (14-19)? Compare this order to the order in which the deception and sin took place in Genesis 3:1-6. List the consequences God gave the serpent, Eve, and Adam. What do each of these consequences mean, and how are they still impacting us today?

8. Verse 15 is often called the protoevangelium. Who does “her offspring” refer to in a broad, general sense? (20) Specifically? How did Satan “bruise” Christ’s heel? How did Christ “bruise” Satan’s head? How does this “gospel in the Garden” help demonstrate that redemption through Christ was God’s plan from eternity past?

9. Put yourself in Eve’s (as yet non-existent) shoes and imagine yourself hearing God speak to Adam in verses 17-19, beginning with the phrase, “Because you have listened to your wife…”. What are some of the thoughts and feelings that might have been running through Eve’s head? How might this have motivated her to be a better helper to and a godly influence on Adam in the future? Have you ever influenced your husband or someone else you love to sin and then had to watch him suffer the consequences?

10. Examine verse 21. What were Adam and Eve’s “garments” previously made of? (7) Did God find the fig leaf garments acceptable? What did God have to do in order to obtain skins for new garments that would be acceptable to Him? Have we previously seen the death of a living creature in the book of Genesis? Why are we now, in verse 21, seeing death enter the world? How does this sacrifice of animals to cover the sin and shame of man point us to the gospel? How do Adam and Eve’s fig leaf garments needing to be replaced by garments made by God introduce the idea that we cannot cover up our sin by our own efforts, but that God Himself had to provide a sacrifice to both cover our sin and clothe us in the righteousness of Christ in a way that was acceptable to Him?

11. What precautions did God take to make sure man would not live forever in a fallen world? (22-24) How does this demonstrate God’s mercy?

12. What do we know about Eve’s life after her expulsion from the Garden? (4:1-2,25) What do Eve’s statements about Cain’s birth (1) and Seth’s birth (25) tell us about her ongoing relationship with and attitude toward God?

Homework

Thinking back over what we know of Eve’s life, from her creation to the birth of Seth, make a list of three of Eve’s characteristics or actions that teach us how to be godly and three of her characteristics or actions that teach us to avoid being ungodly. Find a specific way to implement at least one of these life lessons from Eve in your own circumstances this week.

Suggested Memory Verse

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15