Tag: Women of Genesis

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 16- Sarah and Hagar

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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Read Genesis 21:1-21

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Questions to Consider

1. In lesson 13, we gave some thought to the idea that God made the formalized Abrahamic Covenant only with Abraham, not with Abraham and Sarah. But notice God’s attention to Sarah in verse 1. Analyze the two halves of verse 1. Who is the subject? The object? What action is performed? Compare verse 1 to Hebrews 11:11. What can we learn about Sarah’s faith and God’s faithfulness from these verses?

2. How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? (5) How old was Sarah? Imagine yourself becoming a first time mom at Sarah’s age. What might you be thinking? What are some of the things you might pray about? What are some new issues you might need to trust God about?

3. What does the name “Isaac” mean? (3- see footnote) There has been much laughter surrounding Sarah’s pregnancy and Isaac’s birth. Examine verse 6 along with these verses. How would you characterize Abraham’s and Sarah’s laughter? Scornful? Unbelieving? Shock and awe? Thinking about how absurd the situation would seem to others? (Hint: Think about how we often see God treat scorn and disbelief of His word in Scripture alongside the fact that Abraham and Sarah are both commended several times in the New Testament.) Who chose Isaac’s name? What kinds of things would Sarah have been reminded of every time she called Isaac’s name?

4. Look at Genesis 16:16 alongside 21:5, and factor in the fact that children were usually weaned (21:8) at 2-4 years of age in that time. Approximately how old would Ishmael have been in 21:9?

5. Read the footnote on verse 9, and examine this verse in a few other trustworthy translations. What set Sarah off? (10) Does this sort of behavior from Ishmael seem to fit with what God had spoken about him? Compare verses 10-13 with 17:18-21. Before Isaac was ever conceived, what had God already told Abraham and Sarah about which son would be “heir” of the Abrahamic Covenant? So what sort of heirship might Sarah have been concerned about Ishmael sharing with Isaac?

6. Compare Hagar’s second “exile” from Sarah’s household in verses 14-21 to her first in 16:6-15. What are some similarities? What are some differences? Which attributes of God are showcased in both of these stories? How is God “the God who sees me” (16:13) and “God hears” (16:11) in the second “exile” as well as the first? Compare Hagar’s trust in God in these two passages to the lack of trust in God Sarah has exhibited in recent passages.

7. Briefly review Sarah’s actions in Genesis 16 (lessons 11-12) with the consequences in both chapter 16 and chapter 21. How did Sarah’s sin of taking matters into her own hands instead of trusting God impact Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, and herself?

Homework

Consider the impact Sarah’s sin of failing to trust God had on all the members of her household. Consider the example Hagar still sets for us today because she trusted God. Think about a situation you’re going through in your own life. How could your failure to trust God hurt those around you? How could your trust in God set a godly example that might even open a door to sharing the gospel with someone?

Suggested Memory Verse

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.
Genesis 21:1

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 15- Sarah

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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Read Genesis 20

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Questions to Consider

1. Second verse, same as the first. Compare Genesis 12:10-20 with today’s passage. List the similarities and differences between the two incidents. Why would Abraham do this again? Why was Sarah complicit?

2. What did Abraham tell Abimelech about Sarah? (2) Why? (11) Was it true that Sarah was his sister? (12) 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?

3. In what ways did Abraham’s actions demonstrate a lack of trust in God? Think back over the promises God has made to Abraham. As of Genesis 20, have any of these promises been fulfilled? Yet what is Abraham fearful of in verse 11? If God is powerful enough to open the womb of a barren woman and make a couple of senior citizens parents, is He not powerful enough to keep them safe and alive until that promise is fulfilled?

4. In what ways did Sarah have to trust God and trust her husband in this passage? Was Abraham acting in a trustworthy way? Why or why not?

5. The New Testament tells us we are ambassadors for Christ. In a similar way, Sarah and Abraham represented the one true God to Abimelech and his people. Did Sarah and Abraham represent God well? Why or why not? What did their words and actions tell Abimelech about God’s trustworthiness and His power to protect His people? How did God step in and defend His reputation to Abimelech? (3-7,17-18) What did God reveal to Abimelech – and to Sarah and Abraham – about Himself by His words and actions?

6. Examine 1 Peter 3:1-7. What do verses 5-6 tell us about Sarah’s character that might help explain why she twice went along with deceiving a king about her relationship with Abraham? Does God require Christian women to submit to our husbands if they ask us to sin? Is our highest loyalty to God or to our husbands? Is our highest obedience to God or to our husbands? Compare Abraham’s actions to verse 7. How does he measure up?

7. What word(s) would you use to describe the way Abimelech treated Sarah in verse 16? Would you use that same word(s) to characterize the way Abraham treated Sarah in Genesis 20? Why or why not?

8. What consequence had God placed on Abimelech’s household as a result of his taking Sarah? (17-18) Why do you think God chose this particular sign instead of something like boils or famine?

9. In lesson 12, we saw Hagar say of the Lord, “You are a God who sees me,” and that her son would be named Ishmael, meaning, “God hears.” At the conclusion of chapter 20, what are some ways Sarah might have finished the sentence, “You are a God who…”?

Homework

Have you ever been through a difficult or scary situation like Sarah went through that required a lot of trust in God? Now that He has brought you through it, as you look back, what are some ways you might finish the sentence, “You are a God who…”?

Suggested Memory Verse

Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
Genesis 20:6

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 14- Lot’s Wife and Daughters

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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Read Genesis 18:16-19:38

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Questions to Consider

1. Genesis 18:16 begins with the phrase, “Then the men set out from there“. When you begin to study a passage of Scripture that starts with a transitional phrase like this, it’s important to find out about the back story you’re dealing with. Briefly review lesson 13 (link above) or Genesis 18:1-15. “Then” means what you’re about to read is the next thing that happened in a succession of events. What event happened first? Who are these “men” verse 16 speaks of, and where is the “there” they set out from? What have we previously learned about Sodom?

2. Examine 18:17-19. Why did God decide to reveal to Abraham what He was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah? Look closely at Abraham’s negotiation with the Lord in  18:22-33. What might have been a secondary reason God revealed His plans for Sodom to Abraham? What was God trying to reveal about Himself to Abraham or teach Abraham through this interaction?

3. Compare Abraham’s persistence in 18:22-33 to the parable of the persistent widow. What do both of these passages teach us about persisting in prayer? About God’s attitude toward His children who “pester” Him? Does what we’re persisting in prayer about, or why we’re persisting about it matter (ex: kingdom-mindedly praying for someone’s salvation vs. greedily praying for an exorbitant car)?

4. Read this article¹ about the customs of ancient Middle Eastern hospitality between travelers and hosts. It would have been shameful for Lot to have allowed the men to stay in the square for the night and not to have hosted them lavishly. How does this knowledge of Lot’s culture help you better understand the things he said and the ways he acted in 19:1-10?

5. Even understanding the intense nature of his culture’s hospitality, was Lot’s offer of his daughters in 19:6-8 right? Compare Lot’s behavior in this passage with what you know the Bible says about parenting. Was Lot putting being a godly father first or man’s opinion of him (regarding his hospitality) first? What does the Bible say about holding to cultural rules or laws above holding to God’s law? How do you think Lot’s behavior impacted his daughters’ trust in him, their belief that he would protect them, and their respect for him?

6. Put yourself in Lot’s wife’s shoes and examine his behavior in 19:1-10 in light of these Scriptures. Do Lot’s actions lead you to trust his judgment? To feel secure and protected? To respect him?

7. Examine 19:12-14, and consider a) the evil the men of the city have already committed, and b) the fact that God is about to destroy the city for its wickedness. What kind of men had Lot chosen as husbands for his daughters? What perspective on these men might Lot’s daughters have had?

8. Lot was told to take his wife and daughters to safety (15), “but he lingered,” (16) most likely for the same reason his wife looked back at Sodom (26). Notice verse 26 says she was behind Lot. She was following him literally in that moment, but she was also following him as the leader of her family. He lingered. She looked back. Why? What impact had living in Sodom had on their spiritual lives?

9. How is God showing mercy to Lot’s family and saving them, Himself, from His wrath against sin, a picture of the gospel? What do we learn about God’s judgment and wrath toward sin from this story?

10. Read 19:30-38. Has God said anything thus far in Genesis that would have led Lot’s daughters to believe that dying childless would have been the end of the world? Recall how important it was to a woman’s standing in her culture at that time to bear children. In what ways did Lot’s daughters follow in his footsteps by bowing to culture above bowing to God? How did the immorality of the culture they were raised in influence their actions?

11. What do you know from Scripture about the Moabites and the Ammonites? Consider the far-reaching impact of the sin of Lot’s daughters.

¹This link is an endorsement of this particular article only. I do not endorse this site in any way in which it deviates from my beliefs as outlined in the Statement of Faith and Welcome tabs at the top of this page.

Homework

In today’s study we saw examples of both Lot and his daughters conforming to culture rather than conforming to godliness. The Bible tells us we are not to be conformed to this world, and that friendship with the world is enmity toward God. Have you ever put cultural expectations, political correctness, popularity, or being on the cutting edge ahead of being obedient to Christ? Have you repented of that sin? Write a paragraph or two about how you could have handled the situation in a godly way, staying true to Christ and His commands.

Suggested Memory Verse

Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?
Genesis 18:25

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 13- Sarah

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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Read Genesis 17:1-18:15

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Questions to Consider

1. Briefly review lessons 11 and 12 (links above).

2. Read Genesis 16:16 and 17:1. How many years passed between the birth of Ishmael and the appearance of the Lord in 17:1?

3. Compare 17:1-8 with Genesis 15:1-6. Write out the stipulations of the Abrahamic Covenant. Think further ahead into Old Testament history (Exodus-ish). What is God laying the foundation for here with Abraham? How does Abraham serving as the “cornerstone” as it were, of the nation of Israel point ahead to Christ as the cornerstone of Christianity?

4. What was the sign that a person was under the Abrahamic Covenant? (17:9-14) What were the “policies and procedures” regarding circumcision in this passage? Are Christian men today required by Scripture to be circumcised? What is the New Testament sign that a person is in Christ and under the new covenant of grace?

5. Why do you think both the covenant and the sign of the covenant were male-centric? Why didn’t God make the covenant with Abraham and Sarah? Why circumcision, which was specifically male-only, instead of something like ear-piercing which could have also been performed on females?

6. Why did God change Abram’s name to Abraham (17:5), and Sarai’s name to Sarah (17:15)?  What did their former and new names mean? Why didn’t God change Hagar’s name?

7. Compare and contrast Abraham’s reaction to the news of Sarah’s impending pregnancy (17:15-18) to Sarah’s reaction to this news (18:10-12). How were their reactions similar? How were they different? How did God respond to Abraham’s reaction? (17:19-21) To Sarah’s? (18:13-15) From God’s individualized responses to each of them, what can you infer about the differences between Abraham’s and Sarah’s thoughts and concerns about the upcoming pregnancy? Why do you think God picked the name Isaac for their son? (see footnote on 17:9, Genesis 21:5-7)

8. Examine more closely Sarah’s response to the news of her impending pregnancy in 18:11-15. Recall or review (lesson 11) Sarah’s failure to trust God. How does her initial reaction here again demonstrate that she did not believe God’s word, or trust God’s character to keep His promise?

9. Verse 18:12 begins with the word “So”, indicating that the reason Sarah reacted the way she did was because of the information in verse 11. What circumstances (11) were Sarah’s reaction (12) based on? Did she have more faith in the her circumstances and her own personal experience, or in God and His Word? In that moment, was her faith rightly or wrongly placed? Examine Hebrews 11:11. Even though Sarah initially failed to trust God and wrongly placed greater faith in her circumstances and experiences, did her heart, her faith, and her trust remain that way?

10. Carefully examine 18:1-10. What can we learn about the customs of Middle Eastern hospitality at that time? What were some of Sarah’s duties and appropriate behaviors in welcoming guests according to her culture?

11. Review the verses in this passage that specifically talk about Sarah. What else can we learn about her character or her faith that set a good, or bad, example for us as Christian women today?

Homework

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Even though Sarah’s initial reaction to God and His Word was one of unbelief and distrust, God brought her along and grew her into someone who was commended for her faith in Hebrews 11 (often called the “roll call of the faithful” or “the Hall of Faith”).  Think back over your walk with the Lord. Can you think of a Scripture you once rejected in disbelief or rebellion that you now embrace and obey? A life situation in which God grew your faith in Him? What circumstances, Scriptures, or people did God use to bring you along from unbelief to belief, disobedience to obedience, distrust to trust? Spend some time in prayer thanking God for growing you through that situation.

Suggested Memory Verse

Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis 18:14

Women of Genesis Bible Study

The Women of Genesis: Lesson 12- Sarah and Hagar

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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Read Genesis 16

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Questions to Consider

1. Briefly review lesson 11 (link above) since it is basically part 1 of the lesson on chapter 16. Refresh your memory on Sarah’s “trust issues” with God.

2. Read verses 1-6 from Hagar’s perspective. What was Hagar’s station in life? (1) The ESV renders Hagar’s position as “servant”, but to our 21st century mindset, it might be more helpful to use the NIV and CSB’s rendering of “slave”.

3. As a slave, what rights would Hagar have had over her personhood? Over her own body? Was Hagar asked if she wanted to sleep with Abraham or serve as a surrogate? Examine Genesis 30:1-8. In a “surrogacy by slave” situation, the baby was considered by society and the family to be whose child, the slave’s or the wife’s? Did Hagar have any rights to her own son? What are some thoughts or emotions Hagar may have experienced as she went through this situation?

4. When we read a story like this one, it’s very important that we understand the culture of the time. Imagine hearing this story on tomorrow night’s newscast. A man and his wife buy a female slave. The wife gives the slave to the husband for him to forcibly impregnate, with the plan that the resulting child will belong to the couple. It sounds like a TV crime drama on human trafficking, and, indeed, if this happened today in America, the husband and wife would both be criminally liable for their actions. In what ways can viewing this story through our current worldview help us to see the sin involved in what Abraham and Sarah did to Hagar? In what ways can a 21st century perspective lead us to misunderstand this story? How does understanding Abraham’s, Sarah’s, and Hagar’s culture, and the way it would have viewed slavery and slave surrogacy, help us to understand this story correctly? Does culture or era change whether or not something is a sin?

5. In Sarah’s and Hagar’s culture, the main way women achieved status, and were viewed as blessed and successful by society, was by bearing children, particularly sons. How does this piece of cultural information help you understand both Sarah’s and Hagar’s reactions in verses 4-6?

6. In lesson 11, we looked at how Abraham, as a godly husband, should have responded in verse 2. Did Abraham lead his wife in a godly way in verse 6? How could he have led her in a godly way? How did Hagar react to Sarah’s harsh treatment? (6)

7. Read verses 7-16. How many times is the phrase “angel of the Lord” used? Who is the angel of the Lord? Many theologians consider this appearance of the angel of the Lord to be a Christophany. What evidence do you see in this passage that might point to that conclusion?

8. What character trait did Hagar seem to be lacking in verse 4? How might her obedience to God’s instruction to her in verse 9 have grown her in that aspect of her character? Compare verses 9-10 to James 4:10.

9. Examine the end of verse 11 and the footnote. What does the name Ishmael mean? Compare this with what Hagar calls God in verse 13, and the name of the well in verse 14 (see footnotes). What would all of these descriptions of the character of God have meant in Hagar’s life? What does it mean in your life that God hears and sees you?

10. Compare and contrast Hagar’s trust and obedience to the Lord in 7-16 to Sarah’s distrust and disobedience to the Lord in 1-6.

11. Compare verses 7-16 with Luke 1:26-38, and make a list of any similarities you see. How does Hagar’s story point us ahead to Christ?

Homework

Read my article 5 Ways to Face Tests and Trials Biblically and apply it to either Sarah’s or Hagar’s (or both) situation in chapter 16. What was God’s purpose for the test she went through? What were some opportunities she had to obey God in her situation? What would her words and actions have been like if she had trusted God more?

Suggested Memory Verse

So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
Genesis 16:13