Ishmael & Isaac: Faith Falters & Is Renewed
Genesis 16 - 17
Do you ever get tired of waiting for God to act? Do you sometimes wonder whether your faith is simply foolishness? At such times it is tempting to become an activist. "If God won't help me, I'll do it myself."
GROUP DISCUSSION. How has waiting for God to act caused you to take matters into your own hands?
PERSONAL REFLECTION. What have you learned about God's faithfulness in times of waiting?
Here we find Sarai and Abram frustrated by the passing years without a son. So they devise their own startegy for "fulfilling" God's promise--and reap the consequences. Read Genesis 16.
1. It has been ten years since Abram and Sarai entered Canaan. What action does Sarai how suggest (16:1=2)?
2. What do you think this indicates about their trust in God?
3. How can our impatience with God's timetable lead us into unbelief and even disobedience?
4. After Hagar conceives, how do the relationships among the three main characters change (16:3-6)?
5. What action does Hagar take and what does she learn about the Lord in this traumatic experience (16:6-14)?
6. When has a difficult time in your own life helped you gain new insight into God's concern for you?
7. Ishmael means "the God who hears." What does that reveal about the outcome in 16:15-16?
8. Read Genesis 17. What most impresses you about God's affirmation of his covenant?
9. In 17:1-8 what is significant about the change in the patriarch's name from Abram ("exalted father") to Abraham ("father of many")?
10. What instruction does God give Abraham as an outward sign of the covenant (17:9-14)?
11. In 17:15-16 what specific promise does God make about Sarai, now to be called Sarah ("princess")?
How does Abraham respond in 17:17-18, and why?
12. In 17:19-22 how does God answer Abraham about his future and the future of Isaac and Ishmael?
13. What have you learned about God in this chapter to help you believe his promises in spite of your circumstances?
Thank God that he is God Almighty and always keeps his promises.
Now or Later
Write down what you have learned about God in this chapter to help you believe his promise concerning one area of your life.
Do you ever get tired of waiting for God to act? Do you sometimes wonder whether your faith is simply foolishness? At such times it is tempting to become an activist. "If God won't help me, I'll do it myself."
GROUP DISCUSSION. How has waiting for God to act caused you to take matters into your own hands?
PERSONAL REFLECTION. What have you learned about God's faithfulness in times of waiting?
Here we find Sarai and Abram frustrated by the passing years without a son. So they devise their own startegy for "fulfilling" God's promise--and reap the consequences. Read Genesis 16.
1. It has been ten years since Abram and Sarai entered Canaan. What action does Sarai how suggest (16:1=2)?
2. What do you think this indicates about their trust in God?
3. How can our impatience with God's timetable lead us into unbelief and even disobedience?
4. After Hagar conceives, how do the relationships among the three main characters change (16:3-6)?
5. What action does Hagar take and what does she learn about the Lord in this traumatic experience (16:6-14)?
6. When has a difficult time in your own life helped you gain new insight into God's concern for you?
7. Ishmael means "the God who hears." What does that reveal about the outcome in 16:15-16?
8. Read Genesis 17. What most impresses you about God's affirmation of his covenant?
9. In 17:1-8 what is significant about the change in the patriarch's name from Abram ("exalted father") to Abraham ("father of many")?
10. What instruction does God give Abraham as an outward sign of the covenant (17:9-14)?
11. In 17:15-16 what specific promise does God make about Sarai, now to be called Sarah ("princess")?
How does Abraham respond in 17:17-18, and why?
12. In 17:19-22 how does God answer Abraham about his future and the future of Isaac and Ishmael?
13. What have you learned about God in this chapter to help you believe his promises in spite of your circumstances?
Thank God that he is God Almighty and always keeps his promises.
Now or Later
Write down what you have learned about God in this chapter to help you believe his promise concerning one area of your life.
posted by Christinewjc at
2:02 PM
1 Comments:
Ishmael & Isaac: Faith Falters & Is Renewed
Genesis 16 - 17
Do you ever get tired of waiting for God to act? Do you sometimes wonder whether your faith is simply foolishness? At such times it is tempting to become an activist. "If God won't help me, I'll do it myself."
GROUP DISCUSSION. How has waiting for God to act caused you to take matters into your own hands?
When slight religious differences in Christian faith and/or church traditions come up I used to focus on them. Now, I am more likely to focus on the positive, what we have in common and the fact that we need to preach, "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" to the unsaved and not let denominational differences get in the way.
PERSONAL REFLECTION. What have you learned about God's faithfulness in times of waiting?
His timing is ALWAYS better than mine! It has taught me patience. When I am waiting for the salvation of a person, I am less likely to fret about it, fearing that they may die before they are saved. God, in his perfect timing, will come through!
Here we find Sarai and Abram frustrated by the passing years without a son. So they devise their own startegy for "fulfilling" God's promise--and reap the consequences. Read Genesis 16.
1. It has been ten years since Abram and Sarai entered Canaan. What action does Sarai how suggest (16:1-2)?
Suggested Abram sleep with her maidservant to build a family through her.
2. What do you think this indicates about their trust in God?
They doubted that His promise would be fulfilled without them stepping in and "helping it along" the way.
3. How can our impatience with God's timetable lead us into unbelief and even disobedience?
It led to the sin of adultery in order to get the child they so desperately wanted. In fact, God did come through later with the conception and birth of Isaac.
4. After Hagar conceives, how do the relationships among the three main characters change (16:3-6)?
The maidservant now despises Sarai. This led to Sarai mistreating her and sending her away.
5. What action does Hagar take and what does she learn about the Lord in this traumatic experience (16:6-14)?
The Lord cared about her even if Sarai didn't. He instructed her to go back and "submit" to Sarai. So, Hagar wasn't to "despise" Sarai anymore because that was wrong, but Sarai was wrong to send her away.
6. When has a difficult time in your own life helped you gain new insight into God's concern for you?
He carries me through it all, despite myself!
7. Ishmael means "the God who hears." What does that reveal about the outcome in 16:15-16?
The Lord heard Hagar's misery. Even though He told her the good news that He would increase her descendants so that they would be too numerous to count, He also told her the bad news; that Ishmael would be "a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. This is indicative of what we now see in the Arab/Muslim terrorism going on around the world.
8. Read Genesis 17. What most impresses you about God's affirmation of his covenant?
God told Abram that he will now be named "Abraham" which means "father of many." It will be an everlasting covenant, the land will be handed down to descendants and it will be an everlasting possession. Circumcision would be an outward sign of the covenant.
9. In 17:1-8 what is significant about the change in the patriarch's name from Abram ("exalted father") to Abraham ("father of many")?
It showed that Abraham would be father of many peoples and nations. Prior to this, he had no offspring so he could only fulfill the title of being an "exalted father." Now, with the birth of Isaac all of that has changed.
10. What instruction does God give Abraham as an outward sign of the covenant (17:9-14)?
The covenant of circumcision was on outward sign "in the flesh" that the man is in God's covenant. If a male has not been circumcised, then he will be cut off from his people and he has broken God's covenant.
11. In 17:15-16 what specific promise does God make about Sarai, now to be called Sarah ("princess")?
God promised to bless Sarah and give Abraham a son by her. She would be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.
How does Abraham respond in 17:17-18, and why?
He laughed because of his and Sarah's age. Isaac means "he laughs". Abraham expressed that he wanted Ishmael to live under God's blessing.
12. In 17:19-22 how does God answer Abraham about his future and the future of Isaac and Ishmael?
Ishmael would be blessed, fruitful and increase his numbers. He would be the father of twelve rulers and God will make him into a great nation. However, God's covenant will be established with Isaac whom Sarah would birth by next year.
13. What have you learned about God in this chapter to help you believe his promises in spite of your circumstances?
Even when something seems unachievable, unlikely, unrealistic like having a child at age 90...God CAN do it!
I love how the Lord named Isaac which means, "he laughs". Even in Abraham's doubt, God came through with His promise that Sarah would have a son by Abraham. God took Abraham's doubt and laughter and turned it into his deepest desire fulfilled!
Thank God that he is God Almighty and always keeps his promises.
Now or Later
Write down what you have learned about God in this chapter to help you believe his promise concerning one area of your life.
Sometimes I worry about the choices my son and daughter will make concerning who they will marry. I need to trust God more in this area and not worry that they will get involved with the wrong people. I need to trust the common sense and strong faith that my children have been brought up in so that I can have confidence that they will listen to the Lord's lead and choose wisely.
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Christinewjc, at 2:58 PM
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