IT S ABOUT OBEDIENCE GENESIS 22:1-14

Transcription

1 7 W E E K S E V E N IT S ABOUT OBEDIENCE GENESIS 22:1-14

2 Week Seven February 19 th THIS WEEK : IT S ABOUT OBEDIENCE preparation + MONDAY - WEDNESDAY Spend some time alone with God s Word reading through Genesis 22:1-14. Pray that God, through His Spirit, would bring to life the truths of this text. + THURSDAY - SATURDAY Many questions have been included, so read through and determine which of those questions will work well to encourage, push, and grow your group in the best way. + DAILY As you prepare, pray for the preaching of God s Word this coming week at the corporate church gathering. Pray also for your time in this week s study. this week + KEY BIBLICAL TRUTH God desires ultimate obedience from his children, no matter the cost. + THEOLOGY APPLIED Our obedience to the Lord is directly connected to the way we serve him. If we are fully committed to obeying God no matter the cost, we will serve him willingly and without question. 1 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

3 GETTING STARTED + Use this section to prepare your heart and mind for the truths of this week. This section will help to introduce the focus of this week s lesson. + What comes to mind when you hear the word sacrifice? + In your own words, explain what it means to sacrifice something. + Describe a time when you had to sacrifice something of value for something else of greater value. THE NATURE OF SACRIFICE We may not think about it, but we make sacrifices every day. Elements of our daily schedule, the places we eat, the people we see, every decision is a sacrifice. Each decision we make is a choice of one thing over another or even several others. It might not feel like a sacrifice to us because the decisions are small and the results have no effect on the greater details or direction of our day. Now when a decision has far-reaching consequences, then we take our time and devote more thought into our choice. In those situations, we understand sacrifice more clearly. There are aspects of our lives we won t give up and there are others, such as what s for dinner or what type of car we drive, we re okay with a little bit of sacrifice. Normally, the things we are willing to sacrifice for are the very things in life that we hold most dear and the things that are most valuable to us. It s all based on a value level. A is more valuable than B and B is more valuable than C. We will sacrifice C for B and we more than likely would sacrifice both C and B for A. Again, whether we do it consciously or not, we operate in this reality with every decision we make. Genesis 22 shows us this very thing. God comes to Abraham and calls him to an act of obedience that 2 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

4 requires great sacrifice. In short, Abraham must choose between his own son and God himself. God tests Abraham on the level of his commitment to Yahweh, that is, to Himself. God wants to make sure that what Abraham has been given is not more important and of greater value to Abraham than God. Obedience by nature is sacrifice. We sacrifice our wants, desires, and our own freedom when we follow in obedience to another authority outside of ourselves. + How is sacrifice connected to obedience? + What makes sacrifice a difficult task? Understanding the Text God calls Abraham to a moment of great obedience by instructing him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. For context, Abraham and his wife Sarah we unable to have children, yet God promised to bring them offspring when he called Abraham in Genesis 12. Faithful to his word, God brought the promise of Isaac to bear 25 years after he made the original promise to Abraham. Sarah was 90 years old, Abraham 100 years old. This was a marvelous work of faithfulness by God. After all of their waiting and trusting, through very difficult seasons, God now asked Abraham to give up his promised son. This was no easy act of obedience for Abraham, yet he obeyed the Lord even still. The narrative of Abraham shows us three key lessons concerning the nature of our obedience to the Lord. When it comes to obeying God, there is: 1. Nothing Too Private 2. Nothing Too Precious 3. Nothing Too Personal There is nothing that can stand in the way of our commitment to the God that has given us so much. We owe him all that we have because we know that he held nothing back to save us and restore us to himself. 3 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

5 going deeper + This next section will help to show what God s Word says about this week s particular focus. Walk through the Scripture passages, connecting the text to this week s biblical truth. NOTHING TOO PRIVATE Read Genesis 22: How did Abraham respond when God gave him his commands? + In your own words, explain what it means to sacrifice something. + Describe a time when you had to sacrifice something of value for something else of greater value. Many might be familiar with this account from Genesis and some maybe not so much. If this passage isn t familiar, it can seem a little extreme. God wants Abraham to kill his son? Does God condone child sacrifice? At first glance, it s normal to have those concerns. But this passage teaches us quite a bit about serving the Lord and what that entails. You see, all along God didn t want Isaac. God wanted Abraham. God wanted Abraham s heart for himself. God wanted Abraham to prize God more than he did anything else. God didn t want to take Abraham s son from him, he merely wanted to have claim on 100% of Abraham s affection and obedience. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 51: You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will 4 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

6 not despise. God wants his children to understand their desperate need for him but also that He deserves all that we have. + With Psalm 51:16-17 as a guide (see also Romans 12:1), what is it that the Lord desires of us? + In your own life, what does it mean to prize God above all else? When Moses writes this account in Genesis, we ve already mentioned the three qualifications God uses to describe Isaac. The first is that Isaac is Abraham s son. This shows that there is nothing too private in our lives that is out of reach of God s command. God desires that he be the most private, personal, and precious thing to us. Our complete obedience doesn t always make serving easy, but it makes it the clear decision. When there s nothing that is more private to us than God himself, our obedience to him won t have anything to fight against. For Abraham, Isaac was the long awaited fulfillment of God s promise to him and Sara, his wife. Needless to say, Isaac was very important to Abraham. He was their promised son. But not even the varied gifts from God s hands can stand in the way of our obedience to the One who gives them to us. Abraham was called to give up his son. When the Lord called to him, he responded, Here I am. Let us remember that above all the Lord desires our genuine service to him, and that means wholehearted obedience, no matter what. + What are areas of your life that you deem private or hands-off? + How would your service to the Lord change if you released these areas to him? + Why are we so tempted to keep things to ourselves? What are we afraid will happen? 5 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

7 NOTHING TOO PRECIOUS Read Genesis 22:2, How was Abraham willing to give up Isaac? + What can we learn from Abraham s obedience? + What is the second description the Lord gives for Isaac in verses 2 and 12? The second qualification takes us deeper into the nature of our obedience to the Lord. Isaac was not only a son of Abraham, Isaac was his only son. This shows the Christian servant that while there s nothing too private, there s also nothing too precious to stand in the way of our obedience to our God. This isn t always the easiest to understand. We may open up our lives to God s hand and give him complete access, but in our hearts we might not believe he will ask us for the things most precious. But we must be careful! By our very thought we reveal that we think it s okay to have something more precious to us than the Lord himself. We can have things that are precious in our lives, but nothing can be more precious than our relationship with Jesus. If there is that one thing, it will continue to be a hindrance to our faithfulness and obedience to God. As long as there are things in our lives more precious to us than Christ, our obedience and service to the Lord will never be what it should be. + What are things in your own life you consider precious? 6 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

8 + What does it mean for God to be precious? Psalm 73:25-28 is a good reminder as we process this truth: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The gospel of Jesus shows us that God is truly the better Abraham who sacrificed Christ for us so that we would have life. Psalm 73 closes with a promising truth for our journey of obedience: But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. + What do you have that is more precious to you than God? + What is keeping back your full obedience to the One who gave everything up for you? NOTHING TOO PERSONAL Read Genesis 22:2 + What does verse 2 tell us about Abraham s affection for Isaac? + Why is that an important detail to consider? 7 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

9 + How is Abraham s obedience convicting for you? The last description God gives to Abraham concerning Isaac might be the most convicting for us. Not only was this Abraham s son, and not only was it Abraham s only son, it was the son whom Abraham loved. That last detail is powerful. It s such a strong conviction for us because we can have things that are private, and we can have things that are precious, but we don t have many things that are deeply personal. It s helpful to draw a distinction because the lines may blur a bit between each. For the private things in our lives, that could be anything that we believe to be off limits. It could be our job, our bank accounts, our friends, our home. Private simply means that there s nothing, not even our family members in Abraham s case, that is off limits to the Lord. For precious things, these are things of great value. We all have things that are deeply precious, unique, even one of a kind. But value doesn t matter when it comes to our obedience and our commitment to the Lord. Lastly, we have personal items. These are things we love deeply. And when it comes to things we love, life can get a bit messy. God issued this last detail concerning Isaac because God knew Abraham loved Isaac dearly. And even though God came through on his promise to Abraham, God wanted to be sure that Abraham s love for Isaac had not dethroned Abraham s love for God. Love is a powerful force and it leads us to do all kinds of things. We will do anything for the people we love. We will fight with great perseverance. But God wants us to do this with Him. In the end, God knows that he satisfies our souls like nothing else can or will. + For you, why is it easy to love the gifts more than we do the Giver? + How can we enjoy the blessings God gives us without compromising our love and obedience to Him? Believers are told to seek the Lord first and let everything else fall into place [Psalm 37:4]. He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry with good things [Psalm 107:9]. Even more, our greatest 8 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

10 commandment from the Lord is that we love him with all we have. This love permeates our mind, soul, and heart. This love consumes our strength. Think about how you love. Love consumes us. Loving something overtakes our thoughts, it affects our behavior, and it even has a hold on our overall ability to function. In this narrative with Abraham and Isaac, God desires Abraham to love Isaac and be thankful for Him, just not to a degree that challenges Abraham s love and devotion to the Lord. When we love the Lord with all we have, our obedience to him will never be in jeopardy. We will obey freely and with great joy. We will follow where he leads because our love for our God is unmatched and unwavering. This is why first and foremost, serving the Lord is about obedience more than it is ability, availability, or desire. Those things will all fall in line when our love for God transforms our obedience, knowing there is nothing too private, too precious, or too personal for God to ask us to give up. + How does love of God free us into joyful obedience to God? + Why is obedience a foundational element to serving the Lord? NEXT STEPS + Connect the truths from God s Word to your daily life. Process how what you ve learned this week will impact the way you live beyond today and into the future. + What does it look like to practically work on our obedience? + What is an Isaac in your own life, something that has potential to rival your love for and obedience to the Lord? 9 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

11 + Is there one area where you have been disobedient, knowing the Lord was asking you to serve him in a certain way? If so, explain. PRAY + Use these prayer points to connect your time in prayer to this week s focus. God help me be obedient to you in all areas of life. God help me commit my desires to your lordship. God help me understand that total service to you requires my daily obedience. God show me places in my own life where I am holding things back from you. commentary + Use these commentary resources to help explain the passages and facilitate discussion. Verses 1-2: God tests his people as a sign of obedience. It shows their authenticity. The request in Genesis 22 goes from the general to the specific and connects to the original call of God on Abraham s life: leave your country, your people and your father s household. The phrase whom you love does not imply that Abraham did not love Ishmael, but that his love is explicitly stated to emphasize the precious possession Isaac is in Abraham s eyes. Remember, the future promise God gave to Abraham to be the father of many nations lies with Isaac. S taking his own life is not as much of a test of obedience than to sacrifice Isaac, the source of God s promise. 10 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

12 Verse 3: Early the next morning shows Abraham s prompt obedience. The provisions of servants, donkey, and prepared wood for the sacrifice indicate Abraham s wealth. However, none of those come close to the precious nature of Isaac. Verses 4-6: Abraham s instructions to the servants show his ultimate trust in God s provision. Throughout the three day period, Abraham had multiple opportunities to turn back, but he stayed the course in complete obedience. Verses 11-12: The mission has accomplished its purpose as Abraham prepares to fulfill the command: testing Abraham s obedience. The phrase Now I know shows the task was to discover Abraham s loyalty. The use of Fear God describes Abraham s obedience and trust, motivated by his love of the Lord. *Commentary resourcing for Week 7 provided by New American Commentary. 11 D O S O M E T H I N G : W E E K 7

13