SPRING 2018 LEADER GUIDE

Transcription

1 SPRING 2018 LEADER GUIDE GOD IS STAND UP: HOW TO FIGHT INJUSTICE

2 LEADING SOMEONE TO THE GREATEST DECISION OF ALL One of the great joys of leading a group in Bible study is seeing group members deepen their walk with Christ. Everyone s walk with Christ begins with an initial decision to follow Him in repentance and faith. People may be in your group who have not made that decision yet. Take advantage of your time with them to talk about becoming a Christian. As you tell your own story about coming to Christ, share these key truths: 1. We are all sinners, and each of us needs to acknowledge before God that we are sinners. That acknowledgement involves repentance, which is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Refer to Romans 3:23; 6:23; and Acts 3: The only way a person can receive the gift of forgiveness is by faith in Jesus as God s Son. Use verses like Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9, and John 14:6 when talking about faith in Christ. 3. Confessing your faith in Jesus Christ means confessing Him as Savior and Lord. Share Romans 10:9-10,13. Invite the person to pray a prayer similar to this: Dear God, I know I am a sinner and have rebelled against You in many ways. I believe Jesus died for my sin and only through faith in His death and resurrection can I be forgiven. I now turn from my sin and ask Jesus to come into my life as my Savior and Lord. From this day forward, I will choose to follow Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for loving me and for forgiving me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. A Special Note about God is Faithful (pp. 62). As your group studies and discusses the resurrection, use it as an opportunity to lead unsaved group members to faith in Christ. Use A Promise That Will Never Be Broken on the inside front cover of the Personal Study Guide to connect God is Faithful with each member s own need to trust Christ and receive His gift of salvation.

3 CONTENTS Don t Miss This! A Word from Your Team... 5 Using Bible Studies for Life... 6 The Attributes of Discipleship Article: Four Questions Groups Should Ask About Prayer Requests God Is SUGGESTED FOR THE WEEK OF.. Introduction March 4 Session 1 Our Provider Article: The Angel of the Lord March 11 Session 2 Our Healer March 18 Session 3 Our Banner March 25 Session 4 Our Peace Special Focus: God Is Faithful.. Introduction April 1 Session God Is Faithful April 8 Session 5 Our Shepherd April 15 Session 6 Our Righteousness Article: The Strength in Silence Stand Up: How to Fight Injustice... Introduction April 22 Session 1 Be Ready to Stand April 29 Session 2 Stand with Conviction May 6 Session 3 Stand Down May 13 Session 4 Stand with Humility May 20 Session 5 Stand Up and Speak May 27 Session 6 Keep Standing Article: The Role of Queen Esther Coming in Summer BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3

4 Don t miss this! Social Media Connect with a community of Bible Studies for Life users. Post responses to questions, share teaching ideas, and link to great blog content. Get instant updates about new articles, giveaways, and Commentary Dig deeper into Scripture with the The Herschel Hobbs Commentary. It features in-depth Bible exposition on the passages studied in this book. Blog Every week, you ll find helpful add-ons and additional suggestions in our Leader Extra posts. You ll also find teaching tips, links to magazine articles, insights from our editorial team, and sermon outlines to complement every session. BibleStudiesForLife.com/AdultExtra Ken Parker wrote the commentary for the God Is sessions. He has served as an associate pastor and pastor and was an editor at LifeWay. Ken is currently retired and serves in various roles at The Church at Station Hill in Spring Hill, Tennessee. E. LeBron Matthews wrote the commentary for God Is Faithful. Dr. Matthews earned both the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He previously has written Bible study lessons for the Explore the Bible Series as well as articles for the Biblical Illustrator and the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adults Leader Guide Volume 5, Number 3 Spring 2018 ERIC GEIGER Vice President, Church Resources LYNN H. PRYOR Team Leader CHRIS JOHNSON Content Editor KEN BRADDY Manager, Adult Ongoing Bible Studies MICHAEL KELLEY Director, Groups Ministry Send questions/comments to: Content Editor by to chris.johnson@lifeway.com or mail to: Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adults Leader Guide One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN Or make comments on the web at Printed in the United States of America. Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adults Leader Guide (ISSN: ; Item ) is published quarterly by LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President LifeWay. This Leader Guide is designed for leaders of senior adults ages 70 and up. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter, and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay s doctrinal guideline, please visit For ordering or inquiries, visit call (800) , or write LifeWay Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN For subscriptions or subscription address changes, subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) , or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, orderentry@ lifeway.com, fax (615) , or write to the above address. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB ), Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Janice K. Meier wrote the commentary for the Stand Up: How to Fight Injustice sessions. A gifted Hebrew scholar, Dr. Meier is particularly qualified to write Bible study materials, having served at LifeWay as a content editor for more than eighteen years, including several years as editor of the Explore the Bible Commentary. 4 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

5 A Word from Our Team The Bible Studies for Life Team A Word from the Bible Studies for Life Team A high point of my week is the time I spend leading my Bible study group. I am both challenged and encouraged as we discuss together the studies in Bible Studies for Life. I pray that you are equally challenged and encouraged as you meet with your group to study together. The Bible Studies for Life team has put a lot of love, work, and prayer in the Personal Study Guide and the book you are holding! The members of your group can get a lot of benefit from the Personal Study Guide in either of two ways: 1. Read the session before the group meets. By reading beforehand, group members will have thought through the discussion questions, become familiar with the passage, and be better prepared for an engaging discussion. 2. Read the session after the group meets. By reading afterwards, group members can dig further into the truths, principles, and applications your group discussed. This approach underscores the point from the session, and helps individuals to live it out during the week. Encourage those in your group to choose the approach that works best for them. Let the Personal Study Guide be a tool for discipleship and growth in Christ. Enjoy! Lynn Pryor Team BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 5

6 USING BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE Invite the Holy Spirit s Guidance Because God is the guide for your study, invite Him to show you how to be the best facilitator for your group. Read the Bible passage several times with the Holy Spirit showing you its meaning and application. Personal Study Guide Then read the Personal Study Guide. Its content provides the foundation and direction for the Bible discussion and study by your group. Leader Guide Follow the simple directives in the group plan, which will guide you in engaging your group in discussion around the Bible passage. Read the commentary to help you understand the passage. Share insights from the commentary as needed during the group discussion. Leader Pack The optional Leader Pack is designed to enhance the group experience, especially for visual learners. Pull in the Leader Pack items as referenced in the group plan. The Leader Pack also includes a CD-ROM with: > > JPEG files of the two main study images that you can use with any presentation software (i.e., PowerPoint). Promote the study by placing these images into an announcement slideshow or display the images during the sessions to reinforce the study topic. > > PDF file of each pack item, so you can create multiple posters. During your session, display the image on a screen using any presentation software, or post the image on social media to promote the study. > > Sample Twitter and messages to post prior to your Bible study time in order to raise awareness and promote the session topic. > > Promotional videos to introduce the six-session studies. > > An electronic version of the group plans that you can customize and print. > > Biblical Illustrator articles that allow you to go deeper in your study. 6 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

7 Additional Ideas Additional discussion questions and teaching suggestions for leaders are available online at You ll also find all the magazine articles we mention in this study guide. Prepare Your Group Members Encourage your group members to read the Personal Study Guide prior to the group meeting. (Some group members will prefer to read it after the meeting as a way to follow up and reflect.) Encourage them to join the conversation with others on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/BibleStudiesforLife), our blog (BibleStudiesforLife.com), or on Twitter (@BibleMeetsLife). For Those Who Want to Go Deeper The Advanced Bible Study is written for group members who desire more extensive commentary. It includes CSB-based exposition of each session s Scripture passage, an examination of key words, an introduction to the setting of the passage and biblical life and times, questions to guide the study, and interactive responses to help readers apply God s truths to their lives today. The Herschel Hobbs Commentary is designed specifically for leaders and provides a comprehensive exposition of each session s Scripture passage. Specific attention is called to items in the biblical text that readers would miss without a commentary. This commentary is based on the King James Version but interacts with all major English translations. Each quarter, Biblical Illustrator offers in-depth background information on Bible customs, history, culture, archaeology, and word studies through vivid photography, engaging maps and graphics, and lesson-targeted articles. You can subscribe to Biblical Illustrator by going to lifeway.com/ biblical illustrator or by calling Forty additional articles (in PDF form) that support this quarter s Bible studies are available for $3.00 per bundle at lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 7

8 MY GROUP S PRAYER REQUESTS 8 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

9 MY GROUP S PRAYER REQUESTS BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 9

10 MY GROUP S PRAYER REQUESTS 10 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

11 MY GROUP S PRAYER REQUESTS BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 11

12 THE ATTRIBUTES OF DISCIPLESHIP How do you measure discipleship? Research conducted by LifeWay revealed eight factors that are consistently present in the lives of believers who are progressing in their spiritual maturity. These attributes of discipleship form the foundation for the scope and sequence of studies used in Bible Studies for Life. By regularly engaging these studies, your group will experience an intentional plan for discipleship in the following eight ways: Bible Engagement. Transformation can be recognized when our mind is sharpened by the Bible, our perspective is shaped by the Bible, and our actions are directed by the Bible. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Obeying God and Denying Self. Discipleship is the process of obedience to one who is in authority over you. Transformation can be seen when we progressively set aside earthly delights for kingdom priorities. Then he said to them all, If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23). Serving God and Others. Transformation is evident when personal needs and even dreams are set aside for the needs we see in others. And the King will answer them, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matt. 25:40). Sharing Christ. Even as we need to live out the effects of the gospel, maturing believers know speaking about the message is a necessity. Transformation is evident when we talk about the source of it. But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15). Exercising Faith. Transformation is seen in believers when risk-aversion is set aside and our lives are characterized by faithful obedience to God s will. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:19b-20). Seeking God. Transformation is seen when our desire is to know God more deeply and experience His work more fully. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you (Matt. 6:33). Building Relationships. Our faith is personal but it is not intended to be private. Our horizontal relationships should develop just as our vertical relationship with God does. Transformation is occurring when relational maturity is evident in our lives. See page 13 for more details. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). Unashamed. Transformation is evident when a believer is unashamed in presenting his or her own life as being aligned with Christ. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). 12 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

13 BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BY PHILIP NATION Our faith is intensely personal but God never intended it to be exclusively private. Jesus established the church for our collective good and our collaborative growth. After all, humans are relational by nature. Spiritually, we are no different. As believers, our horizontal relationships should develop just as our vertical relationship does with God. Transformation is occurring when relational maturity is evident in our lives. Throughout the Bible, we watch as God created a people for Himself through Abraham. As the Hebrews moved in and out of faithfulness to the Lord, God continued to lead them in how to relate to Him and with one another. Then, when Christ arrived, He assembled the apostles and taught His followers to love and care for one another. Throughout the rest of the New Testament, we learn how the church is to function in fellowship with one another and care for those still outside of the faith. The Transformational Discipleship research project revealed that believers who are progressing in their faith do so together. They share their feelings, joy, struggles, and needs with Christian friends. In other words, they seek out one another and do life together. The research even revealed that growing Christians actively admit wrongdoing to one another, a reflection of the trust that comes with maturity. Rather than jockey for position as the world does, believers build relationships through humility and trust. Our faith is all about relationship. We have been invited into a saving relationship with Jesus. He connects us to the church so that we have relationships to nurture and protect us as we grow. We are sent on God s mission into the world to build relationships with those who do not yet believe. It is all a beautiful portrait of God reaching out and caring for us. The life of a Christian is one where we care for others and seek to build relationships in order to display the love of Christ. In Acts 2:42, we see a summary of how the first century church operated: They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. The church did not assemble just for public proclamation of the gospel. Although that proclamation is critical to what they did, the people in the church also looked out for one another. They were devoted... to the fellowship. Growing believers do not try to make it on their own. Instead, we band together for the work of His kingdom. Maturing disciples intentionally make time for spiritual matters in everyday conversations. As we grow together as Christians, we share how God is working in our lives. Dr. Philip Nation is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Bradenton, Florida and is the author of Habits for Our Holiness. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 13

14 FOUR QUESTIONS GROUPS SHOULD ASK ABOUT PRAYER REQUESTS BY DWAYNE MCCRARY Almost every Bible study group shares prayer requests. In fact, we may even feel cheated if our group eliminates prayer requests! Unfortunately, gathering prayer requests is as far as it usually goes. But what if we saw a prayer request as an opportunity? Here s what I mean: some prayer requests require ministry action. For example, if a couple uses the prayer time to announce that they are expecting a baby, passing that information along to the Preschool Sunday School leaders would be important. Deacons and other ministry leaders could be informed about hospital stays, family crises, and deaths of family members. In this way, the prayer request becomes an opportunity for ministry action, reaching all areas of the church. 14 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

15 Prayer requests also represent opportunities for church leaders. By knowing needs, leaders can make wise choices when they plan events, host fellowships, and train leaders. The pastor could better understand the needs of the church and prepare sermons that meet the needs expressed in the prayer requests. Being aware of specific needs makes him a better pastor. 1. How can we efficiently gather accurate prayer requests? Notice the two words, efficiently and accurate. A Bible study group could spend the majority of their time gathering requests, but that would compromise their time of actually studying the Bible. For me, making a sheet of paper available during the study time for people to record their requests has been the most efficient. The second element is accurate. We want to make sure that the requests shared are up to date. There is nothing worse than telling someone you are praying for their loved one, only to find out the loved one passed away a month ago. 2. How do we communicate the requests? This question involves both form and medium. How we word something is very important. If someone requests prayer for a nephew who hates his job and is looking for a new one, that request could be worded when shared with others as a request for a nephew who needs wisdom about his future. We don t know who may read the requests, so we need to be careful. Hospital stays and other events requiring time away from home become important information if it falls into the wrong hands, which brings us to the medium: should we post all our requests on social media? What are the risks of making a request public? Do we really want everyone on Facebook to know about Dave having surgery and being in rehab for six weeks? How we communicate is important. 3. To whom should we communicate these requests? We have already mentioned sharing requests with the pastor and other church leaders. Who else needs to know about the prayer request? We mentioned a couple announcing an addition to their family earlier. Who all needs to know about that particular request, and why? ARTICLE HEAD 4. How can we encourage those making a specific request? Gathering prayer requests is certainly about being aware and knowing how to pray intelligently, but it is also about encouraging those for whom we are praying. There is nothing like getting a note from someone who is praying specifically for you. Those notes lighten the load and help us face whatever challenge we are facing. Part of this is celebrating God s answers as well. Both the one being prayed for and the one praying are encouraged by answered prayer, so finding a way to include answers to requests is also important. G. Dwayne McCrary is a project team leader for ongoing adult Bible study resources at LifeWay. He also teaches an adult group and preschool group every Sunday in the church he attends. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 15

16 16 GOD IS

17 You are probably known by different names. Those names reflect both your character and your relationships with those people. For example, people who know me professionally call me Dr. Hemphill, yet others who know me personally call me Ken. My children call me Daddy and my grandkids call me Papa. The many names of God revealed in Scripture tell us much about His character. Those names invite us to know Him in a growing, intimate relationship. Knowing these names is important for three reasons: 1. God s name is inherently great. Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! (Ps. 8:1). Understanding the names of God will enable us to praise and worship Him more effectively. 2. God s name protects and benefits us. The name of the Lord is a strong tower (Prov. 18:10). The various names become a tremendous aid to effective and specific prayer. 3. We represent God s name and must bring honor to it. God gave Ten Commandments and one of those Commandments has to do with His name: Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God (Ex. 20:7). This command means far more than avoiding its use in vulgar or slang expressions. It means the people of God must reflect His name or character in their lives. The names of God are a love gift to us. God reveals Himself fully so that we might experience His fullness. As we look at six of those names, we will discover truths about the lovely character of our God. KEN HEMPHILL Ken is husband to Paula, father to three daughters, and grandfather to ten grandchildren. He is a pastor who is passionate about the church and God s Word. He has served in many capacities in Southern Baptist life and is a prolific author. He is currently the Director for Church Planting and Revitalization at North Greenville University. 17

18 GET INTO THE STUDY 5 minutes GUIDE: Over the next six weeks we will look at aspects of God s character revealed through various names of God. Invite members to turn to page 3 in the Personal Study Guide (PSG) and review session titles. LEADER PACK: Display Pack Item 1: God Is Overview to introduce the major theme of this study and the focus of each session. SESSION 1 OUR PROVIDER The Point Trust God to meet our needs. The Bible Meets Life Our tendency is to live by what we can see. We believe what we can touch. We re confident when what we need is right in front us. But life does not always hand us easy answers and solutions. A life in Christ is a life of trust trusting Him to provide what we need, even when we don t readily see the answer. Abraham showed us that God truly is our Provider. The Passage Genesis 22:1-14 DISCUSS: Draw attention to the picture on PSG page 12 and ask Question #1: What s one of the hardest things you have had to do? The Setting God called Abram (Abraham) to leave his homeland, with the promise that God would bring him to a new land and make from him a great nation. Despite God s promise, for many years Abraham s wife Sarah remained childless. Finally, at the age of 100, Abraham was able to see the fulfillment of God s promise when Sarah bore him a son they named Isaac. GUIDE: Reinforce The Point on PSG page 13: Trust God to meet our needs. 18 Session 1

19 Genesis 22:1-2 1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham! Here I am, he answered. 2 Take your son, he said, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. 1 Verse 1. Testing is a fact of life. It begins at infancy with doctor visits and progresses to school exams. It continues through adulthood for all of our lives. As Christians, we learn that God allows our faith to be tested, not to harm us, but rather to help us grow in our faith. In the Bible we see two sources of testing. God sometimes allows Satan to test us. The first example in Scripture is Satan s testing (or tempting) Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-7). Satan also tested Job (Job 1:6 2:10). The other source of testing is God Himself (Deut. 8:1-2). God s purpose in testing is never to cause believers to fail or to sin (Jas. 1:13) but to discipline them and strengthen their faith (Deut. 8:5; Heb. 12:3-13). Such tests can deepen our relationship with God and demonstrate our obedience to Him. Perhaps the most helpful instruction on such tests of our faith comes from the examples of people like us that are recorded in Scripture. Our focal passage concerns one of those individuals Abraham, the great man of faith. The biblical account of the life of Abraham (Abram 1 ) begins with his genealogy and his call from God to leave his homeland (Gen. 11:10 12:7). After he received this word from God, Scripture states simply that Abram went, as the Lord had told him (12:4). It was because of his faith that Abraham obeyed God s call to leave his homeland and go to a new land God would show him (Heb. 11:8). Part of God s promise to Abraham was that he would become the father of a great nation: The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation (Gen. 12:1-2). Implicit in the promise of making Abraham into a great nation was that Abraham would have a son. At this stage of Abraham s life, he had no son and his wife, Sarah, was unable to conceive a child (11:30). How could he be the father of a great nation if he did not have a son (15:2 3)? Abraham and Sarah finally were able to see the fulfillment of God s promise when their son Isaac was born, STUDY THE BIBLE Genesis 22: minutes GUIDE: Refer group members to The Bible Meets Life on PSG page 13. Point out the author s example of how God provided for his family in a time of crisis and transition. Elicit other examples from group members. SUMMARIZE: Before reading the passage, set the context by summarizing the information in The Setting on page 18. READ: Read or ask a volunteer to read Genesis 22:1-2. SUMMARIZE: Refer to Bible Commentary 1 on this page and page 20 to demonstrate how God uses testing to help us grow in our faith. Point out that at the beginning of Abraham s walk with God and all along the way Abram went as the Lord had told him (Gen. 12:4) Abram believed the Lord (Gen. 15:6) Here I am. (Gen. 22:1) SUGGESTED USE WEEK OF MARCH 4 19

20 THE POINT Trust God to meet our needs. GUIDE: Refer group members to PSG page 14 to the bulleted list of examples in Abraham s life when he faltered in times of testing. In his fear, he claimed Sarah was not his wife twice! (Gen. 12:12-13; 20:1-3). In his doubt, he attempted to help fulfill God s promise by having a son by Sarah s slave Hagar (18:1-3). Remind group members that in his life Abraham experienced faith and failure. Note that Abraham s prior experiences prepared him for this final exam. SUMMARIZE: Use Bible Commentary 2 to provide background information for the test set before Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. This test affected Abraham in three distinct ways: The human relationship between a father and a son. Isaac was a miracle baby, the fulfillment of God s promise to Abraham. Isaac was the key to God s covenant with Abraham. even though at the time of Isaac s birth Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety (17:1 22; 21:1 5). Genesis 22 opens with the words after these things, signifying that some time had passed since the events of the previous chapters. Isaac had grown from a small child to young boy, probably an adolescent. 2 (See commentary on verses 5 6 below for further details.) God spoke to Abraham again to test him. When God called his name, Abraham replied simply, Here I am, implying not only that he heard but also that he was listening for instructions that would follow. As noted above, God already had tested Abraham s faith several other times. God called him to leave his family and home (Gen. 12:1). He also asked Abraham to trust that though he had no son God would enable him to become the father of a great nation (v. 2), a trust that would require twenty-five years of waiting for God s promise to be fulfilled (12:4; 17:17). 2 Verse 2. However, this test of Abraham s faith was far greater than any of the previous tests he had undergone. God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. This test affected Abraham in at least three distinct ways. First, there was the human relationship between a father and a son. God stressed this special relationship with three phrases: your son, your only son Isaac, and whom you love. God knew how much Abraham loved Isaac. Any normal father would love his son, but Isaac was the son of Abraham s old age. Abraham had waited twenty-five years to hold this child. Furthermore, Isaac was literally a miracle baby. God had kept His promise to give Abraham a son even though his wife, Sarah, was unable to conceive children. How could God ask Abraham to give Isaac back? And, finally, Isaac was the key to God s covenant not only to make a great nation from Abraham, but also to bless all the peoples of the earth through Abraham as well (12:2 3; see Rom. 4:16). If God took Isaac, how could that part of His promise be fulfilled? God demonstrated the seriousness of His command to Abraham by giving specific instructions. He told Abraham to take Isaac and go to the land of Moriah. This land was about sixty miles north of Beersheba where Abraham was living. Years later King David would establish his capital city of Jerusalem in this region. Eventually, David s son Solomon would build the temple on this site (2 Chron. 3:1). God told Abraham to offer Isaac there as a burnt offering. At this time most of the religions of the surrounding nations 20 Session 1

21 offered sacrifices to their gods as part of their worship rituals. Some even offered child sacrifices. Later when God gave Israel the Law through Moses at Mount Sinai, He specifically prohibited such practices (Lev. 18:21; Deut. 18:9 12). Of course, at this point Abraham did not have the Law. Noah was the first person in Scripture to offer a burnt offering to God after the great flood (Gen. 8:20). The Mosaic Law required this type of offering to be given in the morning and evening, as well as on special occasions such as on Sabbaths and the annual feasts (Num ). It was also required to provide ritual cleansing after some type of defilement. It could also be required as an offering to atone for sin and restore fellowship with God (1 Chron. 21:18 26). The individual offering the sacrifice was to kill the animal, skin it, and cut it into pieces. The priests were to arrange the pieces on the altar and burn them completely (Lev. 1:1 9). The fact that this type of offering was completely consumed served as an indication of the worshiper s complete devotion to God. 3 Genesis 22: So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we ll come back to you. 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, My father. And he replied, Here I am, my son. DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 16): What are the purposes of tests in our lives? (Alternate: What is the most surprising part of this story?) TRANSITION: Next we will see Abraham s obedient response to God s directive. STUDY THE BIBLE Genesis 22:3-10 READ: Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 22: minutes GUIDE: Point out how the biblical writer used repetition of phrases in this story: Here I am. (vv. 1,11) the two of them walked on together. (vv. 6,8) 21

22 THE POINT Trust God to meet our needs. SUMMARIZE: Use Bible Commentary 3 to show Abraham did not delay in obeying God s command in faith. SUMMARIZE: Use Bible Commentary 4 on this page and page 23 to explain that Abraham stayed focused and obedient, trusting in God. READ: Enlist a group member to read Hebrews 11:17-19 to provide New Testament commentary on this story of Abraham s great faith: He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking. SUMMARIZE: Use Bible Commentary 5 on page 23 to show Abraham s faith as he responded to Isaac s question about the lamb for the burnt offering. Isaac said, The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? 8 Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. Then the two of them walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 3 Verses 3-4. The text does not tell us what was going through Abraham s mind. We are told simply that Abraham did not delay in obeying God s command in faith. Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, gathered wood for the sacrifice, and left for Moriah with two of his servants and his son Isaac. Since the distance was about sixty miles, the journey would have taken several days. When they drew close to the site, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. It s one thing to begin a journey that you know will end in grief; it s quite another to see your destination in front of you! 4 Verses 5-6. Abraham stayed focused and obedient. He told his servants to go no farther. The terrain in this region was rocky and elevated, so maybe they assumed that it would be too difficult to take the donkey. He told them that he and Isaac would go ahead and worship God. This was not the first time Abraham had built an altar for worship (Gen. 12:8; 13:18), so perhaps the servants did not sense anything strange about Abraham s behavior. Nor would they have thought there was anything unusual about his statement that he and Isaac would return to them. But since we know about the purpose of the journey, we have to wonder what Abraham meant. Hebrews 11:17 19 enables us to understand. The writer tells us that Abraham simply kept trusting God s promises regarding Isaac, especially that through Isaac God would fulfill His promise to make a great 22 Session 1

23 nation. Though most likely Abraham had never heard of God s raising anyone from the dead, he had faith that if he obeyed God s command to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, God could and would restore Isaac to life. Abraham trusted God for what he needed, even if that need involved raising his son from the dead! As was indicated above, many years had passed between Isaac s birth and this event. The text provides clues as to Isaac s age. The Hebrew term Abraham used for Isaac when speaking to the servants (translated the boy) can range in meaning from an infant to a young adult. However, Isaac being old enough to carry the wood for the burnt offering up the mountain to the place of the sacrifice indicates that by this time he probably was an adolescent. After giving instructions to his servants, Abraham took the wood for the fire, probably tied it into a bundle, and placed it on Isaac s shoulders. He then took the fire (perhaps a torch or a burning ember from a fire) and the sacrificial knife. This kind of knife was probably a large knife designed for cutting into pieces the animal to be sacrificed. Abraham and Isaac continued walking on together. 5 Verses 7-9. As they walked away from the servants, Isaac addressed Abraham, My father. Perhaps Isaac had remained quiet because of his respect for and his trust in his father. But from his father s words to the servants he understood that they were nearing the end of their journey, so he asked the obvious question: The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham s answer is one of the most significant theological declarations ever spoken: God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. How could Abraham make such a statement in light of God s clear command to sacrifice his only son whom he loved (Gen. 22:2)? The answer is his faith in the God he had worshiped and served for so many years. The only way Abraham could reconcile God s promise with God s command was by faith, the trust that leads to obedience regardless of human logic. Verse 10. The narrator described the progression of events so simply and dramatically: the two walked together they arrived Abraham built the altar arranged the wood bound his son Isaac placed him on the altar. There was only one step left Abraham picked up the knife to slaughter his son. GUIDE: Refer group members to the concluding paragraph of this section of Scripture on PSG page 18: Just reading the account leaves us nearly breathless. Abraham was committed to obey the command of God. His faith had so matured that he was confident God would provide a lamb somehow. Abraham s actions were based on His understanding of the character of God. Our circumstances never test God s faithfulness; they only test our understanding of the character and purpose of God. DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 18): When have you been tested to trust God when His provision wasn t apparent? (Alternate: When have you experienced a time of testing?) TRANSITION: Next we will see how God was faithful to provide the lamb for the sacrifice, just as Abraham said. 23

24 THE POINT Trust God to meet our needs. STUDY THE BIBLE Genesis 22:11-14 READ: Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 22: minutes GUIDE: Refer members to DIGGING DEEPER on PSG page 19, to provide an explanation about the phrase angel of the Lord. SUMMARIZE: Use Bible Commentary 6 to provide further explanation to the angel of the Lord. Note Abraham s reply to the angel, Here I am, the same response as in verse 1. GUIDE: Refer members to PSG page 19, to the author s explanation of the term Jehovah-Jireh. Jireh means to see. Provision means to see beforehand. Genesis 22: But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! He replied, Here I am. 12 Then he said, Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me. 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: It will be provided on the Lord s mountain. KEY WORDS: The Lord Will Provide (v. 14) The name given to the location where God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son Isaac. It emphasizes God s deliverance. 6 Verse God provides what we need when we need it. Abraham heard a voice calling his name twice, not only to get his attention but also as an indication of the seriousness of the words that would follow. The one calling Abraham s name was the angel of the Lord from heaven. The literal translation is an angel of Yahweh. Yahweh is God s personal, covenant name by which He would later reveal Himself to Moses and the Israelites (Ex. 3:14 15). The angel of the Lord appears many times in the Old Testament as a heavenly messenger who is either a being sent by God or God Himself. The angel of the Lord is thought by some to be the pre-incarnate Christ. Though the title suggests a being separate from God, the angel s words seem to indicate that He is God Himself (Gen. 22:12 ; Ex. 3:1 10). Notice that Abraham s reply ( Here I am ) is the same as his response when God first called him and gave him the command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1). This time the command was to stop what he was about to do. In one of the instances where the angel of the Lord s words seem to indicate that this is God Himself speaking, the angel of the 24 Session 1

25 Lord stated, For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me. The reason God changed His command was that now He knew Abraham feared Him. We should be careful how we interpret these words. God was not ignorant: He did not need to test Abraham so that He could know that Abraham was fully devoted to Him. God tested Abraham so that Abraham could know and so that God could strengthen his faith. How did this test strengthen Abraham s faith? By teaching Abraham that even in what seemed to be a contradiction between God s command and His promise even then he should always obey the command. Regardless of the difficulty of the command in this case, his deep love for his son he should still trust and obey. 7 Verses There was one more lesson to be learned. When Abraham turned his focus from Isaac, he saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. Abraham knew this was no coincidence; he had told Isaac, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering (Gen. 22:8). Of course, God s timing is always perfect. Abraham got the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham had learned another lesson, so he named that place The Lord Will Provide. The Hebrew transliteration is Jehovah-Jireh, or Yahweh yireh. Sometimes it is transliterated as a name for God: Yahweh-Jireh. This name is a testimony to God s deliverance. 4 The Hebrew for Lord Yahweh is God s personal name and is the same term found in the angel of the Lord. This word emphasizes God s covenant relationship with His people by which He binds Himself to His promises. This location later became the spot on which Solomon built his great temple in Jerusalem. Countless sacrifices would be offered there as people came to the temple to worship God. About 2000 years after the time of Abraham, another sacrifice would be offered outside the city the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus, God the Father s perfect Lamb, offered Himself as the complete and final sacrifice to take away our guilt and free us from slavery to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 3:9-12,23). Through Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, God provided the way to bring us back into relationship with Him through faith in Jesus. 1. Abraham was originally known as Abram and Sarah as Sarai. Throughout this session, the names God gave them, Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 17:5,15), will be used. 2. Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27 50:26, vol. 1B in The New American Commentary [NAC] (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2005), Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 1 11:26, vol. 1A in NAC (B&H Publishing Group, 1996), Brad Creed, Names of God in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, gen. ed. Chad Brand, rev. ed. (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2015), GUIDE: Use KEY WORDS on page 24 (PSG, p. 18) to provide insight on the phrase The Lord Will Provide. SUMMARIZE: Use Bible Commentary 7 to provide further explanation to God s provision. Note the gospel connection: God provided a sacrificial Lamb in Jesus, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 19): What are some ways God has provided for you specifically? DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 20): How can our actions and attitudes show others that we serve the God who provides? (Alternate: How does this passage foreshadow the gospel?) DO: Invite volunteers to turn to PSG page 20 and respond to the activity Personal Needs Survey. Ask volunteers to share responses to the different categories of need. 25

26 THE POINT Trust God to meet our needs. LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes LIVE IT OUT During your lifetime God has used challenging circumstances to lead you to a deeper understanding of His ability to provide for your every need. What will you do with this truth today? GUIDE: Emphasize The Point: Trust God to meet our needs. REVIEW: Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 21); (see text to the right). Encourage each group member to follow through this week with at least one of the applications. WRAP IT UP > > Identify your Isaac. What circumstance, person, or thing are you having the most difficulty placing in God s care? Consider why it is a challenge to trust God in this area of your life. > > Place your Isaac on the altar. Abraham had to first gather the resources necessary to make a sacrifice before he could find God s provision. Identify concrete steps you can take to place your Isaac in God s care. > > Look for God s provision. When we are so focused on the cost of placing Isaac on the altar, we can miss what God is doing. Look for God s provision. Make known to others the good things God is providing in your life. You can experience a breakthrough in your faith walk when you are willing to trust God with those things you hold most precious. GUIDE: Remind group members that at the core of God s nature and character He is Jehovah-Jireh The Lord Will Provide. You can trust God to provide for all of your needs according to His riches (Phil. 4:19) because that s who He is and that s what He does. PRAY: Father, thank You for Your provision, whether we recognize it or acknowledge it, You are, have been, and will be our provider. 26 Session 1

27 ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ DAVID ROGERS/ ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM/ ANKARA, TURKEY (256/19) Hittite religious scene possibly a man being led by two soldiers to be a human sacrifice; from the Aslani Gate at Bogazkoy, which was the capital of the ancient Hittite Kingdom. The evil kings Ahaz and Manasseh of Judah set up shrines for the pagan god Molech, and people offered children to him in sacrifice (2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6). In times of apostasy some Israelites, apparently in desperation, made their children go through the fire to Molech (see Lev. 18:21; 2 Kings 23:10). Bible scholars generally assume such scriptural references point to the sacrifices of children in the Valley of Hinnom. The godly King Josiah destroyed the shrine along with every evidence of pagan practices the evil kings of Judah instituted (2 Kings 23:4 20). The prophet Jeremiah denounced the evil practiced in the Valley of Hinnom and prophesied God s judgment upon the people (Jer. 7:31; 19:2 6; 32:35 36). The Bible contains two stories that allude to human sacrifice. Jephthah vowed to the Lord that if he won the war against the Ammonites, he would offer as a burnt offering the first thing to greet him when he returned home. His only daughter came out of the house, and was thus the offering (Judg. 11:29-40). Genesis 22 records the other story: God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. God observed the obedience of Abraham and, at the last moment, rescinded the command and provided a ram to be sacrificed as a substitute for Isaac. Gods clearly revealed His abhorrence of human sacrifice. The excerpt above is from the article Human Sacrifice in the Ancient Near East (Spring 2014), which relates to this session. More Biblical Illustrator articles are available that relate to this session. See page 7 about Biblical Illustrator. SHARING THE GOOD NEWS Our greatest need is forgiveness and freedom from wrath and condemnation. God provided what we need through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We receive the freedom and forgiveness we need when we trust Christ. Each week, make yourself available either before or after the session to speak privately with anyone in your group who wants to know more about becoming a Christian. See the article, Leading Someone to the Greatest Decision of All, on page 2 for guidance in leading a person to Christ. Remind group members that page 2 in the PSG offers guidance in how to become a Christian. Encourage believers to consider using this article as they have opportunities to lead others to Christ. Free additional ideas for your group are available at BibleStudiesforLife.com/AdultExtra 27

28 ANGEL OF THE LORD BY JOHN TRAYLOR Who was The angel of the Lord (Gen. 22:11) 1 who stopped Abraham from sacrificing his only son on Moriah, the site that, according to tradition, became the Temple Mount in Jerusalem? Do we find hints to the Angel s identity when He spoke as God and swore by Himself to bless Abraham and his seed since he had no one greater to swear by (Heb. 6:13)? What insight did Abraham have to name that place The Lord Will Provide (Gen. 22:14)? God provided a ram to substitute for Abraham s only son (v. 13). Who would be the sacrificial lamb (v. 8) God would provide to fulfill the proverbial saying: It will be provided on the Lord s mountain (v. 14)? A reconstructed well at the entrance to ancient Beersheba. The angel found Hagar by a spring on her way from Beersheba to Egypt, which was Hagar s homeland. ARTICLE PHOTO CREDIT 28 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

29 Messenger of the Lord Angel in the Angel of the Lord translates the Hebrew noun malak, from a root meaning to send. The Hebrew Old Testament used malak for both human and divine messengers. An example of human messengers would be those Jacob sent to his brother Esau to reconcile their differences (32:3). Examples of human messengers God sent would be prophets; priests; the one to prepare the way of the Lord; and the prophet Malachi, whose name means my messenger (Hag. 1:13; Mal. 1:1; 2:7; 3:1). Malak also referred to angels, the supernatural beings that God created and sends to fulfill His will (Pss. 91:11; 148:2). One of a Kind Messenger The Angel of the Lord first appears in Scripture to comfort and guide Hagar, Sarai s runaway slave, who was carrying Abraham s child (Gen. 16:7). The story identifies the Angel as the Lord who spoke to her (v. 13), and Hagar named the One she saw Thou God seest me (v. 13, kjv). Moreover, she called the spring where He appeared to her Beer-lahai-roi, which means A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me (v. 14). When the Angel Himself promised Hagar that she would have a son and declared what his life would be like (vv ), He assumed authority over life as only God can. In keeping with the grammatical construction of Malak Yahweh and the unique identity and role of this Angel, translators have rendered His name the Angel of the Lord. The definite article (the) marks this Angel as a one-of-a-kind messenger with none other like Him. The Angel Who Redeemed The Lord appeared to Jacob at Bethel in a dream to call Jacob into covenant with Him (28:13). Jacob described his fear in seeing God, marked the place as the house of God, and vowed to make the Lord his God (vv ). In a second dream, the angel of God (31:11) said to Jacob, I am the God of Bethel (v. 13) and commanded Jacob to return to his native land. The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth marks the spot where tradition says the angel appeared to Mary. On his way back Jacob wrestled with a man who is later identified as the angel (32:24; Hos. 12:4). Jacob named the place Peniel, which means the face of God, for he had seen God face to face (Gen. 32:30). At the time when BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 29

30 The Dome of the Rock sits atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The site marks the traditional location of Solomon s Temple and where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac. he blessed his children, Jacob identified the Angel with the God of Abraham and Isaac, the God who had been his Shepherd all his life, and the One who had redeemed him from all evil (48:15 16). In a Flame of Fire The Book of Exodus records Moses encounter at the burning bush (Ex. 3). What is new in the revelation to Moses is the Angel s declaration His Presence made the place holy and His demand for Moses to remove his shoes before Him in humble worship (v. 5). If the Angel had been an ordinary angel and not God, worship would have been forbidden (Rev. 22:8 9). New also is the Angel s appearance. To Moses the Angel appeared in a flame of fire within a bush that was aflame but not consumed. Later, the Angel called the Lord and the angel of God led Israel from Egypt to Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai) in a pillar of fire and cloud (Ex. 13:21; 14:19). To bring them into covenant with Himself, God appeared on Mount Horeb as consuming fire and spoke to His people face to face from its midst (19:18; 24:17; Deut. 5:4). One with God, Yet Separate God made a significant distinction between Himself and the Angel He would send to bring His people into the promised land. The Angel would be God, for He would embody God s name, demand obedience as God, exercise God s prerogative to forgive or not to forgive sin, and purposed with God to redeem Israel (Ex. 23:20 23). Yet the Angel would be separate in person, for God said, I am going to send an angel and my angel will go before you (vv. 20,23). How does this Angel relate to Christ, the eternal Logos, who was God yet sent by God to save the world (John 1:1; 3:17)? The Angel of His Presence God would send with His people the angel of his presence (Ex. 33:14 15; Isa. 63:9). The Angel would be truly God yet not God in all His Glory, for man cannot see 30 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

31 God in His fullness and live (Ex. 33:20). As in God s proclamation of His name, Moses saw, as it were, God s back but not His face (vv ; 34:5 7). How does a true yet limited revelation of God for man s sake relate to Christ who clothed Himself in human flesh to declare God (John 1:14,18)? The Coming Messiah God declared He would send His messenger before Him to prepare for His coming and then suddenly come to His temple as the Messenger of the covenant (Mal. 3:1). God identified the Messenger of the covenant, literally the Angel of the covenant, as the Lord you seek. Christ, who was preceded by His forerunner John the Baptist, fulfilled this messianic prophecy (Isa. 40:3; Matt. 3:1 3; 11:11 15). As the Angel of the covenant, Christ would come to fulfill God s new covenant with His people (Jer. 31:31 34). 2 Absent in the New Testament The absence of the expression the angel of the Lord in the New Testament is further evidence the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was the preincarnate Christ who was now present as the Lord Jesus Christ. The expression the angel of the Lord found in some translations should be an angel of the Lord, since the definite article is absent in the Greek (see Matt. 1:20; 2:13; 28:2; Luke 2:9; Acts 5:19; 12:7,23). The Lord s angel in Matthew 1:24 is the correct translation since the definite article points back to the ordinary angel introduced in 1:20. Returning to our original question, who then was the Angel who stopped Abraham from sacrificing his only son? Although the answer is shrouded in mystery, I take the Angel to have been Christ in preincarnate form who was later born in Bethlehem, but whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Mic. 5:2, kjv; see Luke 1:35). Moreover, I believe God fulfilled the saying it will be provided on the Lord s mountain when He sacrificed his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (Gen. 22:14; John 3:16). Christ is indeed the Angel of the covenant whose blood was poured out to fulfill God s covenant with those who trust Him (Matt. 26:28). I 1. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). 2. Other references for a study of the Angel of the LORD would include Josh. 5:13; Judg. 2:1; 6:11; 13:3; 2 Sam. 24:16; 2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chron. 3:1; Ps. 34:7; and Zech. 1: How does a true yet limited revelation of God for man s sake relate to Christ who clothed Himself in human flesh to declare God? This is an edited version of the article by John Traylor that originally appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Biblical Illustrator magazine. Each quarter Biblical Illustrator offers in-depth articles and information that support our weekly Bible study lessons. You can subscribe to Biblical Illustrator by going to com/biblicalillustrator, by using your church s quarterly literature order form, or by calling BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 31