CALVARY. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group.

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1 BIBLE FELLOWSHIP TEACHING PLANS JANUARY 17, 2016

2 CALVARY GENESIS 23:1-20 JANUARY 17, 2016 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying Genesis 23:1-20; Hebrews 11:8-10. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for Pastor Rob, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: In Genesis 23, we learn of the death of Sarah, and of Abraham s dealings to purchase a burial plot. By purchasing a burial plot in Canaan, a place that was not his home, Abraham secured right for his family in that area and showed his belief in the promises of God. TEACHING AIM: Abraham believed in the promises of God and believed in God s future. 2 Patriarchs Calvary

3 INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. 1 What are some examples of measures we take to secure a future for ourselves and our families? 2 Why do we go to the lengths we do to see that our future is secure? 3 How has God promised to make our future secure? In our culture, we take care to create a future for ourselves and our families. We make wise investments, we make sure our wills are up to date, we buy life insurance, and we contribute to 401ks. The purpose in all of this is to ensure our families are in the best possible position for the future. As Christians, we trust that God will take care of us, but we exercise wisdom as well. In Genesis 23, we see Abraham take the same measures for his own family while still trusting in the promises of God. After the death of Abraham s wife, Sarah, he buys a burial plot in the land of Canaan and secures a future dwelling for himself and his family. Abraham knew God promised him and his descendants the land of Canaan, and by purchasing land in the area, he ensured that this would take place. He trusted God s plans, but also exercised faithfulness in the present. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > Have a volunteer read Genesis 23: Patriarchs Calvary

4 What do you imagine Abraham must have felt in the moments after his wife died? Why is it significant that Sarah died in the land of Canaan? How did God use this sad event to extend His faithfulness to Abraham? When we go through hardship, why should we not assume the hardship is evidence that God is not faithful to us? Sarah was a good and faithful wife to Abraham. The loss of a spouse is always incredibly difficult, even at an advanced age, but this was not a sign that God was unfaithful; rather, God used even this situation to provide for His promise to Abraham. Romans 8:28 tells us that God does all things for our good and His glory, and this can include the loss of a loved one. Abraham mourned and wept over the death of his wife, but God was about to use Sarah s death to fulfill His promise to Abraham and his descendants forever. > Have a volunteer read Genesis 23:3-10. What do we learn about Abraham in his description of himself in verse 4? Why would designation matter in this particular situation? What had the Hittites learned about Abraham as they saw him sojourn in their land? How was their designation different than the one Abraham gave to himself? Though our faith should ultimately be evident to God, how can others see that we have faith? 4 Patriarchs Calvary

5 As a sojourner, Abraham was an outsider. It would have been important for him to have favor with the Hittites. While he was a sojourner, the Hittites identified him by his faith in the one true God. They defined him not by his ethnic status but by his favor from God. Abraham had a lifestyle of faith and worship. The Hittites had seen Abraham live among them for some time, and his faith was evident in the way he lived his life. By showing godly character, we influence people in ways that we may not ever fully realize. Why did Abraham offer to buy what the Hittites were willing to give him for free? How did Abraham exercise wisdom in his dealings with the Hittites? Though he could have taken the cave to bury Sarah for free, Abraham offered to purchase it; in doing so, Abraham showed humility and shrewdness. Buying the land showed that he respected the Hittites; the purchase would also give him and his family full legal rights to the land. By purchasing the land, he showed faith in God s plan to give him the land. God used the death of Sarah to establish his people in Canaan. > Have a volunteer read Genesis 23: What had Abraham asked the Hittites to give him, and what had they offered him instead? What does Ephron s response demonstrate about his intention? How did Abraham s wisdom provide a place for his family and fulfill the promise of God? 5 Patriarchs Calvary

6 Ephron s response to give Abraham the field and the cave for such a sum suggests that Ephron had the intention to sell all along. Nonetheless, Abraham still purchased the land and bought the rights for his family in perpetuity. Because of Abraham s dealings, Abraham, Sarah, Issac, Jacob, Rebekah, and Leah would all be laid to rest in this cave and establish their presence and ownership in the land God promised. > Have a volunteer read Hebrews 11:8-10. How did Abraham exercise faith by becoming a nomad? What did Abraham s lifestyle anticipate about God s future for his descendants? How did Abraham s faith extend to his family? Abraham lived for years as a nomad because he did not want to live anywhere in a place that was not in the plan of God. He had experienced firsthand the life transformation we talk about valuing. The author of Hebrews tells us Abraham was looking forward to a city whose architect was God. We revere Abraham because he submitted all of his plans for himself and his family to the plans of God. He trusted God with even the most mundane decisions in his life. Would most people exercise the same amount of faith in every decision of their lives? Why or why not? What would it look like to trust God with your every decision? Do you think faith like Abraham s is common? Why is it is so hard to believe in something you cannot see? 6 Patriarchs Calvary

7 What has God asked you to do in faith that was hard for people to understand? Wherever Abraham is mentioned in the New Testament, he is commended for his faith because faith like Abraham s is extremely uncommon. Who do you know that would pick up everything they have and leave everything familiar to them to pursue a call of God? Most people would strenuously weigh the pros and cons. And while it is not inappropriate to use discernment in faith, Abraham simply believed and went. He knew God promised him a place; his actions in Genesis 23 demonstrate his faith in the place God had promised to provide. APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 What are you hoping to see God do for you in the future? What part of your hopes require your participation? 2 Is there a pressing decision you need to make in your life right now? How does every decision give you the opportunity to honor God and connect others to Him? 3 How has God used difficult situations in your life, like Abraham s loss of Sarah, for your good and His glory in your life? 4 Read Hebrews 13:7. Who do you know who has a faith worth imitating? What impact has their faith had on your own? 7 Patriarchs Calvary

8 P R A Y Praise God for being forever faithful, even in ways we cannot see or realize. Thank God for examples of faith in your life and pray that you would exercise the same type of faith you see in them. FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: What step of faith do you need to take this week? > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize Hebrews 11:9-10. > The text for next week s study, so group members can read it in anticipation of next weekend: Genesis 24: Patriarchs Calvary

9 COMMENTARY JANUARY 17, 2016 GENESIS 22: : Genesis next presents the offspring of Abraham s brother Nahor through his wife Milcah and his concubine Reumah. This brief section prepares the reader for the events of chapter 24 by introducing Bethuel and identifying him as the father of Rebekah, Isaac s future wife. GENESIS 23: :1-2. Indicative of Sarah s importance is the fact that she is the only woman in the Bible whose age at the time of her death is reported. Kiriath-arba ( City of Four ) was the name for the city later known as Hebron. 23:3-6. When a family member died in Abraham s culture, the survivors were obliged to preserve the deceased s bones, ideally in a cave where all other family members could later have their remains preserved. Abraham owned no land in Canaan, so he had to obtain a burial site from the Hittites to bury Sarah. Like the Philistines earlier (21:22), the Hittites recognized that Abraham was God s chosen one among them. Perhaps in order to guarantee the favor of Abraham s God, they offered Abraham the right to use the region s finest burial place. 23:7-11. In the market square at the gate of Kiriath-arba, Abraham showed his respect for the Hittites, placing his head at the level of their feet. The patriarch was wealthy and highly respected, but he played the role of one who was unworthy to speak to the landowner whose property he desired. Accordingly, he asked the Hittites to ask Ephron on his behalf for the right to purchase the cave of Machpelah. Though Abraham was a skilled bargainer (18:23-32), he offered to pay the full price for the property. This gesture signaled respect for the Hittites and the desire to avoid undignified haggling. Matching Abraham s decorum, Ephron the Hittite spoke directly to Abraham and offered to give him not only the cave, but also the field. 9 Patriarchs Calvary

10 COMMENTARY JANUARY 17, : With both parties in agreement, Abraham bowed again respectfully and repeated his willingness to pay the full price of the field even though he did not yet know how much that would be. Four hundred shekels of silver perhaps the price of eight healthy adult male slaves (Lv 27:3) may or may not have been a reasonable valuation. Either way, Abraham agreed to the price. The amount represented a weight that in Moses time equaled 10 pounds; we do not know how much it was at the Hittites commercial rate. The piece of land was particularly valuable because it contained both a cave and trees. 23: Following the successful negotiations, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave... at Machpelah. Others who would be buried there included Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (49:31; 50:13). 10 Patriarchs Calvary