PART 1: GENESIS 12-15
MEETING OUR MAKER STUDIES IN GENESIS 12-50 It was last year we worked through Genesis 1-11 at mpc. Now, many would regard that as the racy bit of Genesis. It s the section that seems to attract the most attention. All the debates seem to happen over that bit. Evolution versus creation. Geology versus genealogy. Literal versus figurative. But it s a funny thing, because to the original readers of Genesis it would ve been plain: chapters 12-50 is where the real action happens. That starts to become clear when you realise there s so much more space given to chapters 12-50 than to chapters 1-11. But it s also the content itself. Chapters 1-11 show us what s gone wrong with the world. Chapters 12-50 show us God s solution. Chapters 1-11 show us life without God. Chapters 12-50 show us life with God. In chapters 1-11, we do of course meet the Lord of the Universe. But in chapters 12-50, we get to know him personally. We meet Abraham. But much more importantly: Abraham meets God. God takes it on himself to fix humanity s relationship with him which we broke. He starts with Abraham in chapter 12, but then his plan develops through Abraham s descendants: through Genesis 12-50, far beyond Genesis itself, and culminating in Jesus. Genesis 12-50 is of course about famous characters like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. But far more than that, it s about God himself. And it s about what s like to live your life with him, as part of his plan for the world. As we work through Genesis 12-50 together, in Term 3 (this booklet) and Term 4 (forthcoming), I pray that you ll get to know God better yourself. Jeremy Wales Assistant Senior Pastor 22/08/2014 3
Genesis 12 THE GOD OF AMAZING GRACE Preparation: Read Genesis 11:1-9 and 11:27-12:20 By the time we get to Genesis 12, the world s a mess. But here in Genesis 12, we start to see God s amazingly gracious solution - a solution which will take the rest of the Bible to unfold. Last year we looked at the mess in Genesis 1-11, but here s a quick recap in case you missed it. Watch the Bible Project video overview of Genesis 1-11: http://youtu.be/kouv7mwdi34. Creation & Fall And if you d like a bit more of a recap (optional) 1. What was God s intention for humanity in Gen 1:26-28? 2. What s the potential threat presented in 2:16-17? 3. What do Eve and Adam seem to be thinking in 3:1-6? 4. From 3:8, 16-19 and 22-24, what s the result for Eve Adam Earth 5. What hint of hope is there, in the curse on the snake (3:15)? 4
Free Falling Humans were designed as God s agents for good in the world, his representatives or images. But from the start we rejected this God-given role and the results have been horrific: Cain kills his brother Abel, the first of many murders (chapter 4); lifespans get shorter and shorter (chapter 5); the world is full of violence (chapter 6); there s a total lack of self-control (Noah & Ham in chapter 9), and to cap it all off, we re proud of ourselves! That s what we see with the Tower of Babel, the final low point before God s solution in chapter 12 Read Gen 11:1-9 6. What s humanity trying to do in Gen 11:3-4? How does it relate to God s intention for humanity in 1:26-28? 7. Compare God s comment in 11:6 with 3:22-23. What s his response in 11:7-9? Free Giving Instead of using our gifts and abilities to represent God in the world, we use them to glorify ourselves! To halt our self-centred schemes, God limits our abilities (eg childbirth is difficult, farming is difficult, cross-cultural communication is difficult etc). But thankfully, because God is gracious, that s not where it all ends. There was a hint of hope in the curse on the snake (3:15). Now Abram (later Abraham ) hears much more than a hint; he hears a solid promise! Read Gen 11:27-12:7 8. Babel was in the land of the Chaldeans. Where is Abram from? (11:31) 5
9. Back in 11:2-4, who chose the land and decided to make a great nation with a great name? Who will do this for Abram in 12:1-2? 10. In 11:7-9, what was the result for all the earth? What will be the result for all the earth in 12:3? 11. What obvious obstacle is there to Abram s offspring becoming a great nation? (11:30) Undeserved Giving Abram and his family can once again be God s people in God s place under God s rule, just like Adam and Eve back in the Garden. But it won t be by Abram s own doing. He needs to renounce his human attempts at making a good life without God. He needs to trust God to provide it all as a free, gracious gift. Amazingly, that s what God promises to do. But as we then see, for sinful human beings who ve got used to finding our way without God, trusting God s good provision isn t as easy as it sounds Read Genesis 12:10-20 12. Only recently God promised Abram he ll make him a great nation in his own land, but what does Abram trust his life to now? (12:10-13) 13. How does this jeopardise the promise concerning his offspring and the land back in 12:7? 14. What does God do for Abram anyway? (12:17) What does this show about God and his promise? 6
Jesus: God s Amazingly Gracious Gift to the World Peeking ahead in the story, it might not surprise you to hear: the offspring of the woman who would crush the snake was none other than an offspring of Abram! That s how God would bless the whole world through Abram. He d do it through Jesus: descended from Abram, but saviour of the whole world (see e.g. Acts 3:25-26). And for those who would follow Jesus now, whether in Abram s bloodline or not, Paul says we need the same trust in God s grace, instead of ourselves, that Abram was called to have (see e.g. Romans 4, Galatians 3). 15. Are you ever tempted to make a good life for yourself without God? How so? Why does that happen? 16. What can you do to strengthen your trust in God s gracious provision for you? How might it help to recall what he s done for you in Jesus? Pray for each other about these things Don t forget the Trial Services this coming Sunday! 8:30 @ SDA 9:30 @ MPC 11:30 BYO Picnic @ Teralba Park 7