Families of the Bible A Bible Study Course for Adults by Steven L. Lange Leader s Guide Lesson One Made for Each Other............................ 83 Lesson Two Alone against the World.......................... 88 Lesson Three Blessed Is the Family That Puts God First.......... 14 Lesson Four Salt That Lost Its Saltiness....................... 22 Lesson Five Rivalry and Reconciliation........................ 28 Lesson Six Train a Child................................... 37 Lesson Seven Fallen, Yet Forgiven........................... 44 Lesson Eight Holding On While Letting Go..................... 50
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 2 The material on this disk may be adapted, printed, and copied by the purchaser of this kit. However, the following notice must appear at the bottom of each page of the student lessons: 2007 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Ownership of this material belongs to either a congregation or an individual, but not both. Purchase by a congregation: Purchase of this material by a congregation gives Bible study leaders of that congregation permission to adapt and copy this material for use in one or more groups within that congregation. (Dual parishes may purchase one copy for use in both congregations.) Purchase by a pastor or other Bible study leader: Purchase of this material by an individual gives the buyer permission to adapt and copy this material for Bible classes he or she teaches or supervises. The buyer has permission to use this material only in the congregation he or she is currently serving or attending. Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI 53226-3284 www.nph.net 2007 Northwestern Publishing House Published 2007 Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-0-8100-2045-0
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 14 Lesson Three Blessed Is the Family That Puts God First Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac Worship MEN: Trust in the LORD with all your heart WOMEN: And lean not on your own understanding; MEN: In all your ways acknowledge him, WOMEN: And he will make your paths straight. [from Proverbs 3] Lord, you know all the days of our lives before any of them come to be. Help us always follow you with confidence and trust your loving guidance. Increase our love for you that we may always put you first in our lives. Amen. Introduction When the McGugarts won the Irish Sweepstakes, they were elated. Pop was a steamfitter. Johnny loaded crates on the docks. Tim was going to night school. Pop decided to split the million dollars with his sons. They all said that the money wouldn t change them. A year later, however, the boys were no longer speaking to their father or to each other. Johnny was chasing expensive racehorses. Tim was catching up with expensive girls. Mom accused Pop of hiding his money from her. Within two years, all of them appeared in court for nonpayment of income taxes. For the McGugarts, money became a false god, which they depended upon, worshiped, and served. They took what could have been a great blessing from God and turned it into a curse. How would your family react if you suddenly won a million dollars? Part One: Abraham s Trust in God s Promises We first meet Abram, whose name God later changed to Abraham, in Ur, the capital of the ancient Sumerians. (Abram means Exalted Father, a reference to God s fatherhood; Abraham means Father of Many, a reference to both his genealogical offspring and his spiritual offspring.) Abram was married to Sarai, whose name the Lord later changed to
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 15 Sarah. (Both Sarai and Sarah mean princess, possibly a reference to her regal status as Abraham s wife and sharer in the promise.) While Abram was in Ur, the Lord came to him and said, Leave your country, your people and your father s household and go to the land I will show you (Genesis 12:1). So Abram, together with Sarai, his father Terah, his brother Nahor, and his nephew Lot, left Ur and traveled about 500 miles northwest to the city of Haran. They lived there until Terah died. Then, when Abram was 75 years old, the Lord called Abram a second time. Abram obediently set out with Sarai. His nephew Lot followed Abram. The Lord led them to the land of Canaan, where Abram settled. The Lord then appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring I will give this land (Genesis 12:7). Abram had no idea what land the Lord was leading him to. Yet he obediently followed the Lord all the way from Ur to Haran, and finally to Canaan. Then, when the Lord told him that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan, he trusted that promise. Although he never owned more of Canaan than a burial plot, he knew that the Lord would keep his promise. And the Lord kept his promise. Six hundred years later the descendants of Abram took possession of the land of Canaan. God also told Abram, I will make you into a great nation... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2,3). In other words, the Savior would come from Abram s many descendants. But Sarai was barren, and both she (at age 65) and Abram (at age 75) were well beyond childbearing age. Yet Abram trusted God to keep his promise. He waited a decade. No child came. The Lord was testing Abram s faith. Finally, the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Read Genesis 15:1-6. What fears do you think Abram had? Abram probably had two fears. First, he feared that he might not have a biological son. (For a while Abram thought he would adopt his servant Eliezer as his son.) And since the son that God promised him was his link to his Savior, Abram was probably fearful about his salvation. If he didn t have the biological son that God promised him, how could he be saved? Show that the Lord tailored his message to strengthen Abram s trust. God told Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward (Genesis 15:1) to reassure Abram that God would protect him from harm. God also dismissed any idea that Eliezer might be Abram s heir by saying, A son coming from your own body will be your heir (Genesis 15:4). Then God showed Abram the stars and said, So shall your offspring be (Genesis 15:5). Reread Genesis 15:6. EVALUATE: Abram s trust in the Lord was nothing more than a trust that God would give him a son, just as he had promised. In this passage, God shows us how Abram was saved by faith. It is exactly the same way that we are saved. Therefore, we know that Abram s trust in God was more than just a trust that God would give him a son. Abram trusted most of all that God would fulfill his promise and give him a Savior from among his own descendants. And, through the trust that Abram had in the promised Savior, God gave him the full credit of the Savior s righteousness.
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 16 Read Genesis 18:9-14. How was Sarah s reaction different from Abraham s reaction to the Lord s promise in Genesis chapter 15? Was her doubt justified? Explain. Sarah doubted the Lord s promise and even laughed at it. We can certainly understand why. At age 89, Sarah had difficulty believing the good news that the Lord brought her and Abraham. And after 24 years of waiting for this promised child, it all probably seemed too good to be true. Perhaps she was thinking of all the other times she had gotten her hopes up only to be disappointed. Yet, in spite of all this, Sarah had no reason to doubt the Lord. As the Lord said, Is anything too hard for the LORD? Read Genesis 21:1-7. In what ways was the birth of Isaac a special blessing? Isaac was born to parents who were well past normal childbearing years and was born precisely when the Lord had said he would be born. Abraham and Sarah could not have missed the fact that their son was a special gift God had given his promise 25 years earlier. His Word in My Life Read Romans 4:18-25. What are the similarities and differences between Abraham s faith and our faith? How does Abraham s example encourage you in your faith? Trusting the Lord s promises can often seem impossible to us. Abraham s faith trusted in God s promise to give him a son, and ultimately the Savior would come from that ancestral line. Our faith is also a trust in the impossible things that the Lord has told us. We believe that God kept his promise and sent the Savior, that this Savior is both the fully divine Son of God and the fully human child of the virgin Mary, that this Savior lived a perfect life in our place and paid for all our sins when he died on the cross, that God raised this Savior from the dead and has made us also victorious over death, that through faith in him we have eternal life. Humanly speaking, none of these things is possible. Yet we trust the impossible, as Abraham did, because God promised it. And God credits us with Jesus righteousness, just as he did for Abraham. The only difference between Abraham s faith and ours is one of perspective. Abraham looked ahead to the promised Savior. We look back to him and know the details of how he accomplished our salvation. Scripture holds Abraham out as the father of all believers. As our father in faith, his example encourages us to remain confident in the Lord s promises, even when they seem impossible. He shows us that our trust in the Lord will never be disappointed and will always be blessed. Since we are saved in the same way that Abraham was saved, his example provides us great assurance for our salvation. As Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, so we also believe God and he credits us with Jesus righteousness. Your friends Todd and Cheryl have been trying for the last seven years to have a child. They have gone to many doctors and have tried various fertility treatments. Now they are becoming increasingly discouraged. One evening over dinner your conversation turns to children. Cheryl becomes upset and starts to cry. Why won t God give us a child? she sobs. Does he think we won t be good parents? What did we do wrong? Why is having a child so difficult for us and so easy for people who don t even want children?
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 17 How might you use the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac to comfort and encourage you friends Todd and Cheryl, who remain childless? The story of Isaac s birth certainly shows that God can give a child to whomever he wants, no matter how seemingly barren that person may be. That fact can bring comfort to Todd and Cheryl as they struggle with their own childlessness. However, Abraham and Sarah were special in that God gave them a specific promise that they would have a son. God has not given us such specific promises. Children certainly are blessings that God gives to married people. But marriage in no way guarantees that you will have children. God alone gives or withholds this blessing in keeping with his love and wisdom. Throughout his wait for his promised son to be born, Abraham trusted in the Lord. He trusted that God would take care of him and work all things out for his good. Todd and Cheryl can do the same. They can trust that God will always give them whatever they need and work all things for their good. Perhaps God will miraculously bless them with a biological child someday. Perhaps he won t. Perhaps he will miraculously bless them with an adopted child instead. But whatever the Lord has planned for them, Todd and Cheryl can trust that God knows what is best for them. And they can trust that God s never-ending love will never allow anything to happen to them that won t draw them closer to him. How does each text below change our doubting laughter into trusting laughter? Matthew 7:7,8 John 11:25,26 Romans 8:28 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 1 Peter 4:12-14 Revelation 22:20 Each text presents us with a promise from God that, to our human reason, seems laughable. We can think of times when we ve asked for something and haven t received it. We wonder about the miracles that we read about in Scripture. We have a hard time figuring out how the bad things can be for our good. We don t normally rejoice in our weaknesses or consider ourselves blessed when we are persecuted. But these are Jesus promises. Jesus also promised that he was coming soon almost two thousand years ago. Whose definition of soon is he using? Yet God s Word is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Each of these promises has in itself the power from God to convince us that it is true. In this way, each turns our doubting laughter into trusting laughter as we rejoice over the incredible thing that God has promised to do for us. Part Two: Abraham s Love for God Imagine being a 99-year-old man whose 89-year-old childless wife tells you that she is pregnant. Imagine your relief when your child is finally born and you can treasure him as you watch him grow up. Could anything be more precious?
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 18 God wanted Abraham to have the opportunity to answer that question. So God gave Abraham a test that would show who held the number-one spot in Abraham s heart. Read Genesis 22:1-19. How did this command challenge Abraham as a father? How did it test Abraham s hope for salvation? To kill his son and offer him as a human sacrifice would go against every instinct a loving father has. But Isaac was more than just Abraham s son. He also was Abraham s only link to the Savior. If Isaac died, Abraham s hope for salvation would die with him. That is why, as the writer to the Hebrews tells us, Abraham reasoned that God would have to raise Isaac from the dead. Otherwise, God s plan of salvation would fail. (See Hebrews 11:17-19.) List evidences of Abraham s great love for God in this account. Abraham wasted no time in obeying the Lord s command. Early the next morning he got up and went on his way with Isaac and two servants (Genesis 22:3). Abraham s journey to Mount Moriah took three days plenty of time for him to reconsider and turn back home. (How hard Satan must have tried to plant doubt in Abraham s mind!) Abraham did not hesitate when it came time to bind Isaac and put him on the altar. He would have killed his son if the angel of the Lord had not stopped him. EVALUATE: Abraham could show complete love for God only by showing a lack of love for Isaac. Complete love for others flows from complete love for God. You can see this in how Abraham handled Isaac s question about where the sacrificial animal was. Abraham tactfully expressed his trust in God to provide while lovingly sparing Isaac the gruesome details of his assignment. There is no indication in the account that Abraham s love for Isaac in any way diminished because of the command God had given Abraham. What blessings did Abraham receive through this ordeal? Abraham had the opportunity to exercise his faith and show his love for the Lord. After the test was over, God reaffirmed his promises to Abraham. He again told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. And he repeated his promise that from Abraham s descendants the Savior of the world would come. These promises strengthened and confirmed Abraham s faith and drew him even closer to God. His Word in My Life Read Matthew 10:37. Could you do what Abraham did? Explain. It is difficult to imagine God asking us to do something as drastic as offering a loved family member as a sacrifice. Yet, by placing ourselves in Abraham s situation, we can evaluate our love for God. Most will probably conclude that they would not be able to do it. If you think you couldn t do what Abraham did, would that show a lack of love for God? Explain. The response to the first question will confront the class with the imperfection of our love for God. God wants us to love him more than we love anyone or anything else.
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 19 How can we grow in our love for God? When we experience God s love for us in our own lives, we will grow in faith and in love for our Savior-God. The more we study God s Word and see what God has done for us in and through Christ Jesus, the more we appreciate God s blessings in Baptism, the more we receive Christ s body and blood in the Lord s Supper, the more we will grow in our love for God. Your teenage son Ben has become good friends with a young Muslim in your neighborhood named Ibrahim. They often talk about religion, and Ben tells Ibrahim a lot about Christianity. Eventually, Ben asks Ibrahim if he would like to come to church with him. Ibrahim asks his parents, and they allow it. They feel that it would be good for Ibrahim to have this experience so that he can grow in his respect for Christians, who are people of the book, just as Muslims consider themselves. As Ibrahim hears God s Word, the Holy Spirit works in his heart and brings him to faith in Jesus. Now Ibrahim no longer wants to be a Muslim; he wants to be baptized as a Christian. When Ibrahim tells his parents about his desire to be baptized, they are furious. They forbid him to go to church with Ben again and command him to give up this Christian foolishness. How might you and Ben help Ibrahim in this situation? Ibrahim is in a very difficult situation. In keeping with the Fourth Commandment, he owes his parents love, honor, respect, and obedience. Yet as Peter and the other apostles told the Sanhedrin, We must obey God rather than men! (Acts 5:29). Jesus needs to continue to hold first place in Ibrahim s heart, even above Ibrahim s parents. You could show him that by discussing with him the account of Abraham s sacrifice of Isaac. By his sacrifice, Abraham showed that while he loved Isaac very much, he loved God even more. Ibrahim may have to sacrifice a peaceful relationship with his parents so that he can demonstrate that he loves God most of all. There are many ways that you could support Ibrahim during this very difficult time. Ben and he could continue discussing the Bible during their time together. You might give Ibrahim a Bible and encourage him to read it when he can. You can pray for Ibrahim and ask your fellow Christians to do the same. You might even search for other former Muslims who now are Christians and ask their advice on how you can help Ibrahim. Read Romans 12:1. Then, using the passages listed below, formulate a practical definition for what offer[ing our] bodies as living sacrifices means. 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 1 Corinthians 10:31 Romans 12:3-8 Philippians 2:1-4 Galatians 5:13,14 To offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices means to devote everything we are and everything that we have to God. We no longer live for ourselves. We live for Jesus. Everything we do is done to the glory of God. Before we do anything, we will take into account not our own interests but the interests of others. We will serve others in love, even as Christ has served us. This will demonstrate that God holds first place in our hearts, and it will bring us blessings of joy in serving God by serving others.
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 20 Part Three: Abraham Feared God Read Genesis 24:1-9. Why did Abraham insist that Isaac s wife be from among his own relatives? Abraham sought a wife for Isaac who had faith in the true God. Such a believing wife could not be found among the Canaanites who lived all around them. Haran was the best place for Abraham to find a God-fearing wife for Isaac. How does each statement below show that Abraham feared God above all things? Abraham was so serious about finding a believing wife for Isaac that he placed his servant under oath in this matter. Abraham knew that his family was the family of the Savior. He also understood how important it was that Isaac remain faithful to God and pass on the promise of the Savior. Therefore, Abraham undertook his search for Isaac s wife with great seriousness. He took God s promises very seriously and wanted all his actions to be in keeping with those promises. He also wanted his son to continue to fear the Lord and not be led astray by an unbelieving wife.` Abraham refused even to consider a Canaanite wife for Isaac. Abraham knew how dangerous the Canaanite religions were. He knew that their tempting mixture of sex and idolatry would be detrimental to Isaac s faith. Out of honor and respect for the Lord, Abraham refused even to consider a Canaanite wife for Isaac. Abraham refused to allow Isaac to go back to Haran, even if his prospective wife was unwilling to move to Canaan. God had told Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father s house and to go to the land that he would show him. That land, the land of Canaan, was the land that God had promised to give to Abraham s descendants. Abraham knew that it was God s will for him and his family to live in Canaan, not Haran. Therefore, Abraham insisted that Isaac remain in the land of the promise and not return to Haran. List the blessings that Abraham s family received because he feared God above all things. God blessed the journey of Abraham s servant with success. He led Rebekah, a member of Abraham s family, to Abraham s servant. He worked in Rebekah a willingness to leave her home and her family and travel to far-off Canaan to marry Isaac, a man she had never met. God blessed Isaac s marriage to Rebekah with two sons, Jacob and Esau. The family line of the Savior continued. His Word in My Life List five qualities you want in your child s spouse. Discuss your choices. 1. 2. 3.
Families of the Bible Leader s Guide Page 21 4. 5. According to the following texts, what characteristics are important to God in the choosing of a mate? Proverbs 31:30 Fear of the Lord 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love that expresses itself in patience, kindness, humility, selflessness, mercy, goodness, truthfulness, trust, and perseverance. Galatians 5:22,23 The fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control Ephesians 5:22,25 A husband or wife who lives the respective role played out in the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church. 1 Peter 3:3,4 The inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit Lesson Summary Blessed is the family that puts God first. Abraham s family certainly experienced this truth firsthand. To those who trust in him, God gives countless blessings. Such a family grows in faith by remaining close to God through his Word and sacraments. And the stronger our faith is, the more we will put God first in everything we think, say, and do.