Today’s passage: Genesis 12:1-9

Helpful thoughts:

• This is the beginning of the narrative of the life of Abraham.
  • It’s also the beginning of the narrative of Israel as a nation (“I will make you a great nation.”)
  • It’s also the beginning of the narrative of God’s salvation of his people (“In you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.”)
• To follow the Lord, Abraham had to leave behind his main identifiers; his family and his “home.”
  • Abraham’s new identity was in God, rooted in the promises of God.
• Abraham came from north of the Promised Land.  After he spent time near Shechem and built an altar to the Lord near Bethel and Ai, he traveled to the Negeb (The southern) region of the land.  Abraham spent time looking through the land the Lord promised to his descendants.

Questions to consider:

1. How did Abraham evidence his faith in God’s promise?  What does the beginning of verse 4 plainly state?
2. What did Abraham have to believe that God would do, even from the beginning, concerning Sarai’s barrenness?  How would a great nation come from Abraham in this new land?  What did Abraham have to trust?
3. In what way would the descendants of Abraham (ultimately, A descendant of Abraham) bring blessing to the whole world?

Today’s passage: Genesis 11:10-32

Helpful thoughts:

• These verses give a further detailed genealogy of the line of Shem.
• Within these generations listed, we see a sharp decline in the years for life expectancy.  This process is in keeping with God’s comment from Genesis 6:3.
  • Noah lived 950 years.
  • Terah lived 205 years.
• The genealogy also serves the purpose of setting up the next portion of the narrative, the life of “Father Abraham.”
  • Abram was from Ur of the Chaldeans (A center of worship for the moon god, Nanna).
  • His wife Sarai was barren (Until she wasn’t…spoiler alert)
  • He had a nephew named, Lot.

Questions to consider:

1. We read yesterday of God’s decision to spread man out (To keep us from being all one people working together).  Today we read the process of man’s life being shortened.  We know from reading Genesis that both of these actions limited the expression our sinfulness and were acts of God’s common grace.  How do these truths contradict what the world often thinks about the nature of mankind today?  Are we intrinsically good?  Can everyone follow their own heart and find peace with everyone else and every other nation around them?  What does the Bible say?
2. Why does verse 20 tell us that Sarai in two different ways that Sarai had been unable to bear children?  What is the point of this emphasis (See Genesis 21:1-2)?
3. In what ways is God’s sovereignty on display in this passage?  If He can accomplish all this, what else will He do?  Is there anything He has promised He will not accomplish?

Today’s passage: Genesis 11:1-9

Helpful thoughts:

• The people chose to build a tower (Or a ziggurat) that reached up to “the heavens.”  Yet, God had to “come down” to “see” what they were doing.
  • God is omnipresent and omniscient.  The language of “coming down” to “see” is literary and given to make a point.  Man’s attempts to replace God will always fall short.
• The goal of the people in building this tower was to find a way to get out of obeying God.
  • They wanted to “make a name” for themselves (Pagan idolatry, the invention of a new god)…
  • …So that they didn’t have to “fill the earth” (9:1).
• God knew the hearts of the people and knows what man is capable of when we all work together as one, and it is not good.
  • For this reason, he graciously confused our languages.

Questions to consider:

1. What do we learn about the root cause of idolatry in today’s passage?  Why did the people want a new god?  Who did they not want to obey? (See Romans 1:18-23)
2. Why was God being gracious to the people by confusing them and spreading them out?  Why was it better for man to not be able to organize together as one?
3. In a world that is constantly getting “smaller” with our newer technologies, what direction could the world be moving if it chooses not to follow the Lord?  How can Christians utilize the same technologies to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world?

Today’s passage: Genesis 10:1-32

Helpful thoughts:

• In today’s passage, we read the genealogies of the three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
  • Included in the genealogies is some information about where in the world these people groups migrated (After the events of chapter 11).
• Much attention (Some further detail) is given to the descendants of Ham.  These are the people (The descendants of Canaan) who would be Israel’s primary enemies later in the narrative flow of the Old Testament.
• Eber (Verse 24) is the father of the “Hebrew” people.
• The earth being divided during the life of Peleg probably refers to the dispersal of mankind after the tower of Babel.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way does this chapter mimic earlier chapters after creation and the fall?  After Noah and his family got off the ark, there was an example of sin.  Then, after God’s command to be fruitful and multiply, what do we read in chapter 10?
2. What families or people groups stuck out to you as you read these genealogies?  Why?  How do these lists set up the next part of the grand story of the Bible?
3. Even though these people groups went in many different directions, what is true of all of them?  What do we all need?  What is God going to bring together from all of them? (Revelation 7:9-10)

Today’s passage: Genesis 9:18-29

Helpful thoughts:

• Everyone on the face of the earth today is descended from Shem, Ham or Japheth.
• God had shown favor (Grace) to Noah.  But, Noah was not without sin!  The flood waters of God’s judgment have abated, but sin is still in the world.
• Noah’s sin was compounded by Ham’s sinful response.  Ham took advantage of Noah’s sin and dishonored his father.  Shem and Japheth covered their father’s sin and in so doing, honored their father.
  • The curse of Canaan foreshadows the later conquest of the land of Canaan by the Israelite people.  This curse has nothing to do with African people as some have wrongly deduced and manipulated for despicable reasons in the past (The slave trade).

Questions to consider:

1. Having read Noah’s blessing and cursing in today’s passage, whose line should we expect to be reading about going forward in Genesis (11:10, 26)?  Is this true because Noah said it?   Do people’s statements of blessing or cursing always come true?  Why is this statement contained in God’s Word?
2. What can we learn from Shem and Japheth’s actions?  Why was what they did right, even though their father had sinned? (Exodus 20:12) What should have been Noah’s response when we came to his senses concerning his own sin?  What should his son’s kindness have caused him to never want to do again?
3. Knowing there is still sin in the world, what did Noah, his sons, all their wives, and what do the rest of us need?  Where can we find rescue from our sin (1 Peter 2:24)?

Today’s passage: Genesis 8:20-9:17

Helpful thoughts:

• Mankind was not going to change (Verse 21 – “The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth”), but this specific response of God’s to man’s sin would never be repeated.
• God gave mankind the rainbow as the sign of a covenant.  It serves as a ceremonial reminder.  God has promised not to judge the sin of the world through a global flood.
  • The modern use of the rainbow is terribly ironic and a mockery of God’s intended purpose for it.
• After all of that death, and after the command to be fruitful and bring about more life, God gives instructions for what to do when there is death (Including through violence:
  • Animals were now to be used for food.  Mankind was now to eat both plants and animals.  The blood was to be drained, because God is the giver of life (Blood represented the life God had given, Leviticus 17:12-14).
  • There was a consequence for murder.  There was much violence before the flood.  Now, God gives a specific law concerning the punishment for murder so that violence would not be left unchecked.  God decreed the death penalty (Verse 6).

Questions to consider:

1. As was the case in yesterday’s passage, in what ways does this passage give hope, but also the expectation that all was not well?
2. Why are laws and the ability to carry out consequences a good thing?  Why are they necessary and important?  What makes governments, laws, and law enforcement distasteful to people?  Why won’t the troubles the world has had with justice (Or the lack thereof) be eradicated from the world before Jesus returns?
3. Why can it be appropriate to kill animals but not people?  What makes us different, distinct from all other living things?  Who made us different?  Why does that matter?  If someone doesn’t believe in God as the Bible reveals Him to us, how might they think differently?

Today’s passage: Genesis 8:1-19

Helpful thoughts:

• As we read through the narrative, we continue to see specific dates, amounts of days there was water, and the time in the ark.  This was a real historical event.
  • The waters “prevailed” over the earth for 150 days.
  • The waters “abated” for 150 days.
  • The ground dried for 70 days.
    • Noah and his family were in the ark for 370 days.
• When we read that God “remembered” Noah, it doesn’t mean God had forgotten about him for a year.  God was ready to act in the fulfillment of his covenant.
• Noah’s releasing of the birds describes for us the drying out of the land.  It was a process, not instantaneous.  But Noah didn’t get out of the ark when the dove didn’t come back.  Noah left the ark when God told him it was time.

Questions to consider:

1. What covenant did God fulfill with Noah?  What had He promised?  Why is it so encouraging to know God remembers His covenants and His people?
2. What is the command at the end of verse 17?  How does the story of the flood also speak of hope and new birth?
3. In what way did the ark fall short?  What was true of the people who came off the ark?  What would continue to be true of their children?  Was mankind saved from their sin?  Was the earth entirely cleansed?  What would it take to truly deal with our sin? (Hebrews 9:26)

Today’s passage: Genesis 7:1-24

Helpful thoughts:

• In verse 5, we see this reiterated, “Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”
  • Noah certainly exercised dominion over the animals as God had intended from creation (Genesis 1:26).
• The seven pairs of all the clean animals were brought on the ark for worship and for the survival of Noah and his family.  The two were kept to maintain the animals’ existence.  The rest would be used for burnt offerings and food.
• Details concerning the flood:
  • Water came from beneath the ground and from above!
  • The rain lasted 40 days and 40 nights.
  • The highest mountain was covered by water for 150 days.
  • Every air breathing creature that was not on the ark perished.  God’s judgment was fulfilled.

Questions to consider:

1. What do these measurements, mentions of time, descriptions of events help us to confirm about this narrative?  If this was only an illustration, how might it have read differently?  Why does it matter whether this really happened or not?
2. What do we learn about God in this passage?  When God says he is going to do something, what happens?  How do we see God’s wrath against sin?  How do we see His care and compassion for His redeemed? (Who shut the door to the ark?)

Today’s passage: Genesis 6:9-22

Helpful thoughts:

• Noah wasn’t without sin (No one outside of Jesus is).  But, by God’s grace, he lived a noticeably righteous life.  And, as Enoch had before him, he walked with God.
• Here is a link to a short video on the size of the ark. (And a plug for the Ark Encounter)
• God was about to bring judgment against the people of the world for their violence and corruption.  Noah and his family would be saved from judgment through the ark (1 Peter 3:18-22).

Questions to consider:

1. Why is this such a remarkable narrative?  How many times has this occurred in history?  How many boats do you think had been built to these specifications at that time?
2. What did Noah do in response to God’s commands and instructions?  What questions do you think he had?  What might have made obedience a struggle for him?  How was his faith displayed? (James 2:18)

Today’s passage: Genesis 6:1-8

Helpful thoughts:

• There are different views on who the “sons of God” who bore children with the “daughters of men” are.
  • Some think these “sons of God” are demons (Fallen angels).
  • Some think the “sons of God” are the descendants of Seth and the “daughters of men” are the descendants of Cain.
  • Some think they are simply princes, men from families who ruled over the people.  Taking the phrase “Sons of God” to be better translated as “Sons of the gods.”  In this instance, “the gods” would just refer to those who were in power.
    • I tend toward the third option.  But, whichever is true, what we do see is a repeat of the progression in the garden.  They SAW…and they TOOK in a way that was contrary to God’s command.  A repeat of the fall in the garden.
• The Nephilim are mentioned again in Numbers 13:33 when Israel spied out the Promised Land.  These early Nephilim would not have survived the flood.  Therefore, it would make sense to assume the spies likened the warriors they saw in Canaan to these men of renown they had been taught about from Genesis 6.
• God was not surprised.  He did not have to change His mind and rewrite all of eternity because of a mistake (Numbers 23:19).  However, in time, from man’s perspective, God changed direction from where things had been going.  This is the meaning of God’s “regret” in verse 6.
• Noah was not without sin.  He found “favor” with God.  Noah was going to be saved from destruction by the grace of God.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the condition of the heart of man as recorded in verse 5?  Was God being hyperbolic here or was this accurate?  How might Romans 3:10-18 help us answer that question?
2. What stark warning do we see in this passage?  If the world counts you a mighty man, a man of renown, does that automatically mean you are a delight to the heart of God?  What emotion did God have in response to the actions of mankind?
3. Why was Noah spared?  In what ways do we already begin to see an illustration of our salvation in Christ through the narrative of Noah?  Why have we been saved from judgment?