6/8/08 Genesis 25:1-21
Genesis 25:1-21
Read Genesis 25:1-6
1.) Why was it important for Abraham to send the sons of Keturah away from Isaac?
It’s very similar to Ishmael being sent away. Isaac was the son of promise and it was important that there not be any competition or confusion over Abraham’s inheritance and Isaac’s destiny.
2.) Has God ever had to remove people from your life that could have interfered with the calling he has for your life?
a. Side question: What is your calling from God? Does anyone want to share?
Open discussion.
Read Genesis 25:7-11
3.) Ishmael was sent away from the family camp about 70 years prior to this. However, he returns to help bury his father. You don’t have any of the sons from Abraham’s new concubine mentioned here. Why do you think Ishmael came back to bury his father? What do you think it was like around the camp with Ishmael and Isaac together?
Open discussion.
4.) What experiences do you have with awkward family reunions? Why do we have these?
Open discussion.
Read Genesis 25:12-18
5.) What is significant about Ishmael having twelve sons?
This is the fulfilling of the promise from God that Ishmael would be the father of a nation with twelve princes (Genesis 17:20).
6.) What is significant about version 18?
Again this fulfills are promise that Ishmael will be wild and against everyone (Genesis 16:10-12). With Ishmael being the father of the Arab nations, how has that prophecy held up today?
Read Genesis 25:19-21
Isaac was the seed of promise to Abraham. He was to carry on the family lineage on the way to forming a great nation. Of course Isaac would need to have children to carry out God’s plan. However, verse 21 makes it sound like it was Isaac’s prayers that led to God granting his request so that Rebekah, who was barren like Sarah could bear children.
7.) Did it really take Isaac’s prayers to get God to open Rebekah’s womb? Why did Isaac even need to pray for this if he knew it was already promised from God?
Read and discuss Luke 11:5-13. How do these verses relate?
8.) God want us to pray and to keep praying. Why doesn’t he just answer them right away? Why did he make it difficult for Abraham and Isaac to bear children if through them he was going to build a nation?
Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Praying for needs helps keep us aware of need, which helps to keep us alert. Alert for what? It keeps us alert for God at work rather than taking God’s grace and goodness for granted – which we do here in America where our needs are not great.
Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)
3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Perseverance and endurance produces character and character produces hope. How is hope different than wishful thinking?
Abraham and Isaac knew God would fulfill his promise. Their faith was their hope in God’s promise fulfilled. Their struggles in having to wait produced their character and hope.
June 12, 2008 at 2:14 PM
Very inspired writing throughout, nice site. Thanx 4 sharing...
God Bless...