Genesis

Lesson 17 w/AnswersGenesis 11:27-12:20

Beginnings

In this lesson, we begin our examination of the life of Abraham, and all that God did through him. Highly revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, Abraham stands as a vivid example of what it means to live a life of faith. Initially, we will look at his life from birth up to the point at which he and Lot separate. Abraham and Sarah will become the beginning of the chosen people of God, and will continue the line of redemption begun first with Adam and Eve, then Seth, then Noah, and then his son Shem. We discussed Shem’s descendants in our last lesson where they were identified as the lineage through which Abram was born in Ur, a mountainous area in modern-day Iraq.

Read Genesis 11:27-12:20, and consider the following questions:

  1. Abram’s father was Terah. How many sons did Terah have (or, to put it another way, how many brothers did Abram have), and what were their names? (see Genesis 11:26)
    1. ANSWER: Abram had two brothers: Nahor and Haran.
  2. Which of Terah’s sons died while Terah was still alive? What children did that son leave behind at his death? (see Genesis 11:27-32)
    1. ANSWER: Haran died before his father did, and he left behind two daughters, Milcah and Iscah, and a son Lot.
  3. Abram and Nahor both had wives. What were their names? In particular, what was noted in the text about the wife of Abram? (see Genesis 11:29-30)
    1. ANSWER: Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. The Bible also notes that Sarai was barren. It does not make that same comment regarding Milcah.
  4. One hundred and forty years after Abram’s birth, he (as Abraham) will seek a wife for his son Isaac; so he sends his servant to his brother Nahor. By this time, how many sons did Nahor and Milcah have, compared to Sarah who died after having only given birth to Isaac? (see Genesis 22:20-24 and Genesis 24:24)
    1. ANSWER: Eight sons. Rebecca, who will become Isaac’s wife, is the daughter of one of their sons, Bethuel.
  5. So, Abraham’s son and one of Nahor’s granddaughters (Isaac and Rebecca) begin the lineage of the Jews. In contrast, what two lines does Lot, son of Haran, eventually father? (see Genesis 19:36-38)
    1. ANSWER: Lot sleeps with his two daughters and becomes the father of both the Moabites and the Ammonites.
  6. What Moabite woman would become the grandmother of David? (see Ruth 1:4 and 4:16-17)
    1. ANSWER: Ruth, a Moabitess, became the grandmother of David.
  7. In Genesis 12:1-3, Abram receives the call from God. God commands him to do four things. What are they?
    1. ANSWER 1: Leave his country;
    2. ANSWER 2: Leave his people;
    3. ANSWER 3: Leave his father’s household; and
    4. ANSWER 4: Go to the land that God will show him.
  8. Of the four things that God commanded Abram to do, which one did he do immediately? (see Genesis 12:4-9)
    1. ANSWER: He left his country, and he headed for the land the Lord would show him. However, he also took Lot and all of the possessions that the family had accumulated in Haran.
  9. In Genesis 12:8-9, Abraham pitches his tent between Bethel and Ai. Bethel means the "house of God", and Ai would be ultimately be called the "house of destruction". Why would Ai be called that? (see Joshua 7:3-5)
    1. ANSWER: Fresh from their victory over Jericho, some of Joshua’s army proceed to attack Ai on their own, in a prideful manner; not relying on, or asking for, God’s direction and protection. This leads to a demoralizing defeat.
  10. Abram and Sarai continue to travel toward the Negev, but a famine in the land forces them to continue on into Egypt. When they enter Egypt, Abram lies. What is the lie, and why did he do it?
    1. ANSWER: He tells Sarai to act like she is his sister and not his wife, so that they will not kill him. Tradition in those days said that a man could kill another man for his wife, but not for his sister.
  11. Did Abram, once God renamed him Abraham, ever use this lie again? Furthermore, was Sarai in fact his sister, i.e., had Abram actually married his sister? (see Genesis 20:1-2 and Genesis 20:12)
    1. ANSWER: Yes and yes, for both of these questions. He uses the lie again, in spite of what happened to him in Egypt. Furthermore, Sarai was actually his half-sister, since she had the same father as Abram but had a different mother.

Until the next lesson, continue to reflect on the beginning of Abraham’s life, his walk of faith, and the family roots that we know will be so prominent in the years ahead. In the next lesson, we will examine both his separation from Lot, as well as the covenant that God will make with Abraham.

Thanks for being faithful in studying with us.

In Christ,

Wes

[2010]

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