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(click on a study, copy and paste it---and it's yours)The Story of the World (and Us) Part 3a: Restoration Begins
God plan for restoring his creation to its life-filled beauty: He will begin with one family and through it, he will bring life to all the nations of the earth.
A. God calls Abraham —Genesis 12:1-3
- What does God ask Abraham to do?
Why?
- What does God promise Abraham?
- What does “blessing” mean here? -Remember Part 1
- Who will be blessed because of Abraham?
- (Is there one blessing with two parts or two separate blessings?)
B. A covenant (partnership) is established —Genesis 17:1-9
- What 2 things does God want Abraham to do? —Gen. 17:1
a.
b.
What do those 2 commands mean?
Why would they be important to God? - What does God promise to do for Abraham? —Gen. 17:3-9
- What must Abraham do? —Gen. 17:10
Does God say in detail what those rules are?
God works through Abraham’s descendants
A. The birth of a blessed nation —Exodus 1—14
- What word might describe the condition of the Israelites according to Exodus 1:7?
- What word might describe her condition according to Ex. 1:11-14?
- Why does God get involved? —Ex. 2:24; 3:7
- What does God plan to do? —Ex. 3:8
- How will God do it? —Ex. 3:10
- How does God want to be known? —Ex. 3:14, 16
a. name:
b. action:
- When Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh with the LORD’S message, how does Pharaoh respond? —Ex. 5:2
- Read Exodus 12:1-14
a. Describe what is going on here.
b. Why would the LORD want Israel to begin the year celebrating this event?
B. The life of a blessed nation
- What is the LORD’S vision for Israel according to Ex. 19: 5, 6?
a. Israel will be God’s “_____________________.”
b. Israel is to be a “________________________.”
What does that mean?
- On what does the realization of that vision depend? —Ex. 19:5
- What do the people promise? —Ex. 19:8
- “Walk before me and be blameless,” the LORD said to
Abraham (Gen. 17:1). He wants Israel to be his partner in
bringing blessing (life) to all the nations of the earth. In Exodus 20:1-17 he tells them how to do and be that.
a. How does the LORD begin?
b. Why is this important?
- God first addresses our relationship with him: —Ex. 20:1-9
a. What is the first rule? —Ex. 20:3
Why is it important that this is the first rule?
b. What is the second rule? —Ex. 20:4
What do nations, cultures, groups “bow down to and worship” today?
c. What is the third rule? —Ex. 20:7
Can you give an example of what this might mean?
d. What is the fourth rule? —Ex. 20:8
Why would God want us to remember that seventh (Sabbath) day? (What did Part 1 say about the 7th day?)
- God next addresses our relationships with one another: vss. 12-17
a. What is the fifth rule? —Ex. 20:12
How can we do that?
b. What is the sixth rule? —Ex. 20:13
What is God protecting here?
c. What is the seventh rule? —Ex. 20:14
What is God concerned about in this rule?
d. What is the eighth rule? —Ex. 20:15
What does this rule protect?
e. What is the ninth rule? —Ex. 20:16
From what does this rule protect us?
f. What is the tenth rule? —Ex. 20:17
What does it mean to “long for” something our neighbor has?
Why is that dangerous?
(Is there anything we should long for? See Matthew 6:33)
- Abraham’s descendants accept the rules of the partnership —Ex 24:3-4
a. How do they respond when Moses tells them what the rules are? —Ex. 24:3
b. To celebrate the partnership Moses takes the blood of the animals and sprinkles half on the altar which symbolizes the presence of God. —Ex. 24:6
- What does he do with the other half of the blood? —Ex. 24:8
- The blood _______________ God and Abraham’s descendants into a partnership with each other. Children sometimes prick their fingers, making them bleed. They then touch fingers, making them “blood brothers.’ they are now “committed to each other.