Old Testament 150 Reading Challenge week 6

Old Testament 150 Reading Challenge 5 May 2014 to 28th November 2014 Week 06: Bible Reading Plan and Discussion Starters

Welcome to The Salvation Army's Challenge to read
150 popular chapters from the Old Testament within 7 months,

reading just 5 chapters per week.

 Monday, June 09, 2014 --- Genesis 26 – Isaac and Abimelech

-       V5, what laws, statutes, or commandments is God referring to?

-       V6-10, where do you think Isaac learned to do such a sneaky (even deceitful?) thing?

-       Do you think this is because Abraham told the story of his past adventures to Isaac?...or was it simply a case of ‘like father, like son’?...or a bit of both?

-       V35, this is a sad verse isn’t it?...are we a ‘grief of mind’ to anyone?

  

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 --- Genesis 27 – Isaac blesses Jacob, who then runs away from Esau

-       V1-8, what do you think was so important about being blessed by Isaac ?

-       V1-8, is this a commendable thing Rebekah does ?...or is it deceitful against her own husband and elder son ?

-       V19, Jacob tells a clear lie, and the Bible doesn’t hide this flaw in his character. Is this a good thing, or would you rather not know about such things ?

-       V20, is the lie made even worse by bringing God into it ?

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 --- Genesis 28 – the story of Jacob’s vision of a stairway to heaven

  -       Thus far we don’t seem to come across God rebuking Jacob for his deceit. In fact, in v13-15 God seems to affirm the blessing Isaac unknowingly gave to Jacob. What are we to make of this ?...do you think God doesn’t worry about deceit ?...was God’s promise to Abraham and Isaac too important to risk breaking at this point ?...did God plan for Jacob to receive the blessing all along, or was it simply a case of foreknowing that this would happen ?

-       V16, have you ever been in a place or situation where after a while you realised the presence and purpose of God had been at work all along and you hadn’t previously recognised it ?

-       V22, why a tenth ?...and how do you decide how much to give back to God ?

Thursday, June 12, 2014 --- Genesis 29 – More deceit, and Jacob marries Rachel and Leah

-       V15-30, Jacob is deceived by Laban, his own relative. Do you think this was part of the punishment intended by God to help Jacob realise how wrong his own deceitfulness had been ?

-       V23-25, how could Jacob do all this without realising it was Leah instead of Rachel ?... do you think he had too much to drink at the feast ?...or was it simply too dark to tell ? … do you know people who have done things they’ve regretted the following day ?...can we learn anything from this ?

-       V30, marrying two people may bring problems in itself, but to love one more than the other is surely a recipe for disaster !...but it is also a flaw within Jacob which arises later on too. In what ways must we guard from favouritism in our families, and at church ?

Friday, June 13, 2014 --- Genesis 30 – Jacob’s wives and maids have children, and he makes an agreement with Laban as his family and possessions grow.

-       V 2, is God to blame when people cannot conceive ?

-       V31-43, is this clever strategy something which God approved of ?...why do you think Jacob didn’t simply rely on God to provide what he needed ?…or is the ability to make such a cunning manoeuvre part of God’s provision and blessing?