Old Testament 150 Reading Challenge week 9

Old Testament 150 Reading Challenge 5 May 2014 to 28th November 2014 Week 10: 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, July 07, 2014 --- Genesis 46 --- Israel and his entire family move into Egypt. 

-        V4, why was it important for God to mention bringing Israel back out of Egypt again?

-       V4, what do you think Israel would have done if he knew how his descendants would ultimately be treated in Egypt?...what can this remind us about knowing the future?

-       V34 does this interesting bit of information help explain how the Israelites eventually became considered as lower class, and then on to become exploited?

  

Tuesday, July 08, 2014 --- Genesis 47 --- Land and livestock are sold for the grain stored by Joseph in Egypt. 

-       V6, do we get another glimpse here of just how much Pharaoh trusted Joseph?

-       V9, is Israel making a link here between how evil we are and how long we live for?...or is he just stating facts?

-       V13-26, (especially v19) was this the beginning of the Israelites becoming slaves?

-       V22 & 26, how would the treatment of Egypt’s priests have possibly been influential in the eventual relegation of the Israelites?

-       V28, clearly Israel lived beyond the 7 years of famine, so why do you think they didn’t return to Canaan (the land promised to him and his descendants) when the famine ended?...had they become too comfortable?...were they waiting for a ‘sign’ from God?....what can we learn from this delay?

Wednesday, July 09, 2014 --- Genesis 48 --- Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, receive Israel’s blessing.

-       V7, how helpful is it to have this reminder of names and towns and how they had changed?...does it in any way help us to identify the original land promised to Israel?

-       V21, again we may ask…if Israel, Joseph, and his brothers, knew and remembered the promise of the land of Canaan, then why didn’t they return at this time?

  

Thursday, July 10, 2014 --- Genesis 49 --- Israel gives individual blessings to all his sons before dying. 

-       V1, why do you think Israel was so sure of what would happen to these sons in the future?

-       V2-27, do you think Israel enjoyed giving this prophecy, or do you think some of the things were hard for him to be saying to his own sons?

-       V18, to what is this referring?...to Dan specifically?...to the Israelites leaving Egypt?...to the future Messiah Jesus? 

Friday, July 11, 2014 --- Genesis 50 --- Joseph buries his father in Canaan, and lives to a great age before making the Israelites promise to bury him in Canaan too. 

-       V1-14, with so many Israelites making this journey to bury Israel in the land of Canaan, why do you think this opportunity wasn’t taken to move everyone back to the promised land at this time?...do you think Joseph felt responsible to continue to serve Pharaoh?...or reluctant to leave a comfortable life with high status?...or are there other possible reasons you can identify?

-       V24-26, Joseph still believed in the promise of the return to the promised land in Canaan, but, unlike his father Israel, he does not ask to be buried back in their homeland immediately, but to be taken when the Israelites left Egypt together. Why do you think he made this different request?...was it more of a request which demonstrated faith in God’s promises?...was he expecting the Israelites to leave Egypt soon?...or was it the opposite perhaps?...would his body’s presence in Egypt (embalmed in a coffin) be intended to be for the benefit of the Egyptians to remind them of their debt to Joseph?