Introduction: Have you ever unexpectedly found yourself in a “tough
spot” and wondered how you got there? Our study this week reveals how
making a series of small, but poor, decisions can create serious
problems in our life. Let’s jump into our study and learn more!
- Hagar
- Read Genesis 16:1-2. Set to one side your thoughts about
“marriage = one man and one woman,” has Sarai made a
reasonable proposal? - Is Sarai acting against God, or is she co-operating
with God? (Sarai says God has prevented her from
having children, so she is stepping aside to allow
the will of God to be done. I can perfectly
understand her thinking.) - Let’s go back and pick up some verses from Genesis 15.
Abram has a servant in his household named Eliezer who he
has been named the primary beneficiary in Abram’s will.
Read Genesis 15:3-6. What did Abram believe? - Is the faith of Abram contrary to the plan of action
suggested by Sarai? (I can clearly see myself saying,
“God closed one door and has opened another. Praise
to God. After all, the promise was to Abram, and not
Sarai.) - Let’s continue with our story. Read Genesis 16:3-4. Would
you say the plan has worked? God blessed and it worked! - What problem arises? (Hagar “began to despise”
Sarai.) - Why would she do this? (Pride.)
- Do you remember that little rule (“marriage =
one man and one woman”) from Genesis 2:24 that I
asked you to set aside? How much of a factor is
it here? (Protection against issues of self-worth, pride and jealousy are all wrapped up in
this rule.) - Read Genesis 16:5. What do you say about these charges?
(Sarai is running on emotion, not logic. On the other
hand, no one likes to be despised.) - Read Genesis 16:6. What do you think about the character
of Abram and Sarai now? (He is weak. She is rich, proud
and spoiled.) - How did they get into this tough situation?
(Remember, Abram had been weak when he lied about
Sarai being his sister. No doubt this was where they
obtained Hagar. He was weak when he agreed to take
Hagar as his wife. He is certainly weak now in
letting his second wife be abused. Sarai is ruled by
her emotions of jealousy and pride. Logic flew out
the door a long time ago and now she is abusive.) - Read Genesis 16:7-10, 15. Explain this to me? We just
concluded that none of this – taking Hagar as his second
wife, and Abram, Sarai and Hagar’s conduct towards each
other – was what God had in mind. Why does God continue
with His promise to Abram (and now to Hagar)? (God is
faithful even when we are not faithful. There may come a
time when God throws in the towel on us (i.e. the flood
example), but God shows that He is very patient with those
who seek Him.) - Has God overruled all the wrong and made it all right?
(Read Genesis 37:28. Joseph, Sarah and Abraham’s great-grandson, is taken into slavery by the descendants of
Ishmael. Commentators point out that the current middle-east problem stems from conflicts between the heirs of
Isaac and Ishmael.) - Isaac
- Read Genesis 17:1-6. We just discussed how faithful God is
to us. What do you think Abram’s opinion was about the
faithfulness of God? (He is now 99 years old, has one son,
and God gives him the (slightly embarrassing) name of
Abraham which means the “father of many nations.”) - Read Genesis 17:15-18. What kind of faith does Abraham
show? - Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines says Abraham’s laughter
“was that of joyful faith.” Is that how you see it? - How much faith is shown by Abraham in Genesis 17:18?
(Wiersbe is not the only commentary that argues that
Abraham’s laugh was that of faith. Verse 18 makes
that unlikely. Abraham is still arguing for the
“works” son, not the faith son. See Galatians 4:24-31.) - Let’s skip ahead and read Genesis 18:10-15. How does Sarah
react? - Read Genesis 17:19-21. One commentary says that the root
word in Hebrew “to laugh” is the verb from which the name
“Isaac” is taken. Does our God have a sense of humor? - How do you react when people laugh at your words
because they do not believe you? - Sodom
- Three travelers are invited by Abraham to stop and be
refreshed. Read Genesis 18:16-21. Why did God reveal to
Abraham His plan to destroy Sodom? (God shares His plans
with His human friend.) - What does that teach us today? (God reveals His will
to his friends.) - Read Genesis 18:22-26. Recall that God said He would check
to see if things were as bad as He had heard. What is
Abraham’s opinion of the state of Sodom? (Abraham is of
the opinion that when God checks it out, He will vote for
destruction.) - Is Abraham bargaining with God based on God’s mercy?
(No. In Genesis 18:25 he mentions saving the
righteous.) - Read Genesis 18:27-33. Explain for me the logic of
Abraham’s plea. Why does Abraham want the entire city
saved? (I cannot understand his logic. It is not
necessary, as we will see, to spare the entire city to
save those who are righteous.) - If Abraham’s argument is so illogical, should we
conclude that he is really arguing to spare the
wicked? (I think so. How is your heart towards the
unsaved? How is your heart toward homosexuals? What
are you doing to save them?) - Do you think that Abraham thought the city would be
spared? (Yes. Just the members of Lot’s family and closest
friends might number ten.) - Read Genesis 19:1-2. Where is God, the third member of the
group? (God makes a personal visit to His friend, but not
to Lot.) - Read Genesis 19:3. Why did Lot insist on the travelers
staying with him rather in the public square? - Read Genesis 19:4-7. Lot calls the men of the city his
“friends.” Do you think that they are? - Notice that Lot has moved from a tent near the city
( Genesis 13:12) to a house in the city. Why is that?
(He must have been friends with those who lived in
Sodom.) - What kind of men live in Sodom? (They are not just
homosexuals, they are rapists. Not just some of them,
but Genesis 19:4 says “all the men” of the city.) - Read Genesis 19:8. Why didn’t the men accept Lot’s offer?
(Such an offer seems so beyond my comprehension (strangers
come under the “protection of his roof,” but his daughters
do not) that I would like to think that Lot knew these
homosexuals would not be interested in his daughters.) - Read Genesis 19:9-11. What do you think would have
happened if the two men had not been angels? (The men of
Sodom would have broken down the door and raped Lot and
his guests. We see that Lot has made a series of small,
but poor, decisions.) - Why blind the men as opposed to killing them?
- Read Genesis 19:12-14. Recall that God said He was going
to check out Sodom to see if it was as wicked as He had
heard. What is the answer? - What is the answer to the question about finding ten
righteous people in the city? - Is God keeping His promise to Abraham? (God, as
usual, is more than keeping His promise. The deal was
that God could destroy the whole place if less than
10 righteous people could be found. Instead, God
saves the (fewer than ten) “righteous” people that He
finds.) - Read Genesis 19:15-17. Why does Lot hesitate? (He loves
his stuff and this sinful place.) - Notice that the angels literally pull Lot and his
family out of the city. Why? (Again, God is more
than kind and generous. He not only goes beyond His
promise to Abraham, He literally has his angels pull
reluctant Lot and his family out of the doomed city
for Abraham’s sake. See Genesis 19:29.) - Read Genesis 19:24-26. Did the inhabitants of Sodom
deserve to die? Who destroyed them? - Friend, we see that God shows great kindness and love to
those who have an interest in Him. On the other hand,
small steps in the wrong direction can take us away from
God’s will. When we get too far out His will, destruction
awaits us. In which direction are your steps going these
days? - Next week: The Triumph of Faith.
