Reading out loudLesson 15 – Review & Reflection
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___ Jacob wrestles with God at night. |
___ A blind father is tricked into blessing a younger son. |
___ Abraham has a son, Ishmael, by Sarah's maid. |
___ God puts a bow in the sky. |
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___ Joseph dreams about sheaves bowing down. |
___ God makes an adam from the adamah. |
___ Jacob gets two wives. |
_20__ A blind grand father blesses a younger grandson on purpose. |
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___ A child is born and named "he laughs" |
___ Jacob swaps lentil stew for a birthright |
___ God regrets making adam. |
___ Jacob makes peace with Esau. |
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___ God asks Abraham and Sarah to leave Haran and sojourn in an unknown land. |
___ Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams |
___ God and two angels have dinner with Abraham. |
___ Jacob builds an altar and God blesses him. |
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___ Rebekah offers to water camels |
___ Jacob dreams about a ladder |
___ Jacob's sons try to buy grain in Egypt. |
_1__ All that God creates is good. |
Reviewing Bible Study techniques
The sessions and "Bible Background" articles have suggested many different techniques for studying the text. See the list below.
Which of these study techniques were new for your?
Which (old or new) did you find especially helpful?
Which do you think you might use in other Bible study setting?
Reading out loud
Reading in parts
Paying attention to who does and does not speak -- and the first words a character says
Locating places on maps
Learning about the ancient world's customs
Looking for connecting links between stories noticing a pun or play on words
( in the Bible footnotes) and asking what it means
Looking for modern equivalents of biblical characters
Drawing pictures
If you liked learning about ancient customs, get in the habit of consulting Bible dictionaries. Some of the headings you can look under include; names of people, places, and biblical books, theological ideas such as covenant, and objects and customs such as camels, marriage, and birthright. Check the church library to see what is available.
List the ideas and teachings that seem important to the Genesis writers -- pay special attention to themes that cam up multiple times.
What questions and concerns do the writers seem to be responding to?
What things did they think their readers wanted to know about?
The "Bible Background" for Session 3 stated, "Throughout the story of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, one literary and theological theme stands out: the theme of God's promise on the way to being fulfilled, but never fully fulfilled…. The promise still belongs to the future, awaiting its consummation."
Now that you have studied the stories, do you agree or disagree whit this statement and why?
Twice before, discussion instructions have asked how you would feel about a story if you related to it as if you were an Israelite living in the "promised land." You have also been asked how you would respond if your were a displaced person who had been captured and taken away from the land.
Which questions and concerns of Genesis (including the "unfulfilled promise" there) would belong to Israelites living in the land?
Which would concern Israelites who had lost their land? (This is not either/or. Many things might be important to both groups.)
What ides have been most important to you from Genesis?
How are your questions the same as or different from the Israelites?
How do you feel about the answers you've found so far?
Does the "unfulfilled promise" theme have any relevance for Christian life?
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Holy One their God,
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__14_ Jacob wrestles with God at night. |
_10__ A blind father is tricked into blessing a younger son. |
_7__ Abraham has a son, Ishmael, by Sarah's maid. |
_4__ God puts a bow in the sky. |
|
_17__ Joseph dreams about sheaves bowing down. |
_2__ God makes an adam from the adamah. |
_12__ Jacob gets two wives. |
__20_ A blind grand father blesses a younger grandson on purpose. |
|
_8__ A child is born and named "he laughs" |
_9__ Jacob swaps lentil stew for a birthright |
__3_ God regrets making adam. |
_16__ Jacob makes peace with Esau. |
|
_5__ God asks Abraham and Sarah to leave Haran and sojourn in an unknown land. |
_18__ Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams |
_6__ God and two angels have dinner with Abraham. |
_15__ Jacob builds an altar and God blesses him. |
|
_11__ Rebekah offers to water camels |
__13_ Jacob dreams about a ladder |
_19_ Jacob's sons try to buy grain in Egypt. |
_1__ All that God creates is good. |
Lesson 2 - An Early Covenant & Rainbow
Lesson 3 - The Call of Abraham
Lesson 11 - From Home to Egypt
Lesson 12 - Joseph with the Pharaoh