Grow Guide | October 24
God Is - We Are
Genesis 22: 1-18
Connecting Questions
What is something in your life--whether an idea, a thing or a person--that you would never want to give up or let go?
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when doing the “right thing” made no sense at all? What happened?
Context
We continue our series God Is...We Are this week with another very difficult story from the life of Abraham. There are two important things we must keep in mind when we read these stories. First, the ancient world was radically different than our own. The culture in which Abraham lived viewed humanity as an accident, produced by the violence of the gods. Humans were afraid of the gods. Many of the gods demanded human sacrifice--even child sacrifice--to appease them. This violence was a part of every day life. Let that sink in for a moment.
Second, Abraham is not a perfect character. He is a flawed human being who is in process, just like you and me. Most of his story so far has been filled with examples of how he has made bad choices which demonstrated his lack of trust in God’s promise. The story today marks the turning point for Abraham. That said, we must acknowledge that it is difficult for us to fully place ourselves in the context of this story, but we must try.
Look at the Book
Read Genesis 22:1-18.
Read verse 2 slowly. How does God describe Isaac?
What does God ask Abraham to do? Why do you suppose God would require such a thing from Abraham?
What does Isaac expect will happen (verse 7)?
What does Abraham hope will happen (verse 8)?
What is Abraham willing to do (verse 10)? Why is he willing to do this?
How does God respond to Abraham’s willingness (verses 11-13)? Why?
What does Abraham call that place (verse 14)? Why?
How is God’s presentation of the promise in verses 15-18 different than the other times he has repeated the promise (see Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 17:1-8)?
Taking it Home
Abraham was willing to sacrifice the very thing that God said would fulfill the promise (you can’t be the father of a great nation if your only son is dead). What do you think is the point of this story? For Israel? For us?
We are all on a journey of learning to trust God in a world that often seems uncertain and confusing. In what ways do you feel that you can trust God, and what things might you still be holding tightly and not willing to let go?
Based on this lesson, how would you fill in the blanks, God is _____, We are _________?