Week 3 | Genesis 18-26

In Genesis 18-26, this week we continue to see God keep His promise to bless His people despite their sin and rebellion. Whether or not you are familiar with these important historical scenes, “narratives are precious to us because they so vividly demonstrate God’s involvement in the world and illustrate his principles and calling” (p. 105, How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth). The distrust, unbelief, and rampant wickedness of sinful humanity cannot prevent God from accomplishing his redemptive purposes.

Key Themes

• God is faithful to his promises. One way to trace the story of the Bible is thru these promises made to Abraham: a people who know God (Gen 12:2), a place of blessing (Gen 12:7), a king and a kingdom (Gen 12:2, Gen 17:6), and a blessing to the nations (Gen 12:3). We know that these promises will ultimately be fulfilled through Christ.
• What is happening to each element of the promise as the story progresses? Check out this chart from Tim Chester’s From Creation to New Creation: 

• In different scenes throughout Genesis, we see sinful humans make bad decisions that seem to put the promise in jeopardy, and yet God remains faithful to His commitment to bless this family. What does this show us about God’s character?
• How should we read Old Testament narratives? What are their unique features? By this point, you have probably read things in the Genesis narrative that have made you ask some questions or left you confused and this week’s chapters will be no exception. On the one hand, there seems to be an awful lot of sacrificing your wife in order to save your own life and some really horrific sin described in Sodom and Gomorrah, and yet we know that these sins stand against God’s design and law. 
  • What do we do with the parts of the Bible that seem to describe behavior that we know God has explicitly outlawed? There is a difference between descriptions and prescriptions--telling us what happened versus telling us what should happen. The Old Testament is filled with narratives that record the history of God’s people.  

Questions for Application

God is faithful to His promises. What thoughts, attitudes, and actions result from failing to believe this? What does it look like today for you to trust His faithfulness?

The Lord provides. He provides a child for Sarah and Abraham. He provides an animal for the sacrifice. He provides a wife for Isaac. When it comes to your redemption and salvation, how can you praise God for His provision in your life?