Adam and Eve reached for the one things they didn’t have in the Garden: Independence from God. We saw the brokenness of creation come into view as the Image bearers of God tried to become God themselves. God refuses to abandon His creation. For the sake of relationship, He works with people to redeem His creation. These people are also part of the problem. God has a clear path for how He would go about fixing things but He chose to work through messed up people. The story isn’t always as clean as it should be. What does this tell you about God? What does this tell you about relationship with God?
God chooses Abraham and gives him three promises. What are they? How is the third promise supposed to play out (Don’t say Jesus just yet)? God makes promises to Abraham and they enter a covenant relationship together. The central focus of the relationship with Abraham is the same as with Adam…and really the same with us as well. Will Abraham trust that God will take care of him? How do you see Abraham trusting/not trusting God?
Was Abraham actually going to sacrifice Isaac? Had he sacrificed Isaac, how did Abraham reason that God would come through on His promise? How does this parallel with Jesus in the garden before being crucified? What kind of faith did it take for Jesus to go to the cross? What is something you need to sacrifice?
What does it tell you about God that He would allow Jacob to steal Esau’s birthright? Is that what God wanted for that situation?
Has there been a time in your life when you knew you weren’t doing what was right but you can look back and see how God used that situation? I see this a lot in my brother. Kris walked a very dark path. He chose that path on his own. God did not send him down that dark path. Now, after a decade in prison, he helps lead a church in prison and has helped change the lives of several his fellow inmates. This is not the story God had written for him but you can see where God has met Kris where he is and worked with him. We have an incredible God who looks at the mess we’ve made of our lives and continually says, “I can work with this!”