The second week of Bible Study continues to look at Genesis, and looks at God’s covenant with Abraham.

God’s People

God calls upon Abram to be the father of the Jewish people and establishes a covenant (agreement) with him. This week of lessons follow with the lives of Isaac and Jacob.

Day 1

Reading: Genesis 12 – 13. Abram and God’s commitment to Abram, the story of Abram and his wife Sarai as they go to Egypt.  Abram and Sarai leave Egypt and Chapter 13 describes Abram and Lot going their separate ways.

Day 2

Reading: Genesis 14 – 16.  This will show Abram’s rescue of Lot and Abraham’s being blessed by Melchizedek, this is followed by God, in a vision, making a covenant with Abram. Finally, for today, we learn of Sarai, Hagar and Abram, and the story of the conception of a child for Abram. We learn that Hagar, Abram’s servant, conceived a child by him. Even though Abram’s wife, Sarai had originally suggested that this should happen, she became angry and mistreated Hagar. Hagar fled but was instructed by God to return – she gave birth to Ishmael.

Day 3

Reading: Genesis 17 – 19.  This starts 13 years after the last chapter ends. God made a covenant with Abram, and as part of the covenant renamed him Abraham (which means father of a multitude). The covenant would make Abraham’s people populous and he would be the father of many nations. As part of the covenant the Jewish males would bear the mark of this covenant on their bodies – circumcision. God also promised that Sarai would bear Abraham’s child and she would become the mother of nations. Abraham did not believe and laughed. Isaac would be the name of the first son born to Sarah, as instructed by God. In chapter 18, God appeared again and again affirmed that Sarah would have a son – by the time of God’s reappearance in a year. In addition, Abraham interceding on behalf of Sodom is described. God agrees not to destroy Sodom if but ten righteous people are found in the whole of the city. In chapter 19, two Angels arrived at the gate of Sodom – and Lot recognised them as Angels, and he pressed them to spend the night in his house. The men of the town arrive at the house in order to have homosexual relations with the men. Despite Lot offering his unwed daughters to them they refuse. They even turn on Lot. The angels resolve to destroy the city as commanded by the LORD. Lot’s sons-in-law refuse to believe Lot when he tells them. Lot fled to Zoar, with the agreement of the Angels. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by sulfur and fire. Lot’s wife looked upon the cities being destroyed and was turned to salt as a result. Out of fear of the manner of the destruction, lot hid with his daughters in the hills. They, too, feared that they would as a result, not have husbands. The elder daughter first, then the younger, gave Lot much drink and then had intercourse with him on consecutive nights to become pregnant by him. The narrative says that he was unaware of either act of intercourse. Moab was born to the elder sister and was father of the Moabites. The younger also bore a son called Ben-ammi who was the father of the Ammonites.