iam4-1god

Q2. What happened when the Israelites disobeyed God and intermarried with the Canaanites? Why do you think God commanded them not to intermarry? Was this racial or spiritual or both? Why are Christians to marry

Q1. (Genesis 34) Why do you think Jacob is so silent after the rape of his daughter? What should he have done instead of being silent? What was right about the sons

Q4. (Mark 15:34) What does Jesus

Q3. (John 19:26-27) Why does Jesus make St. John responsible for his mother Mary? What does this tell us about Jesus? How should we apply this in our own lives? Jesus wanted to leave his mother in the care of someone who would be good to her, and treat her kindly. Jesus loved His mother, and had respect for her. Also, He was a responsible family man. We need to be respectful of our own parents, and look out for them when they become elderly. I know for me that was hard, because my mom and I were not close. I have had to confess my unwillingness to be respectful to her, and now she is gone hometo be with the Lord. But, I have reconciled with her, and God has forgiven me for my lack of forgiveness toward her. They are our parents, no matter what.

Q2. (Luke 23:39-43) Why is the thief

Q1. (Luke 23:34) Who was most responsible for killing Jesus? What responsibility do you and I bear in this? In what sense was Jesus praying for us? Jesus died for all of us. Before I was saved, I went lolly-gagging through life without a care as to what would happen to me when I die. After I got saved, and got to know God better, I realized that I would have been in a whole lot of trouble if I hadn't accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Jesus took on my sins-all of them-and bore the punishment Himself. But, until we come to that realization, Jesus wants God the Father to know that we are ignorant of our sins, and please be mindful of that. He wanted us covered so that when we do confess, the Father will be able to wash us clean and forgive us for being ignorant of our sins. Isn't that wonderful? God has us taken care of, even before we surrender! He loved us long before we loved Him! It just doesn't get any better than that! Amazing Grace-how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I'm found-was blind, but now I see! Gloray!!!!

Q4. (Genesis 33:1-16) How has Esau changed since Jacob had gone to Haran? How has Jacob changed? How does the encounter demonstrate Jacob

Q3. (Genesis 32:24-30) Who was the

Q2. (Genesis 32.9-12) What does Jacob

Q1. (Genesis 32:1-2) Why does God reveal the angel army to Jacob? What is the significance of the presence of this army? Why do you think he calls the place Mahanaim (

Q5. Why do we often fail to see God

Q4. (Genesis 31:44-55) What are the terms of the Mizpah Covenant? Of what is the Mizpah monument supposed to remind Jacob and Laban? The terms are simple enough-take care of my children, and watch your back! If you break this covenant, God will know! They need to be reminded that God is in control, and He will have His way. Also, when you make a vow to someone, you need to keep it, and cary through.

Q3. (Genesis 31:17-36) Why did Jacob and his family leave without saying good-bye to Laban? In what sense did they

Q2. (Genesis 30:25-43) At what point do you think Jacob realizes that his breeding techniques are not the cause of his growing wealth? According to Deuteronomy 8:17-18, what danger are we in when our income and assets begin to increase? Probably when he realized that he was more prosperous than Laban, did he know what was going on, and Who was behind it all. We forget about God, and attribute our success to our own capabilities. I've seen first-hand, what does happen when some become "better off" financially-they forget about God. May it never be so!

Q1. (Genesis 29) Why do you think God allows Jacob to be tricked into 14 years of labor for two wives? What purposes do you think God is working out through these circumstances? God wanted Jacob to get a taste of his own medicine-what goes around.....that type of thing. This way, Jacob would realize the ramifications of his actions, and see the wrong in being conniving and deceiving. I think God lets all of us go through certain circumstances in order to teach us things that we wouldn't learn on our own. And, God knows how to drive a thought or concept home! Believe me-I know!

Q4. (Genesis 28:22) What does Jacob

Q3. (Genesis 28:18-21) What did it mean to Jacob to set up the stone? What did anointing the stone mean to him? Why does he do these things? What does he promise God in his vow? Jacob wanted to remember the place where he was when God and he made the vow and promise to each other. What intimacy! What love! The Holy Spirit was there! Jacob promised God that, if God would protect him, and provide clothing and food for him, and bring him back to his father's house, that he would keep God as his God.

Q2. (Genesis 28:12-15) What did Jacob

Q1. (Genesis 28:3-4) Why does Isaac bless Jacob, especially after Jacob

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17) What did selling the birthright represent? What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values? What does it reveal bout Jacob's character and values? After looking at this question a second time, I understand a little better what is being talked about here. First of all, I have to look at birthright-what does that mean? Birthright is like a tradition in families with more than one child. The oldest child is entitled to the bulk of the inheritance. Where I come from, that meant the oldest MALE child was entitled to the bulk of the inheritance. In addition, the entitled one was expected to follow in his father's footsteps-carry on the job, pay the bills-head-of-household stuff. So, with all that in mind, I considered the fact that Esau was willing to give that responsibility up for food. That tells me that Esau was more concerned with his stomach, then he was with the responsibilities that would be required of him at a later time. He didn't care about tradition, or family values-maybe I'm going too far here, but that is the general idea that I get from this. Fascinating stuff! Anyway, that is why Esau is being condemned-he didn't care about tradition or responsibility toward his family. Jacpb, on the other hand, was willing to do whatever it took to obtain these things for himself.

Q6. Extra Credit. Whose character flaws most remind you of your own? Isaac's, Rebekah's, Esau's, or Jacob's? Why? How is God working to improve your character? I think I can most identify with all of them. From time to time, I tend to exibit a little of the ole "I can do this" line of thinking, and of course, I can't! But, for the most part, I think I'm a little like Issac-I tend to just let things roll. I pray and ask God, and then just wait. I think God is working on me as far as my belief that He is in control. I have a problem with that sometimes. Kind of like Rebekah. I don't wait on God, and it gets me in trouble. So, that is the issue that God is working on me at this time.

Q5. (Genesis 25:28) What happens when your children sense that you love one child more than another? Did such discrimination happen to you when you were growing up? If so, how are you finding healing? How can we as parents love our children equally but differently? This is a difficult concept, and one that I still struggle with, even though my children are grown. Each one has different needs, and this causes problems. One needs more of this and the other needs more of something else. Even now I hear, " You love them more than me!" I grew up in an abusive house, and I promised myself that I would not make the mistakes that my parents made. It didn't matter. I still get accused of favoritism! If someone can tell me where the line is, I will be most grateful! My healing came in finding Jesus, and allowing Him to do the fixing. I came to terms with my parents problems, and why they did what they did. And, the Spirit of God helped me to understand why my children are so jealous of each other...just like the two we just studied! Each one clammering for more than the other. Greed and misunderstanding-unwillingness to compromise and/or share. Human nature at it's finest! God help us to see things for what they really are! Remove the "self" veil and replace it with love and compassion for others.

Q4. (Genesis 27:33) Why couldn't Isaac reverse his blessing once he discovers Jacob's trickery? What is Isaac's role in this blessing? What is God's role in it? The only way I can answer the first quetion is to say that, as a parent, Issac had blessed his son-not the right son-but a son, indeed. And, finally, the bottom line is, God will have His way, no matter what. Only He knows how a thing will turn out. And He is able to make it happen. God can and does use our sinful nature to bring about His will. He can do that, because He is God-His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Q3. (Genesis 27:6-29) God had told Rebekah that Jacob is supposed to rule over Esau (Genesis 25:23). To what extent does this excuse her plan to deceive her husband Isaac? How much responsibility does Jacob bear in the deception? What Rebekah did was wrong-100 percent. God had told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger. She was not willing to wait on God-she made it happen herself. Jacob did what his mother told him to do. He could have said "No, Mother, this isn't right!", but he just did what she said. So, he is just as responsible as she is. I think sometimes, God will use our mistakes to bring about His will for us. He can do that, because He is sovereign. He is way smarter than us, and He knows the end from the beginning. He doesn't have to explain Himself to anyone, but when we are in Heaven, everything will be clear. So we need to obey, and not ask why. Trust and obey-and WAIT!

Q2. Was Rebekah a spiritual woman, that is, interested in spiritual things? Was Isaac a spiritual man? Which do you think was the more spiritually sensitive? What evidence of spirituality do you see in Jacob? In Esau? I have been shown that even the most "spiritual" people have a propensity to think only of themselves, from time to time. I am guilty of this. Our degree of sprirituality is subject to our flesh-driven desire for whatever it is that we want at any given time. To say that one person is more spiritual than another is wrong. All of us must, on a daily basis, strive to repress the desire to please self, and work on trying to see that others around us are put first. This is something that I am being taught, as I do this study. I am prone to think about me a lot. But-God is merciful, and He is a very good teacher! Gloray!