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Explanation of Part 1: Old Testament Study The first section of this course is designed to take students deeper into God’s Word in the Old Testament. The intention is to do this by re-introducing the students to some of the best-known figures in the Old Testament, while using stories from their lives that the students may not be as familiar with. It also brings students into contact with the prophets – even the minor ones, whom they (and most Christians) probably know very little about. Also, students will be led into key periods of history in the Old Testament, including the time of the Judges and the Babylonian Captivity. The goal is for students to learn more about the people, promises, and history of the Old Testament and being able to put them into historical context with the help of a timeline. The other goal in this Old Testament Study (and in the New Testament Study) is to lead students to study God’s Word and apply it to their lives. The student will be expected to read the sections of the Bible and answer the questions for the lesson. When there is a large chronological gap between lessons, the gap is filled in by a section called, “The Bridge to the Next Story.” Lesson 1: Abraham: A Man to Whom God made Great Promises Abraham’s Time: Abraham lived from about 2166BC to about 1991BC. Add him on your timeline. What Do You Know About Abraham? As a review of Abraham’s life, try to remember as many facts about Abraham and as many stories from his life as you can. List them in the space below. If you need help remembering, use Genesis 11:27 – 25:11 to refresh your memory. Bible Study: Learn More About Abraham and the LORD Now, read Genesis 15. You may be familiar with the story in the first part of this chapter, but probably not the one in the second part of the chapter. Let’s see what else we can learn about Abraham and the Lord from this chapter! 1. What promise had God previously made to Abraham? (See Genesis 12:2-3 if you cannot remember). 2. Why was Abraham starting to doubt these promises (see verses 2 and 3)? 3. What does God say to comfort Abraham and reassure him of his promises (see verses 1, 4, and 5)? 4. Genesis 15:6 is one of the most important passages in the entire Old Testament. What does it teach us about how a person is justified (“declared righteous”) in God’s eyes? 5. Read Romans 4:1-5. Why did Abraham have nothing to boast about? 6. How does Paul define faith in verse 5? 7. Back to Genesis 15. What do we learn from verses 1 to 6 about trusting God’s promises, even when what we see tells us that he is not keeping them? 8. Do you ever doubt God’s promises? If so, which ones? How can this story help you to trust them, rather than doubt them? Beginning at verse 8, Abraham asks God for a sign that the land of Israel will belong to his descendants. To give this sign God orders Abraham to cut in half a cow, goat, ram, dove and pigeon. This was a common thing to do in Abraham’s world when two sides wanted to promise each other that they would keep their end of a deal. They cut animals in half and walked between those dead animals as if to say, “If I break my end of the deal, may I be destroyed just like these animals are.” Walking through the dead animals was a dramatic way of saying, “I will keep my end of the deal! I promise!” God, however, does not walk through the dead animals together with Abraham. Instead, he waits for Abraham to fall asleep, and then God passes through the animals ALONE, appearing as a smoking pot and a blazing torch. 9. Why do you think the Lord waited for Abraham to fall asleep so he could pass through the dead animals ALONE? 10. Most of the promises God makes are one-sided. They depend only on God, and we don’t have to do anything. The promise of salvation that God makes to us in Christ Jesus is also a one-sided promise. What comfort is there in that truth? 11. Finally, in verses 13 to 20, God gives Abraham a preview of what will happen to his descendants, Israel. What details from Israel’s history can you gather from these verses?