Genesis Overview Part 2

Abe's family and descendants

• totally dysfunctional

• example of how to be good people

• generally good, with a few flaws

• not enough information provided in the Bible to describe his family

At one point, Joe (Joseph) said, "You guys planned all of this for evil, but God planned it for good to save people's lives." What was he referring to?

• the false accusation by Potifer's wife (and the betrayal by Potifer)

• the king's servants when they forgot about Joe

• what Joe's brothers did by selling him as a slave

• what the people of Egypt did by enslaving Abe's descendants

"You guys planned all of this for evil, but God planned it for good to save people's lives."

Which describes the quote above?

• this summarizes the whole book of Genesis

• this summarizes Joe's whole life

• this summarizes one specific part of Joe's life

• all of these

Read the lists of subjects that come up in Genesis. Which is accurate?

• sexual abuse

  sibling rivalry

  rape

  urban living

  getting drunk

  homosexuality

  art/music

• jealousy

  sibling rivalry

  polygamy

  murder

  church

  10 commandments

  art/music

• sexual abuse

  sibling rivalry

  church

  murder

  treasure hunting

  agriculture

• bad parenting

  sibling rivalry

  false imprisonment

  polygamy

  wine-making

  urban living

  10 commandments

"God was with him and blessed him." How is God's presence & blessing visible during Joe's time as a slave?

• Joe's time as a slave was very short (less than a year)

• Joe was successful in all the work he did for his master

• even though his master believed the false rape charges, he did not kill Joe

• his master did not believe the false rape charges

• Joe was given more responsibities and freedom than most slaves

"God was with him and blessed him." How was God's presence & blessing visible during Joe's time in prison?

• Joe's time in prison was very short (less than 2 years)

• the prisoners & guards all recognized Joe's close connection with God

• sometimes, when God communicated with people in dreams, he told Joe what their dreams meant

• as soon as he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh's servant, the man thanked him by getting him released

• Joe was given more responsibility and freedom than most prisoners

Based on what Joe says about God at the end of Genesis, it is clear that God's presence & blessing during Joe's time in slavery/prison . . .

• . . . enabled Joe to trust in God's goodness even through years of suffering and injustice.

• all of these

• . . . kept him from being eaten alive by bitterness, hatred, and a need for revenge.

• . . . helped him trust in God's justice and freed him to forgive

• . . . changed his perspective, allowing him to see his difficulties as part of God's greater plan

Based on Joe's story, in the context of Genesis as a whole, choose the statements that could complete this sentence accurately.

"In this world that we've messed up, __________"

• . . . people may suffer as a result of doing what is right.

• . . . people suffer as a result of their own sin, not as a result of other people's sin.

• . . . sometimes God allows people to see how He is using their suffering for good in their life

• . . . people should expect God to immediately right the wrongs that have been done to them

• . . . people should expect God to prevent all injustice

Based on Joe's story, in the context of Genesis as a whole, what does it look like for someone to trust God/to walk with God?

• Overall, they see their own life as part of God's larger plan.

• Overall, their beliefs about God's character are based on their particular circumstances.

• Life's difficulties, in the long run, serve to deepen their trust in God.

• Overall, their hope in life is based on God's character and his promises, not on their expectation that life will go a certain way.

• When wronged by someone, they assume the person had good motives/ downplay how bad it was.

Based on Jake/Jacob's story, in the context of Genesis as a whole, what does it look like for someone to trust God/to walk with God?

• Overall, the sin and mistakes of their past end up humbling them, helping them recognize their need for God.

• They take action to get rid of those things that hold them back from fully following and trusting God.

• They no longer have to deal with any consequences from the sin and mistakes in their past.

• They never wrestle with doubt.

• They no longer struggle with any of the sins that they struggled with before they began trusting/walking with God.