Lesson 3 (Jan 9-15), Global Rebellion and the Patriarchs

How much does our position in the family (eldest, middle, youngest) influence the outcome of our choices and destiny?

Cain and Abel

1. What was Cain's wrong since there is no record that God had instructed them to bring animal sacrifices? If that was critical should not the author have emphasised it?
2. How was Cain's response to God's questions worse than Adam's when confronted by God?

The Flood

1. Does Peter (2 Peter 3:6) seem to suggest that the flood may not have been universal by using the phrase "the world of that time?"
2. What indications in the narrative indicate that the flood was universal?
3. How could Noah be drunk at one time and still be called perfect?

Abraham

1. What are the indications in the Abraham stories that suggest that his faith was not perfect?
2. What supreme tests of faith did Abraham pass? How easy was the test of moving out of Ur? What made it easy enough for Abraham to obey God?
3. Does faith obliterate all doubts?

Jacob and Easu

1. Why should the eldest son get more than the other siblings?
2. How should Isaac have handled sibling rivalry?
3. How could God use one who cheated left and right?

Joseph

1. Was Jacob unwise to give one son special favours?
2. Were Joseph's dreams from God or a result of his personal ambition?

Do God's backup plans bring the same result as the first plan?

Lesson 2 (Jan 2-8), Crisis in Eden

Three Blessings

1. How is being fruitful and multiplying a blessing to humans and animals?
2. Have humans surrendered dominion over the earth to Satan only or also to animals?
3. Is the Sabbath for humans alone or also for animals?

The Test at the Tree

1. Why was it important for God to test humans? Could he not have banished Satan to some uninhabited world and confined him there?
2. What was it that fascinated Eve so much-- the talking serpent, the attractive fruit, or the idea independence from God?
3. Is there any middle ground between obedience and disobedience?

The Fall

1. Is the snake in nature the most crafty of all animals? Why do you think Satan chose a snake as his medium? Wouldn't it have been better to select a cute irresistible animal?
2.  What could have made Eve include a ban on even touching the fruit in her response to the serpent when there is no record that God had placed a ban on touching the forbidden fruit?
3. Why does a mixture of truth and error add up to error and not truth?
4. Did Adam and Eve become more like God after sin?
5. What is the relationship of experiencing sin and the sense of nakedness?
6. Was God present during the temptation? Was the situation balanced evenly or was the temptation stronger than the urge to be faithful?

The Consequences

1. How much time could have elapsed between the creation of Adam and Eve and their sin?
2. Why do humans tend to justify their wrongdoing by blaming others? Was Eve truly deceived by the serpent? 
3. Was Adam partly correct in blaming Eve? Should God have given him a better wife? What could have done if Adam resisted Eve's temptation?
4. If Eve had resisted successfully would Satan have been banished or would they have to be on guard always?
5. Will sin be possible in the New Earth?

Lesson 1 (Dec 26-Jan 10, Crisis in Heaven)

The Fall in Heaven

1. Is it true that to explain the origin of evil would be to excuse it?
2. Why is pride associated with the worst of sins and sinners?
3. How can one help the proud to see their dangerous position?

The Prince of This World

1. Did Satan become the prince of this world as soon Adam lost it or was there a gap in time?
2. Does naming a thing or person indicate authority of the one or thing named? What about naming objects? What about a younger sibling giving a name to an older sibling either as a nickname or pet name?
3. How does roaming in a territory indicate dominion?

War in Heaven

1. How could Satan imagine that he could defeat God?
2. What does Satan have agains humans who were not even present in heaven?
3. How easy is it to overcome temptation?

Satan Evicted

1. How does using the name of Jesus enable humans to cast out demons?
2. Is it necessary for everyone present to confess their sins first before a demon can be cast out? Why or why not?
3. Could demons be cast out of humans before Jesus was born on this earth?

The Continuing Battle

1. When we consider the lives of the heroes of Heb 11 does it fill us with hope or despair? Why?  How easy is it for us to be like them?
2. How easy is it to resist the devil?
3. What are Elijah and Moses doing in heaven? Can they help us now?
4. Should we be afraid of the devil?

Lesson 13 (Dec 19-25), Lessons from Jeremiah

Jeremiah's Lord

1. Why do you think it is that Satan does not have his own Bible to tell his side of the story? Is it possible for him to make us think what he wants us to think like God inspiring Bible writers with thoughts?
2. Does the sea disobey God by sometimes crossing the sandy beach?
3. Does God ever mete out punishment in this life itself or is that reserved for the end of time?

Rituals and Sin

1. What are the disadvantages of advantages of organised religion? What are the disadvantages and advantages of unorganised religion?
2. Have founders of religions sought to organise religion or was it their followers who did it?
3. Are there any conditions for forgiveness? If so what are they?

Religion of the Heart

1. Are we responsible only for our individual salvation or can we be held accountable for others too, or is that their lookout?
2. If the church fails who will be held responsible? Are we accountable as a church or individuals?
3. What does it mean to be circumcised in the heart?

Twilight of the Idols

1. Why do some people need concrete images of the God they worship? 
2. Is it okay to have pictures of Jesus in our homes, churches or offices?
3. Is it wrong to have images of Jesus on the cross in church or at home? What about 3D nativity scenes with baby Jesus? Can that be an idol?

The Remnant

1. What did Jeremiah mean by referring to remnant in "all the countries?" Were they in mor than just Babylon?
2. Did Jesus descend from the Israelites in captivity or the ones left behind in Judah?
3. Who is the remnant today?

Lesson 12 (Dec 12-18) Back to Egypt

Political Anarchy

1. Was the remnant of Israel left behind in Judah or the ones taken to captivity in Babylon? Where was it better to be?
2. How could Gedaliah know whether to believe Jonathan when Jonathan brought him a report that Ishmael had been sent to assassinate him? 
3. Did Ishmael have a right to leadership because he was of royal blood? What is royal blood? How does one acquire it?
4. Why did people who had nothing to do with the assassination of Gedaliah flee from the country?

Seeking Divine Guidance

1. How can we obtain guidance from God in this day and age if we want to be sure we are choosing the right course of action?
2. Does God prefer for us to live in the land in which he caused us to be born or is it okay to migrate to another country? How can we know where God intends for us to live?
3. Does God take sides in a war?

Returning to Egypt

1. What does God really mean when he sent a message to the people through Jeremiah, "I repent of the evil I have done to you?" 
2. Does the message of a prophet always from God or sometimes are they influenced by other sources?
3. What liberties did a scribe have in writing out the message of a prophet?

Taken into Exile

1. Why did Jeremiah go with the multitude to Egypt against his own counsel?
2. Why was it wrong for the group left in Judah to take refuge in Egypt and right for Joseph and Mary to flee there? Could God have not protected them wherever they were?
3. Why did God not want the Israelites to leave the land of Judah?

Open Defiance

1. How can we account for Israelites offering incense to other gods in Egypt when they had been so severely punished for doing the same in Judah?
2. What kinds of factors cause people who have worshipped the true God to change and worship other gods? What causes people to leave the church? What brings them back? 

Lesson 11 (Dec 5-11) The Covenant

God's Covenant With All Humanity

1. Did Noah have any part in God's covenant symbolized by the rainbow? Can a covenant be made by one party with another without the agreement of the second party? How can we who were not present be included?
2. Does 2 Peter 3:6 " Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished," imply that Noah's flood need not have been global?  How would that impact God's covenant symbolized by the rainbow?
3. Can God's promise not to destroy the earth by flood again be conditional?

God's Covenant with Abraham

1. Is Abraham's seed Jesus or all of us?
2. Was Abraham considered righteous because of his faith or because of his work?
3. How can Abraham be called the father of those who have faith when he lied twice demonstrating lack of faith?

The Covenant at Sinai

1. Would the covenant made at Sinai still have been made if Israel had not promised to obey?
2. Did all Israel promise to obey? If some did not would it have applied to them? On what basis did the covenant apply to the following generations?
3. Are we falling into the same trap if we vow to be good?

The New Covenant

1. Did some Israelites before the time of Jesus have God's law written on their hearts?
2. Was Jeremiah"s promise of the new covenant meant to be fulfilled after the cross or in the context of the return from Babylon?
3. What is the effect on a person when God's law is written on his or her heart? What difference can we expect?
4. Is memorizing the ten commandments part of having the law written on our heart? Can the law be written in our heart if we do not know it?
5. Would it be wrong to celebrate communion more than once a quarter? Should one feel guilty for not participating in the communion service?
6. Why is Jesus abstaining from drinking of the vine till his second coming?

Lesson 10 (Nov 28-Dec 4), The Destruction of Jerusalem

Weeping For Tamuz

1. What do you think is the purpose for God to call two prophets (Jeremiah and Ezekiel) at the same time? Why should God show Ezekiel in Babylon what was happening in the temple in Jerusalem when Jeremiah was right there?
2. How correct were the elders of Israel in stating that the Lord had abandoned their nation?
3. What effect on spirituality of Israel would you expect among the Israelites after the Babylonian army attacked them and carried off the cream of the nation?
4. Is it okay to adapt pagan festivals for use by Christians if we completely discard the pagan aspects?

The Unhappy Reign of King Zedekiah

1. How would you expect a king or any leader to react when told that he would be the last leader--that the nation or organization would collapse and cease to exist with the end of his tenure?
2. What reaction from the king and/or the people would you expect to the directive "surrender to the enemy" who was lurking outside?
3. Why are those who are from minorities more sensitive to those who are being persecuted? Was it not risky to employ a Cushite as an official in the Israelite palace?

The Fall of Jerusalem

1. Why do you think the enemy was willing to lay siege for two years outside Jerusalem when the rest of the nation had collapsed?
2. Why was the Babylonian commander kind to Jeremiah? How much did they know about God's purposes?
3. How safe was it to live in Israel after the Babylonians left? Why do you think so many Israelites moved back to their homeland? Why do people of one country migrate to another? What brings them back home? What prevents others from returning?

All Your Heart

1. Is it possible to seek God with "all your heart?
2. Was it better to be in Israel or in Babylon after the conquest?
3. Why did God instruct the Israelites to marry, build houses, and settle down in Babylon? Could they not get too comfortable there?

The Seventy Years

1. Why do you think God kept Israelites in captivity for seventy years? During the Exodus why did the Israelites have to wander in the wilderness for forty years? Wouldn't punishment be fresher in the mind if the time gap was not so much?
2. Is there any significance in Biblical numbers? 
3. How can we tell which is the real fulfillment of a prophecy?
4. Is prophecy being fulfilled today?