If you are looking for the beginning of this study you can start HERE with the brief introduction. At the bottom of that introduction will be the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. For this study the English Standard Version is the translation that is being utilized and you can read it online HERE or pick up the copy of your choice from Amazon or your local book store. I find THIS EDITION to be useful for deep study and annotation.
Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)
How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? (21:5)
After being sent away, where did Ishmael grow up? (21:20-21)
What did Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech establish? (21:30)
What hard thing does Yahweh tell Abraham to do with Isaac? (22:2)
What does God provide as a substitute for Isaac? (22:13)
How old was Sarah when she died? (23:1)
What does Abraham purchase as a burial place for Sarah? (23:17-19)
What does Abraham send his most trusted servant to do? (23:2-4)
How does Abraham’s servant come to know that Rebekah is the one Yahweh has set apart to be Isaac’s wife? (24:12-14)
When did Laban, Rebekah’s brother, run to meet Abraham’s servant? (24:30)
What was Isaac doing when he first saw Rebekah? (24:63)
Abraham had many children, but who received the whole inheritance of Abraham’s wealth? (25:5)
How old was Abraham when he died? (25:7)
How many tribes came from Ishmael? (25:16)
For what does Esau sell his birthright to Jacob? (25:29-34)
Logic Questions: (The Interpretation of the Text)
In Gen. 21:8-21 Ishmael and his mother are sent away. In Gen. 25:8 it seems that Ishmael is there to bury his father. What has changed that may have brought about their reunion prior to Abraham’s death?
Read Gen. 16:11-12 where the birth of Ishmael is foretold. What connection might be made between this and Gen. 21:20-21?
What might we infer from the fact that Phicol was present at the meeting of Abraham and Abimelech? (21:22-24)
How is the covenant between Abraham and Abimelech like and unlike the covenant with Yahweh and Abraham? (21:25-34)
Why does Yahweh tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? (22:1-15)
When Abraham is purchasing the cave of Machpelah, why is the repetition of the phrase “in the hearing of the Hittites” important? (23:1-20)
Why is it so important to Abraham that Isaac marry a girl from the land of his father? (24:3-4)
Why is it so important to Abraham that Isaac no go to live in the land of his father? (24:6-7)
What are some ways in which Gen. 25:19-34 shows a brewing conflict?
What does the story about the stew (25:29-34) reveal about the character of the two brothers?
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of the Text)
Should we pray like Abraham’s servant did wherein he asked for very specific things to confirm God’s will? (24:10-14)
Should we pronounce blessings upon people today like what we see in Gen. 24:60?
Theological Analysis: (Scripture Interprets Scripture)
Read Galatians 4:21-31. How does this impact your understanding of Gen. 21:8-21?
God provides a substitute for Isaac, Abraham’s only son. Read John 3:16-18. What connection should we make between these two passages?
Read Hebrews 11:17-19. How does this affect your understanding of Abraham’s actions in Gen. 22:1-14?
Abraham believed he had to sacrifice his son to Yahweh and he believed his son was as good as dead for three days (22:4). How might we relate this to Luke 24:7 and other similar passages in the New Testament?
Read Romans 9:10-13. How does this passage affect your understanding of Gen. 25:19-28?
Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Wilderness vs. Civilization, Substitution, Hospitality, Love, Barrenness