Intro

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children and ourselves is an understanding of how the entirety of Scripture fits together.  Because of the separation of the Old Testament from the New Testament and the organization of books within the Bible it is easy to lose the continuity between it all.  It really has been in my adult years that I have come to appreciate the fact that the entire Bible is telling the same story from beginning to end!  I wish this is something that I would have realized sooner in life!  My hope is that working through this study that younger students will come to the same realization as well and start their journey of understanding the Scriptures more fully at a younger age than I did.  And maybe you will too!

Week 1

This week we will look man’s beginning in the garden, the sin that separated them from God, but also the promise that God made as He disciplined them.  It was a promise filled with great hope!  And each generation that came after Adam and Eve renewed that hope, but also left it unfulfilled.  We’ll look through some of the heroes of the Bible and see where they fit in the grand plans of God in His very first promise to mankind.

Day 1-In the Garden

• Imagine the most beautiful place you can think of. 
  • What does it look like?  Maybe it has mountains or beaches?  Maybe it is sunny and warm or maybe it’s a little cloudy and colder?  But what it is…is perfect.
• Now imagine that someone told you exactly how to take care of your perfect place so it would stay perfect.  Would you follow all the rules to maintain this little bit of paradise you have?  Oh I would do anything to keep the little slice of beauty from being ruined! 
• But now imagine someone else came along and told you could break the rules but your paradise would still be perfect.  It could not possibly be damaged this trickster tells you.  YOU can do what YOU think is best and have no worries about any potential ramifications to YOUR perfect little slice of paradise.
• Friends, that’s what happened in the Garden. 
• Today read Genesis 2:5-3:24. Answer the following questions.
  • What was the rule for Adam and Eve to maintain the beautiful garden God had given them?
  • What did God tell them would happen if they did not maintain the garden the way He commanded them?
  • When satan comes into the garden as the serpent, what does he make Eve think about to convince her to not keep the rule God gave them?
  • Who does the garden Adam and Eve are in belong to? (HINT: It belongs to the Creator of the garden.)
  • Whose garden did they act like they are in when they fell for satan’s trick?
• Friends, who created the earth we live on?  Who created us?  Can you think of some rules that God gives us to protect both the earth and our bodies?  How well do you follow the rules that God gives us to maintain our beautiful earth and our beautiful bodies?
• Consider the following scriptures for reflection today.
  • Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26 – Who does the earth and everything on it belong to?
  • Psalm 139:14,  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Who does your own individual body belong to and what does God say about it?
  • Deuteronomy 11:12— Who notices if we do not care for the world that God has given us? Understanding that God is the creator of all, he has designed all things as “good” and He keeps a watch over everything, how do you need to care for the world around you and humanity in a way that is obedient to God as Lord and Creator?  How can you do that this week?

Day 2-Out of the Garden

• Well the perfection of the garden has been spoiled.  You read yesterday about the warning God gave them about what would happen if they ate from the tree He commanded them not to.  And you read about the results of this sin.  Let’s review Genesis 3:14-19.
  • What is the punishment for the serpent (satan) v14?
  • What is the punishment for Eve v16?
  • What is the punishment for Adam vv17-19?
• Let’s take a moment and focus on the relationship between Eve and satan in verse 15. 
  • What will the relationship be like between satan and Eve?
  • What will the relationship be like between the children that will come in the future from Eve and the future followers of satan?
  • Which of the two different “offspring” will end up being destroyed eventually?
• The punishment inflicted on Adam and Eve and even satan from their sin in the garden is often called the first gospel.  Doesn’t that sound crazy?!  BUT!!!  From the offspring of woman will come one who will crush the head of the enemy, satan.  All satan’s offspring will be able to do is bruise a heel.    God will send a rescuer, a man, who will defeat our enemy!  Now that’s some good news!
• Sure satan’s trickster antics are painful and often very frustrating.  But that is the worst that he can do to us.   God made a bigger and better promise that same day.  Satan will come to an end by the offspring of mankind!  But the next question is….who will this man be?

Day 3-Great Men of Faith, Part 1

• In the Beginning: If you ever want a short version of some of the greatest men and women in God’s history, Hebrews 11 is a great chapter to read.  But nothing is better than going through and reading the whole story!  Today we will look at Abel and Noah as great men of God and the offspring of woman.  Maybe one of these great men will be just the man God spoke of who will destroy the enemy!
• First let’s read about Cain and his brother Abel.  Read Genesis 4:1-5.
  • Whose sons are Cain and Abel?
  • What jobs do Cain and Abel do?
  • When the time comes, both Cain and Abel bring an offering to God.  What does God say about Abel’s offering?  What does God say about Cain’s offering?
• Read Genesis 4:8. 
  • What does Cain do about his anger against God?  Why do you think he did this?
• Remember on the very first day we learned who we belong to.
  • Who has charge over us?
  • What happens when we decide for ourselves what to do in our situations instead of going to God who actually knows what’s best?
• Abel was a righteous man and brought an offering to God that was pleasing in his sight.  Cain’s jealousy over his brother led to anger and eventually led to his decision that he was in control over Abel’s body and killed him. 
• Read James 1:13-15.
  • What desire do you think led Cain to commit sin against his brother?
  • Was this God’s fault for not having the same regard for Cain’s offering as He did for Abel’s?
• Unfortunately, Abel could not possibly be the offspring of woman that God told about in Genesis 3:15.  He is now dead and Cain is left; who is not righteous, but is instead jealous, angry and willing to take God’s role in determining who lives and who dies.
• Let’s look at another possibility of a potential offspring of woman before we wrap up today.  He’s one we all know well: NOAH!  Before you go back and walk through Noah’s story, discuss what you can already remember about his story. 
• Read Genesis 6:5-22.
  • If you were going to tell someone else about what kind of man Noah was, what would you say to describe him?  What scripture could you use to prove what you believe?
• Read Genesis 6:22; 7:5, 15-16; 8:15-19. 
  • If you could think of one word to describe Noah from these verses, what would it be?
• In recounting the story of Noah and the ark we could probably remember that Noah alone was righteous, because God did not save another family but his family.  We read in 6:9 that Noah is righteous, blameless and walks with God.  This sounds just like the kind of offspring of woman that could defeat the enemy!  And at every step of God’s instructions we see that Noah does what is commanded.  Noah obeys God!  He doesn’t like Adam and Eve figure that somehow he could disobey but everything still be ok.  And he doesn’t get jealous of the other men and woman around him that they don’t have to build an ark.  Noah is a man who obeys God!  Maybe, just maybe we have found our guy!
• But…..yeah, you saw that coming didn’t you?
• Read Genesis 9:19-21.
  • When Noah and his wife and their sons and their wives depart the ark, what job does Noah do?
  • What happens as a result of Noah’s work as a vineyard planter?
• Read Genesis 3:21. 
  • Does God desire for us to leave our bodies uncovered as they were originally in the garden?
• Oh boy.  Even Noah falls short?  He is the only man that God found righteous and blameless and who walked with Him before the flood!  How could Noah, of all men end, up drunk and naked in his house?  It is an unfortunate situation that Noah finds himself in and one in which his youngest son Canaan takes advantage of.  If you have not picked up on a pattern of behavior of mankind from Adam and Eve, through Cain and now Noah, perhaps over the next two days will help deepen our understanding at what truly lies at the heart of man.

Day 4-Great Men of Faith, Part 2

• A FATHER of the NATION: On day 3 we looked at Abel, who had an untimely demise and then righteous Noah who was faithful to all God asked of him, only to come off the ark and indulge in too much wine and embarrass himself by not caring for his body the way God asks us to.  But all hope is not lost.  God is faithful to keep His promises.  Psalm 145:13 says that God is faithful in all that He says.  So while the first look at the offspring of woman is not exactly painting a very hopeful picture, we know that God is faithful to keep His promises.  Let’s keep looking some more today!
• Next up, Abraham!  What a hero he is!  He is the father of God’s people, the chosen nation of Israel. 
• Read about God’s promise to Abraham (Abram) in Genesis 15:1-6.  (God’s promise to Abraham to make him a great nation is also referenced in Genesis 12:1-2 and 17:1-2, but for expedient purposes we’ll look at the passage in Genesis 15).
  • What does God say he is to Abraham in verse 1?
  • Abraham has a significant concern about this “great reward”.  What is it (vv2-3)?
  • After Abraham expresses his confusion about his reward, what does God promise him (v4-5)?
  • What is Abraham’s response to God’s promise (v6)?
• Read Genesis 21:1-7.
  • How does God fulfill His promise to Abraham?
  • How do you know from the reading that this birth was only from God and not from Sarah and Abraham?
• Here is finally a man who believes in God’s promises and obeys when God calls him to be a part of his plan.  And if that is the only part of the story we knew of Abraham, it might be easy to conclude that this is the man that God told about in Genesis 3:15.  Abraham is the offspring that will crush the head of the enemy.  He is the father of God’s people, the start of a great nation, he believes in the promises of God and he is obedient!
• But….that’s not all of Abraham’s story.  (You saw that coming again didn’t you!)
• Read the following passages and describe the character Abraham displays in his decisions.
  • Genesis 12:10-13
  • Genesis 20:1-2
  • Genesis 16:1-2
• What a contrast in behavior from the Abraham we meet who is righteous and faithful to believe and act upon God’s promises.  Now we see Abraham from a new point of view….he’s scared, mistrusting and taking matters into his own hands.  Cain already showed us what possible outcomes arise from taking matters into our own hands and forgetting that God alone has created the world and everything that is in it.  But we never hear about any of Cain’s “good” attributes and so it is easy to assume he didn’t have it.  Maybe that’s true, but maybe it’s not.  However, with Abraham, we hear of his belief in God and willingness to obey and trust in His promises.  So how is it that Abraham could trust and doubt God too?
• You know…I can relate though.   There are moments in my walk with Christ that I truly believe that He would equip me to do anything and I could quite honestly walk on water if He told me to.  And then there are other moments in my fear and confusion that I doubt God will work things out the way He says He will.  It is almost as if I live in two different bodies with two different minds.  Paul talks about this very thing in his letter to the Roman church.  What he wants to do, he can’t seem to do, but what he does not want to do, seems to be all he can do!  What a frustrating dilemma!  And it is the same one that fights in us and in Abraham. 
• The great news in Abraham’s story is we know we are not alone in our struggle against our desire to doubt and mistrust God.  It was exactly what led Eve to take from the tree in the garden.  However, this also sheds a light on the promise that God made to them in the garden that an offspring from woman would come and defeat the enemy that wages this battle against us.  Abraham is clearly not that man either.

Day 5-Great Men of Faith, Part 3

• A KING!  King David is always such an exciting saga to read!  He’s a young shepherd boy that is anointed over all of his brothers to be king of Israel.  He battles a giant and wins, he battles the Amalekites and wins, he battles the Philistines and wins and he even shows mercy and compassion to Saul, who reigns before him, only to later take his place.  David seems to always be victorious and all in the name of God!
  • Jot down quickly what you first think of when you think of King David’s character.
  • What does God say about King David in 1 Samuel 13:14?
  • How is David remembered even in New Testament times in Acts 13:22?
• David is remembered as a man after God’s own heart and one that would do His will.  If a woman is going to bear a man who would come to crush our enemy, could it possibly get any better than a man like David?
• Read 2 Samuel chapter 11
  • Record what you learn about David?
• This is such a hard part of David’s story to read.  David certainly does not look to be a man who does the will of the Lord and should bear the title: “a man after God’s own heart”.  Right now, he looks worse that Abraham, Noah AND Cain!
• Read 2 Samuel 12:1-14.
  • Record what you learn about David from this part of the story of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.
• It is not just David’s trust and obedience to God in his early years that earns him the title “Man after God’s own heart”, but it is also his humble and contrite heart in his own personal sin and shame that God desires as well. 
• Read David’s psalm of repentance to God in Psalm 51. 
  • What do you learn of David’s character from the poem he writes to God about his sin?
• This, friends, is the attitude we should all have regarding our sin!  We should not be proud of it, we should not try to hide or sweep it under the rug and act like it never happened.  And we should never try to make an excuse or come up with a reason for why we sinned the way we did.  We should simply come before the Lord knowing that all our sin is actually sin against Him.  We should ask Him to forgive us and make us clean in heart before Him (v10), and then we should begin to witness to others about God’s forgiveness so that they might desire the same relationship with God that we have (vv13-17).
• However, David would never be able to conquer an enemy such as ours, burdened by the same trap we all face, sin.  As wonderful, noble and contrite in spirit as David was, he is not the offspring that God promised in Genesis 3:15.  But we are getting closer!  The one God promised will come from the lineage of David!  He too will be a son born into the tribe of Judah and a direct descendent of none other than King David, himself!
• Stay tuned next week as we begin to explore the prophecy that God gives in greater detail about this man from the offspring of woman that will come to bring victory to us all!