CTL Pastor's Classes notes

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Pastor's Class Notes

Pastor Julie is offering a class on Genesis. All are welcome to attend the class either at 9 or 10 o'clock on Sunday mornings, in room 9 :

Adult Sunday School

Genesis – Joseph’s Dream, continued
February 7, 2010

1. Do you dream? Or more precisely, do you remember your dreams?

             2.   How do you typically understand your dreams?
                    Are they an automatic process of the body?
                    Do they convey meaning?
                    Do you believe that God speaks through dreams?

3. Anyone have an insightful or meaningful dream they are willing to share?

I. Genesis 37, Joseph’s Dream

1. An outline

    a.   Vs. 1-4. Define the characters of Jacob, Joseph and the brothers
b.   Vs. 5-11, “Scene I”
c.    Vs. 12- 17, brief interlude
d.   Vs. 18-31, “Scene II”
e.    Vs. 32-35, “Scene III”

2. Quote

3. Some questions to consider

a. In what ways did Joseph’s dreams threaten “business as usual for the family?

b. What are the costs to Joseph because of the dreams? His brothers? Jacob?

c. Where is God in the passage?

d. What does the writer seem to imply about the presence of God in the conflict, the violence and the sorrow presented in the passage?

II. God’s Providence, revisited from last week

1. Small group activity #1

2. Small group activity #2

3.Some people question whether God is still in control of human life and destiny. What do you think causes these doubts?

III. Closing – Romans 8:28-30

How do you feel about this passage of scripture? What comfort does it offer? What challenges does it present?

Genesis – Joseph’s Dream
January 31, 2010

I. Where we left off

1.   Genesis 34 – The rape of Dinah
2.   Genesis 35 – Jacob returns to Bethel
3.   Genesis 36 – Esau’s family

II. Genesis 37:1 – 50:26, The Joseph Narrative, overview and group activity

III. God’s Providence, the issue at hand

IV. Genesis 37, Joseph’s Dream

1. An outline

                    a.    Verses 1-4, Introduction
                    b.   Vs. 5-11, “Scene I”
                    c.    Vs. 12- 17, brief interlude
                    d.   Vs. 18-31, “Scene II”
                    e.    Vs. 32-35, “Scene III”

2. Some questions to consider

                     a.    In what way did Joseph’s dreams threaten “business as usual”
                            for the family?
                    b.   What is the source of the dreams?
                    c.    What are the costs to Joseph because of the dreams?
                            His brothers? Jacob?
                    d.   What does the writer seem to imply about the presence of
                            God in the conflict, the violence and the sorrow
                            presented in the passage?

V. Closing, Isaiah 55:8-9

Genesis:
January 24, 2010

I. Material from last week – Jacob’s Encounters with God and Laban (Genesis 28:1 - 31:55)

A. Jacob’s dream (28:10-22)

B. Jacob and Laban

1. Scene 1 (29:1-30) – Jacob marries Leah and Rachel

2. Scene 2 (29:31-30:24) – The barrenness of Rachel; a son for Rachel

3. Scene 3 (30:25-31:55) – Conflict with Laban; God’s call to Jacob to return home (31:3)

II. Today’s Material – Jacob at the Jabbok (32:1 – 34:31)

A. Reflection Questions

1. What is the most touching story of reconciliation you’ve ever heard?

2. Do you agree with this statement: Reconciliation with God is intimately bound with reconciliation with brother (sister, mother, husband, wife…)?

B. Introductory Material (Kerygma)

C. Jacob prepares to meet Esau (Read Genesis 32:1-21)

1. Twenty years have passed and Jacob is now returning to his family. What kind of reception might he realistically expect from Esau?

2. What feelings might Jacob be experiencing?

3. What resentments may Jacob be experiencing?

4. What resentments might Esau still harbor?

5. Twenty years earlier at Bethel, God promised to Jacob that he would someday return to the land of his birth. Reread Genesis 28:13-15. How might this promise have given Jacob the confidence necessary to take the next step?

D. Jacob’s prayer (Reread Genesis 32: 9-12)* Of all the preparations Jacob makes to meet his brother, prayer is the most significant

1. What is Jacob’s prayer leads you to believe that he is not the same man he was when he ran away from Esau?

2. In what ways has he remained the same?

3. How much of Jacob’s strength comes from the assurance he has received from God? When have you found strength in knowing that God is with you?

E. Jacob’s wrestles with God (Read Genesis 32:22-32)

1. If this “man” is somehow a messenger representing God (or God), what does it mean that Jacob wrestles him to a draw?

2. What does this suggest about the kind of man Jacob is?

3. How may this incident demonstrate a relationship between God and our most serious struggles?

4. Jacob names the place to indicate that he has seen God “face to face.” What does this unusual designation signify?

5. Jacob comes out of the struggle with a limp. How is Jacob’s limping related to God’s blessing?

6. In what way does Jacob struggle with his calling anticipate Jesus’ struggle with his own calling?

7. The mark of Jacob’s struggle with God was a limp. What “marks” have you received in your encounters with God?

F. Jacob is reconciled with Esau (Read Genesis 33: 1-20)*Note the building up of tension breaks at this point

1. What similarities and differences between Jacob’s meeting with the “man” (God) and his meeting with Esau?

2. What do these passages say to us about reconciliation? What about God’s grace?

3. In what ways are our relationships with others and with God interrelated?

4. What walls divide us from our “brothers” and “sisters”?

G. Something to ponder: “In the holy God, there is something of the estranged brother. And in the forgiving brother, there is something of the blessing God” (Walter Brueggemann). What does this statement mean to you? What do these encounters by Jacob demonstrate about reconciliation and grace?

H. Closing (1 John 4;12, 20-21)

January 10, 2010

I. Introduction

· Why do you think God chooses people “warts and all” to be his servants/ followers?

· Can you think of a great servant of God who was or is “a little rough around the edges”?

II. Note Genesis 23:1- 25:18 (Transition material)

· This section of Genesis contains the major events in the transition from Abraham to the generation of Isaac- the death of Sarah, the marriage of Isaac to Rebekah and the death of Abraham

III. Introduction to Genesis 25:19-33:17 (The Jacob Narrative)

· The central focus of the Abraham narrative was promise. Would God keep his promises? Would Sarah and Abraham trust these promises? In the Jacob narrative the dominant image is blessing

· What do you think is the different between promise and blessing

· What can you recall about the life of Jacob?

· Diagram of the material (See attached) – Concentric circles of conflict and blessing

· With a partner, skim Genesis 25:19-33:17. Identify the conflict between Jacob and the person named on your sheet of paper (One of the following: Esau, Isaac, Laban, Leah, Rachel, God). Write a sentence describing the conflict.

IV. Read Genesis 25: 19-28 (The destiny of two brothers)

· What do we know about the relationship between the brothers even before they were born?

· Reread Genesis 25: 23. What does this mean? What feelings does this evoke for you? Is God being unfair?

· Why do you think Jacob was selected by God to be preeminent over Esau?

· What does the name “Jacob” mean in Hebrew?

V. Read Genesis 25: 29-34 (Selling the birthright)

· What is at stake in this passage?

· What do we learn about Jacob’s character? Esau’s?

VI. Read Genesis 27: 1 -45 (The Conflict with Esau)

· A drama in four acts

· Scene 1 – vv. 1-4

· Scene 2 – vv. 5-17

· Scene 3 – vv. 18-29

· Scene 4 – vv. 30-40

· Conclusion – vv. 41-45

· How do you feel about Rebekah’s part in this story? What about Isaac?

· The spoken word was seen to have inherent power in ancient times. Because of this Isaac could not take back the blessing he was deceived into giving to Jacob. How do we feel about the power of our “word”? Does it still have any power?

VII. Conclusion

· Read 1 Corinthians 1:26 – 31

· What does this tell us about how God acts/ makes decisions?

· What does this tell us about our place in God’s plan?

Jacob vs.God

Class notes: September 13, 2009

Genesis

Some basic information

TITLE

The English title “Genesis” comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of the Septuagint (a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek). “Genesis” is a transliteration of geneseos, the Greek word that translates the Hebrew toledot. Toledot is usually translated as “accounts” or “generations.”

AUTHOR

Issue at hand: “Either Genesis is Mosaic or a mosaic” (J. Sidlow Baxter)

Traditionally, Genesis is attributed to Moses (ca. 1525-1405 BC)

Since the late 1800’s, the “documentary hypothesis” has challenged Mosaic authorship. This view understands Genesis to be the product of several writers who lived much later than Moses, presumably during the exile in Babylon (587 BC) and after the return from Exile.

In this theory, a redactor (editor) or redactors combined several accounts into the form we have now. These various documents are recognized as:

“J” – Yahwehistic tradition
“E” – Elohist tradition
“D” – Deuteronomistic tradition
“P” – Priestly tradition

What is at stake here? Could Moses have written some of the Pentateuch (first five books of the bible)? Could the Israelite community (scribes, editors) have completed his work at a later date?

Layers of tradition, woven into a masterful finished piece

PURPOSE

Genesis highlights the work of the “divine author” – the Lord – Yahweh – in his creation, first of a world and humanity, and later, a chosen people, Israel.

Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic covenant (the means of salvation)

“The real theme of the Pentateuch is the selection of Israel from the nations and its consecration to the service of God and his laws in a divinely appointed land. The central event in the development of this theme is the divine covenant with Abraham and its…promise to make his offspring into the people of God and to give them the land of Canaan as an everlasting inheritance.” (Moses H. Segal)

OUTLINE

Genesis is divisible into two major sections, chapters 1-11 and 12-50

The first eleven chapters focus on the ever widening disobedience and destruction of humanity, fallen from its created perfection, coming under God’s judgment

There are four major parts in this section: creation, (ch. 1-2), the fall (3-5), the flood (6-9) and the confusion of language of the tower of Babel (10-11)

Chapters 12 through 50, by contrast, describe God’s ever narrowing program of redemption, focused on the person and faith of Abraham, and his descendants. These chapters demonstrate the great need for God to intervene to provide the solution to the human “problem”

This section of Genesis can be remembered by it four main characters: Abraham (12:1-25; 18); Isaac (25:19-26:35), Jacob (27-36) and Joseph (37-50)

Notable Quote:

“The other writings of the Bible are inseparably bound up with it inasmuch as it gives us the origin and initial explanation of all that follows. The major themes of Scripture may be compared to great rivers, ever deepening and broadening as they flow; and it is true to say that all these rivers have their rise in the watershed of Genesis. Or to use an equally appropriate figure, as the massive trunk and wide-spreading branches of the oak are in the acorn, so, by implication and anticipation, all Scripture is in Genesis. Here we have in germ all that is later developed. It have been said that ‘the roots of all subsequent revelation are planted deep in Genesis, and whoever would truly comprehend that revelation must begin here.’” (J. Sidlow Baxter)

Class notes: September 20, 2009

Five affirmations about the relationship between God and creation

(from Genesis 1 – 11)

Affirmation 1

God creates creation and has a specific purpose for it

Affirmation 2

The relationship between God and creation develops through speaking and listening

Affirmation 3

God’s word to creation is a sovereign call, but it is the kind of call which invites obedience rather than demanding allegiance

Affirmation 4

God loves creation, but creation refuses to let God be God

Affirmation 5

The relationship between God and creation is marked by tension between God’s purposes and creation’s resistance to God’s purposes

From The Kerygma Program – Beginnings: A study of the call of God in Genesis

An Outline of Genesis 1 – 11

Genesis 1 Creation of the world

Genesis 2 – 3 Creation and rebellion of humankind

Genesis 4 Expulsion of Cain

Genesis 5 Genealogy: Creation to Flood

Genesis 6: 5 – 9:17 Flood and new creation

Genesis 9:18- 28 Noah’s sons

Genesis 10 The nations from Noah

Genesis 11: 1- 9 Tower of Babel

Genesis 11: 10 – 20 Genealogy: Flood to Abraham

The Creation in Genesis:
Some Critical Issues

I. Parallels to material in other cultures in ancient Near East

A. Virtually every ancient culture had their own cosmogony (creation account, flood story)

B. There is a great deal of similarity in accounts (i.e. repressive monster, defeat of monster by hero-god, establishment of god’s control over forces)

C. There is considerable similarity between the creation myths of ancient cultures and the biblical account

D. Creation accounts often competed with each other to explain the same observed phenomena

E. In ancient world, creation myths were highly ritualistic. They were re-enacted, regularity, to please the god(s) and benefit the community

F. How is the account in Genesis different?

G. Lacks the extravagances and corruptions of other accounts

H. The God of Israel – Yahweh – does not struggle against chaos/ evil

I. God simply speaks – and it is

J. Monotheism – one God – source of absolute power

K. God-in-relationship

II. Relationship between biblical and scientific viewpoints on creation

A. Two extremes in dealing with the material – “literalists” vs. “rationalists” (Like two mothers in 1 Kings 3: 16 – 28)

B. Genesis is neither mythological – only concerned with the spiritual realm – what in a sense has always been - nor scientific – giving creation its own meaning, apart from God

C. Rather, Genesis is “covenantal” (see the “Five Affirmations” below)

D. The issue in Genesis is not scientific, but theological - the text concerns the troubled relation between creator and creation, and ultimately God’s faithfulness - God can be trusted, no matter what is going on in the world around us

E. Genesis as proclamation – the covenant can not be explained or proven; it can only be affirmed and confessed

F. Poetic, liturgical use – meant to be a celebration of God’s lordly intention, not his “technique”

III. Authorship/ question of sources

A. Traditionally Moses is thought to have written Genesis

B. Documentary hypotheses: Several strands (layers) of material from different time periods were woven together to form Genesis

C. Genesis 1 – likely dated to the 6^th century BC – addressed to the people in exile – used as liturgy

D. Consideration of the final (canonical) form

Class notes: October 18, 2009

Genesis 6:5-9:17

The Flood and the New Creation

I. Two pitfalls to avoid

II. The beginning (6:5-7:16)

a. Two passages carry the main content of the section – 6:5-8 and 6:11-13

b. God indicts creation because it has turned its back on his intentions

c. God’s decision to punish the creation is that of a grieving parent, not a ruthless tyrant

III. The end (8:20-9:17)

a. The flood waters have receded and life has begun again

b. In 8:20-22, God speaks “in his heart” (as he “grieved in his heart” in 6:6)

c. In 9:1-7, there is a restatement of God’s purpose for creation

d. In 9:8-17, God makes a covenant with creation (the symbol of the rainbow)

IV. The “turning point” (7:17-8:19)

a. Central focus of the text: God’s renewed commitment to creation

b. “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark” (8:1)

c. Theological freight: the children of Israel had not been – and would not be - forgotten

V. Discussion Questions:

1. We tend to think of God as unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. What does this text seem to say about this belief? Do God’s intentions for the creation change? Does God change?

2. The author of our bible study material says, “The real crisis of the story is not with the threat of flood waters; it is a crisis in the heart of God.” What do you think he means by this statement?

3. If the story of the flood is not primarily concerned with God’s punishment, but rather with God’s grief, what does this tell us about the nature of God?

4. What do we know about Noah? What new possibilities for humanity are embodied in him?

5. How do you feel about the suggestion that the symbol of God’s covenant – the rainbow – represents an undrawn bow signifying that God is no longer pursuing an enemy with a weapon?

6. In saying “never again” (v.15) God demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to creation. How might this promise be problematic to those who have experienced the death and destruction of warfare, genocide or catastrophic natural disasters? What might you say to these people regarding God’s nature and/ or his promises?

7. Why does God continue to put up with our sinfulness? How many times will God forgive the same old sins? Will God ever reach a breaking point, a time when he will simply draw the line and say, “no more chances!””

Christ the Lord Lutheran Church

1001 Duluth Highway

Lawrenceville, GA. 30043

770-963-4499

email: info@christthelordlutheran.org