Rosesam

Q4. (John 4:16-19) What was the effect of Jesus’ special knowledge of the woman’s history with men? What effect did it have on her faith? How can such gifts of the Spirit work today to bring people to faith or deepen their faith? By raising the question of her husband, Jesus is gently prodding her to confess her evil deeds. Even then, He commends her for the one honest thing she said, i.e. she doesn’t have a husband. This woman would have been a pariah in her own hometown as other people would have shunned her. She would have received respect only from strangers who knew nothing about her disgraceful living. But this stranger knew everything about her, yet He didn’t condemn her. He treated her with respect and even offered her a special gift. She must have been surprised and taken aback by both His insight and His willingness to accept her. Because of His insight she was able to perceive that He is a prophet. Since Samaritans believed only in the books written by Moses (Pentateuch/Torah), they were willing to acknowledge only the Prophet, Moses said would be coming one day. They also knew that this Prophet would be the coming Messiah. Based on her understanding and experience, we see her immediately making the connection that He is the prophet and the Messiah. Instead of reacting in a negative way like becoming defensive or explaining her reasons or getting embarrassed or angry or any other negative course of action she responded to Him in a way which clearly revealed that her faith is built up and that she has put her trust in Him. His ways are profoundly simple and simply profound. His gifts can bring people to faith, deepen their faith, encourage and edify them, give direction in their lives, provide breakthrough etc. He is the source of all things and when our dependence is on Him, He will take us to an expected end that we have in Him.

Q3. (John 4:9-15) What does the “gift of God” and the “living water” (4:9) refer to? What does receiving this gift result in (4:14)? Does this gift differ from or is another way of saying the “baptism with the Spirit” that John the Baptist spoke about in 1:33? Gift speaks of something that is given freely from one person to another. This gift of God is the gift of salvation that is been given freely to all who receive them. Living water is a Jewish euphemism for flowing water. Flowing water is “living” in the sense that it’s clean and safe to drink. Here living water is a biblical metaphor for the life-giving power of the Spirit of God. When we receive the gift from God, there is an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. Those who is sealed by the Holy Spirit will never experience death, i.e. eternal separation from God, but has eternal life in them. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the Body of Christ. We become part of Him and members of His body. All those who received His gift will have the indwelling of Holy Spirit in their lives. There are three functions of the Holy Spirit. To be with us in order to convict us of sin, righteousness and judgement. To be in us, when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord. To be upon us in order that we may be used by Him for His purposes. To be baptized with the Holy Spirit could be the third way the Holy Spirit functions - to be upon, for ministry. I believe it is Jesus who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, thus empowering us for ministry.

Q2. (John 4:9-15) Jesus’ words to the woman in verses 10-13 seem to imply that all people are spiritually thirsty. What has been your experience? Does the woman seem spiritually thirsty at this point? What caused her deep thirst to surface? What does this teach us about our own witness? It’s been said that when God created mankind, He put in him a God-sized vacuum that cannot be filled up with anything or anyone but by only God. So all are spiritually thirsty. But what people to do is to fill this vacuum with other things and try to find satisfaction, but soon realize that those things wouldn’t satisfy them. So they replace it with other things to see whether it would fill up the vacuum and this goes on until some realize their need for God and surrender their lives to Him. When the gospel was introduced I was drawn to Him and later on I realized God had foreknew me in His eternal plan and I am so grateful to Him for that. The woman seem to think that Jesus is speaking of the literal water and not the spiritual water. In Jewish minds, probably Samaritan minds too, they equate living water with flowing water. Stagnant water was considered to be dead water. So when Jesus spoke of living water, she is thinking in terms of material, physical water, when Jesus was, in fact, speaking of the eternal, spiritual realm. Jesus found something to approve of in the woman at first by saving, “You said well”. He shows grace and truth and that’s how He works with me too. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save the world. This speaks of His grace. Yet, because He cannot wink at sin, there should be conviction of sin, before receiving salvation. So, He always speaks the truth. Jesus spoke to her, revealing her sin, but not reveling in it, caused her to expand in her knowledge of Him. At first, she realized that He is a prophet and then slowly she realized that He is the Messiah. Slowly, her deepest need for Him began to surface. We should be graceful to the people to whom we share the gospel. It may take time for conviction of their sin and the need of the Savior to surface in their life, for it is the Spirit who brings about that conviction.

Q1. (John 4:7-9) Why do you think Jesus went against the social norms to communicate with the woman? Why do we hesitate to go against social norms to share the good news? How do we balance our need to obey God and our need to live peaceably in our culture? The strictest of Jews would never enter through the territory of Samaria so that they wouldn’t become inadvertently unclean by having the Samaritan soil clinging onto their sandals. But Jesus went against the norms, for it is said that He had to go through Samaria. Since He did everything under the direction from the Father, He knew that He had a divine appointment with the Samaritan woman that day and went through Samaria and met the woman. He initiated the conversation which was unheard of. Even when the disciples came back with the food, they were shocked to see Him talking with a Samaritan woman. Even though Jesus was primarily sent to the lost sheep among the Jews, salvation was extended to the Gentiles also because of His ministry. We hesitate because we are concerned about what others think about us. We do not want to do anything against social norms because we fear ostracization from the society. We want to flow with the social current and not against it. We need to learn from Jesus and allow our actions to be guided by the Holy Spirit. It is better to fear God than man.

Q5. Now that you're finished with the Faith of Abraham, what did you get out of this study of Abraham's life? How would you evaluate the study? What can be improved? Abraham’s life inspires me to walk in obedience with the Lord and in the process to develop in faith. For it is the lingua franca of heaven. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who comes to Him must believe that He is and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Thoroughly enjoyed this study.

Q4. Which of Abraham's achievements inspires you the most? As you reflect on his life, what stands out for you? It’s his faith and his obedience. The act of his that stands out was his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

Q3 (24:12-14) What do you think of the servant's prayer and test of God? Did the servant find the right girl on the basis of his hasty prayer? If not, then how? Abraham had prayed for the servant to find the right woman for his son. Moreover he had told him that the Lord will send His Angel before him and make his way prosperous. But for the servant the question is how he will know which woman to select. He would have had no doubt that he would see women that day. But he needed to know of them which would be the woman for Isaac. His faith in God was also strong, that he prayed for the Lord to direct him specifically. So he devised a simple but certain test. He asked God to bring about a certain circumstance i.e. the woman would be kind enough not only to give the servant water on request but would also voluntarily water all his camels. Any woman would not want give water to a thirsty camel who could drink up to 25 gallons in one go. And there were ten camels with him, and moreover he was a stranger to the woman. But God answered his prayer in such a way that his prayer did not seem hasty considering the hasty way Rebekah was watering the camels. The text says she ran back and forth from the well. The Hebrew verbs communicate haste in every step. It’s as if God went well beyond the requirement to ensure that the servant did not miss the woman when he saw her.

Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham had remained a wanderer right in the middle of his own property given to him by God Himself, without buying any piece of property. But he needed to buy a burial place he can rightfully call his own. Moreover, a proper burial was an important sign of respect. He didn’t want to take Sarah’s body back to Mesopotamia, for he knew that this was his property to be inherited by his later generations. So in order to buy a burial property, he goes to the elders of the city, follows their traditions and culture for obtaining the land, but never tries to negotiate to improvise his position. A huge price, probably ten times more than the prevailing rate, is asked for a small piece of property and Abraham could not indefinitely postpone the decision of the purchase of the land as it is a burial ground for his wife. Abraham pays the asked price immediately in the midst of the city elders. By doing this he makes clear to everyone that he is not dependent on a good deal to come negotiating with them, nor does he intend to place himself in a position where anyone can say they did Abraham a favor. Now he has a place in the land, but only as much as is sufficient for a burial ground. He never buys more land, because he was content to wait till it was given to him by the Lord as promised by Him. By burying his wife in Canaan and not taking her back to the place of his ancestors, he was establishing once for all that his family will call Canaan home.

Q1. Take some time to review Sarah's life and legacy. What were her strengths? Her weaknesses? Where did she show faith? Where did she lack faith? Peter, in 1 Peter 3:6, singles out Sarah as the model of a submitted woman. Peter is saying that she called Abraham “lord” even though she was having a hard time believing his vision. She had heard the call of Abraham to leave the luxurious lifestyle of Ur and go to an unknown place. Sarah followed Abraham in spite of everything within her being contrary to what Abraham wanted. His vision may not have made sense to her, nevertheless, she chose to honor him. There were times in Abraham’s life when he walked contrary to the will of God. God did not want him to go to Egypt during famine, but he went. He lied that Sarah was his sister, which is recorded twice in the scriptures. But God protected Sarah and enriched the family as a result of her obedience. A key component to Abraham’s greatness was having Sarah as his wife – one who traveled with him, who trusted in God, and who called him lord. She would have been a good mother to Isaac, her miracle child. For we read that when Sarah died Isaac was in great distress and was comforted only when Rebekah came into his life which was about three years after his mother’s passing away. Her earlier name was Sarai which means contentious. Probably that was her character in the earlier years of her life. It was Sarah who suggested to Abraham to take Hagar as his wife. She should have exhibited patience and seen the will of God manifest in their lives in due time. When she conceived and made Sarah feel despised, Sarah couldn’t take it and was harsh with Hagar. She didn’t give thought to the fact that she was pregnant with her husband’s child. When she had her own son, she didn’t want anyone to share in the inheritance of her son and demanded Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. She exhibited faith in following Abraham to the unknown and trusting God to protect her while in Egypt and in Abimelech’s palace. When the Lord told that she would conceive within a year she didn’t believe Him as she was already passed child bearing years.

Q4. How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion? In this story Isaac is a type, a picture of Christ and we see so many similarities in this story to Jesus’ crucifixion. God calls Isaac as his only son whom he loves. At this time he had Ishmael also, but God chose to ignore his son in the flesh. It is in this chapter that we see the first mention of the word love. This love is the love of a father for his son whom he is about to sacrifice on Mount Moriah. In Philippians Paul says that I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. At this point both Abraham and God are in the same page. They both knew what it means to sacrifice their son. They were in the deepest, sorrowful fellowship and that is the deepest form of fellowship. When Abraham decides to obey God, he takes with him two servants, not three nor one. Just as when Jesus was crucified there were two others with Him. If Isaac becomes a picture of Christ in this story, then we can say that Abraham is a picture of the Father in a way. For he is the one offering to sacrifice his son, his only son, just as the Father was willing to sacrifice His only Son. It says that after three days of walking they see the mountain in the distance. Again the significance of three days. For three days in Abraham’s mind Isaac was dead and in a figurative sense he got back Isaac alive after three days even though he never knew or experienced resurrection earlier. In this story it was Isaac who was carrying the wood of the burnt offering, just as Jesus carried His cross. The fire was in Abraham’s hands just as Father hurled His wrath of indignation unto His Son for my justification. Just as Isaac willingly allowed himself to be sacrificed, Jesus went willingly to the cross. Even the binding of Isaac was a parallel to Christ, for He was bound by nails to the wood of the cross. When Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb for the burnt offering was, Abraham says the Lord will provide Himself the lamb. Hebrew didn’t have any comas. In Hebrew rendering this could be read as God will provide, Himself the Lamb (Jesus) for the burnt offering. For when the sacrifice was stalled, they did not find a lamb but a ram, which is a full grown male. Abraham called the place Yahweh-Yireh which means the Lord WILL provide, which is future tense. In the previous chapter Abraham is called a prophet and probably he was prophetically speaking of the distant event when Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed on the same place years later. In John 8:56 Jesus says Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Even when Moses wrote Genesis some 500 years after this incident it was still called Yahweh-Yireh, which means in the Mount of the Lord it will be provided. In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen. It was indeed in this place that the provision for all mankind for their salvation was made. Finally, this chapter ends with a genealogy and the emphasis is on Rebekah who becomes the bride of Isaac. Rebekah is introduced to the reader after the sacrifice of Isaac, likewise the church is born when her Lord sacrificed Himself for her because of His great love for her.

Q3. (22:14) How have you learned to trust God to provide for you? How has he provided for you in the past? What are you facing right now that will require God to be your Provider, your Jehovah-Jireh? God teaches us to trust Him through the difficult times that we go through. Through these situations we learn to put our trust in Him and experience Him to be the provider of our life. Yes He has provided for me in the past and I believe that He will be my provider for the future too.

Q2. Can we really know God until we can trust him with our whole lives? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? If not, why not now? If you have, what has that surrender entailed for you? How has God blessed you in return? To insist that unless we know God, we cannot trust Him is foolishness. Paul, in his latter part of ministry, says that I may know Him… Knowing Him is an ongoing process and for which even eternity wouldn’t be sufficient. Yes I have surrendered my life to Him and growing to know Him more and more as the days go by. He is the same, yesterday today and forever. He becomes sweeter and sweeter as the days go by and that in itself is the biggest blessing that anyone can possess… to have Him as your God and Father.

Q1. What effect does Satan want trials to have in our life? What effect does God want them to have? The effect really depends upon how we respond to the trial. Have you ever been through a trial that strengthens and invigorates you at the end? Have any of your trials inspired others or have you been inspired by another's trial? The same trial that comes into our way is used by Satan and God in two different ways. Satan wants the trials to shake our faith in God, lose hope and ultimately be defeated in our walk with the Lord. Whereas God uses the same trials to build us up, to increase our faith in Him, to strengthen us in His ways and ultimately see victory in Him and in His ways. For the thoughts that He thinks towards us are thoughts of peace, to give us hope and an expected end. Yes, I had been in trials. During those times have experienced the sustenance of the Lord. Even though it wasn’t smooth sailing, God took us through every day. Looking back I am thankful that God used those situations to build me up and thus enable me to impart into others’ lives in a positive manner. In 2 Corinthians 1:4 it says that we will be able to comfort others with the comfort that God has given us. Unless God comforts us we will not be able to comfort others with His comfort.

Q4. (21:33) How does the realization that God is El-Olam, the Eternal God, effect you? How does it alter the way you live your life? Abraham realizes that God is the eternal God who lives on forever. Even though he may not see his descendants after his grandsons, God is there to bless his descendants for He ever lives and is the one who inhabits eternity. This same God has reached out to us and befriended us and loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His Son to pay the price for the penalty of my sins. He had seen me even before the foundation of the world and He predestined me to adoption to His kingdom, and the privilege to call Him Abba Father. He is the only One who is worthy of all worship and adoration. My life is to be unto Him, to please Him, to love Him and to wait on Him and to behold His beauty and worship Him all the days of my life.

Q3. In what ways has God blessed Abraham in this difficult chapter 21? Given what we know about Ishmael's character (16:12; 25:18), how has Abraham been blessed that he sent him away? How has Isaac been blessed? What might have happened if Ishmael hadn't been sent away? Have you ever been rejected or sent away? Were is God in all of this? God tells Abraham that His promise to Abraham is through Isaac and that Ishmael has nothing to do with that promise. God knew that this separation would be difficult for Abraham, so God comforts Abraham with the news that God will bless Ishmael to become a nation and he will father all the Arab nations. Later on God will use Abraham’s mistake to chastise the nation of Israel. It’s told that Ishmael will be a wild donkey of a man. Donkeys are particularly unruly, independent and nomadic and that’s a formula for real mess. Had Ishmael stayed with Abraham, it would have caused strife in the household and thus resulted in more grief to Abraham. Isaac was a docile person and had Ishmael stayed, Isaac would have not been able to hold up to him. Ishmael would have subjugated him and taken his inheritance away. God is the master of all creation and in control of all situations. He is weaving all instances and situations in our life together to create a masterpiece which has an expected end. We may not understand all rejections or the adversities that come to our life, but the understanding that God is in control and is on the throne gives great comfort, knowing He is working all things together for our good.