30 Days for New Christians Day 2

 

Day 2 A People for God Genesis 28:10–15; 32:22–28

B1 Passage: Genesis 28:10-15 GNB and Genesis 32:22-28 GNB

C1 Genesis 28:10-15

D1 Beer-Sheba is in southern Israel. Haran (Harran) is in southern Turkey near Syria.

D2 Ladder (stairway) (verse 12) = personally I understand Jacob had a dream and in the dream was a ladder. People say this can’t be, because there are no ladders this big, but strange things appear in dreams. Compare John 1:51.

D3 At the top standing (verse 13) = God is a delegator and sends His angels on missions.

D4 Give...land (verse 13) = An important promise. God is king, and kings are allowed to bequeath land. God’s promises are good. This promise is still true.

D5 Bring back (verse 15) = This was fulfilled. See Genesis 35:6-7.

C2 Genesis 32:22-28

D1 Stayed behind alone (verse 24) = Jacob was returning to the Promised Land then heard that his brother Easu was coming to meet him. Fearing that Easu was coming to kill him, Jacob sent everything ahead while he stayed to pray.

D2 A man...wrestled (verse 24) = most believe that this was Jesus preincarnately appearing (a theophany). He came to test Jacob’s resolve to return, to encourage him, and to show God’s superiority that Jacob needs to submit to. Hard times are sometimes the method God uses to teach us that He will not leave us. See Hebrews 13:5 and 1 John 5:9-10 (assurance). Jesus did not have a body but a form of solid like angels. Compare Hosea 12:2-6.

D3 Bless me (verse 26) = Jacob knew this was God. Note that this is a prayer for Jacob is talking with God. We learn a principle about prayer.

D4 Not Jacob but Israel (verse 28) = Adam Clarke comments: We may learn from this that the redemption of the soul will be the blessed consequence of wrestling by prayer and supplication with God: "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." From this time Jacob became a new man; but it was not till after a severe struggle that he got his name, his heart, and his character changed. After this he was no more Jacob the supplanter, but Israel—the man who prevails with God, and sees him face to face.

B2 Questions:

C1 What was Jacob afraid of?

C2 Why did God wrestle with Jacob?

C3 Name a time that hardships help increase your faith in God.

C4 How does the new birth change us?

30 Days for New Christians Day 1

 

1 The Fall of Humanity Genesis 3:1–19

B1 Passage: Genesis 3:1-19 GNB

C1 Snake = literally so, but the snake was only outward, the control of the snake was the devil, who is called the snake (Revelation 20:21 and 2 Corinthians 11:3). Compare John 8:44, 1 John 3:8, and 1 Timothy 2:14.

C2 Subtle = a lie said indirectly and innocently.

C3 Saw (verse 6) = lust of the eyes and her justifying reasons for eating the fruit.

C4 He also ate (verse 6) = Adam. Adam was not deceived. I guess but cannot prove that since he did not see God, he thought he could get away with eating the fruit. His sin was a lack of faith, that is, he did not believe God. His sin, not Eve’s, was the cause for the universe being cursed. The universe had been pronounced as good (without flaw). Adam’s sin turned the flawless universe into a flawed universe. See Romans 5:12.

C5 Fig leaves sewn together (verse 7) = attempt to cover shame. See Proverbs 11:2, Isaiah 28:16 with Romans 10:11.

C6 Lord God (verse 8) = Jesus Christ. See John 14:23, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, and 1 John 1:3.

C7 The woman (verse 12) = Adam is blame-shifting his sin unto Eve and further on to God. He does not confess his sin. Eve was honest and told God she was deceived. Adam received the greater punishment. Compare Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 14:5, Psalm 32:5, and 1 John 1:9.

C8 Her offspring and yours (verse 15) = the first promise of the coming Messiah. Adam did not get any good promises just curses. The Messiah was to be born of the woman, that is, no man was involved in procreation. See Galatians 4:4, Matthew 1:18 and 23.

C9 Subject (verse 16) = actually the word is desire. In my opinion, Eve would have been very angry with Adam. The world was cursed, and she was going to have labor pains. Because of this, I’m sure she wanted nothing to do with Adam. There would be no pregnancy. But God reminded Eve that she was still to physically and sexually desire Adam. Compare Song 7:10. The word is also used in Genesis 4:7. The desire mentioned there would be understood the intensity of this desire just like the intense desire of Song 7:10. The word rule here would be understood that Adam still had some authority in this life.

B2 Questions

C1 Was there anything about the serpent’s question that could have alerted Eve to the danger about to take place?

C2 Was the serpent telling the truth when he said, “That's not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”

D1 Would Eve have known what “evil” meant?

D2 Would you and I have been aware of the danger?

D3 How can we prevent falling into this lie?

E1 Knowing the truth

E2 Believing God

E3 Being skeptical

E4 Life is through what God says not anyone or anything else. Luke 4:4 WEB Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

D4 Is it wrong to become wise?

D5 What did Eve do wrong to acquire wisdom?

C3 Why was the Lord God walking in the garden? (See 1 John 1:3 WEB that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ).

C4 Why did Adam and Eve hide?

C5 Why did Adam blame Eve and then God for his sin?

C6 Why was the curse placed on the production of produce?