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Teen Zone for Girls

Lesson 16

Gen 15-18

Answers

1. How does God describe Himself to Abram? "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” 15:1

2. What was Abram’s problem? He had no heir. 15:2-3

3. How numerous did God say Abram’s descendants would be? Too many to number, like the stars in the sky. 15:5

4. Why was Abram counted righteous? Because he believed what God told him. 15:6

5. How did God prove to Abram that he would inherit the land? He split a sacrifice in two and when it was dark a smoking oven and a burning torch passed between the pieces. 15: 9-10,17

6. What was the convenant that God made with Abram? To give him the land of the Canaanites 15:18-21

7. What did Sarai do to give Abram a child? Gave him her handmaid (Hagar) to have a child with for her 16:2

8. How did Hagar look at Sarai when she discovered that she was pregnant? She despised her (it appears to mean she looked down on or considered Sarai inferior because she could give Abram a child and Sarai could not) 16:4-5

9. How did Sarai treat her? She dealt harshly with her 16:6

10. How did Hagar respond? She ran away. 16:6

11. Who met her in the wilderness and what did he tell her to do? An angel of the Lord and he told her to return to Sarai and submit herself under her hands. 16:7-9

12. What would the name of Hagar’s son be? Ishmael who would also have many descendants. 16:10-12

13. What did Hagar call the place where she met the angel? Beer Lahai Roi meaning You-are-the-God-who-sees 16:13-14

14. How old was Abram when Ishmael was born? 86. 16:16

15. How old was Abram when God appeared to him again? 99. 17:1

16. What did God change Abram’s name to? Abraham. 17:5

17. What was God’s covenant with Abraham? To bless him and make him exceedingly fruitful, to give him the land of Canaan, an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants 17:6-8

18. What was the sign of the covenant that Abraham and all of his descendants had with God? All males would be circumcised and from here on out future males would be circumcised at 8 days old. 17:9-14

19. What did God change Sarai’s name to? Sarah 17:15

20. What did God say that made Abraham laugh? That Sarah would yet have a child in their old age. 17:16-17

21. What did God tell Abraham about Ishmael? He too would be a great nation and 12 princes would come from him 17:20

22. What action did Abraham take that day to show his belief in what God had promised? He and his household including Ishmael were circumcised 17:26-27

23. How did Abraham react to the 3 visitors? He offered them food, water, and rest. 18:3-5

24. After they ate who did the three men ask about? Sarah. 18:9

25. What had they come to tell Abraham and Sarah? That she would soon have a son even though they were old and past childbearing age. 18:10-11

26. What did Sarah do? She laughed. 18:12

27. As the visitors began to leave what did the Lord decide to tell Abraham? His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sin. 18:20-21

28. After hearing this, what did Abraham begin to do? Negotiate with the Lord to save the righteous. 18:23-33

Thought Questions:

A. Abraham was called the friend of God in II Chron 20:7 and James 2:23. How does Abraham’s open discussion with God in these passages show his friendship with God? In chap 15 he questions God about his heir because God has given him no son. In the end of chapter 18 he questions God about what will happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. God allows him to speak openly with Him about his concerns. This is in contrast to Job whom God allowed to speak, but He did not answer right away and never explained things to Job.  Abraham is commended several times in the NT for his obedience to God. In Romans 4:1-3, Paul says that Abraham first of all believed God and his faith made him righteous. Heb 11:8 tells us that this faith caused obedience. By faith Abraham obeyed. In James 2 we read that his works of obedience are what proved his faith. His faith was made perfect by his works, actions, obedience. I think this kind of faithful heart is what makes Abraham God’s friend. [Is. 41:8 also mentions Abraham as God's friend.]

B. What can we learn from Sarah’s attempt to help God out? I have a hard time with this. I am a fixer. I like to fix things and people. When something is wrong, I want a solution right away. I have the same problem Sarah had. I forget to trust and wait on the Lord. Most of the time when we try to do things our way or help God out, we bring pain or more problems on ourselves. Sarah must have caused herself, Hagar, Abraham and probably even Ishmael much distress. God clearly didn't need Sarah's help any more than He needs ours today so we should try our best to learn from Sarah, and later scriptures that tell us to trust in the Lord and wait for Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding…” PS 27:14 says “wait on the Lord” PS 37:7 says “rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…”

Psalms is full of scriptures that tell us to wait and trust.

C.  Your thoughts. There is much to learn from Abraham and Sarah. How to trust God, how to be His friend, how to be a good spouse, and what not to do such as help God out. Not only Sarah but Abraham also failed to trust God and tried to help out by telling Sarah to lie to protect him. It is good to know that, in spite of our weaknesses, we can still be accepted by God and be His friend. We must continue growing in faith and being obedient and He will love and forgive us our shortcomings.