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God's Promise: Genesis Part Two | the galaxy with stars and purple, orange, and blue clouds. God's Promise: Genesis Part Two | the galaxy with stars and purple, orange, and blue clouds.

Discussion Starters | God's Promise

  • July 2024 Issue
Discussion Starters
  1. Is there some area of your life where you are being required to wait? How has God worked during times of waiting in your past?
  2. What might have made Isaac doubt God’s promise? What makes us doubt that God will provide? What would it look like for you to believe that God is faithful and will keep you until the end (1 Cor. 1:8)?
  3. How might a commentator describe your character flaws? Despite your weaknesses, what are some ways you have experienced God’s grace in your life?
  4. Have you ever tried to lie or manipulate to “help” achieve God’s plan? What did Jacob and Rebekah
    fail to understand? What lessons does the story of Isaac’s blessing hold for us today?
  5. How does our belief that God is present with us, no matter where we go, change the way we live?
  6. Considering Jacob’s past, what was your reaction to his wedding “mishap”? How does God use this deception? Have you ever seen God work through something you once viewed as a mistake?
  7. How would you characterize Jacob’s family? Why was there so much division? Aren’t you grateful that God’s work does not depend on perfect people?
  8. Why did Jacob want to leave Laban? Was Laban’s reaction justified? Why or why not? How did God preserve His promise through these two imperfect men?
  9. We can rely on the truth that God is with us, and that no matter how life changes our plans, God will be faithful to His promises. How have you seen God at work in your life? How has He helped you grow in your faith through different trials?
  10. Have you ever prayed a “save me” prayer? What happened? How did God fulfill His promises to you?
  11. Have you ever “wrestled” with God? What circumstances prompted that struggle? What did you learn through it?
  12. Have you experienced the mending of a broken relationship or are you praying for that to happen? How does a reconciliation between people remind us of the way God “reconciled us to himself” (2 Cor. 5:18)?
  13. What were the mistakes made by Jacob and his family in this passage? What is the difference between human justice and God’s justice?
  14. What would it look like for us to “get rid of all the foreign gods” in our lives? What do you sometime put “first” in your life? How do you keep God as your focus and priority?
  15. What part does suffering play in Joseph’s story? What part has it played in your own story? Have you seen God work amid your pain?
  16. Judah’s story is shocking. How does this once again show God’s ability to keep His promises? Why did this event change Judah’s heart?
  17. Contrast God’s blessing described in Genesis 39:3 with the actual events happening in Joseph’s life. What might have caused Joseph to doubt God’s presence? Why do we sometimes doubt that God is with us?
  18. What can we learn from Joseph’s response to Potiphar’s wife? Are there times you can look back on your life and see how God has been with you through the tough seasons?
  19. Have you experienced times when a door closed unexpectedly? Have you ever seen God use a disappointing answer in a positive way?
  20. Joseph learned that God was with him, even in slavery, in prison, and in Pharaoh’s court. Why do you think God had Joseph endure so much before his deliverance?
  21. Why would it be tempting for Joseph to forget his Hebrew origins? Why is it important for Christians to remember our identity in Christ, especially when we experience success?
  22. Are there things in your life that you need to make right with God and others? There is joy and freedom in repentance and forgiveness.
  23. Why are we naturally skeptical of change that happens in people’s lives? Why can we trust God to produce authentic change?
  24. God is still at work, transforming sinners and bringing them to repentance today. What are some ways, which you can see, that God has changed you as a result of your relationship with Him?
  25. What is Joseph’s reaction to his brothers? What is the bigger truth in Joseph’s story? How does Joseph’s story help us gain perspective when we walk through times of suffering or witness great evil?
  26. Why can we place absolute trust in God’s promises? What would it look like for you to move forward in faith, based on all that God has promised?
  27. What would it look like to be in the world but not of it for you? What are ways Christians can be in the world today but not of it? How do we sometimes get this wrong?
  28. What is your family story? How has it shaped your faith? Remember, that your most important identity is found in Christ!
  29. Do you worry about the future? How does knowing we can depend on God’s promise about Jesus’ return change the way we live today?
  30. Have you ever been called to forgive someone who did not deserve it? What does Joseph’s story teach us about forgiveness? About God’s sovereignty?
  31. What are some key takeaways from your study in Genesis? How has this study helped you better understand God and His promises?