Chronological Study of the Bible

Lesson Ten — Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael

Pre-Class Assignments

This MUST be completed before class.

• Read Genesis 21:1-25:18 in your Bible.
• Prepare a story presentation of either the story from the point of view of Sarah (women) or the story from the point of view of Abraham (men) in a way that you think would be suitable to present to a Bible study group of college students. The focus of your story should be to highlight the goodness and trustworthiness of God as compared to the actions of the human characters in the story. You may prepare it in any format you desire. One of you (one woman and one man) will randomly be called on to give this to the class. Take note of the grading rubric to ensure you meet the requirements.
• Answer the Study Questions from the Study Questions Book.
• Memorize Genesis 22:8 (in your heart language).
• Write a 100-200 word response to the following questions:
• Keep in mind: In Hebrews Ch. 11, Abraham is listed as one of the faithful witnesses to God. And in 1 Pet. 3:6, Sarah is said to be a model for women. Then in 2 Pet. 2:7, Lot is called a righteous man. But looking at how Abraham treated Sarah and Hagar, and the other sinful things Sarah and Abraham did, and knowing how Lot treated his own daughters, how can they possibly be examples of faith and righteousness to us?
• Men - Put yourself in Abraham's place. Would you actually be able to resist the offering up of young Hagar by your wife Sarah? Would you make a different decision about having sex with Hagar or exiling Hagar and your son Ishmael? If you would, how and why do you think that you are a better man than Abraham? If you would not, what does that say about the type of person Abraham is? What kind of an example is he?
• Women - Put yourself in Sarah's place. Would you actually be able to believe that in your 90's you could get pregnant and thus resist offering up Hagar? Would you make a different decision about sending Hagar to have sex with your husband so that you could have a son for your husband (remember this was a common practice in those days and you NEED a son to care for you and inherit your property)? Would you care for and not exile Hagar and her son Ishmael? If you would, how and why do you think that you are a better woman than Sarah? If you would not, what does that say about the type of person you are or Sarah was? What type of example is she?

Class Timeline (50 minutes)

• 2-3 Minutes: Opening Prayer led by students.
• 3-5 Minutes: Sing Bible Fluency Song, "Pentateuch through Deuteronomy."
• 5 Minutes: Quiz
• 5-7 Minutes: One female student is randomly selected to present the story from Sarah's perspective.
• 5-7 Minutes: One male student is randomly selected to present the story from Abraham's perspective.
• 20-25 Minutes: Discuss the following question with the students:
• How are the stories told from different perspectives both valid and useful?
• Let's talk about the sacrifice of Isaac. What evidence from his relationship with God did Abraham have to show him that God would provide a sacrifice different from Isaac?
• Why do you think God tested Abraham in this way? Doesn't it seem cruel?
• Look up the word "archetype." "In what way do you see the sacrifice of Isaac as an "archetype" of Jesus?
• 5-10 Minutes: Instructor closes with their feedback on the storytelling event and their own conclusions about key points raised during the discussion.
• 2-3 Minutes: Closing Prayer

Bible Knowledge Quiz