Tonight's Bible Study Questions

Genesis: Study 6

In this study session we will be looking at two very compelling sections of Genesis. The first is the story of the Tower of Babel. Many are familiar with this story, but there’s a larger message hidden within its words that we all need to remember and apply to our everyday lives. The second section of Genesis we will study includes God’s call of Abram and the situation between Abram, Sarai and Pharaoh in Egypt. What’s important about Abram’s story here? What do you think about his actions when he and Sarai arrive in Egypt?

Genesis 11:1-9 (The Tower of Babel)

Questions for Discussion

What does the story of the Tower of Babel try to explain?

It seems as if the people who have settled in Shinar have some sort of foreknowledge of what will be done to them by God (verse 4). Is this really foreknowledge or simply something the author has put in the text to foreshadow events to come?

Why does God decide that He must interfere with the workings of man here? Where else in Genesis does a similar situation arise?

Within this story lies a very important lesson that God wants us to recognize and remember as we move along in our everyday lives. What is the message God has placed in this story?

Genesis 12:1-20 (The Call of Abram, Abram and Sarai in Egypt)

Let’s compare the way Abram reacts to what God asks of him and the way many today react. How can we account for the obvious difference?

What would your reaction be if God told you to leave the house you had inherited from your father, take your entire household (remember what we talked about concerning the definition of “household” in biblical times) and move to an entirely different country?

What does just this small section of Abram’s (Abraham’s) story tell us about him? How can we use the figure of Abram to improve ourselves?

Do you agree with Abram’s actions after he and Sarai get into Egypt? Essentially, what does Abram do in order to spare his own life?

What is Abram’s answer to the questions of Pharaoh after God has afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues?

Compare and contrast the figures of Noah and Abram. How are they alike? How are they different? What does a close study of these two men tell us about the human condition?