The Greatest Portent of All
Welcome to Session 2 of the Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament online Bible study! In this session, Jean will answer five questions about The Greatest Portent of All.
Here’s how this will work:
- Watch this week’s video session above, The Greatest Portent of All.
- Once you watch the video, answer the questions in the discussion section of this page. The questions relate to both the previous week’s study in the book as well as the video content. We hope these interactions will be both challenging and encouraging!
- After the video, we will let you know the personal study assignment for the next week in your Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament study book. That’s it!
Before Next Week
Complete Chapter 2–Genesis 22: Jesus the Sacrificed Son (pages 27-42) in your creative devotional study book. See you next week!
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Discussion Questions
Answer the following questions below in the comments to get to know your fellow Bible study friends!
- What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
- What one thought stood out to you in chapter 1, Jesus the Serpent Crusher?
- How does focusing on what we can’t have instead of on what we do have affect our relationship with God? Why is it important to remember God’s intentions for us our good (question 9, page 15)?
- Why wouldn’t God want creatures who had chosen to rebel to be able to live forever (question 11, page 16)?
What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
One thought that stood out to me was the Abraham offering Isaac up as a sacrifice was the greatest portent or foreshadowing of God offering his son, Jesus up as a sacrifice. When you addressed some of the questions people asked about this story, it brought clarity to things I had often wondered about, especially your explanation of the culture at the time regarding human sacrifice and that Isaac was older than I had imagined him to be.
What one thought stood out to you in chapter 1, Jesus the Serpent Crusher?
p. 23 “He reversed the work of the serpent in the garden and brought eternal life.”
How does focusing on what we can’t have instead of on what we do have affect our relationship with God?
This will cause us to be ungrateful and more susceptible to sin.
Why is it important to remember God’s intentions for us our good (question 9, page 15)?
If we keep in mind that God’s intentions are good for us we will be more likely to keep his commandments because we will know that he put them there for our protection, not to deny us pleasure.
Why wouldn’t God want creatures who had chosen to rebel to be able to live forever (question 11, page 16)?
God wouldn’t want Adam and Eve to live forever because they sinned and lost their innocence and could only pass on to their offspring imperfection, sinful tendencies and eventually death.
Great, thoughtful answers, Karen. Thanks for sharing.
When Abraham sacrifice Isaac. And Isaac let his dad do it. How that points to Jesus dieing on the cross for my sins.
Satan brought death to us but Jesus brought eternal life to us. Praise God for that.
3: it separate us until we ask forgiveness. Because he has our best interest for us.
He did want that because of sin. That someday we will eat if the tree of life and live and not sin.
Love those things too!
1) What stood out to me in this week’s video was that the Hebrew behind the word “now” in Gen 22:2 simply means “please” – as in “please take your son, your only son…” The English translations I’ve looked at all make this seem like a somber command when in Hebrew it isn’t. I’d like to do some research on this, but it’s certainly news that will change the way I look at the text. Thank you for pointing it out.
2) The very first question on Day 1 of chapter 1, Jesus the Serpent Crusher stood out the most. Specifically, the thought of the LORD God “driving” Adam and Eve out of the garden in Genesis 3. More specifically, the act of “driving out.” Not a pleasant picture. But then I thought of John 6:34-37. Jesus had just said He is the “bread of life.” In John 6:37, He goes on to say “All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” Could this possibly –in part– have been a reference to Adam and Eve? I wondered, but the text doesn’t specifically say.
3) When we focus on what we do not have, it is like blaming God for not giving us everything we desire. We can start to feel entitled and ungrateful for what we have been given. If we forget that God’s intentions for us are good, we can easily drift into our own way of doing things and end up in a mess.
4) If Adam and Eve had “reached out their hands” and eaten also from the Tree of Life, it would have been by their own effort (without the need of the Savior) and a lot like cheating death, avoiding the consequences of their sin. As an aside, “reach out their hands” sounds curiously like Jesus’s stretched out arms on the cross. Also, God’s “outstretched arm” in Exodus 6:6 (I will redeem you with an outstretched arm).
You’ve found interesting parallels! As to the word being sometimes translated “please,” I quote Paul Copan in the book so you can check out the footnote. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus alluded to “drive out” from the Garden as well as Moses’s warning of being driven from the land if Israel abandons God. Great answers!
“Now” as an entreaty not a command stood out to me. I had not investigated that before.
Someone summarized the serpent’s temptation as making Eve think sin isn’t bad and God isn’t good. Isn’t this what we tend to think when we sin?–It’s not that bad. God isn’t really good after all.
Also, from “The Little Details” on pg. 16, the fact that from the beginning God’s dwelling place with people is assumed to be earth. I like that. Earth isn’t a place from which we need to escape, but a place that needs to be restored and will one day be!
Makes us focus on things instead of on God. Can lead us to be resentful, demanding, or dismissive of God. Reveals that God isn’t really first in our lives.
b. God has our best interests at heart. We need to remember that God is good.
Sin and evil would enter eternity. All the hurts and pains of life would continue to carry over.
Chapter 2 has more on “now” as entreaty. Yes–the Bible is the story of how God will fulfill his plan to dwell with humans. Amazing! Yes, “resentful, demanding, or dismissive.” Good answers, all!
What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
I had never considered before how Issac was bound to the wood and how the Romans bound Jesus to the cross. Both willing participants.
What one thought stood out to you in chapter 1, Jesus the Serpent Crusher?
God didn’t forbid Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life. God wanted to have a relationship with mankind forever, and he still does.
How does focusing on what we can’t have instead of on what we do have affect our relationship with God?
It shows we don’t trust him to provide what we need, and makes us ungrateful for what we have.
Why is it important to remember God’s intentions for us our good?
God has a plan and it works out for our good.
Why wouldn’t God want creatures who had chosen to rebel to be able to live forever?
They would always be spoiling God’s perfection, and there would be no way to get rid of them.
Hi, Jane. The similarities between Isaac and Jesus are amazing. Yes, God created us for relationship with him–wow. Good thoughtful answers. Thank you for sharing!
1. I watched the video twice, learning about the cultural differences helped me to see it from a different light, as did the part about the Lord telling Abraham with compassion to sacrafice his only son, rather than giving him a harsh command. I never would have known that without being taught about the cultural backgrounds and the actual meanings of word from ancient times.
2. I didn’t know before this study what a portent was. and am in awe of how the Lord has everything so perfectly planned out using the portents.
3.if we were to let the things of the world and our flesh influance us, a wall of resentment could form, blocking our communion and communication with the Lord. It’s important to always remember God loves us. He loves us enough to give His only Son as a sacrafice to save us. All His intentions for us are for our benefit and are sufficient.
4. They could choose to stay that way (rebel) and influence everybody and everything thereafter.I think Karen Laws answered this question really well..
Hi, Yvonne. 1) I’m glad to hear that. This week’s lesson has more. 2) I’m in awe too. 3) Good thoughtful answer–totally agree. 4) Yep! Then all the causes of sin would NOT be removed and the evil ones would continue to try to rebel and take over. Thanks for sharing.
Reminds me of the war in heaven (whether past or still to come) but “try” being the key word because God wins! Revelation 2:7 says “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.” God knew Adam and Eve wouldn’t overcome — that they would disobey. The other thing I thought of was how long did the cherubim guard the way to the tree of life? Apparently until its relocation to the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2) where it will stand on each side of the river of the water of life. Kind of mind-boggling (but thought-provoking as was the question!)
Debbie, it IS mind blowing!
The part of the burnt offering, showing how Jesus fulfilled this. I have never seen this similarity before and yes now reading through that story will absolutely change for me.
The serpent crusher stood out because, straight away God provides a solution for mankind.
It usually results to negative feelings; greed, misery, hopelessness etc. It causes one to loss focus on the God who has generously given all things and we become thankless.
They will keep multiplying evil afterwards.
1) When I first learned all this, it completely changed the way I looked at the narrative too. 2) Yes! 3) Totally agree. 4)Yes! Thanks for sharing!
Q1, first thought was I always thought Isaac was a child, if he was an adult I was surprised he was submissive to his father’s actions.
Q3 if we are concentrating on what we don’t have we are not concentrating on God and obeying His Word.
Q4 I think Adam and Eve’s punishment was being ejected from the Garden of Eden and they brought death on themselves by disobeying God. Eternal life is a gift which they didn’t deserve, not that I think any of us deserve it.