a few things for our little excursion this week

Transcription

1 a few things for our little excursion this week day one: super spyglasses & secret decoder ring day two: Q2 six small envelopes {each labeled numerically or alphabetically or in some other way that helps you keep them in order} & passages day three: envelope or pocket & translations day four: Q5 small envelope and {sn} day five: envelope or pocket & reading SN: All the goodies you need to stuff the envelopes, pockets and folders can be found at the end of this study--after day 5--on a sweet little page entitled {stuff}. Mazel Tov

2 Galatians 4: You who want to be under the authority of the law, tell me something. Don t you know what the law says? 22 It is written that Abraham had two sons. The slave woman gave birth to one of them. The free woman gave birth to the other one. 23 Abraham s son by the slave woman was born in the usual way. But his son by the free woman was born because of God s promise. 24 Those things can be taken as examples. The two women stand for two covenants. One covenant comes from Mount Sinai. It gives birth to children who are going to be slaves. It is Hagar. 25 Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia. She stands for the present city of Jerusalem. That s because she and her children are slaves. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free. She is our mother. 27 It is written, Be glad, woman, you who have no children. Start shouting, you who have no labor pains. The woman who is all alone has more children than the woman who has a husband. 28 Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God s promise just as Isaac was. 29 At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the son born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? Get rid of the slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman s son will never have a share of the family s property with the free woman s son. 31 Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman s children. We are the free woman s children. New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright 1996, 1998 by Biblica

3 day one Read Galatians 4: When you are done reading, write down anything that jumped off the page at you, or made heart thump a couple extra beat or left you hearing the chirping of crickets. That s right, out with it now, tell me all about it don t hold back friend let it out and yes if it all flew right on past you like a hummingbird hot on the trail of some sweet nectar, that is 100 percent okay tell me about that too. Alrighty then, it s time to put on those super spyglasses and pull out your secret decoder ring. Now, go to the verses on the first page and underline, highlight, circle, put a box around {however you wanna do it} the following words each and EVERY pea pickin TIME you find them.if you are feeling particularly vivacious today, try using a different color for each word oooo la la fancy, right? I know { sons } { covenant } { children } { law } Who s who and mew, mew, mew its true, true, true, said the puppy in Manchu which of course didn t sit well with the fish who were swimming in the stew and so we all had to make do without roux and simply say thank you, after which we withdrew to Zhambu but seriously, what we really need here is to find out who the main people in this story are? Make yourself a nice little list-list-kins of every person that you can find.

4 day two Read Galatians 4:21-31 again. Yeppers peppers, really read it all over again. You might even want to pull out those super spyglasses and possibly your thinking cap and then take a good glimpse-a-roo for some nuggets you missed last time. When you are done reading, write down those sweet little tidbits that are hopping around in your mind like a cricket, a praying mantis and a flea in a fifty-yard dash. Not even joking. Write. It. Down. Really. Stop right there. I think it s time for a field trip yup let take a fun little trip back to the book of Genesis. See, this bit here in Galatians just isn t gonna resonate very much if we don t know what happened way back when so let s traipse {in an excited kind of way} ourselves on back yonder and get the scoop open up the envelopes in order that way you can see how it all went down after you read each

5 envelope, find a little property on the page and write down the gist of what was going on in the passage you found hidden in the envelope may be even tell meh what you think about it, like whoa! Our God is amazing or they did what? this is it for today so make your journey sweet! Oooops!! One last little thing.let s do something crazy take everything you just read and make nice little timeline of sorts it ll give you a nice aerial view like being in a hot air balloon or something

6 day three

7 day four Read Galatians 4:21-31 one more time. I mean it now, read it all over again---this is the living, life giving Word of God we are talking about here, be refreshed my sweet friend. Write down any new revelations, epiphanies or conundrums that come your way or, maybe just the stuff that you really loved Ok, so now that you are filled in on what went down.way back when let s bring it on home to Galatians. So, our boy, Paulie starts off with this challenge what is it? Then he busts out with the story which they would have known about let s break it down for ourselves... a. How many sons did Abraham have? b. Who were the mothers of these sons? c. How was the first one born? d. How was the second one born? Now we are past the basics so, he says, this is an allegory {a literary device where characters represent or symbolize ideas and concepts} as in, what do each of the women stand for or represent? {SN}: yep, it s a little side note just for you my friend nothing to it, just to help you out a bit.

8 Joy! OH JOY!! Which one does Paulo say they are like.and while you re at it, which one are you like!!??? Peek-a-roo into verse 29 remember what happened after Isaac was born feel free to skip on back to day two if need be well, Paulie is comparing what is going on in Galatia to this same thing what is it? Verse 30. But what does the Scripture say? so, tell meh.don t keep me waiting, holding my breath what does it say?!? What is supposed to happen to the bondwoman and her son..and why? And, really, let s just be thankful right now for verse 31 I mean really thankful get out your fancy schmancy writing utensils and write out verse 31 for meh if you wanna add an exclamation mark to the end instead of the unexcited period feel free!!!! {hehe} So, what s it to ya?? Really how s it all hitting you? What do learn about the mighty God of the universe, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.and how is that change your walk with him today this week this year this moment.

9 day five

10 {stuff} day 2 {stuff}: Envelope #1 Genesis 15:2-6 But Abram said, Lord and King, what can you give me? I still don t have any children. My servant Eliezer comes from Damascus. When I die, he will get everything I own. Abram continued, You haven t given me any children. So a servant in my house will get everything I own. Then a message came to Abram from the Lord. He said, This man will not get what belongs to you. A son will come from your own body. He will get everything you own. The Lord took Abram outside and said, Look up at the sky. Count the stars, if you can. Then he said to him, That is how many children you will have. Abram believed the Lord. The Lord accepted Abram because he believed. So his faith made him right with the Lord. Envelope # 2 Genesis 16:1-4, Abram s wife Sarai had never had any children by him. But she had a female servant from Egypt named Hagar. So she said to Abram, The Lord has kept me from having children. Go and make love to my servant. Maybe I can have a family through her. Abram agreed to what Sarai had said. After he had been living in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai gave him her servant Hagar to be his wife. He made love to Hagar. And she became pregnant. So Hagar had a son by Abram. And Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had by him. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar had Ishmael by him. Envelope #3 Genesis 17:15-21 God also said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai anymore. Her name will be Sarah. I will give her my blessing. You can be sure that I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. Kings of nations will come from her. Abraham fell with his face to the ground. He laughed and said to himself, Will a son be born to a man who is 100 years old? Will Sarah have a child at the age of 90? Abraham said to God, I wish Ishmael could receive your blessing! Then God said, I will bless Ishmael. But your wife Sarah will have a son by you. And you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him. It will be a covenant that lasts forever. It will be for Isaac and for his family after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. You can be sure that I will bless him. I will give him children. I will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of 12 rulers. And I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac. By this time next year, Sarah will have a son by you. Envelope #4 Genesis 18: 9-14 Where is your wife Sarah? they asked him. Over there, in the tent, he said. Then the Lord said, You can be sure that I will return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah will have a son. Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old. Sarah was too old to have a baby. So she laughed to herself. She thought, I m worn out, and my husband is old. Can I really know the joy of having a baby? Then the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, Will I really have a baby, now that I am old? Is anything too hard for me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year. Sarah will have a son.

11 Envelope #5 Genesis 21:1-7 The Lord was gracious to Sarah, just as he had said he would be. He did for Sarah what he had promised to do. Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. He was born at the exact time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. He did it exactly as God had commanded him. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. She continued, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? But I ve had a son by him when he is old. Envelope #6 Genesis 21:9-14 But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. Ishmael was the son Hagar had by Abraham. Hagar was Sarah s servant from Egypt. Sarah said to Abraham, Get rid of that slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman s son will never have a share of the family s property with my son Isaac. What Sarah said upset Abraham very much. After all, Ishmael was his son. But God said to him, Do not be so upset about the boy and your servant Hagar. Listen to what Sarah tells you, because your family line will continue through Isaac. I will make the son of your servant into a nation also. I will do it because he is your child. Early the next morning Abraham got some food and a bottle of water. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He gave the food and water to Hagar. He placed them on her shoulders. Then he sent her away with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.

12 day 3 {stuff}: Galatians 4:21-31 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) 21 Now tell me, you who want to be under the Law, have you heard what the Law says? It is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave and the other by the free woman. The child of the slave was born in the ordinary course of nature, but the child of the free woman was born in accordance with God s promise. This can be regarded as an allegory. Here are the two agreements represented by the two women: the one from Mount Sinai bearing children into slavery, typified by Hagar (Mount Sinai being in Arabia, the land of the descendants of Ishmael, Hagar s son), and corresponding to present-day Jerusalem for the Jews are still, spiritually speaking, slaves. But the free woman typifies the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all, and is spiritually free. It is written: Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who do not travail! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband Now we, my brothers, are like Isaac, for we are children born by promise. But just as in those far-off days the natural son persecuted the spiritual son, so it is today. Yet what is the scriptural instruction? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, my brothers, we are not to look upon ourselves as the sons of the slave woman but of the free, not sons of slavery under the Law but sons of freedom under grace. Galatians 4:21-31 Amplified Bible (AMP) 21 Tell me, you who are bent on being under the Law, will you listen to what the Law [really] says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondmaid and one by the free woman. 23 But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise. 24 Now all this is an allegory; these [two women] represent two covenants. One covenant originated from Mount Sinai [where the Law was given] and bears [children destined] for slavery; this is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is (stands for) Mount Sinai in Arabia and she corresponds to and belongs in the same category with the present Jerusalem, for she is in bondage together with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above (the Messianic kingdom of Christ) is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written in the Scriptures, Rejoice, O barren woman, who has not given birth to children; break forth into a joyful shout, you who are not feeling birth pangs, for the desolate woman has many more children than she who has a husband. 28 But we, brethren, are children [not by physical descent, as was Ishmael, but] like Isaac, born in virtue of promise. 29 Yet [just] as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh despised and persecuted him [who was born remarkably] according to [the promise and the working of] the [Holy] Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say? Cast out and send away the slave woman and her son, for never shall the son of the slave woman be heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman. 31 So, brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free [the supernatural].

13 day 4 {stuff}: {side note} From: The Dictionary of Bible Themes The mountain in the Sinai peninsula (probably present-day Jebel Musa), also called Horeb in the OT, where God made a covenant with Israel, establishing them as his people and giving them his laws. In the NT Sinai is seen as symbolising the old covenant. day 5 {stuff}: from: TODAY IN THE WORD When Sarah heard the Lord promise Abraham a son, she laughed to herself and thought, ""After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"" (Gen. 18:12). The Lord heard her, of course, and repeated His promise. Sure enough, God kept His word in the birth of Isaac, and Sarah's doubt turned to joy. Remembering her laughter, she exclaimed, ""God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me"" (Gen. 21:6). They named their son ""Isaac,"" meaning ""he laughs."" This background is key to today's reading. In this passage, Paul turns to a biblical illustration in an effort to separate the Galatians from legalism. He explains that those who boast of their submission to the law and claim to be sons of Abraham forget that Abraham had two sons. The first, Ishmael, was born of a bondwoman (Hagar), the secon d, Isaac, of a freewoman (Sarah). Hagar's son was born in the ordinary way. Circumstances surrounding his birth were not ordained of God and were therefore natural. By contrast, Isaac was born of Sarah ""as the result of a promise"" (Gal. 4:23). His birth was miraculous because Abraham and Sarah were both beyond childbearing age. God's extraordinary promise was fulfilled! Paul explains that the historical event has another meaning. The women represent two covenants--the Abrahamic and the Mosaic. The Abrahamic covenant (represented by Sarah) brought freedom, while the Mosaic (represented by Hagar) brought slavery (Gal 4:24-25, see Gal 4:31). The apostle is again emphasizing the inferiority of Mosaic legalism.