Session 4: The Patriarchs
Aims
By the end of this session you should be able to:
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identify and describe what we can learn about the time and culture of the Patriarchs from their stories
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apply key aspects of the texts to the contemporary church.
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Prayer
Blessed are you Lord our God,
for you come to us and seek to make your home in us.
As we study now, let our eyes and our ears be open to you
let our hearts find their rest and their joy in you
that we may grow in grace and live to your glory.
Blessed are you, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
Amen.
Introduction
In this session we will explore the stories of what are known as the Patriarchs: Abraham, Issac and Jacob. We will also briefly touch on the story of Joseph. We will explore the themes running through their stories as the history of the Hebrew people begins to unfold and develop. This will take us to the end of the book of Genesis and circa 1800BCE on the timeline.
Watch the two videos below to get an overview of the book of Genesis and the stories of the patriarchs. Make notes in your reflective learning journal of anything that strikes you.
The Patriarchs
There appears to be a distinct threefold theme in the book of Genesis: God's grace is followed by humankind's sin which is then followed by God's grace. God acts in grace, humans sin, God forgives and responds in grace. Chapter 12 is the beginning of another repeat of this theme with the calling of Abraham and the promise of blessing to him and his descendants. The story of Abraham is one of the most well known in the Old Testament, particularly because of the sacrifice of Isaac, which is one of the most problematic OT scriptures for most Christians. Hopefully Hayes has shed some light on this difficult passage but it is also worth remembering that again the passage was about transforming something that was common in ANE religious practise – namely the sacrifice of human beings. In this passage God prevents Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, making it clear that this is not something required by Yahweh, a God who cares for humankind. The Abraham narrative also introduces the threefold promise of progeny, blessing and land which, as Hayes notes, underpins the whole of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.
Exercises
Take the short quiz here (this is mandatory for those on the CTMM or LLM(R) courses).
Reflect on the stories of both Abraham and Isaac. What picture of God does the author paint in this story? What can we learn from this story today?
Make notes of your thoughts for discussion in your Learning Support group.
The Story of Jacob
The story of Jacob is one which gives us much hope. Jacob is not by any means a typical hero! He is a liar, a cheat, a coward and a thief and yet God's uses this frail human being to help bring about God's purposes for the whole of the Hebrew peoples. God sees potential in Jacob that perhaps we do not and that brings hope for all of us, each with our own failings. Jacob's dream at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-19) is a pivotal point in the Jacob narrative and is worth reading closely.
Exercise
Reflect on the story of Jacob - what pictures of God are portrayed and what can we learn from this story for today? Make a note in your reflective learning journal.
The Story of Joseph
Read Genesis 37 – Exodus 4. The story of Joseph has many resonances with the stories that have preceded it. Although not one of the Patriarchs, Joseph is again pivotal to the story of the Hebrews. In many ways Joseph is like Jacob - Hayes calls him 'a spoiled, arrogant brat who provokes his older brothers with his delusions of grandeur' (2012, p95). She has a point! He is not the firstborn (and neither was Isaac or, of course, Jacob) which flies in the face of the ANE custom of the firstborn being the one who inherits the blessings of the father (known as primogeniture). Yet it is Joseph who enables the rest of the sons of Jacob to survive and helps to carry Israel into the future. God's providence is clearly evident and this is the major theme of the stories of the Patriarchs and the story of Joseph, one which will continue into the next stage of Israelite history: the Exodus.
Spotlight on Doctrine
Turning again to the Apostle's Creed, we start it with the phrase "I believe in God the Father Almighty ..." There is much in the stories of the Patriarchs about the faithfulness of God as well as descriptions of earthly fathers (Abraham and Jacob). Take some time to think about the different pictures of fatherhood portrayed in these stories and particularly the nature of the fatherhood of God.
Spotlight on Spirituality
The stories of the patriarchs offer much to many different spiritualities in the Christian Church. The story of Jacob in particular offers much hope for all Christians, demonsrating that God loves us all in spite of our failings and not only sees our potential but is always ready to use whatever we can offer, meeting us wherever we are on our journey.
Reflect
Spend some time prayerfully thinking about what you have discovered in this session. What has struck you most? How will you use it to develop your discipleship? What challenging questions does it make you ask of yourself and of the Church? In no more than 400 words, post your thoughts on the Forum.
Below, in the Resources section, you will find another timeline which is in narrative format. Download it and keep it handy along with the others as you progress through the module.
Prayer
Blessed are you, Lord our God, all things come from you:
from you come our life, this world and all that we have and are.
Teach us to love and respect your creation and give glory to you.
Blessed are you, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen
Something Practical To Do
Make a note of whether your church reads a lesson from the Old Testament this week. If so, what was it? If there wasn't a lesson from the OT note that (we don't need to know what other readings you had for this exercise). Make a note of whether you recite the Apostle's or Nicene creed or a different form of Affirmation of Faith in your service.
If you like, share some of what you have found on the discussion board in the Forum here.
Resources
