Home Group Study Questions // Mar 23rd

History Session 9: Taking Matters into Your Own Hands

Genesis 16:3: “So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.” 

 

[Read Genesis 16] 

  1. Waiting upon the Lord can be a test of our patience. Can you give a real-life example where you impatiently took matters into your own hands? How did it turn out? What happened?
  2. God promised Abram and Sarai that He would make from their family a great nation, however, Sarai could not conceive. What does Genesis 16:1-4 tell us Sarai did to remedy their situation? Who does she blame for their problem? Why?
  3. Why was it wrong for Sarai and Abram to take matters into their own hands? How does Isaiah 60:22 and Psalm 37:7-8 help us understand this? What does this mean for us as we wait upon the Lord?
  4. What happens when we ignore God’s plan for our lives? Why?
  5. What happens when we reject God’s plan for marriage? Why?
  6. Read Genesis 2:24 and I Timothy 3:2. How might this shape our perspective?
  7. How does Sarai and Abram’s plan hurt their family and their relationship? How does it hurt Hagar? What happens? Why?
  8. What are we commanded to do in Ephesians 4:2-3? How does this shape our perspective on relational, marriage, and family issues?
  9. What does this story teach us about God’s faithfulness despite our struggles?