The story is ending. The last of the founding patriarchs are dying. This is a story of burials and not of births. Yet, hope remains. It remains in the hearts. It remains in the last request of Joseph to carry his bones back to the land of Canaan when God visits His people.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
Jacob’s time is short. It will not be long before he departs this world. Before he passes, he calls for his sons to gather together that he might tell them the things that will befall them in the last days. Some of the sons receive good news, while others hear of loss and condemnation.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
Although this lesson may seem anticlimactic, God is still fulfilling His blessings on Joseph and rewarding him for his faithfulness. Our final reward comes in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). Yet, we can be sure that our God will make all things work out to the good of those who love Him.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
This lesson gives several examples, both negative and positive, of waiting on God. Isaac waited on the right bride. He also waits on the promised offspring (as opposed to his father who went in to Hagar). He seeks God’s help through prayer. Rebekah prays for an answer to the dilemma of the struggle in her womb and God gives her special insight into His plan.
Several approaches are possible with this lesson. You may want to emphasize the doctrinal approach in which the offering of Isaac is a wonderful type of the sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Or, you might approach the lesson from the standpoint of Abraham and his faith in the Lord. You might even go back over his life and review the growth of his faith through the years. A third approach, especially good for teaching children, would be to consider the viewpoint of Isaac. He obviously submitted to his father and trusted him. Isaac is certainly an example of an obedient child. Yet, all of these approaches emphasize surrender and sacrifice. You might do well to consider what it means to be truly surrendered to the Lord.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
This section of the Bible gives a great lesson on hospitality. But, more than that, it deals with fellowship with God. Abraham received the Lord into his home and the Lord felt enough confidence in Abraham to reveal to him what He was getting ready to do.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
Introduction: In the opening text:
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
Someone has counted seven different sets of instructions concerning the tabernacle in the book of Exodus. Each set of instructions repeats some things and adds others. This approach is part of God’s special design for the book of Exodus, but it can confuse the casual reader. In order to make the tabernacle more understandable, this lesson follows topics more than the text. However, the bulk of our text deals with the furniture in the tabernacle and you can follow it in order under that topic below.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
Israel has grievously sinned against God. The people have made a golden calf and worshipped it. The tabernacle, as God’s presence, is removed from their midst. Moses now goes to work as the primary Old Testament mediator to bring God and His people back into a right relationship with one another.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
God has brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and now He wants to make them His special people by giving them the covenant of the law. They have the promise of Abraham which will never be taken away. However, God wants to have a relationship of obedience and blessing by which they serve Him because of love and He makes them a special people on the face of the earth.<br />
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
<h4>Numbered List</h4>
