Genesis 15-17

God's Promises and Man's Knee-Jerk Reaction

This week we delve into Genesis 15-17, focusing on God's promises and mankind’s reactions to them. The session examines themes of trust in God's character, common struggles in accepting and trusting His promises, how this all too commonly leads to self-reliance and trusting in human understanding and strength, and consequences of relying on human wisdom over God’s understanding and guidance. We explore the concept of spiritual droughts, their implications, and the importance of remaining steadfast in God’s Word and ways to overcome times of spiritual drought through praying the Word, meditating on the Word, and corporate study of the Word of God. By drawing parallels between biblical events and modern spiritual practices, emphasizing the importance of staying connected to God's Word, we’re able to avoid spiritual dryness and apathy.

 We also contrast God's covenant with Abraham, which is solely based on His promises, with mankind’s tendency to act on their own understanding; and delve into the New Testament's take on similar concepts, emphasizing reliance on God's promises over human efforts. There are practical applications to avoiding the spiritual dryness we often times find ourselves facing, and we can find examples from both the Old and New Testaments to illustrate these practical applications for us today in the 21st century, such as maintaining a deep relationship with God, avoiding spiritual dryness, and seeking God's Word all while avoiding falling into the pitfalls of human logic and cultural values. The study concludes with the reaffirmation of God's covenant with Abraham, the importance of obedience, and the ultimate reliance on God's promises over human understanding.