Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (78 page)

• Where is the action taking place? (You may need a Bible map to track the various locations mentioned in this passage.)

• When does this event take place? Don’t worry so much about determining a precise year. More importantly, determine its significance in the flow of Bible history. (In this case, the last major story is found in Genesis 11:1–9—an account that emphasizes God’s desire for people to “scatter” over the face of the whole earth.)

• Why do you think God put this story in the Bible? (Why begin with Terah rather than Abraham? Why mention all those family members and Abraham’s comfortable home in Ur? Why mention Sarah’s infertility as soon as her name comes up?)

• Finally, since God
did
include this account in Scripture, what are we supposed to learn from it? What does this bit of ancient history have to do with your life today?

By reading selectively, do you notice more of a family attachment that you might not have seen before? Not only did Abraham follow God’s call to a new land, he followed God’s call to “leave . . . your people and your father’s household” (Genesis 12:1
NIV
). Many people will follow God’s call when it’s convenient to do so, but far fewer are willing to place God above the comforts of home and the security of a strong family bond. Abraham did both, and was eventually rewarded (tremendously!) for doing so.

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Matthew 2:1–12; Luke 2:1–40

TIME COMMITMENT:

30 minutes

“You may wonder, why does God clutter the biblical text with this sort of stuff? Why so many inane, off-the-wall comments and details? The reason is because He wants you to see the process people went through in order to come to the conclusions they came to” (p. 96).

T
he Christmas story. We hear it every December and know it so well we hardly listen to it anymore. But let’s examine it like any other portion of Scripture and see what we can learn by reading it selectively. Read Matthew 2:1–12 and Luke 2:1–40. Then answer these questions.

• Who are the people involved? Record the “minor characters” as well as the familiar ones.