May 8 | Genesis Part 9
Discussion Guide
Cutting Covenant
May 8 | Genesis Series Part 9
Overview
Genesis chapter 15 and 17 describe a covenant ceremony between God and Abram, and a covenant sign for Abram and his people. As chapter 15 opens there is a growing tension in the narrative, between God’s promise and Abram’s reality. God has promised that Abram would have land and many offspring, but currently in the story, Abram has not yet possessed the land and Abram and Sarai are unable to conceive.
What would God do to address the tension? He wouldn’t change Abram’s reality, at least not yet. Instead, God re-speaks the promise and “cuts a covenant,” through a common ancient treaty practice, passing through pieces of animals. In essence God says, “May what happened to these animals happen to me if I don’t keep my promise.”
Then in chapter 17:1, God calls Abram to do his part in the covenant: “Walk before me, and be blameless.” God invites Abram to have a single direction, single orientation, to be wholly committed to the relationship, all in. To demonstrate his loyalty to the covenant, Abram and all his people and descendants will be circumcised—again a common ancient practice, now infused with meaning and attached to the covenant. The people would devote to God the body part associated with fulfilling or squandering the promise. However devotion of “the part” was meant to symbolize devotion in whole. What God ultimately wanted was a heart wholly belonging to God.
One of our unique callings as Refuge Church is to create spaces where people can just be. Where people can explore faith without the pressure to arrive anywhere. At some point however, we do believe God will speak, “Walk before me and be blameless.” This does not mean that we will be sinless, or that we will never screw up, but that we are wholly devoted.
Questions for Discussion
Toward the end of the sermon Ryan asked, “Are you singly oriented, wholly committed, all in?” He said that we all answer this question differently: (1) Yes! (2) No! (3) I don’t know. It’s complicated. (4) Ugh. (Meaning, you wanna be wholly devoted, but you haven’t been. Your mind is filled with need-to’s and should-have’s.) How did you answer this question? Share as much of your answer and back story as you feel comfortable.
Odds are, even if your primary answer wasn’t number 4 (Ugh), you can relate with feeling the condemnation of Genesis 17. Why is that? What about our upbringing, personality, culture, misunderstanding of scripture, etc. plays into this?
We are called into relationship with God and we have a part to play, but the success of the relationship is not on our shoulders in the way that it’s on God’s. Not only is the success of the relationship on His shoulders, the failure of the relationship is on his shoulders too. When in your life do you feel liberation in God? What could you do this week or who could you spend time with that might help you “glory in the love of God”?
Before You End
Have someone in your group read this blessing over you group:
In light of the self-sacrificing, heart-breaking, curse-bearing love of God in Christ,
May our hearts, so often laden with guilt, become free.
May we not fixate on the, “I-need-to’s” and “I-should-have’s.”
Instead, may we become entranced by what God did, by who God is, and by what God will do.
May we be liberated to cherish and enjoy and glory in the love of God.
Close in Prayer
Before you end your time, pray, asking for the Spirit’s presence in the big and small stuff of life. Take some time to pray for other prayer requests as they come up.
