The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise is a four-session Bible study for individuals and groups. Family stories are important in helping us know who we are. They affirm core values, honor family strengths, and reflect family pain; they help families and individual family members locate themselves in the world. They tell us where we came from and remind us of where we hope to go.

Genesis 12–36 contains a cycle of stories about the first three generations of Israel’s ancestors. They record not just the beginnings of a single family but the beginnings of whole nations, particularly Israel. For more than two thousand years, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all over the world have looked to Abraham’s example. In times of distress, they have taken comfort in God’s assurances to Hagar and Ishmael that God would not abandon them in the world. And, when finding themselves in a moment of struggle with their faith and their God, they have recalled Jacob’s contest with the mysterious figure on the banks of the Jabbok River.

The Story of Israel's Ancestors Study Guide

This Study Guide for the Smyth & Helwys Annual Bible Study on the ancestral narratives serves three purposes: to educate the learner on major issues of appropriate interpretation, to offer an overview of theological themes, and to build the learner’s Bible study skills by reviewing significant interpretations.