City Church Podcast

Discussion QuestionsChapter 42 – Grain in EgyptJoseph stays cloaked in his Egyptian disguise and treats his brothers ‘roughly’ (verse 7). Why would Jospeh do this? How have we seen God cloak his intentions to bring about repentance and humility in other stories of the Bible?The bothers get grain in Egypt, but when they return home they see that their money is still in their bags (42:35) which means they received the grain for free. Why does this act of grace make them afraid? Does God’s free grace in your life ever cause you to fear?At the end of chapter 42 Jacob refuses to let Benjamin go to Egypt. Why is Jacob so afraid to let Benjamin travel? Is his fear warranted?Chapter 43 – The brothers return to EgyptIn 42:37 Reuben offers a solution to Jacob’s fear and then in 43:8-10 Judah offers another solution. Compare and contrast their plans. What might we commend and what would we critique?Jospeh receives his brothers with a feast. Read Genesis 43:26-34. What stands out to you about this feast? How is this a picture of what is in store for the believer in Christ?Chapter 44 & 45 – Jospeh’s final test and the big revealJospeh tests his brother’s honesty yet again, but this time it involves Benjamin. How does their response to this final test show that they have changed and been humbled?In 45:4-8, to whom does Jospeh ‘blame’ for what happened to him? Why is this surprising and significant?Jospeh brings out a major tension of the Christian life when he says in verse 5, “...because you sold me here, for God sent me here before you to preserve life.” How have you wrestled with this tension of man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty in your own life?As we start to close the Jospeh story, what aspects of God’s character stand out to you? What are ways in which you can respond to what you are learning about God?

Your church in the city. Join us in person or online – LIVE on Sundays at 4:00pm – to hear good news about Jesus. We exist to invite you to enjoy him for God's glory. All are welcome, no matter what you believe!STAY CONNECTED:WEBSITE: citychurchmanchester.orgINSTAGRAM: instagram.com/citychurchmanchesterFACEBOOK: facebook.com/CityChurchMPODCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/4uCusxqNMn7i8ADrUDuCsp?si=f8f2893e9c5f4201SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/user/5d9iw42tn7j7cvfvth6yr6d6s?si=047aa73cd69642f8

Discussion QuestionsChapter 37- Joseph and his brothers 1. Dreams play a significant role in the life of Jospeh and the story moving forward. How should we think about the dreams that we have today? What 2 extremes does Ralph tell us to avoid?2. The betrayal of the brothers is a very grim part of the story. Compare and contrast this scene of brotherly betrayal with Cain’s betrayal in Genesis 4:1-10. What similarities and differences do you see?3. Do you see Reuben and Judah’s actions to preserve Joseph’s life as rays of hope breaking through or examples of tactics that are ultimately selfish?Chapter 38 – Judah and Tamar4. Ralph frames the death of Onan and Ur as merciful – God bringing judgement on one person to save others from their wickedness. Do you agree? Why or why not?5. After all the events of chapter 38, Judah declares Tamar is more righteous than himself. What can we commend in Tamar’s actions? What might we critique?6. We have seen multiple stories in Genesis that involve deception – the snake in the garden, Abram lying about his wife, Isaac lying about his wife and Jacob with his father and brother. All of these were done out of fear or selfish gain. How is Tamar’s deception different? How does it set us up for Joseph’s deception towards his brothers? Chapter 39 –41: Joseph rises to power in Egypt 7. Look at 39:2-6 and 39:21-23. What is the source of Jospeh’s success? Why is this important to notice? 8. Jospeh uses his God given gift of discernment to help those in need, regardless of who is in need, what the circumstances are or the consequences to himself. What allows him to be so generous with this gift? What might allow us to be generous with the gifts we have been blessed with? 9. Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and then immediately launches into a proposed plan of action. Over the past 13 years of his life, how has God prepared Jospeh for this moment? Thinking about how own lives, how might we learn to trust God in the unknowns of right now knowing that He might be preparing us for future work?

Your church in the city. Join us in person or online – LIVE on Sundays at 4:00pm – to hear good news about Jesus. We exist to invite you to enjoy him for God's glory. All are welcome, no matter what you believe!STAY CONNECTED:WEBSITE: citychurchmanchester.orgINSTAGRAM: instagram.com/citychurchmanchesterFACEBOOK: facebook.com/CityChurchMPODCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/4uCusxqNMn7i8ADrUDuCsp?si=f8f2893e9c5f4201SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/user/5d9iw42tn7j7cvfvth6yr6d6s?si=047aa73cd69642f8

Discussion Questions.Are there any questions or concerns from the passage and/or podcast that you would like to be addressed in our discussion?Dinah and the ShechemGiven the recent spiritual high of Jacob’s story since reuniting with Esau and finally trusting his life to God, chapter 34 feels like a massive let down. Looking at the big picture of Jacob’s family story, why do we need this chapter included? What might this help us understand about our own faith story?Why is it significant that God is not consulted in the events of chapter 34? What would have been a godly response from Jacob and his sons upon hearing what happened to Dinah? Talk through some options with your group.Joe and Ponch talk about how Dinah’s brothers use a sign of relationship with God (circumcision) (circumcision) as a weapon of mass destruction. How does the cross of Christ do the opposite? How is Jesus the elder brother we need?God’s Blessing RepeatedHow do we see God’s faithfulness and undeserved favour to Jacob and his family in this chapter? Particularly in light of all that’s come before in Jacob’s life?How do we see Jacob leading his family in repentance and worship? How does this chapter instruct us on how we should confess, repent and worship in the ups and downs of our lives?Why is worship difficult after a major life failure or tragedy? How can we start to train our hearts to see worship of God as the best option?Esau’s Decendents and Reflections on Jacob’s lifeGenealogy passages in Scripture are hard to read. What might these chapters teach us and signify in the Biblical text?Read Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16. How do these verses in Hebrews shed light on Jacob’s life and faith? How might these verses and the story of Jacob in Genesis teach us to long for something better?