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Summer 2025  Sacred Altars and Holy Offerings
Unit 1: The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices

We examine the first acts of worship recorded in the Bible, as carried out by Adam and Eve’s two sons, Cain and Abel.  The book of Genesis does not explicitly claim an author. But Exodus 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Numbers 33:2; and Deuteronomy 31:9; Matthew 19:8; Mark 10:5; John 5:45-47; etc., suggest that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, a section we call the Pentateuch. However, many modern scholars have proposed that the text of the book of Genesis we possess today is a composite workof several different sources written hundreds of years after Moses would have lived. Because Genesis was part of the Law of Moses and Moses was certainly capable of writing, it seems best to take Genesis as having been authored by Moses

The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices
The account of the offerings presented by Cain and Abel follows the eviction of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. That was a consequence of their sin against God. Adam lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5), but determining how long Adam and Eve lived in the garden is impossible. Neither can the events of today’s lesson be reliably dated.

Lesson 1  The Offerings of Cain and Abel. Genesis 4:1-16
The account of the offerings presented by Cain and Abel follows the eviction of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. That was a consequence of their sin against God.

Lesson 2  Noah Builds an Altar. Genesis 8:13-22; 9:11-13
Today’s lesson focuses on events directly after the flood wiped out all creation, except for all living creatures—human and otherwise—in the ark. Interestingly, the flood is one of the most well-attested accounts in history.

Lesson 3  Abraham Makes an Offering. Genesis 22:1-14
By the time we get to Genesis 22, we are left wondering whether God would grow impatient. Abraham was a man of spiritual highs and lows. His faith was strong but inconsistent. The reader is left wondering who the “real” Abraham is. Perhaps Abraham was wondering the same thing. Was he still the man of great faith who left Ur behind to go to an unknown land, or had years of wandering taken their toll on his faith?

Lesson 4   Isaac Calls on the Name of the Lord. Genesis 26:24-33
The parallels between the stories of Abraham and Isaac are crucial to understanding today’s lesson. God reiterated the same promises to Isaac, but Isaac had new problems: former allies had become enemies. He was eager to know whether God would prove faithful in his situation, as God had been to his father.

Lesson 5   Jacob Sets Up a Sacred Pillar. Genesis 28:10-22
Indeed, in the journey he was on in today’s lesson, Jacob was on the run from trouble— trouble of his own making. In conspiracy with his mother, his trip was one of self-exile so his brother wouldn’t kill him because of a deception (Genesis 27:41). Such a character would hardly seem to be a key person in God’s plan to bless all nations!  Yet God worked his will through Jacob nonetheless. Ultimately, Jacob’s story is not about his search for God but God’s search for him. When found on a physical journey, Jacob began a spiritual journey as well.

BIBLE STUDY

Adult Bible Study |  Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. To join virtual Bible Study please visit Zoom.us and enter Meeting ID: 802 973 031  To join by phone, dial 312-626-6799 and enter Meeting ID: 802-973-031

April 23rd – June 25th, 2025

Lydia shows us how to influence the people around us.

Elizabeth’s life challenges us to care for others.

Women like Herodias and Sapphira warn us against turning away from God toward bitterness and dishonesty.

This 10-week Study introduces twelve significant women of the New Testament, and invites you to enter into their lives and learn from them what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Click title to access lesson.

1. Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25, 39-45, 57-66)    Lesson 1 Replay

2. Mary (Luke 1:26-38, 46-56)       Lesson 2 Replay

3. Herodias (Mark 6:14-29)        Lesson 3 Replay

4. A Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50)             Lesson 4 Replay

5. The Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21-28)           Lesson 5 Replay

6. Mary and Martha (John 11:1-44)         Lesson 6 Replay

7. Sapphira (Acts 4:32-5:11)

8. Lydia (Acts 16:6-15)

9. Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 3:20–4:9; 2:1-8)

10. Priscilla (Acts 18:1-4, 18-28)