Issues In Perspective

Jacob's return to Genesis, and his fears of facing his brother Esau.

The account of Jacob & Laban, and the beginnings of Jacob's family.

Isaac blesses Jacob & sends him to Padan-Aram, Esau marries the daughter of Ishmael, Jacob's vision, & the stone of Beth-el.

Not trusting completely in God and relying instead on his own resources & methods, Jacob steals the blessing of his father.

Esau gives up his birthright to Jacob; and discussion of Isaac's falsehood: a nearly identical experience with Abimelech as his Father.

God leads Isaac to his wife; The death of Abraham, & the birth of Jacob & Esau.

Genesis 24 demonstrates the loving kindness & providence of God, as He leads Isaac's search for a wife.

Abraham was obedient to God's test of faith, and the Lord confirmed His blessings & promises. In time, Sarah dies and Abraham purchases land for her burial in Canaan, the promised land.

God tests Abraham's faith, demonstrating how the Lord blesses those who obediently surrender everything to Him.

Dr. Eckman discusses how Abraham's falsehood with Abimelech & his restoration demonstrates the grace of God; and the awaited birth of Isaac leads to conflict in Abraham's home.

Genesis 19 focuses on destruction & deliverance: God owed nothing to Lot, but showed His grace by getting him & his family out of Sodom.

The judgment of Sodom & Gomorrah: when a society defies God's laws & order, wickedness, evil, & greed will result, and those who partake will face God's wrath.

The Lord reaffirms His covenant with Abraham, teaching us today that we are responsible to walk in obedience before Him, no matter how difficult.

Abraham's vision & covenant with God, and the story of Hagar & Ishmael teaches us today & always to trust God's Word & wait for His promises.

Dr. Eckman leads discussion of how Abram rescues Lot, and the Lord's renewed covenant with Abram.

God commands Abraham to travel to the land of Canaan. After several tests of Abraham's faith, including conflicts with Pharaoh & with Lot, The Lord reveals His covenant with Abraham & his offspring.

Dr. Eckman leads discussion of the Tower of Babel & the beginnings of the Lord's Redemptive Plan, by His calling of Abraham.

Sin re-enters the world through the actions of Noah & his son Ham, but God's plan to re-populate the Earth continues with Noah's sons & their offspring spreading out across the world.

The floodwaters over the Earth recede, and God establishes His New Order through Noah & his family.

As humanity oversteps His boundaries & rules, God determines to destroy all life on Earth with a great flood; Noah & his family are spared from this judgment by building an Ark.

The family of Cain altered God's ordinances for marriage & the value of human life, and God preserved worship & obedience to His laws through the line of Seth.

Continued discussion of the fall of Adam & Eve: their expulsion from the Garden, and the suffering that continues in their family.

Adam & Eve suffer the consequences: Dr. Eckman discusses how their disobedience led to a curse upon themselves, and all of creation to follow.

Dr. Eckman leads in-depth discussion of how the serpent tempted Adam & Eve, causing the beginnings of human rebellion & its consequences for all of mankind.

A continuation of Genesis 2: God's creation of humans to populate & have dominion over His world, and the creation of the institution of marriage.