Job

Possible prompts:

1. Describe the relationship between Satan and God.

2. Why does God agree to let Satan harm Job?

3. In chapter 3, verses 1-26, how does Job respond to his sufferings?

4. What is the gist (main idea) of God's response to Job in chapters 38-41?

5. Some scholars think that chapter 43 may have been added on later. Can you see why they might think so?

Jonah

Possible prompts:

1. What does the behavior of Jonah while he's on the ship tell us about his relationship with God?

2. Are the other men on the ship good men, or not? Why?

3. God has the whale vomit Jonah up onto the shore of Ninevah. Explain God's behavior.

4. The people of Ninevah repent and behave better. How does Jonah react? What does his reaction say about his character?

Exodus 10-14

Don't forget to read what other people say. and feel free to respond to what they say, always, of course, in a respectful manner. Remember that you don't have to answer one of the following questions, as long as you do focus on the reading in what you say. 1. Why do you suppose the tenth plague is the worst of all, so bad that it causes Pharoah to let the Israelites go? 2. In 12.21 and the following verses, Moses tells people to mark their doors with blood. Why is he instructing them to do so? What does their marking their doors with blood say about God? 3. God leads the people by cloud and by fire. Comment/interpret. 4. The Egyptian army drowns in the Red Sea; the Israelites walked across the dry river bed just before. Comment.

Exodus 5-9

1. Note that the Pharoah's magicians can do some of the same wonderful things that God has enabled Moses to do, such as create snakes from staffs, and blood from water. Comment.

2. God sends plagues on the Egyptians. There might have been other ways, but he sends plagues. Comment.

3. Pharoah says that he will let the Israelites go if Moses removes certain plagues, but once Moses has taken away the frogs or the flies, Pharoah doesn't let the Hebrew people go after all. Comment.

4. For the story to get its point across, there might have been fewer plagues. Instead, there are ten (we have read about seven so far). Comment.

Or feel free to comment on some other aspect of the reading.

Exodus 20, 21, 22

Answer ONE of these, or come up with your own thought:

1. What are known as the Ten Commandments begin at chapter 20 v 2.

Commandment one goes from verse 2 to verse 6.

Assuming the order of the commandments goes from most to least important, what might the order of the commandments tell us about the Ancient Hebrew people and their culture?

2. Consider 21.2-6. What might be the Ancient Hebrews reason for coming up with laws like these?

3. Consider 21.26. Does this law indicate a sense of fairness, that is, a desire for justice, or do they not?

4. Consider 23.1-9. Do these laws indicate a sense of fairness or a desire for justice, or for something else?

Genesis 8-9 and 16-19

Respond to one of these prompts, or bring up your own thinking or your own question(s).

1. What are some questions that this reading causes to arise in you?

2. Why do you suppose the earlier part of the Noah story is more well known than the part after the rainbow?

2. How would you describe God's relationship with human beings, given the Noah story?

3. What is God like in the story?

4. In the story involving Abraham, Abraham and Go get into a discussion. Describe that discussion. What does it say about God's relationship to human beings?

5. Why might God want his special people to be circumcized? (This is a "thought question"; the answer isn't in the reading.)

6. How well to the men of Sodom and Gomorrah treat the angels who visit Lot? The angels are sometimes referred to as "men." Theyre the ones who pay Lot a visit.

Genesis 3-7

Respond to one of the following prompts in a paragraph. If you have a thought on the topic that you'd like to share that doesn't go with the prompts, that's okay, go ahead and share that, and it will serve as your response. Please do read what the other students have written before you, and check back later to see what other students write. Try not to repeat what others have said. If you want to respond (respectfully) to something someone else has written, go ahead.

1. Can you detect of theme of concern with right v. wrong? Discuss.

2. How would you describe God's treatment of Cain after Cain kills his brother?

3. Why might the "editors" of the Bible have included 4:17 through the end of chapter 5, the list of the descendants of Adam down to the time of Noah?

4. Can you detect the theme of non-human animals? Discuss.