The story of Issac’s promised birth teaches us God always fulfills his promises.
“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29
The eternal God created all things in six days. He made a good and perfect world. He made humans in his image to fill the earth and rule over creation. But humans rebelled against God and ruined God’s creation. God set to restore his world through his promise. God made a covenant with Abraham. He promised to bless all nations through Abraham. God kept his promises across the generations. God provided Abraham with a promised child, Isaac.
Ten years after Abram and Sarai arrived in Canaan, they still did not have a child. So Abram’s wife, Sarai, said to him, “Since God has not allowed me to have children, and now I am too old to have children, here is my servant, Hagar. Marry her also so she can have a child for me.”
So Abram married Hagar. Hagar had a baby boy, and Abram named him Ishmael. But Sarai became jealous of Hagar. When Ishmael was thirteen years old, God again spoke to Abram.
God said, “I am God Almighty. I will make a covenant with you.” Then Abram bowed to the ground. God also told Abram, “You will be the father of many nations. I will give you and your descendants the land of Canaan as their possession, and I will be their God forever. You must circumcise every male in your family.”
“Your wife, Sarai, will have a son—he will be the son of promise. Name him Isaac. I will make my covenant with him, and he will become a great nation. I will make Ishmael a great nation, too, but my covenant will be with Isaac.” Then God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of many.” God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means “princess.”
That day Abraham circumcised all the males in his household. About a year later, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, Sarah gave birth to Abraham’s son. They named him Isaac, as God had told them to do.
When Isaac was a young man, God tested Abraham’s faith by saying, “Take Isaac, your only son, and kill him as a sacrifice to me.” Again, Abraham obeyed God. He prepared to sacrifice his son.
As Abraham and Isaac walked to the place of sacrifice, Isaac asked, “Father, we have wood for the sacrifice, but where is the lamb?” Abraham replied, “God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.”
When they reached the place of sacrifice, Abraham tied up his son Isaac and laid him on an altar. He was about to kill his son when God said, “Stop! Do not hurt the boy! Now I know that you fear me because you did not keep your only son from me.”
Nearby, Abraham saw a ram that was stuck in a bush. God had provided the ram to be the sacrifice instead of Isaac. Abraham happily offered the ram as a sacrifice.
Then God said to Abraham, “Because you were willing to give me everything, even your only son, I promise to bless you. Your descendants will be more than the stars in the sky. Because you have obeyed me, I will bless all the families of the world through your family.”
A Bible story from: Genesis 16-22
The verse below summarizes the teaching of the current passage. Read the verse out loud as a community. Read it again several times as a group until the whole community can recite it from memory.
It was by faith that Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac. It was his only son whom he offered, he who had received the promises. Hebrews 11:17
God builds the Christian community with believers/Christians who are uniquely gifted. For the church community to be mature and fruitful, each individual member of the community needs to use the gifts and skills that God has given. In order to understand God’s design of Christian community, read the passage below.
3 For I say, because of the grace that was given to me, that everyone who is among you should not think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. Instead, they should think in a wise way, just as God has given out to each one a certain amount of faith. 4 For we have many members in one body, but not all the members have the same function. 5 In the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ, and are individually members of each other. 6 We have different gifts according to the grace that was given to us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let it be done according to the proportion of his faith. 7 If one’s gift is service, let him serve. If one has the gift of teaching, let him teach. 8 If one’s gift is encouragement, let him encourage. If one’s gift is giving, let him do it generously. If one’s gift is leading, let it be done with care. If one’s gift is in showing mercy, let it be done with cheerfulness. Romans 12:3-8
God gifts each member of the Christian community with gifts and abilities that serve the whole community. Use the following questions to explore what it means to be a part of such a diverse body.
Think about how God may have uniquely gifted you as a member of the Christian community. Try to name specific ways you can contribute to the work of the community.
God has uniquely gifted me to…
Think about the time you have spent as a community so far. Each person should identify at least one other member and mention (written or spoken) something they appreciate about that person. You can use the following prompt below
I am thankful for [name of person] because [reason this person makes the community strong]…
Divide the community into groups of 2–3 people. Have each person pray an encouraging prayer over them.
Choose a song that is fitting for this session. Sing this song as a community.
After reading the crafted biblical story, answer the following questions to familiarize yourself with the details of the story.
Answer the following observation questions to gain a basic understanding of the story. Read the story as a community and answer these questions as a group.
Why did Sarai think she would not have children?
She was too old.
What did Sarai tell Abram to do in order to have a child?
Sarai told Abram to marry her servant Hagar, so Hagar could have a child for her.
What was the name of Hagar’s child?
His name was Ishmael.
What problem happened between Sarai and Hagar?
Sarai became jealous of Hagar.
What covenant promises did God make to Abram?
Abram would be the father of many nations, and God would give the land of Canaan to him and to his descendants.
What did God tell Abram to do as a sign of the covenant between them?
Abram must circumcise every male in his family.
Who did God say would be the son of the promise?
Isaac, Sarai’s son, would be the son of promise.
Who did God say would become a great nation?
Both Isaac and Ishmael would become great nations.
With which child did God say he would make his covenant?
God said he would make his covenant with Isaac.
What did Abram’s new name, Abraham, mean?
His name means father of many.
What did Sarai’s new name, Sarah, mean?
Her name means princess.
What did Abraham do to all the males of his household?
Abraham circumcised all the males of his household.
How old were Abraham and Sarah when Isaac was born?
Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old when Isaac was born.
What did God ask Abraham to do to Isaac when Isaac was a young man?
God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to him.
Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?
God did this to test Abraham’s faith.
How did Abraham respond to God’s test?
Abraham obeyed God and prepared Issac as a sacrifice.
What did Isaac ask his father when they walked to the place of sacrifice?
Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the sacrifice was.
What did Abraham tell Isaac was the reason they did not have a lamb for the sacrifice?
Abraham said God would provide the lamb for the sacrifice.
What did Abraham do to Isaac when they reached the place of sacrifice?
Abraham tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar.
What did God tell Abraham as he was about to sacrifice Isaac?
God told Abraham to stop and not hurt his son. God now saw that Abraham was willing to obey God.
Did God want Abraham to kill Isaac?
No, God only wanted to see if Abraham would obey him.
What did God provide as a sacrifice instead of Isaac?
God provided a ram stuck in a bush.
What did Abraham do with the ram?
Abraham happily offered the ram as the sacrifice instead of his son Isaac.
What did God promise to do for Abraham because Abraham had obeyed him?
God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be more than the stars in the sky, and that all the families of the world would be blessed through his family.
Use the following translation questions to understand specific details of the passage. Discuss how you might translate these specific elements of the story.
Marry her also The custom of that time allowed a man to have more than one wife. Abram would take Hagar as a second wife, but Hagar would not have the full status of a wife as Sarai did. She was still Sarai’s servant. How would you express Marry her also to mean Abram would take Hagar as a second wife?
have a child for me Because Hagar was Sarai’s servant, she did not have the same rights as Sarai. Sarai would be considered the mother of any children that Hagar bore. How would you express have a child for me to mean Abram was to have a child with Hagar that would be considered Sarai’s child?
married Hagar became Abram’s concubine—a ‘second wife’ of lower status. Hagar was still Sarai’s servant. How would you express married to mean that Abram took Hagar to be his second wife, one who had lower status than Sarai?
jealous To be jealous means to be angry or resentful at someone because you envy or covet something they have. How would you express jealous to mean Sarai was angry or resentful at Hagar because she had a child and Sarai could not?
Almighty This means that God is the strongest and the most powerful. There is no one greater or stronger or more powerful than God. What words in your language mean Almighty as in the most powerful? Does this mean that God is the supreme God above all?
I will be their God This means that God would be the God that they will worship. How would you express I will be their God to mean that God would be the God they serve?
circumcise every male To circumcise means to cut the foreskin off of a man or male child. It is often associated with a religious rite or ritual. How would you express circumcise every male to mean to cut off the foreskin of a man or male child?
the son of promise Isaac would be the son that God promised to Sarai and Abram. He would also be the son that God would use to give Abram many descendants. How would you express the son of promise to mean Isaac would be the son that God said in advance they would have?
father of many As God had promised, Abraham would become the ancestor of many people who would even become many nations. How would you express father of many to mean Abraham would have many descendants?
princess A princess is a daughter of a king. The names Sarai and Sarah apparently both meant ‘princess.’ But God changed her name to signify that she would be the mother of many nations, and some of her descendants would be kings. How would you translate princess to mean the daughter of a king?
all the males in his household This means all of the men and boys that Abraham was responsible for, including his male servants, young and old. How would you express all the males in the his household to mean all the men and boys for whom Abraham was responsible?
God tested Abraham’s faith God wanted Abraham to show that he was completely submitted to God, that he would obey whatever God told him to do. How would you express God tested Abraham’s faith to mean God gave Abraham some commands to see if he really trusted God?
your only son It is implied that God knows that Abraham has another son, Ishmael. This emphasizes that Isaac is the son that God promised to give Abraham. How would you express your only son to mean Isaac was the only son God promised?
prepared to sacrifice his son Abraham got ready to sacrifice his son. God stopped him before Abraham killed his son. How would you express prepared to sacrifice his son to mean Abraham got his son ready to be killed as a sacrifice?
the lamb A young sheep or goat would be the normal animal for a sacrifice. What words in your language mean the lamb as in a sheep or a goat?
provide the lamb Abraham may have believed that Isaac was the lamb that God provided, although God fulfilled Abraham’s words by providing a ram to sacrifice in Isaac’s place. How would you express provide the lamb to mean God would supply the lamb that was needed for the sacrifice?
altar An altar is a raised structure on which people burned animals and grains as offerings to God. What words in your language mean altar as in a place where people slaughter animals as sacrifices to God?
about to kill his son God did not want human sacrifice. God wanted to see that Abraham loved God more than he loved his son and would obey God even when God told him to give his son back to God. How would you express about to kill his son to mean that Abraham was in the act of killing his son when God told him to stop?
you fear me Abraham feared God, which included respect and reverence for God. Because of those things, Abraham obeyed God. How would you express you fear me to mean that Abraham had a respect and reverence for God to obey his commands?
ram A ram is an adult male sheep. What words in your language mean ram as in an adult male sheep?
stuck in a bush God provided the ram for Abraham and it was caught in a bush for Abraham to get. Just at the right moment, God caused the ram to be stuck in the bush. How would you express stuck in a bush to mean the ram was unable to move from the bush?
happily offered Abraham was very happy to offer the ram as a sacrifice instead of his son Isaac. God had provided this for them. How would you express happily offered to mean that Abraham was very pleased and joyful to offer the ram as a sacrifice instead of Isaac?
willing to give me everything Abraham showed that he was ready to give everything to God, even sacrifice his son. This showed his devotion to God. How would you express willing to give me everything to mean Abraham was ready to dedicate everything to God without withholding what mattered most to him?
all the families of the world Families are larger distinct groups of people. It refers to the other people groups who are not descendants of Abraham. How would you express all the families of the world to mean distinct people groups from different kinds of ethnicity or culture
Take time to explore the meaning of this story together as a community. Use the following discussions as a way to grasp what truth the story teaches.
Use the following discourse questions to understand the meaning of the story. Pay attention to how the story itself addresses each question or theme.
God promised Abram and Sarai would have a son. After ten years in Canaan, Abram and Sarai did not have a child. God’s promises always come true. Sometimes people can doubt when they have to wait for God’s promise for a long time. (05-01)
Sarai thought she was too old to have a child. This is understandable in normal circumstances. But God is able to do amazing things that do not seem possible in normal circumstances. (05-01)
Abram and Sarai did not trust God to fulfill his promise in his own way. They tried to bring about God’s promise in their own way. Sarai told Abram to marry her servant Hagar and have a child with her. Because Abram and Sarai doubted God, they disobeyed God.(05-01, 05-02)
God spoke to Abram when Ishmael was thirteen years old. God communicates his promises to his people. (05-02)
God told Abram that he was God Almighty. God is all-powerful and able to do all things to accomplish his plan and fulfill his promises. (05-03)
God made a covenant with Abram. This was an official agreement that showed Abram that God would keep his promise. This covenant would continue with Isaac. (05-03, 05-04)
God told Abram again that he would have many descendants and dwell in the land of Canaan. God promised that Abram would have a son. (05-03, 05-04)
God told Abraham to circumcise the males in his household. This was a sign that God’s promise would come true. Abram obeyed God and circumcised all the males in his household. (05-03, 05-05)
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abraham means father of many. God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Sarah means princess. God was showing Abraham that his promise would come true. Abraham would have many descendants. Abraham would even have kings among his descendants. (05-04)
When Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old, Sarah gave birth to Isaac. God provided a son for Abram and Sarah when they were really old (beyond normal child-bearing years). (05-05)
God told Abram to circumcise all the males in his household. Abram obeyed God and did this. (05-03, 05-05)
God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. God did not want Abraham to kill his son. He told Abraham to do this to see if Abraham would trust him and obey his command. Abraham obeyed God and prepared to sacrifice Isaac. (05-06)
Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the sacrifice was. Abraham told him that God would provide the lamb. Abraham did not know how God would provide the lamb but he trusted God. (05-07)
Abraham tied up his son, laid him on the altar, and was ready to kill him. Abraham trusted God and was willing to sacrifice his only son to God. (05-08)
Abraham was willing to give God everything. Abraham did not even withhold his only son from God. Abraham’s faith and obedience showed that he trusted God. (05-10)
Abraham trusted God to provide a lamb for the sacrifice. (05-07)
Just as Abraham was about to kill Isaac, God told Abraham not to kill his son. God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. (05-08)
God provided a ram stuck in a bush. This would not be normally expected. God provided a sacrifice that would be offered in place of Isaac. The ram died. Isaac was kept alive. (05-09)
God promised to bless Abraham and make his descendants many. He promised to bless the peoples of the world through Abraham. (05-10)
Answer the following theology questions as a community. Discuss what truths this story teaches.
Work as a translation team to draft each panel of this story. Pay attention to any specific translation issues that are challenging or significant.
Make a draft for each section of this story.
After drafting the story, discuss any translation issues that you think need a special explanation.
Summarize any noteworthy translation decisions and the rationale/reasoning behind these translation decisions. In the final movement of this class, you will use these observations to give an account (i.e., chronicle/narrate) of how your translation improved through the checking process.
Take a moment to allow this story to evaluate your own life and to consider how God would have you respond. After this reflection, use the quality checking questions to check your translation draft among the translation team.
Prayerfully think about the following personal reflection questions. Write/Record your answers and/or discuss them as a group.
The following activity will help you check the clarity, accuracy, and naturalness of your draft. Read the passage aloud and discuss the checking questions with other members of your translation community. You might need to reread portions (or the whole) of the biblical passage multiple times as you answer each of these questions. Record answers to these questions below.
Use the following questions to check your translation draft for accuracy, clarity, and naturalness.
After discussing the checking questions above as a translation community, record any feedback on your translation draft. Pay attention to parts of your translation that are translated well and parts of your translation that need correction.
After gathering feedback on your draft, discuss it together with your translation community and make appropriate revisions to your translation.
As a community, discuss some of the most noteworthy translation decisions in your draft. Summarize each decision and explain the reasons your community decided on that translation. You should update these decisions each time you check your draft with various groups of people.
You should measure the quality of your translation draft. You can record translation decisions to make it clear why you translated things a certain way. Translation decisions can help your translation team and the surrounding community be a part of the translation process.
How can you know the quality of your translation?
Example Sentences That Help Explain Your Translation Decision Use the following example sentences to help explain your translation decisions:
Example of Translation Decision
In OBS 01-07 we decided to translate blessed like this: [actual translation]. We decided on this translation because of these reasons:
Now that you have a draft of this story, consider how this story can encourage other believers in their faith. After ministering this story to others, you will also perform a community check of your translation draft.
Reflect on how this story can edify and mature the Christian community. Design a way to minister this story to your church community.
Ministry Preparation: Take time to consider how you could minister this story to others. Record some ministry ideas below.
Ministry Implementation: Minister this story to a group of believers as you had planned. Use the information in this study to help develop a teaching/lesson or lead a discussion of this story with other believers. Record your ministry plan below.
Ministry Reflection: Think about what you learned from ministering this story to other believers. Reflect on your experience below.
After teaching or ministering this story to the church, check the translation quality with the church community. Record any feedback from your checking experience.
You can use Translation Questions to check your draft. Each Translation Question explains the meaning of a specific part of the story and asks you to consider how you would translate that part of the story in your own language. Change each Translation Question into a Checking Question by asking the following questions. The first question asks you to identify how each specific phrase was translated into your language. The second question asks people in the church to determine if your translation of the phrase expresses the meaning clearly, accurately, and naturally. Look at the following examples to see how to change Translation Questions into Checking Questions:
to proclaim the good news about Jesus Paul and Silas traveled to Philippi for the purpose of preaching the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus saves people from their sins if they will believe in Jesus. How would you express to proclaim the good news about Jesus to mean to tell other people the message about how Jesus can save people from their sins?
a merchant Paul and Silas met a woman named Lydia at the place by the river. She owned a business and sold items to make money. How would you express a merchant to mean a business owner who sells items for a profit?
so Paul and Silas baptized them The jailer and his whole family followed Paul’s instructions. They believed in Jesus. The result of this was Paul and Silas baptized them. How would you express so Paul and Silas baptized them to mean the result of the jailer and his family believing in Jesus that Paul and Silas baptized all of them?
You can change these into Checking Questions like this:
to proclaim the good news about Jesus How did you translate to proclaim the good news about Jesus? Does it mean to tell other people the message about how Jesus can save people from their sins?
a merchant How did you translate a merchant? Does it mean a business owner who sells items for a profit?
so Paul and Silas baptized them How did you translate so Paul and Silas baptized them? Does it mean the result of the jailer and his family believing in Jesus that Paul and Silas baptized all of them?
Discuss the Checking Questions with your church community, and record any feedback on your translation draft. Pay attention to parts of your translation that are translated well and parts of your translation that need correction.
After gathering feedback on your draft, discuss it together with your translation community and make appropriate revisions to your translation.
*Update your translation decisions and record any new and noteworthy observations on the quality of your draft.
After sharing this story with others, check the translation quality with the wider language community. Record any feedback from your checking experience.
Consider how you will witness this story to unbelievers. Design a way to share this story and engage them in what it teaches about Christianity and the gospel.
Witness Preparation: Take time to consider how you will witness this narrative to unbelievers. Record some ideas below.
Witness Implementation: Share this story with an unbeliever. Use the information in this study to help develop a teaching/lesson or lead a discussion of this story with other believers. Record your ministry plan below.
Witness Reflection: Think about what you learned from ministering this story to unbelievers. Reflect on your experience below.
After sharing this story with the language community, check your translation draft with the surrounding community. Record your observations.
After witnessing this story to unbelievers, use one of the following methods to check the translation of this story. Consider using the Observation Questions to check your translation draft or come up with your own quality checking questions.
Read-Retell Check: Read your draft to those in the community and ask them to retell the passage. Be attentive to any portions of the passage that are unclear, unnatural, or inaccurate.
Comprehension Questions Checklist: Read the draft of the passage and ask a list of comprehension questions to make sure the passage is being rightly understood. You can use the Observation Questions in this guide or come up with your own questions. Then, record any insights or issues that arise.
Discussion Group: Develop key questions to ask about the passage (both formational and translational). Read the passage and have a group discussion about the passage, paying attention to issues that need to be addressed, edited, and revised.
After sharing your draft with the language community, discuss the Observations Questions, and record any feedback on your translation draft. Pay attention to parts of your translation that are translated well and parts of your translation that need correction.
After gathering feedback on your draft, discuss it together with your translation community and make appropriate revisions to your translation.
*Update your translation decisions and record and new any noteworthy observations on the quality of your draft.
As a translation community, take time to reflect on all that was learned in studying, drafting, and checking this story. Celebrate all that God has taught you as a community. Then, submit your revised draft and checking summaries to network leaders for further review.
