Making God Part of Your Family: The Family Bible Study Book

By Michael Grady

If your family thinks the Bible is boring, it’s probably because they don’t know the full story!
 
Veteran Bible teacher Michael Grady has compiled the Old Testament stories into concise, thought provoking doses intended to stimulate family discussions. The Old Testament is a history of God’s family and you just might be surprised to learn who’s in your family tree! These stories provide a unique combination: they are both simple enough for your children to understand and deep enough for parents to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. This vibrant, carefully researched volume will bring your family closer together and help you clearly establish your family’s identity as children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus.
 
Making God Part of Your Family is not just a book of Bible stories. It is a study book. Whether your goal is to spend 10–15 minutes on a dinner-time devotional or bedtime reading with your children, or spend more in-depth study time together once a week, this flexible resource will make it easier to carve out time amidst hectic schedules to study the Bible together, and help you to:
 

• Develop a better and deeper relationship with God our Father, and his son, Jesus
• Learn how we are part of God’s family
• Learn how God expects us to live amidst the joys and sorrows of life
• Apply practical lessons and eternal truths to the situations you face today

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781630472566

Michael Grady

Michael Grady has taught Children’s Church, Sunday School, and Bible study groups of all ages for well over 30 years. Formerly, a certified public accountant and now an investment banker by trade, he is also a certified United Methodist lay speaker, evangelistic association leader, experienced educator, and professional speaker. He has previously authored two Bible study books as well as numerous published articles on religious topics and appeared on TV/Radio shows across the country.  Originally from Opelika, Alabama, he currently lives with his wife, Nan, in Florence, South Carolina. 

Book preview

Acknowledgments

At the age of seventeen I read my first Bible study book, Portraits of Christ in Genesis. This book revealed from the very outset that God has a plan for mankind that includes our need for Jesus as our Savior. The author, Dr. M. R. DeHaan, who founded the Radio Bible Class, provided me a foundation in biblical truths that has not changed in the last forty eight years. Accordingly, my book is heavily influenced by Dr. DeHaan. While the two books are not similar in their purpose, I did use some of his imagery in drawing the portraits of Christ.

I am very grateful to Free Bible Images (www.freebibleimages.org) for the generous contribution of their illustrations in this book. It is important for families to have a visual perspective as they read and listen to the truths presented in each story. Further, I also have been significantly influenced by the elementary children I have been privileged to teach for the past thirty years, and I thank them for all of their encouraging words.

Many of the Bible quotes in this book are my own paraphrase to assist in the ease in reading the story.

Introduction to

Making God Part of Your Family

If you are like most families, your schedule is probably busier than ever. Sports and dance practices, homework, computer games, school projects, family responsibilities, parents’ work schedules—they all combine to make it very difficult to find any time to spend together as a family, leaving little or no time for God. If a relationship with God and learning more about him is important to you and your family, this book is for you.

Bible reading can easily become a duty or a chore, and when children tell us how boring it is, it becomes easy to let it go. So what should be a joy may become a family argument and a burden that is not worth the aggravation. But what if the time spent was enjoyable? The truth is that the Bible is full of stories about families just like ours. In fact, they’re usually far more troubled than our own. If the events in the Bible occurred today, we would see newspaper headlines such as Young man arrested on charges of killing his brother, or Husband and wife forced to leave homeland for not following religious rites, or Ten men charged with selling their brother into slavery. But equally important is that there are also family stories of love and romance, forgiveness and understanding.

From the very beginning, we learn that Christians are members of God’s family, all the way back to Adam and Eve, and grafted directly onto God’s family tree through the cross of Jesus Christ. So not only are these stories about families just as imperfect as yours, they’re stories about your family—God’s family.

A Family Bible Study Book: Not Just a Storybook

If you have been looking for a way to read the Bible to or with your children that will interest a variety of age groups, this may be your answer. Most storybooks are oriented toward young children and are too simplistic for adults and older children to enjoy. On the other hand, those written as Bible study books are for older, more serious Bible students.

As a United Methodist Bible teacher of children and adults for more than thirty years, I have discovered that very few people have even a basic knowledge of the Bible. In trying to help them learn outside of Sunday morning, I have struggled to find resources that will engage the entire family. In addition, I have found that too many people fall into the trap of believing these stories have little to do with daily life or personal history—or worse, they dismiss them as mere stories. Throughout the Bible, God has a message that will be life changing if we take the time to read and listen to his Word.

So even though this book tells the Bible stories, it is not just a Bible storybook. It can be a study book in small, thought-provoking doses—primarily for the family that would like to become more familiar with the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. For this reason, the stories are written to be engaging for the entire family: parents, teenagers, and particularly children of elementary school age.

Making God Part of Your Family is ideal for the family that wants a flexible Bible tool to enhance the Christian walk of all ages. For example, the text is designed for your family to read and discuss the stories together. In that vein, my experience in reading these stories to elementary-age children and teenagers has shown that thirty to forty-five minutes is a good amount of time to set aside for reading and discussing each story. However, the book can also be used for a nightly read with older elementary-aged children (eight to twelve). Each story can be read in ten to twelve minutes and will leave them with food for thought. Finally, this Bible storybook can be used as an in-depth study for mature Christians who want to dig deeper into God’s Word by seeking out the scriptures provided at the end of each story.

Whether you use the stories to structure a longer family discussion, read the stories at bedtime with your children, or take the time for personal Bible study and later share what you have learned, your family will:

develop a better and deeper understanding of God, our Father, and his Son, Jesus

learn how we are part of God’s family

learn how God expects us to live amidst the joys and sorrows of life

apply practical lessons and eternal truths to the situations we face today

My hope is that this book will draw your family together, clearly establishing your family identity not just by your family name but as children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus. These stories provide a unique combination: they are both simple enough for your children to understand and deep enough to help parents grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. Each family member can comprehend the truths based on his or her individual level of understanding. You can read the stories again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of our identity as God’s children and his purpose for our lives.

Too often I have heard people say the Bible is difficult to understand. If your family thinks the Bible is boring, it’s probably because they don’t know the full story. Many of the stories are anything but boring. But I want them to be more than stories. I want your family to truly see how these are your family stories with helpful, even life-changing, messages, preserved by God himself. The purpose is to present the full truth of the Bible while leaving out the parts that cause many to lose interest and adding insights to assist the reader/listener in developing a better understanding of God’s Word.

This book cannot make it easier to find the time, but once you do it can help everyone enjoy the time together. Even more, you may find that spending time with God actually creates time. Once you learn what God’s priorities are for your family, it’s much easier to drop the activities that aren’t important, resulting in a family life that’s calmer, richer, and more peaceful. Spending time with God is an investment you can’t afford not to make.

Bible Background: Setting the Stage

The Bible (the Word) is God’s message to all people. Through his Word we find that his message begins and ends with the revelation of Jesus Christ—that is, God telling us who Jesus is. Within each of the Bible stories, God is sharing with us:

human history from beginning to end (our family history)

a guide to living our lives on earth

most importantly for us, who God is and his plan of salvation

The Old Testament is divided into three main sections: (1) History and the Law, (2) Poetry and Wisdom, and (3) the Prophets. However, all of the books point to Jesus, God’s Son. Jesus, in his teachings, tells us that the entire Old Testament is a book of prophecy, or messages from God about the future. Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that Moses wrote about him, confirming that Genesis is a book of prophecy and picture-stories that show us who Jesus is. Jesus further instructs us that the Psalms and other Old Testament books talk about his life and how he will save us. These pronouncements of Jesus are affirmed by Paul and other authors of the New Testament books.

Portraits of Christ

We can see this unfold as God provides the history of mankind through his Word. We see pictures or portraits of Jesus hidden in the Old Testament stories of the patriarchs, the ancient fathers (God’s family written about in the Bible). In these pictures not only do we see Jesus, but we also learn of God’s plan to rescue us. Further, we learn through these stories how God is calling us to live his way. Many of these revelations are shrouded in mystery until they are revealed in the New Testament. Some we still may not understand. Thankfully, once we have God’s light shed upon these Old Testament stories, we see how God’s plan plays out.

The pictures that God draws for us in the Old Testament come in varying shapes, sizes, and nuances. Some are bold and clear such as the picture of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac, as an incredible symbol of God sacrificing his own Son for us. Other portraits are like silhouettes, making it somewhat difficult to determine who is in the picture. But for those who press in and study the Bible, the silhouettes become undeniably the picture that God intended to paint for us.

For example, suppose someone who does not know me very well were shown a silhouette of my daughter. This person would not be able to tell you who she is, and certainly they would not know much about her. But if someone has spent time with me and my family, they would easily recognize my daughter and call her by name. And so it is with our Old and New Testament readings. The more intimate we become with them, the clearer the pictures become—even if some are still in mystery form. With a deeper study of the Bible, we are able to understand the pictures that God has drawn for us—a portrait on how we are to live.

So why has God chosen to speak in images and mysteries instead of being more direct? Jesus gave the disciples the answer when they asked Why do you speak in parables? His response was that he wanted us to study his stories. Those who thought the stories were foolish or unimportant would miss the true meaning and ignore them. Only those who were truly interested in him would take the time to understand. By opening our eyes and ears to God’s Word, we discover their meaning; guiding us in this endeavor is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God in spirit form sent to live within the hearts of all those who believe that Jesus died and rose again for us.

How True Are These Stories?

Okay, so we are given these stories to show us who God is and his plan for us. But are they just pictures and stories, or are they about real people? In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of the men, women, and children of the Old Testament as real people who lived in history. A few examples may help. He said, "Just as it happened in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. He told others, Before Abraham was born, I am. He even talks about stories that are hard to believe, such as when he said It was the same as happened in the days of Lot … [he] went out from Sodom and it rained fire and brimstone … it will be the same in the day that the Son of Man is revealed…. Remember Lot’s wife [who was turned into a pillar of salt], and finally, Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus compares his personal life events with sensational and sometimes hard to believe Old Testament stories. Jesus claims his upcoming events were just as real as these Old Testament stories. Therefore, if Jesus spoke of them as real people, why shouldn’t we? However, whether or not you believe these stories were historical events will not change the important practical applications they will provide to you and your family, and the message that God reveals regarding his plan for all of us.

Volume 1: The Pentateuch

Making God Part of Your Family (Vol. 1) covers the main stories of the first five books of the Bible, which is called the Pentateuch. The stories begin with God’s plan to create mankind in his image and to be a part of his family. However, too often we humans acted so badly that God had to provide a way to save us from ourselves. God eventually decides to deal with one person, Abraham, and through a series of miracles Abraham and his descendants become a family that God treats as his chosen people. Through these stories God reveals his plan to bring all of us, not just Abraham’s children, back into a relationship with him through God’s own Son. We learn that these are real people with real problems no different from our own. There are great military victories in battles with their enemies, enormous wealth followed by poverty, and even slavery. Volume 1 of this book series ends with God’s people being led from slavery to a new beginning in the Promised Land.

How to Use This Book

If you are reading this book in a family setting, I encourage you to simply read the stories out loud. Feel free to pause in the middle of each reading to discuss a specific point or to relate the story to an event or situation in your family’s life, thus becoming your family stories. Following each story are two sections. The first section includes questions and comments for further discussion, to help the details of the story penetrate more deeply into your lives. The second section includes notes and references to other related passages in the Bible so your family can learn more about the meaning and significance behind certain parts of the story. Feel free to look up and read these references together, depending on the age, needs, and interests of your family.

It’s not enough to receive these stories as your own family history; they are also the Word of God written to you. God has given you the gift of the Bible to help you develop a close relationship with him and to give you instruction and comfort in every circumstance of your life—whether significant and overwhelming or seemingly unimportant. My hope is that each time you read this book, not only will you find new details that were previously unseen, but even more importantly that you will grow together as a family and in your relationship with God.

The Story of Creation

Genesis 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void and darkness covered the earth and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light and there was light. God saw that the light was good; he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night and there was evening and there was morning: Day 1.¹

What a powerful God we have! He spoke and light came into being. Notice that creation occurred each day as God spoke. God is someone we should honor and respect as the creator of all things.

Creation Timeline

When I was growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, I was taught that God’s creation occurred over six earth days. During this time many people were beginning to question this six-day creation time period. Science and the six-day creation story were not matching up. Over the years as I have studied the Bible, I have found most often that it is man’s interpretation that goes wrong rather than there being an inconsistency in the Bible. While there are many things we cannot explain, so much more of the Bible can be explained. Let’s explore this six-day creation story further to see if we can come up with an acceptable explanation.

Yes, the Bible does say that the heavens and earth were created over a six-day time period. But how long was each day? Is Moses writing about twenty-four-hour periods? Well, the first chapter of Genesis makes it pretty clear that these are not twenty-four-hour days. How can I say this so confidently? In the first five verses of Genesis 1, God calls the light day and the darkness night; therefore it would appear that it would be one day. However, this light that is created on Day 1 is not the sun because it was not until Day 4 that the sun and moon were even created.

So this initial light that God created was not the sun as many people have believed; it was some other light that God created. This light, which is day, and this darkness, which is night, were God’s day and night, not a twenty-four-hour period. We do learn later that to God one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years are as one day to him.² Does this mean God created the heavens and earth in six thousand earth years? We’re not sure. What science tells us is that it took longer than six thousand earth years to do all the things that happened during creation. So we’re left with a mystery, and we will have to wait until sometime in the future when God chooses to reveal more details to us.

We discover on Day 2 that the earth was nothing but a pool of water. On this day God separated the waters from the waters and put the heavens in between. This heaven means our sky, where the sun, moon, and stars were placed. And we learn on Day 3 that God separated the waters below the heavens into one section and let the remainder be the dry land, and it was so.

I have never heard anyone talk about the separation of the waters in Day 2. Where did the water above the heavens go? We are never told. One day science may have an explanation for us. One explanation I have is that this was the water that rained down from heaven when God flooded the whole earth in the story of Noah (Genesis 6-9). Now there is no specific biblical support for this idea, but we can infer a few things from other Scripture verses that may support this idea. First we learn in Genesis 2:5 that the Lord had not yet sent rain upon the earth, but a mist rose from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. And it did not rain until the time of Noah—more than fifteen hundred years later. We learn this from the book of Hebrews where it says, By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in obedience built an ark.³ I believe the things not yet seen was rain. And, finally, in Genesis 8:2 the Scriptures tell us the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had closed, and the rain stopped falling from the sky. So were these floodgates the water that had been put above the heavens, thereby explaining how it could have flooded the entire earth?

Remember, it is God’s spoken Word that results in the new creation. God said, Let there be light and it was so; God said, Let there be heavens between the waters and it was so; God said, Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place and let the dry ground appear and it was so. And so it was for each day. When God speaks, what he says comes into being. There is power in his spoken Word.⁴, ⁵ And we later learn that this Word is Jesus, God’s Son.⁶ This is a mystery we will hear more about in our later stories.

I grew up with schoolteachers telling us not to be upset if someone said something mean or hurtful. They would say, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. While this was meant to be well intentioned, it simply isn’t true. In most cases a broken heart or hurt feelings are much harder to mend than a broken bone. We are created in God’s image and inherit his characteristics. So the power of our words is great, and we should use our ability to speak to create kindness, joy, and love among our fellow human beings.

Science and the Bible

What have you learned in school about how the earth was created? There is a lot of talk and books written today about how science contradicts the Bible. People say that you cannot trust science in the Bible. I do not think this is the case. It is important to realize that the Bible does not try to be a science book, but it is remarkably consistent with what we have learned from science and the study of the earth. No doubt in school you have read or will read about the theory of evolution. The first thing to remember is that theories are founded on assumptions that may or may not