Chapter 1.1 – The Journey Begins: Setting the Scene for the Old Testament Elders

Chapter 1 · The Journey Begins · Part 1 of 4

Chapter 1 opens the Transformation Course — the original teaching journey behind the Formation Series and Faith Fulfilled – Formed in Promise, Transformed in Glory. Here we step into the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and learn how their stories reveal God’s glory, shape our identity, and invite us into deep spiritual formation.

This chapter leans especially into See His Glory and Hold Fast His Truth within the SHINE Framework, and into the opening lines of the Lord’s Prayer — “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” As we walk with the elders of faith, we begin to see how our own lives are drawn into the same story.

Aims and expectations for Chapter 1

As you journey through this first chapter of the Transformation Course and the Formation Series, our hope is that you will:

• Deepen your understanding of how the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph reflect God’s glory and His redemptive purposes, inviting you into a greater awareness of His transforming presence and faithfulness.

• Commit to discerning and aligning your heart with the truth of God’s promises as you engage with Scripture, recognising how it confronts distorted realities and establishes eternal hope and transformation.

• Expect to see the initial fruit of transformation as you open your heart to the work of Christ, trusting in His victory over sin and despair to shape your journey.

• Establish foundational practices — declarations, prayers, and resolutions — that will cultivate a pattern of faithfulness and prepare you for ongoing spiritual growth.

• Rejoice in the opportunity to proclaim the goodness of the God who calls, redeems, and restores, allowing the hope found in His Word to overflow into your words and actions.

Guided reflection: consider as you read

As you journey through this course, take time to revisit these reflective questions, which appear at the beginning of each chapter. Allow them to shape your thoughts and guide your reflections throughout the week.

At the end of the chapter, use your journal to record your thoughts, questions, and any answers or insights you have for each of the five questions.

If you are following this online, you may want to walk with a friend, family member, or small group. The shared journey of transformation is designed to encourage and support you as you explore the truths of God’s Word and His work in your life.

Question 1
The patriarchs experienced God’s glory in profound ways — Abraham in the call to faith, Isaac in his pursuit of peace amidst conflict, Jacob at Bethel, and Joseph in God’s providential hand through trials. Where in your life have you seen God’s glory shine, even in the midst of hardship or uncertainty? Are there specific moments where God revealed His faithfulness and majesty to you, perhaps in unexpected ways?

Question 2
Abraham believed God’s promise of descendants as numerous as the stars, even when his circumstances seemed impossible. What promises of God are you currently holding onto? Are there Scriptures or truths you can declare over your life to anchor your hope in Him, especially when the path ahead feels unclear?

Question 3
Jacob’s transformation at Peniel and Joseph’s endurance in Egypt show that God’s strength is often revealed in our weakness. In what areas of your life do you feel the need for God’s strength right now? How can trusting in His power rather than your own ability lead to growth and deeper faith?

Question 4
Isaac demonstrated wisdom by seeking peace during conflict, and Joseph stewarded resources wisely during famine. Are there decisions in your life where you need the wisdom that comes from above? How can you align your heart and actions with God’s Word to navigate your current circumstances?

Question 5
The lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all proclaimed God’s greatness through altars, wells, dreams, and testimonies. How is your life exclaiming His Name to those around you? Are there opportunities this week to share your story, pointing others to the God who calls, redeems, and restores?

A prayer for spiritual transformation

Our Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, steadfast in mercy and sovereign in power, holy is Your Name. You call, redeem, and restore, shaping lives through trust in Your unchanging faithfulness.

As Abraham trusted, Isaac rested, Jacob was transformed, and Joseph persevered, so shape us, Lord — turning brokenness into blessing, striving into rest, and despair into hope. Open our eyes to see our lives woven into Your greater story, where Christ is the fulfilment of every promise. Breathe Your Spirit into us, renewing our minds and transforming our hearts to reflect Christ, that our lives may proclaim the hope and freedom found in Him.

As we embark on this journey, we echo Moses’ cry: “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18 NKJV). We trust You will reveal Yourself through Your Word. Let us walk in Your truth, stand firm in Your promises, and bear witness to Your eternal covenant, for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

1.1 Setting the scene for the Old Testament elders

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.” (Hebrews 11:1–2 NKJV)

Context: Hebrews 11 (The Hall of Faith)

The narratives of the Old Testament elders serve as foundational pillars in the grand mosaic of God’s redemptive plan. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph stand as exemplars of faith whose lives are marked by divine encounters and transformative moments that shape the course of biblical history.

As we begin Faith Fulfilled and the Formation Series journey, these elders help us see how God’s glory meets human weakness — and how the Spirit forms a people who live by promise rather than sight.

Abraham: the father of faith

Abraham’s journey begins with a divine call to leave his homeland and venture into the unknown, guided solely by God’s command and promises (Genesis 12:1–4). His faith becomes a model for believers throughout Scripture.

As Paul writes: “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” (Romans 4:3 NKJV). Faith in God’s Word, rather than reliance on human effort, lies at the heart of our righteousness before Him.

Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:1–19) foreshadows the Father’s gift of His only begotten Son. In Abraham we glimpse the shape of the Gospel, fulfilled in Christ, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV). The altar of Moriah points toward the cross — a place where promise, obedience, and self-giving love meet.

Isaac: the legacy of blessing

Isaac, the promised child of Abraham and Sarah, carries forward the covenant promises. His life, though quieter than his father’s, is marked by faithfulness and continuity.

In Genesis 26, Isaac remains in the land as the Lord instructs him, reopens the wells of his father, and persists in seeking peace amid conflict over water. His story highlights divine provision and the patient, steady faith that keeps returning to what God has given.

This points toward the living water Christ offers: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10 NKJV). Isaac’s wells whisper of the Spirit’s springs — the quiet, hidden source that sustains us in barren places.

Jacob: a journey of transformation

Jacob’s life is a testimony to God’s transforming power. He begins as a grasping, striving man — deceiving his brother Esau (Genesis 27) and fleeing as a fugitive. At Bethel he sees a ladder between heaven and earth and hears the God of his fathers renew the promise (Genesis 28:10–22).

Years later, at Peniel, Jacob wrestles through the night and encounters the God who will not simply bless his old identity but rename him. He rises with a limp and a new name — Israel (Genesis 32:22–32). His story becomes a living picture of sanctification: the old self broken and blessed, the new self marked by encounter.

We see a similar pattern in the Apostle Paul, once a persecutor and later a proclaimer of Christ (Acts 9:1–22). God can reshape identities and redirect destinies. In Jacob and Paul we glimpse what happens when grace collides with the self that tries to manage, control, and strive. Transformation becomes less about self-improvement and more about surrender to the One who names us.

Joseph: from pit to pinnacle

Joseph’s story traces a journey from suffering to stewardship. Betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned (Genesis 37–40), Joseph walks through years that could easily have bred bitterness and despair.

Yet in the prison and the palace, Joseph keeps listening for God and stewarding what is given. He interprets dreams, honours God with his integrity, and in the Lord’s timing is exalted to become second in command over Egypt (Genesis 41). Through his wisdom in preparing for famine, countless lives are preserved — including the very brothers who betrayed him.

At the end of his story, he can say to them: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20 NKJV). His life resonates with Paul’s words: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

Joseph’s narrative prefigures Christ, who was also betrayed, suffered unjustly, and through His suffering brought salvation to the world (Matthew 26–27). In Joseph we see the pattern of the cross and the crown.

Connecting the elders to Christ

These Old Testament elders, celebrated in Hebrews 11 — the “Hall of Faith” — form a lineage that leads us straight to Jesus. “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” (Hebrews 11:39–40 NKJV).

Their lives point forward to Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV). Abraham’s trust, Isaac’s inheritance, Jacob’s transformation, and Joseph’s providential story all converge in the One who fulfils every promise and opens every covenant to Jew and Gentile alike.

Living in their legacy

As we set the scene for studying these elders, we remember that their stories are more than historical records. They are living testimonies of God’s faithfulness, power, and redemptive plan.

Their journeys offer us a blueprint for our own spiritual path:

• Encouraging us to trust in God’s promises

• Inviting us to embrace His transforming power

• Calling us to live as heirs of the same covenant, fulfilled in Christ

The faith journeys of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph call us to marvel at the God who walks so faithfully with His people. Their stories invite us into communion with the One whose promises are steadfast and whose presence transforms.

These elders not only encountered the works of God; they tasted the sweetness of His covenant love, which shaped their lives in profound ways. May their example stir within us an unrelenting desire to pursue the God who is both the initiator and the fulfiller of every promise. As we fix our eyes on Christ, the fulfilment of their hope, let our faith rise to embrace the same God who leads us into the fullness of His glory and purpose.

SHINE reflection, declaration, and prayer

(S — See His Glory / H — Hold Fast His Truth)

Reflective question
Where, in the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, do you most clearly see the glory of God meeting human weakness — and how does that speak into a place in your own life where you need to see His glory afresh?

Declaration
Lord Jesus, You are the fulfilment of every promise spoken to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. We choose to behold Your glory in their stories and in our own, and we hold fast to Your Word as our sure foundation.

Prayer
Father, thank You for the elders of faith who walked before us. As we begin this journey, open our eyes to see Your glory in Scripture and in our own history. Strengthen us to believe Your promises, even when the path is unclear, and form in us the same resilient faith that trusts Your goodness in every season. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.