Two Judges and Repentance

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting September 7 to study Judges 10.  This is a "linking" or transition to the account of Jephthah.  In setting the scene, the author of Judges passes through some very interesting history of Israel.

Read through the chapter slowly making notes.  Other versions will be helpful because the grammar is kind of odd in places.  This is a weird chapter, but a different weird than we've seen so far.  Ask yourself questions about what is going on, and why the author puts it the way he does.  You may find some expected elements missing.  Don't assume they're there, but not mentioned.  Think through why the author would leave them out, or why were they not necessary in this time of Israel's history?

After you've gone through your own study, look through some commentaries, various study Bibles, or other study materials you may have. Adjust your questions and notes accordingly, and then go back through with the questions below:

• Why do you think "a man of Isachar" might live, serve, die, and be buried in Ephraim?
• The number of years seems precise, where his family is from is given, and where he lives, dies, and is buried is precises.  Why do you think no other details the "sin cycle" of Israel is present?
• Jair also has some weirdly precise detail, but also a Hebrew pun lost in translation.  The word for "jackass" is spelled much like the word for "city".  Other than the specific number of years, the thirty sons, jackasses, and cities, we are told nothing of any achievements.  Why do you think the author just includes this "pun" and really nothing else about Jair?
• What is the author's point with this account of Tola and Jair?  Why these details?  What do you think he wanted his audience to know or learn about their own relationship with God and their king(s)?
• Starting with verse 6, we find the expected "formula" for Judges.  The "roll call" of nations is different, with some new additions.  Why do you think the people would leave Yahweh and go after these other national deities?
• Yahweh "sells" the people into the hands of Philistines and the "sons of Ammon".  Why do you think the author puts it that way, Yahweh "sells" them?
• There a lots of ways to read verse 8, and translations vary.  What do you think it means?  Was there 1 year of damage for the country and 18 for Gilead?  Or 18 years of damage for everyone? Or 18 years for everyone, but that one year was "smashing" or worse somehow?
• The sons of Ammon oppress Ephraim, Benjamin, and Judah.  But the story happens in Gilead.  What do you think it means that Gilead is where deliverance comes from, but the people cry out in Ephraim, Benjamin, and Judah?  Why isn't everyone involved in the deliverance?
• The people cry out to Yahweh, which happens, but then a dialogue ensues.  Why do you think there is no "prophet" or angel mentioned in this dialogue?
• What do you notice that is included in the people's cry to Yahweh that has been missing so far?
• Yahweh responds with an "it's too late" sort of response.  What does this tell you about God's character and how He deals with His people?
• The people persist in crying out, but there is a difference in what they say to Yahweh.  What do you think of their response to Yahweh's refusal to rescue?
• In addition to saying something, the people also do something different.  We haven't seen the people put away the foreign gods on their own before.  There's always been someone to make them do it, or force them to not worship them.  What do you think it means for this people at this time that they do this on their own?  What's happening?  What does it mean?
• Read verse 16 in several translations.  To what do you think God is responding?  What part of His character moves Him to respond?
• The battle is formed against Gilead, and the people look for a leader.  Why do you think there isn't a wrestling match to see who gets to be in charge?  What do you think it means for the people that people don't really want to be in charge?

That should take care of our time together, an hour of it at least.  Remember to be asking yourself what you learn of God from this, and what you learn about how He relates to you.  How does that change how you relate to Him?

Rich Man, Poor Man, Forgiveness and Faithful Slaves

This is the Bible Study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting September 22 to study Luke 16:19 through 17:10.  We didn't get through the "Rich Man & Lazarus", so will focus on that for this week.

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is interesting for lots of reasons.  One of them is the various ways that translations relate the story.  The details are the same, just the word choice was changed.  The real differences between translations is found in the 10 verses of chapter 17.  Be sure to use different translations, I really think it will open up new avenues of understanding; and it's easy to do.

Read through these passages making notes and jotting down questions that occur to you.  The two passages aren't easy to connect, and don't need to be.  They can be, but doing so is an interpretation, not a necessity.  It might be a good exercise though.  See if you can summarize the 10 verses of chapter 17 into a single sentence.  It will be tough, and probably a complex sentence, but give it a try.

Read through some commentaries on the Blue Letter Bible site.  See how they change your comments and questions.  Then go back through the passage with the questions below:

• The parable of the "Rich Man & Lazarus" begins with the setting of the two characters in verses 19 through 21.  What are your first impressions?  Why do you think Jesus made them so incredibly opposite?
• The rich guy ends up in hell, and Lazarus in "heaven".  Why?  What clues do you have for why one went one place and the other to the other?
• The description of the "after-life" is pretty spooky, one side can see the other but neither can get to the other.  What do you think of that?
• Hell (Hades) is "torment" in verse 23, or "agony" due to "flame" in verse 24.  What do you think of this description, in agonizing torment by fire yet able to see the other side where they aren't?
• Notice Lazarus never speaks in this parable.  Why do you think might be important to Jesus' point?
• Abraham has several comments on the rich man's situation (verses 25, 26, and 29), they get progressively more depressing (from irreconcilable agony to it being his own fault).  What do you think of this assessment of the description of this afterlife?
• The rich man constantly wants Lazarus to do this or that, come here, go there.  What does this tell you about the rich man's understanding of himself and Lazarus?  How different do you think this is from when they were both alive?
• Obviously Abraham's final statement relates to Jesus' resurrection and people's persistent unbelief.  Why do you think Jesus would include that to people following Him closely?  What does that tell you about people, even those who follow Him closely?
•  Jesus turns again to His disciples, but remember that this group seems to include some Pharisees.  So, why do you think the topic of "stumbling blocks" is suddenly important, or even in anyway related to the previous parable?
• Jesus refers to "little ones", but who do you think He means?  (hint:  look in parallel verses in Mark and Matthew)
• How do you think verses 3 and 4 apply to our modern approach to "boundaries"?  Is such a person "safe", and how would you relate to such a person having "forgiven" him/her?
• Compare these two verses with Matthew 18:15-17.  What do you make of the differences?
• Compare these two verses with John 20:23.  What do you make of the differences here?
• The disciples ask for Jesus to "increase their faith".  How does a mustard seed-sized faith "increase" their faith?
• Why do you think Luke uses a "mulberry tree" instead of a mountain, like Matthew?
• Consider verses 7 through 10 very carefully.  Slavery is such a foreign concept to us, this probably sounds very harsh.  Keeping in mind that it didn't sound harsh at all to them, what do you think is Jesus' point?
• How do you see yourself in verses 7 through 10?  We talk so much about Jesus being our "brother" or "friend", we tend to forget His is our Lord first.  What sorts of things do you need to do differently considering these verses?

That should be plenty to study Thursday.  We probably won't get beyond the parable, but we're ready if we do.

Finding Party

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study meeting September 1 to study Luke 15 (since we didn't even touch it last week).  This chapter is made up of 3 parables about the rejoicing in heaven over repentant people.  The first two setup the third.

Read through these a few times.  Their familiarity, especially with the third will be the biggest barrier to really understanding them.  I found it very helpful to keep Luke 14:25-35 in view as you read through these parables because together they provide balance to the issue of evangelism, an intrinsic issue in these parables.

If you're only going to read it once, or focus on it once, do it with an unfamiliar translation.  Jot down things you notice, questions that come up, and details you don't remember quite that way before.  After making your own study, go back through with the questions below:

• After Jesus turns to the many crowds following Him and tells them how expensive it is to be a 'disciple', now "all the tax collectors and sinners" are following Him.  Considering the previous passage, how committed do you think these tax collectors and sinners were about following Jesus?
• Both the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble about all the tax collectors and sinners around Jesus and His close association with them.  What does that tell you about these two ends of the spectrum of "righteousness" among those following Jesus?
• Why do you think the Pharisees and scribes always seem to be around Jesus as well?
• Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep, explaining how the shepherd leaves the 99 in the fields to find the lost one.  And then finding celebrates with his friends and neighbors.  Jesus explains this to illustrate the celebrating in heaven over one repentant person.  So, what do you think is the point to those following Jesus?  Where are they in the parable?
• Jesus then tells the parable of the lost coin where the woman seeks diligently, and then celebrates with her friends and neighbors when she finds it.  Again the rejoicing in heaven is the explanation.  So where are the listeners around Jesus in this parable?
• Then the parable of the lost son.  Now there is a lot more detail.  The lost son repents for one thing (only found in the previous explanations).  The father goes out while the son is still far off, but how diligently is the father seeking the son, as in the previous two parables?
• The lost son is welcomed back and they throw a party.  The elder son is upset (like the Pharisees and scribes).  So, how do you think the father's explanation to his elder son clarifies the response of heaven, and what Jesus expects of the "righteous"?
• Consider again the cost of discipleship from the previous chapter.  How do you see that relating to these parables of rejoicing over finding lost?  How do you see "discipleship" related to elements of the parables or their explanations?

It is likely we won't get through all of chapter 15, but it's possible we will.  The "AHA" of this chapter should be easy since we spent so much time on this parable through that study.  But see what you can do tying the cost of discipleship to the parables, and what you learn from that?

Seeing Things God's Way

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting July 7 to study Luke 13:1-17.  This begins the thirteenth chapter finally.  We'll be looking at a teaching, a parable, and a healing.  Some commentaries think they're separate (at least the healing from the parable/teaching), but I think there's a common connection.

Read through the passage in a few different translations, jot down notes and questions, and then check out some commentaries.  Revise your notes and questions if necessary, and then go through the questions below:

• Current events were circulated by word-of-mouth in that day, so the report in verse 1 isn't unusual or surprising in a sense.  It's even expected since everyone knew Jesus was from Galilee and would think He'd want to know.  So why do you think He responds so negatively?
• Jesus hears their report and begins challenging a belief that "things happen in proportion to the degree of sin of the people who suffer in it".  Jesus instead puts everyone in the same "sin-bucket".  Why do you think people would believe that sin drives the degree of suffering?
• Jesus says, "repent or perish", this sounds pretty strong and in the context, people actually died.  So, what do you think Jesus meant by this warning?
• What do you think it means to "repent"?
• In the context of the report, Jesus simply tells people to repent, but doesn't explicitly tell them from what (except the belief that suffering is directly related to the degree of sinfulness in a persons' life).  What do you think Jesus had in mind for them to repent from and to?
• The parable of the fig tree happens in a vineyard.  In their day this wasn't that unusual, and vineyards often are imagery for Israel, so what do you think the fig tree represented in parable?
• Who is the vineyard owner?  Who is the vinedresser/vineyard keeper/gardener/vineyard worker?
• If the tree has one more year, what do you think this means for the "fig tree"?
• So, if the problem the fig tree has is producing figs, what do you think this means for those needing to repent?  What do you think they need to do to survive after the year?
• If (and I believe it does) the parable related to the need for repentance, then what do you infer from it about repentance?  What do you think it teaches about what repentance means?  What do you learn about repentance for your own life?
• Immediately it's the Sabbath, and Jesus is teaching in the synagogue.  What do you think it means that Jesus is allowed or asked to teach in a synagogue?  Why do you think He would be allowed to do that when His popularity with the religious leaders is on the decline?
• Jesus sees a woman who is bent over and it is from spiritual oppression.  He heals her, but not with the wording associated with casting out demons.  So, what do you think was going on with the woman?
• Jesus calls her over to Him (up front), declares her healed, and then touches her.  Why do you think He healed her this way?
• The synagogue leader cites the law about abstaining from your occupation on the Sabbath.  What do you infer about what he believes about Jesus' occupation?  What do you think is Jesus' occupation?
• The synagogue leader doesn't address Jesus, he addresses the crowd.  Who do you think he had a problem with?
• Jesus wastes no time in calling out the legal problem.  Do you think the leaders would have considered animals more important than this woman?  So why would such exceptions be made for animals but not for people?  What sort of "healing" was going on besides Jesus that they would have prohibited its exercise on the Sabbath?
• Jesus points out the problem of priority in the oral tradition or explanation of the law.  What do you think God intends for the Sabbath?  What is it supposed to be about?
• His "opponents" were humiliated.  What does that tell you about those in attendance?
• Why do you think the crowd would be so favorable when the leaders were humiliated?  Why wouldn't that bother the crowd?

That should keep us busy.  Remember to apply the "Awakening", "Honesty", and "Action" process to find the application the Holy Spirit has for you in this passage.  What would repentance look like for you?

The Best Fisherman Is The Carpenter?

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting October 22 to study Luke 5:1-11.  This is the account of the first disciples.  To catch us up with what's happened so far, Jesus has been baptized, gone to Nazareth to be rejected, healed the sick, cast out demons (and one fever from Simon Peter's mother-in-law), and taught about the Kingdom of God.  Now Jesus starts making disciples.

Read through the verses several times.  Look for details of this possibly familiar story that you missed before.  Ask questions about the timing, order of events, statements made and questions asked by the those involved.  Jot down questions and notes about what you read.  After that look through any commentary or study Bible notes you have.

Having done all that, go back through with the questions below:

•  Luke uses the term "the word of God" here for the first time, but it becomes fairly common in both Luke and Acts.  What do you think the term means for Luke at this point in Jesus' ministry?  What do you think constitutes 'the word of God'? 
• Jesus finds two boats empty on the shore with the fishermen washing their nets.  So what do you imagine is the time of day at this point?
• Jesus steps into the boat of Simon and asks him to put out a little from the shore.  This makes sense with the crowds pressing in around him, but think about the fact that Jesus has already been to Simon's house, and healed his mother-in-law (see Luke 4:38-39).  How does that help provide more context for you knowing that there is already some familiarity between Jesus and Peter?
• After Jesus has stopped speaking, He addresses His 'captive audience' in Simon.  Since we can assume Jesus already knows what He wants to do, why do you think He chooses this way to do it?  Why through fishing, if it's something Simon is already familiar with?
• Simon protests, but relents.  What do you think this says about Simon's attitude toward Jesus?
• Simon uses a term, 'master' for Jesus.  Follow the link to look this word up on the Blueletter Bible site.  Look over this term Simon uses for Jesus.  What do you learn about Jesus and His relationship to His disciples from this word/term?
• Simon puts out and lowers his nets.  The response of the fish is immediate.  Simon didn't 'chum' the water, he knew how able (or unable) he was to catch fish at that time of day.  So, what do you think this said to Simon about Jesus?
• The amount of fish nearly sinks both boats.  This is probably more than they catch on their best day, and this hasn't been a good day, up till now.  What do you think Simon is thinking as more and more fish come into the boats?
• Simon responds by telling Jesus to go away from him.  Why do you think he would do that?  Considering what Jesus just did for his business, what's with his sinfulness now?  He's not too sinful to listen to Jesus' teaching, not too sinful to have Jesus visit his house, heal his mother-in-law; but now, with all these fish, he's too sinful.  What's up with that?  What do you think Simon knows now he didn't before?
• Jesus responds with a 'do not fear' statement, common in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.  Why do you think this is important for Jesus to say and for Simon to hear?  What do you think Simon was afraid of?
• From now on Simon will catch men, in somewhat the same way he caught fish.  How does this help you understand the choice of miracle for Jesus, again considering what His purpose was from the start?
• All of the fishermen landed (including James and John), and they 'divorce' or 'forgive' everything and follow after Jesus.  Think about the choice of word for 'left everything', click the link to see the definition on the Blueletter Bible site.  What does it normally mean or mostly translated as?  How does that help you understand what these men did to follow Jesus?

And now apply the AHA principles to what you read.

AWAKENING:  Prayerfully go through looking for the thing that God is using to awaken something in you.  Think through your life in relation to the people and teaching involved.  Jot down the 'alarm' that God is using with you.

HONESTY: Next be honest about your life in light of this 'alarm'.  Think through what God is pointing out to you about your life, like where you have strayed from a direction He gave you before, or about something you've been doing or not doing.  What do you see about your life in a new light from this passage?

ACTION:  Lastly, what do you need to do about what you discover?  What action do you need to take in light of your honest assessment of what God is saying to you?  What can you do now, before Thursday?  What do you need to do, perhaps long-term?

That should keep us busy for the week.  Be sure to bring your notes and any AHA with you Thursday!

John The Dipper

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting August 6 to study Luke 3:1-20. This is the ministry of John the Baptist (or Dipper). I didn't realize that Luke goes through the whole thing in 20 verses and then goes back a little for the baptism of Jesus. Why would Luke use the whole of John's ministry as his introduction into who he was?

Read through the verses a few times (yes, over and over) and jot down questions and insights. Use a few translations and note their differences, at least ones that seem to disagree on what something means. After that, use your commentaries or ones you find online, and see what questions are answered, and what additional questions you come up with.

After doing all that, go back through with the questions below:

• Verses 1 and 2 are about the timing.  Why do you think Luke spends so much time on timing here?
• Consider the list of people Luke chooses to place John's ministry in time.  Why do you think it made sense to use people like that?
• Luke quotes a prophecy of Isaiah (40:3-5a).  Read the rest of the prophecy (40:1-8 perhaps).  How does the coming of Jesus, announced by John fit the depiction in Isaiah?
• Why do you think John would refer to those coming out to him as 'children of vipers'?
• What constitutes repentance for John? Why would that be important?
• Why do you think John would undermine their reliance on Abraham?
• Consider the people's response to John as he lays into them.  Why do you think they would be so receptive to his critique?
• We're not soldiers extorting, or tax collectors, but how do you think we can apply John's word to them?
• How does John depict Jesus' ministry and purpose?  Is that how you would characterize His ministry and purpose?
• Remember Herod was mentioned in the 'timing' in verse 1.  Where was Herod? And therefore, where along the Jordan was John?

That should carry us through an hour anyway.  Blessings upon you all until we see each other Thursday!

The Plague of Accounting

This is the study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting May 21 to study 2 Samuel 24.  The LAST chapter!  Yes, we finally made it, and what a bizarre chapter with which to wrap up.  Here we see some of the oddest behavior of God recorded.  Theologians don't like this chapter, so don't be discouraged.  No one really understand it.  But we will slug our way through nonetheless!

Read through it several times.  It may be helpful with this one to read through fully with a few old and new translations.  Then pay close attention to the differences in how they build their statements.  Part of the differences you will see between translations of different time periods will be in theological views changing in the 20th Century (which is interesting).  So use a KJV and something else, but if you can find an American Standard Version (ASV - it's public domain - easy to find online for free), use that as well.

This is a good chapter to use with a Strong's either in print or online.  There are lots of places where words are difficult to understand, which you will see in the differences between translations.

You're going to have a ton of questions (everyone does).  So make sure to write them all down or you'll forget some.  The ones I have below are focused on stuff just below the surface, so that's why there's fewer of them, and none of them will be obvious or make much sense (kind of like the chapter as a whole).  Be sure to come up with your questions first, then look through whatever commentaries you have, and only then, look at the questions below.  DON'T START WITH THESE!  Please!

• The verb typically translated as 'incited' or 'moved' in verse 1 is clearly written to say that God caused David to do harm to the country.  Yes, God is angry with them, but what do you think the writer/editor is describing here?  What do you think God is doing?  This brings into question your assumptions about God and His character.
• The word translated as 'number', 'enroll', 'register' etc. is actually a very problematic generic word for 'visit'.  The reason for the visit is always left to context, and rarely with another 'helping descriptor' word. So it has tons of words it's translated into, with visit not even the most common.  You easily get the reason for the 'visit' here.  Why do you think this 'visit' is such a serious sin?
• Between the close of verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11 David obviously slept.  What do you think David thought about what he did and what this meant for his people?
• God offers David three options.  What do you think it says about David that he responded as he did?  
• How compassionate was three days of pestilence on the people of Israel?
• In verses 13 and 15, the word for the 'plague' or 'pestilence' is here. But in verses 21 and 25 the word is here.  How likely is it that the 'editor' used two different sources for the event?  What do you think that would do to contribute to making this difficult to understand?  Can you find any more of these?
• Consider the interaction between God and the 'angel' and David and the angel.  How do you imagine this happening?  Keep in mind David is in Jerusalem (or is he? - this is where the word for 'plague' changes).
• Read verse 23 in the KJV.  Remember that italicized words are ones added to help the translation make sense.  What if you read it without them, what do you think that means for this Arunah character?  Now what's going on?

There are plenty of other questions, so these are just additional ones you may not have caught or that most commentaries will simply ignore (some, not all).  It should be a lively discussion to wrap up 2 Samuel!

What God Regrets

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting September 5 to study 1 Samuel 15.  This is a very interesting chapter.  It recounts one of Saul's victories listed in chapter 14, but also the final failure and rejection of Saul as king.  There is no "time-table" so we don't know how far into his reign this happens.  It could be a decade or more of his twenty or so years reign.  Since for this account, timing is not important, we'll just study it as it's presented.

Read through the chapter several times, and note items like where are people when they are doing what is described.  It may be helpful to trace Saul's route on a map (or two maps perhaps - there's one down below).  Be sure to read the chapter in a few translations.  They read differently, and those differences are your clues to "difficulties" and the various possible solutions.  Make some note and bring them - we had some real good ones last week.

After reading through a few times, read back through using the questions below:

• Samuel gives Saul some instructions from God.  How explicit and clear are these instructions?  How much "room for error" did Samuel/God leave Saul?
• How long did Saul wait to start out?
• Who are the Kenites?  Look them up here.  Why let them go?  What "kindness" did they show Israel in the desert wandering?
• Verse 7 sounds good, then verses 8 and 9 depart from his instructions.  In the previous chapter (14:48), Amalek is described as ones having plundered Israel.  What difference might this make in influencing their obedience to the command of God?
• In verse 11, we are introduced to a word ascribed to God, a characteristic of His.  Look up H5162 in Strong's Concordance (your own or online).  Think about what this means, essentially all the meanings have a common thread.  What does this mean that God can do this?  Why might that be a problem "theologically" for people?
• This is where we trace Saul's route to Gilgal.  He comes back and goes to Carmel first.  Look at the map below.  Why is that a strange route to take?  Consider what he does there.  Hold that thought.
• When Samuel shows up at Gilgal, how does Saul greet him?  Consider that along with the thought you were holding from the previous question.  Now, how does Saul seem to view the situation?
• When Samuel asks Saul about the sheep and cattle, Saul says they are for sacrifice.  In such an act of worship, what happens to the sacrifice?  (think about this from previous references in Samuel).  So what is the intent of the people/Saul?
• In all the places where "utterly destroyed" or "completely destroyed" is used, it refers to this word at H2763, listen to it in addition to reading about it. Does the word sound familiar, but from a different context in the Middle East?  What is allowed to escape the "ban"?  Why or why not?
• Even through verse 16, Saul doesn't seem to grasp the situation.  Why might that be?  How could he not know he's done something wrong?
• Even as he answers Samuel, he still protests his innocence.  What is it the difference between Saul's intent, and the intent of the "ban"?  Wouldn't the end result be the same?
• In Samuel's response to Saul, he uses two words for "sacrifice", one the "whole burnt offering" where nothing is spared, all is burned, and then the word Saul has used throughout.  What's the difference?  How does this illuminate more about what is really wrong here?  But what would have been different had they intended a "whole burnt offering"?
• If God delights more in obedience than offerings, what does that say about our worship on Sunday's?  What is supposed to characterize us throughout the week?
• Read verse 23 in as many versions as you can find.  Saul's sins are rebellion (as bad as divination), and what?  What is as bad as idolatry?  Why might that be true, and connected to idolatry?
• Samuel calls what Saul has done, "rejection of God's command/word".  How aware was Saul of what he was doing and what it really meant?  Does God take that into account?
• Read both verses 24 and 30.  From Samuel's response, how much difference does it seem to make whether Saul is sincere or not?
• When Saul grabs Samuel's robe and it tears, consider what he says to Saul, what will God not do? This word "change His mind" or "relent" or "repent" is the same word used previously for God in verse 11 (H5162).  What's the difference here?  Why not here, but before God does?  Hold that thought.
• Samuel does go back with Saul, but he has other reasons than making Saul look good to the elders and the people.  What does Samuel do to Agag?  Look at verse 33 in as many versions as you have.  The NIV is "nicer" but the others are more accurate.  How does this influence your thinking about God?
• In verse 35, God again is said to "repent" or "regret", and it's our same word.  Again, why here, but not in verse 29?  What does Samuel's claim mean in verse 29?
• How does Samuel feel about all this?  Consider verses 11, along with 35.  Keep this in mind, because it comes back around in the next chapter.

That should keep us busy Thursday.  I look forward to studying with you then.

Waiting on the Memory of God? No, Not Really.

This Thursday (March 29), we'll be studying Genesis 8.  This is one of the best "story" chapters, because imagining what Noah and his family are enduring is dramatic.  It's not hard to "fill-in" family dynamic back-story to what we read. One of the most poignant sentences is the first.

Read all through Chapter 8, and consider these few questions:

• Did God "forget" everyone on the ark?
• What might have been Noah's family's reaction during the waiting, after the ark came to rest?
• What might have been going on in Noah's mind and heart during the waiting?
• Do you hear the song, "Anticipation" (or whatever it's called) playing as theme music during the story?
• How does a dove with an olive branch in its mouth become the symbol for world peace?
• Follow this link and look a the meanings for this Hebrew word "chuwl" and see the variety of ways it can be translated.  This word appears in verse 10 and is normally translated here as "waited".  What sort of "waiting" is Noah doing?  Consider possible common themes in all the different ways to translate it.
• The word for "wait" in verse 12 is different, it's "yachal" and normally means waiting. 
• What do the first two things God did in response to the sacrifice tell you about His character?

That should do it for now.  Remember, one of the best points of this text is the word "remember in verse 1.  I hope you enjoy this study as much as I have.  See you Thursday!