Month: February 2023

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF NAHUM 2-3

Nahum 2

Nahum tells Nineveh they will be attacked. The Lord will restore Jacob and Israel. Nineveh will be exiled and carried away. It will be pillaged, plundered, and stripped. The Lord is against them.

Nahum 3

Woe to Nineveh. The Lord is against them. Many will die and be taken captive. Nothing will be able to save them.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3

6)

The enemy’s appearance: The shields of the soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. They had flashing metal chariots. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning.

The siege and looting of the city: Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!

The flooding of the city and its results: The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses.

The fall of Nineveh’s fortresses: All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.

The sins for which Nineveh is judged: all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.

7a) Psalm 119:89: Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Matthew 5:18: For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

What God says, God does. Nineveh was destroyed and God’s people were saved according to God’s plan.

b) That I can trust in what God says and does. I know He is in control of all world events. He has it.

8 ) Nahum 1:7: The Lord is good,  a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. I know I can turn to Him if I just trust in God, His ways, and His plan for my life.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3

Great study of Nahum! Loved reading this often-forgotten and overlooked book.

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End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3

Nahum 2:

Nineveh is destroyed in a great battle, brought low by Babylon. They will be brought low and plundered. No one wants to hear that the Lord is against them. But Nineveh did.

God will avenge evil and deliver His people. He defends His people against those who come against Him.

Nahum 3:

Nineveh was a violent and immoral city. It will be humbled and judged. It would be flooded, burned, and plundered.

God can handle our judgments for us; we don’t need to seek vengeance.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF NAHUM 1

The Lord is slow to answer, but He does not leave the guilty unpunished. He will punish Nineveh for their evils.

Yet, the Lord is good. He is a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.

He will destroy Nineveh.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1

3a) The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.

b) The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. He afflicts Judah but promises to do so no more. Yet, the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.

c) We are saved by Christ’s blood. There will be justice but also salvation for believers. It’s comforting to know that God will be the judge of everything. We only have to believe and follow Him.

4) Jonah’s message about their doom was believed by the Ninevites and they worked to changed their ways. God relented his anger and punishment because of it. In Nahum’s time, his message was ignored, and Nineveh fell. God showed no mercy.

5a) It gave them hope that they would be freed and could return home one day. It also gave them faith that God keeps His word and enacts revenge; that God has their back. That God is in charge.

b) I know that God cares about what is right and wrong, so that no matter what evil is around me, they will pay one day when they stand before God.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1

Great lesson on how God is in control and He will enact revenge in His timing.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1

Nahum preached against injustice and predicted the downfall of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. God addresses nations as much as He addresses individuals.

God shows mercy, but He also judges.

Nahum means “comfort.”

God will deliver His people and defeat their enemies.

Assyria returned to idolatry, cruelty, and arrogance after Jonah’s warnings. Judah emulated Assyria. Yet, God saved Judah.

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Friday Digest BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN BSF PEOPLE OF THE PROMISE: KINGDOM DIVIDED LESSON 23

  • How you treat others matters
  • Listen to God’s repeated messages to you
  • We should view our world as falling into place, not falling apart, by God’s design
  • God desires right behavior from the heart
  • The more we love God, the more we love others
  • We extend grace, hope, and kindness to others like Christ does for us
  • Jesus is our salvation

TAKE AWAY: If you have God & Christ, there’s always hope.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 5: Micah 6-7

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF MICAH 6-7

Micah 6

Micah reports the Lord’s case against Israel regarding their sins. God tells His people to remember all He has done for them since bringing them up out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. He tells them that they know what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

Micah 7

There will be a remnant of God’s people who will confess their sins. There will be misery because of their sins. However, Israel will rise again. God will restore them and care for them. He wants His people to do the same.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 5: Micah 6-7

12a) God tells His people to remember all He has done for them since bringing them up out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. He tells them that they know what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

b) Hardened

13a)

“To act justly” To show justice to others and act justly.

“To love mercy” To show mercy to others and be happy to show mercy.

“To walk humbly with your God” To remember who God is and to walk humbly before Him.

b) I’d say in every aspect of my life. To be just, have mercy, walk humbly.

14) The Lord will bring His people back into the light despite their sins. No matter how much God’s people sin, He is infinitely merciful and loving. He will redeem His people. This offers me hope, too, that no matter how ‘bad’ I am, God still loves me.

15) All of it, really. God forgives, shows mercy, does not stay angry, has compassion, is faithful, shows love, and more. God is good in every way.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 5: Micah 6-7

I love how we are called to be like God: to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Great stuff.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 5: Micah 6-7

Micah 6

Israel is on trial before the Lord. God brings His case. God tells His people to remember all that He has done for them. Israel asks God what He wants from them in the sense that God wants too much from them.

God responds with 3 things he wants:

  1. Do Justly
  2. Love Mercy
  3. Walk Humbly With God

Pretty simple, God says.

God will judge Israel who is greedy and wicked.

Micah 7

Now, a remnant of God’s people will confess their sins. No one could trust anyone.

God’s people will be humbled and then restored. God will care for them, and all the nations will be brought low.

God offers forgiveness and delights in showing mercy to His people. He will have compassion on all of His people. God wants everyone to do the same.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 4: Micah 4-5

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF MICAH 4-5

Micah 4

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established. Many nations will come and be judged. Disputes will be settled. There will be no more war.

The Lord will gather the remnant and rule over them in Mount Zion. They will go to Babylon, but will be redeemed.

Micah 5

A ruler will arise from Bethlehem. He will shepherd the people. The people will live securely. The remnant will be at peace. Yet, God will destroy and take vengeance on the nations that have not obeyed Him.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 4: Micah 4-5

9) That we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever.

10a) Jesus

b) Jesus will come from the clans of Judah. Jesus will shepherd his flock, and they will live securely.

11) Good question. It gives me hope on the days I feel little hope. It gets me through.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 4: Micah 4-5

Simple message, but powerful. Jesus will come and save.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 4: Micah 4-5

Micah 4

God will reign over Israel once she is restored during the Second Coming. The people will learn His ways. There will be no more war or fear.

Everyone will be blessed. The people will be gathered. But they will be punished in Babylon first and then delivered. Nothing and no one will be able to stand against the Lord.

Micah 5

The ruler or king will come from Bethlehem. He will care for his flock tenderly. He will bring peace.

God will deliver His people from their enemies (personified as Assyria here).

The remnant will win, and they will exalt the Lord.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 3: Micah 3

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF MICAH 3

Micah rebukes the leaders and false prophets of Israel and Judah for hating good and loving evil. The people will cry out to God who will hide His face from them.

The prophets judge others and are hypocrites. They will not be able to see the future anymore. They will be ashamed and disgraced. They will cover their faces because God has abandoned them.

The prophets despise justice and distort what is right. They build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Because of these sins, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 3: Micah 3

6)

Micah 3:1-4: The leaders hate good and love evil and who treat the people horribly. God will hide His face from those who have done evil.

Micah 3:5-7: The prophets judge others and are hypocrites. They will not be able to see the future anymore. They will be ashamed and disgraced. They will cover their faces because God has abandoned them.

Micah 3:9-12: The prophets despise justice and distort what is right. They build Zion with bloodshet and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Because of these sins, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

7) Yes, because they set the example to follow on how to behave.

8a) He was filled with power and the Spirit of the Lord with justice and might to declare Judah’s and Israel’s sins.

b) I don’t truly know. I do what is right at work. With my kids. Those I meet. And with my beliefs.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 3: Micah 3

I love the emphasis on false prophets and their judgment. We must always be wary of our leaders and make sure they are leading according to God’s laws.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 3: Micah 3

The leaders of God’s people are violent to the people. Like cannibals eating the people. God will not answer these false leaders or the false prophets when they cry out to Him.

Leaders are held accountable and hold more responsibility than others.

The leaders, the priests, and the prophets are all condemned by Micah here and would face judgment.

Jerusalem will follow Samaria’s fate.

God’s people listened to Micah and repented. But soon, God would be forgotten, and sin would reemerge, leading to exile.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 2: Micah 1-2

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF MICAH 1-2

Micah 1

We learn when Micah prophesized in verse 1: during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. The Lord will come down and punish His people for their sins. Micah will mourn because of the people’s sins, weeping and wailing.

Micah 2

Micah says that there is woe to those who plot evil, who covet, steal, defraud, and rob others. As consequences, the Lord will plan disasters upon His people. There will be false prophets. Yet, God will redeem a remnant of Israel.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 2: Micah 1-2

3) During the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

4a)

Micah 1:1-7: because of Jacob’s transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel. They worshipped idols.

Micah 2:1-5: Planning sin and plotting evil. Covet fields and houses and seize them. They defraud people of their homes and rob them of their inheritance

Micah 2:6-11: They steal and drive people from their homes. There are false prophets.

b) Because our hearts and nature are evil. We are tempted, and we sin.

c) Sin is easy to do, which is why so everyone does it. Sometimes, following God’s ways are harder. It’s a choice to not sin just as much as it’s a choice to sin. It’s important to be cognizant of your choices.

5) God would gather a remnant and the One (Jesus) would go before them.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 2: Micah 1-2

See here the consequences of sin clearly for God’s people.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 23, Day 2: Micah 1-2

Micah 1

Moresheth (also called Moresheth Gath in Micah 1:14) was about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem. Micah was from the country and he preached somewhere around 739 BC and 686 BC, the same time as Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. His name means “Who is like the Lord.”

Micah tells the people to listen to what he has to say. Idolatry was everywhere, and it was time to put God first again.

God will come to judge Israel and Judah. Samaria will be left desolate because of it.

Micah announces the judgement on Judah howling and wailing, very sad to do so.

The nations will know of God’s judgment, and it will bring shame on the people.

Micah 2

Sin is bad, but planned sin is even worse. God will bring His people low because of their planned sins.

God would take away what He had given them.

Still, God will restore His people even if they embrace false prophets.

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Don’t Quit BSF

by atozmom, posted in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)

Hey all!

Right about now is the time many people leave BSF (Bible Study Fellowship).

This is for many reasons:

  • Life gets busy
  • You lack time
  • You are being taken out of your comfort zone by God
  • Doing your BSF lessons is daunting
  • The Bible passages are too long
  • You are struggling and bitter against God
  • The weather is cold
  • It’s just “one more thing to do”
  • And dozens of other reasons

I’m here to tell you that I’m feeling this way, too. Thirty weeks of Bible Study is hard, rough, challenging, and tiring. You are growing with God, but you often don’t feel like you are. And, in the midst of life’s struggles, sometimes we don’t want to hear from God (when that’s exactly the time we need to hear from Him).

But, despite all of this, hang in there. You’ll get over the hump, and you’ll be glad you stuck with it.

Go to class without your lesson completed. Soak up the lecture. Or, do your lesson and skip class and the lecture for a week if getting out is too hard.

Whatever you do, just keep at it. God will reward your work!

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Friday Digest BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 22

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN BSF PEOPLE OF THE PROMISE: KINGDOM DIVIDED LESSON 22

  • God is trustworthy
  • There is hope amidst the pain and suffering
  • Suffering refines us and brings us closer to Him
  • God disciplines our sins; He can reveal this to us
  • Only God knows about why others suffer
  • Suffering is an opportunity to experience God’s strength
  • He will fully complete His work in us
  • God uses trials for our good and His glory
  • God has so much more for us than this world
  • Your suffering is by God’s design
  • Suffering invites you to hope and trust in Him alone
  • Don’t waste your suffering; find purpose within it
  • You can either be bitter, or you can have Hope
  • Hope is found in God alone

TAKE AWAY: God always has a purpose.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 22, Day 5: Psalm 46, Lamentations 3:22-23 & Others

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF PSALM 46 & LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23

Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. We will not fear. God is with us, our fortress. He can do all things.

Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 22, Day 5: Psalm 46, Lamentations 3:22-23 & Others

12) We are healed by Jesus’s wounds. We have peace because he died for us. Jesus takes away all of our sins when he suffered. He is our intercessor. Jesus will be at the right hand of God because of it.

13) Verse 1: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. It really doesn’t get any more comforting than this.

14a) We[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. James says the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance helps us to be more mature and complete in God, lacking nothing. Suffering gives us the courage to keep at it. We pray more when we suffer; we grow closer to God, too.

b) Because God comforts us in our suffering, we can comfort others in theirs. Suffering produces endurance and hope. We are tested by sufferings. Suffering can make us overjoyed when God’s glory is revealed. We are blessed because we have the Spirit of glory.

15) I am unsure. It might be to achieve my goals. To experience more. To grow my faith and perseverance.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 22, Day 5: Psalm 46, Lamentations 3:22-23 & Others

I love the theme of perseverance here. Persevering is hard to do, but often yields the best things in our lives. Trials help us to persevere and overcome, bringing us closer to God and giving us a sense of self-worth.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 22, Day 5: Psalm 46, Lamentations 3:22-23 & Others

God provides even in our suffering. He can provide comfort.

When we suffer, we expereince God’s nearness.

God knows exactly what we need to grow with Him.

If we never suffered, we might never truly depend on God.

Suffering allows us to long for heaven.

Be still is the idea for humanity to stop opposing God, for he is the Great I Am. Instead, surrender.

God is compassionate even in His judgment. Every day we have new hope, mercy, and compassion from God.

God is faithful, indeed.

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