Tag: bsf answers questions lesson 26

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 4: Nehemiah 10:1-29

February 18, 2026January 19, 2026 by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Nehemiah 10:1-29

The people who sealed the agreement with God are listed. The rest of the people then join their fellow Israelites in the agreement, too, promising to obey all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord our Lord.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 4: Nehemiah 10:1-29

9a) They signed to establish personal accountability and lead by example. By physically sealing the document, they transformed temporary emotion into binding commitment. This public act of ownership was crucial for unifying the nation, encouraging the rest of the community to join the oath and take their obedience seriously.

b) I verbally affirm it in prayer and to others.

10) They would be cursed (judgment and God turning His back on them). The Israelites need the Lord in order to survive and thrive in life. They needed to be His.

11) Instead of signing a physical scroll, believers today are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13), marking them as God’s eternal property and guaranteeing their inheritance. Their names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 21:27), ensuring citizenship in heaven is based on Christ’s work, not human willpower.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day43: Nehemiah 10:1-29

I love when names are recorded. It emphasizes their importance and how God cares for all of us.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 4: Nehemiah 10:1-29

The people enter into a covenant with God and seal the document.

There were 84 leaders who signed here.

The people would be cursed if they did not obey.

Since this was public, it held them accountable.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

After the confession of Chapter 9, the people moved from talk to action by creating a sealed document.

The Leaders Go First (vv. 1–27): Nehemiah (the governor) and Zedekiah led the way, followed by 21 priests, 17 Levites, and 44 chiefs of the people. This list of names signifies that leadership requires visibility. They did not ask the people to sign something they weren’t willing to put their own seal on first.
Corporate Unity (v. 28): The movement wasn’t limited to the elite. The “rest of the people”—priests, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and their families (wives and children who could understand)—joined in. It was a total community commitment.
The Serious Oath (v. 29): This was not a casual agreement. They entered into a “curse and an oath” to walk in God’s Law. This legal language meant they were inviting God’s judgment upon themselves if they broke the promise. They fully accepted that obedience was the only path to survival.

Conclusion

This section demonstrates that revival must be ratified. Spiritual emotion fades, but a covenant stands. By recording their names, these leaders and families took personal ownership of their spiritual walk, transitioning from a “crowd” of listeners to a “community” of covenanted believers.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 3: Nehemiah 9:22-38

February 17, 2026January 19, 2026 by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Nehemiah 9:22-38

The priests are still recounting the goodness of God here, saying how God gave His people kingdoms and nations, blessed them with children, and gave them the Promised Land. God allowed them to conquer the people there and gave them abundance.

Then the people were disobedient and rebelled. They turned their backs on God, so He gave them into the hands of their enemies. God rescued them. This cycle of sin, repentance, and restoration happened again and again.

They prayed for God to help them once again despite their rebellion.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 3: Nehemiah 9:22-38

6a) God lavished them with kingdoms, rich land, and constant deliverance. In contrast, the people responded with “great blasphemies.” They grew fat on His blessings but cast His law behind their backs and killed His prophets, meeting His relentless mercy with stubborn, repeated rebellion.

b) God’s faithfulness. His promises to His people. God demonstrates relentless mercy, patient endurance, and generous provision. He remains faithful to His covenant and compassionate to their cries, even amidst their repeated rebellion.

7a) They lamented the tragic irony of being slaves in their own Promised Land. Instead of enjoying God’s bounty, their harvest enriched foreign kings. They realized they had lost their freedom and ownership of their labor because of their sin, acknowledging their suffering was a just result of their rebellion.

b) Today, many experience spiritual slavery amidst abundance—captive to sin, addiction, and materialism—working tirelessly for “masters” that do not satisfy, having lost true freedom.

8 ) It means a great deal because it shows that no matter what I may do, God will offer me His grace and His forgiveness. It means God’s love is unconditional and not performance-based. His commitment to save is rooted in His character, not human merit. Consequently, no amount of sin can exhaust His mercy; even when people are faithless, He remains faithful, ensuring His redemptive purpose ultimately triumphs over our failure.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 3: Nehemiah 9:22-38

Such is the story of the Bible: sin, grace, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. Due to man’s fallen nature, this is inevitable, but God loves us anyway!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 3: Nehemiah 9:22-38

God shows His kindness, the people turn from Him when they are comfortable, God issues a correction, the people turn back to God, and this repeats.

God never turns away from us, no matter how many times we ask for forgiveness. He never changes.

Writing it down commits oneself to God.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

The prayer moves from the wilderness into the Promised Land, tracing the tragic cycle of Israel’s history.

Abundance and Apostasy (vv. 22–26): God gave them kingdoms, vineyards, and rich land. They “ate and were satisfied and became fat,” delighting in God’s goodness. However, comfort bred complacency. They “cast your law behind their back” and killed the prophets who tried to turn them back.
The Cycle of Discipline (vv. 27–31): The pattern repeated for centuries:
1. Sin: The people rebelled.
2. Oppression: God handed them over to enemies.
3. Cry for Help: They suffered and begged for help.
4. Rescue: God sent deliverers (judges) to save them.
- Key Insight: Even when they returned to evil immediately after being rescued, God did not destroy them because of His “great mercies.”
Present Distress (vv. 32–37): The prayer lands in the present. They acknowledge that God has been just, but they have been wicked. Consequently, they are now “slaves” in the very land God gave them, with their abundant harvest going to foreign kings (Persia).
The Commitment (v. 38): “Because of all this,” they didn’t just pray; they made a firm covenant in writing to bind themselves back to God.

Conclusion

This passage warns that prosperity is often spiritually more dangerous than poverty. When the people “grew fat,” they forgot the Giver. The prayer demonstrates that true confession accepts responsibility: it acknowledges that current suffering is the fruit of past disobedience, and the only path forward is a documented, binding recommitment to God.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 2: Nehemiah 9:1-21

February 16, 2026January 19, 2026 by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Nehemiah 9:1-21

The Israelites gathered together and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They read from the Book of the Law, confessed, and worshiped. The people recited God’s deeds, praising Him for bringing them out of Ur, raising up Abraham, bringing them out of Egypt, giving them the Law, feeding them, and not abandoning them in the desert when they disobeyed.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 2: Nehemiah 9:1-21

3a) Sackcloth and ashes outwardly demonstrated their internal brokenness and humility before God. Separating from foreigners was essential to cut ties with idolatry and compromise. Together, these actions proved their repentance was genuine—they were not just sorry for the consequences, but were actively purging sin to restore their covenant relationship.

b) Materialism and vindictiveness

4a) The people recited God’s deeds, praising Him for bringing them out of Ur, raising up Abraham, bringing them out of Egypt, giving them the Law, feeding them, and not abandoning them in the desert when they disobeyed.

b) To learn from the past and not repeat it. And, to remember what God has done for His people, so we have faith, hope, and encouragement that He will do it again. Romans tells us: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

5a) Lots. Selfishness. Disobedience. Mean-spirited. Anger. Revengeful. Unforgiveness. Etc.

b) By humbly confessing specific sins, trusting in God’s merciful character through Christ, and turning away from evil to walk in His new life.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 2: Nehemiah 9:1-21

I love it when the people remember what God has done. We need to remember what God has done in our lives so that we have faith that He will continue to be there for us no matter what.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 26, Day 2: Nehemiah 9:1-21

After the work had been done and the Holy Spirit had done its work, it was time for repentance.

Fasting, wearing sackcloth, and covering their heads in dust is a sign of humility. It showed that the Israelites were so troubled by their sin that they couldn’t eat.

All sin is of equal weight. Sin is when we miss God’s mark by disobeying what is in His Word.

Once we repent, we aim to do better.

Fun Fact: This is the longest prayer in the Bible, and it only takes 6 1/2 minutes to recite.

What God has made (the world) gives us reason to praise Him.

God does not forsake His people even when they forsake Him. His patience is infinite.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

After the joyful Feast of Booths, the people transitioned to solemn fasting and sackcloth. The Levites led a prayer recounting their history, contrasting God’s sovereignty with human rebellion.

Creation & Covenant (vv. 5–8): The prayer anchors the people in the fact that God is the sole Creator (“You are the LORD, you alone”) and recalls the election of Abraham. It affirms that God kept His promise to give the land because He is righteous.
Deliverance & Guidance (vv. 9–15): It recounts the Exodus miracles—the Red Sea, the pillar of fire, and the giving of the Law at Sinai. It highlights God’s supernatural provision of bread (manna) and water.
Rebellion met with Mercy (vv. 16–21): Despite these miracles, the ancestors became arrogant and even made a golden calf. Yet, God was “ready to forgive, gracious and merciful” (v. 17). He did not abandon them in the wilderness but continued to instruct, lead, and feed them for forty years so that they “lacked nothing.”

Conclusion

This section teaches that God’s faithfulness is not held hostage by human failure. The Israelites repeatedly responded to grace with rebellion (arrogance, idolatry), yet God repeatedly responded to rebellion with mercy. The people’s confidence to confess their sins came from knowing God’s character, not their own track record.

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 5: Reread John 19:38-42

February 29, 2024February 23, 2024 by atozmom, posted in BSF John's Gospel: The Truth 2023/2024

Summary of John 19:38-42

Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body. Along with Nicodemus, the two men wrapped Jesus’ body for burial in accordance with Jewish customs. They laid Jesus in a new tomb in a garden.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 5: Reread John 19:38-42

12) Jesus’ body would not decay with the preparation by the two men. He would be buried richly in death. He was placed in a new tomb with a heavy stone to guard the entrance.

13) I am awed by Jesus’ death and the wounds he sustained for me. The care fits our Lord and Savior.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 5: Reread John 19:38-42

Such reverence in Jesus’ burial. What a sight to see!

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 5: Reread John 19:38-42

Normally, servants would prepare a body for death, but here these two wealthy men did. They washed Jesus’ body and ensured it was in pristine shape for burial.

The burial of Jesus fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 53:9 ). It was proof Jesus was truly dead. His body would not decay (Psalm 16:10)

The burial allowed Jesus to conquer sin and death. As Jesus was in the tomb, he went to Hell to bring out the faithful to heaven (1 Peter 3:18-20 )

The tomb was Joseph’s, and it would be grand for a rich man as himself.

In Jewish custom, bodies were left in small tombs to decay. The bones would then be collected and put into ossuaries. The doors to the tombs would be heavy, so no one would disturb the bodies.

It was important that the tomb was empty so that no other theory or resurrection could take place except by the Hand of God.

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 4: John 19:38-42

February 28, 2024February 23, 2024 by atozmom, posted in BSF John's Gospel: The Truth 2023/2024

Summary of John 19:38-42

Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body. Along with Nicodemus, the two men wrapped Jesus’ body for burial in accordance with Jewish customs. They laid Jesus in a new tomb in a garden.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 4: John 19:38-42

9) Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of Jesus and a member of the Council. He was a good and upright man who did not agree with Jesus’ death. Nicodemus was the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. He was a Pharisee who came to Jesus asking who he was. Jesus told him about being born of the Holy Spirit. He tried to defend Jesus to the Pharisees.

10a) They lost the chance to personally know Jesus and to bring others to him.

b) They risked excommunication from the church and their livelihood. They gained so much by worshipping Jesus this night as they buried him, including eternal life.

11a) I think many are afraid to give up control of their lives. Many are afraid to give up their sins and follow Jesus.

b) By giving Jesus the credit for my amazing life more.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 4: John 19:38-42

I love how these two men who had the means to bury Jesus stepped up and did so. They overcame their fear for their Savior. Wonderful!

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 26, Day 4: John 19:38-42

Normally, servants would prepare a body for death, but here these two wealthy men did. They washed Jesus’ body and ensured it was in pristine shape for burial.

The burial of Jesus fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 53:9 ). It was proof Jesus was truly dead. His body would not decay (Psalm 16:10)

The burial allowed Jesus to conquer sin and death. As Jesus was in the tomb, he went to Hell to bring out the faithful to heaven (1 Peter 3:18-20 )

The tomb was Joseph’s, and it would be grand for a rich man as himself.

In Jewish custom, bodies were left in small tombs to decay. The bones would then be collected and put into ossuaries. The doors to the tombs would be heavy, so no one would disturb the bodies.

It was important that the tomb was empty so that no other theory or resurrection could take place except by the Hand of God.