Tag: bsf lesson 11 day 3

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 3: Ezra 7:11-28

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

Summary of Ezra 7:11-28

King Artaxerxes gave a letter to Ezra, stating that anyone could return to Jerusalem with him with the silver and gold taken from the temple and more. He told him to use the money to buy offerings to God and to buy materials to build the temple. All the treasurers are to provide him with whatever he needs. He is to be in charge of administering justice and teaching the law to others. Those who do not obey the laws may be punished by death or imprisonment.

Ezra praised God for putting it in the king’s heart to help the Israelites and for extending good favor to him.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 3: Ezra 7:11-28

6) God moved King Artaxerxes to authorize the return, provide lavish funding (silver, gold, supplies) from the royal treasury, grant tax exemption to all Temple workers, and give Ezra full civil authority to establish and enforce God’s Law, using state power to protect and provision the mission.
7) God’s providence included “stirring the spirit” of pagan kings. He moved Cyrus to release the exiles, Darius to find the lost decree and fund the Temple, and Artaxerxes to grant Ezra full authority and resources to restore the law.
8a) Ezra praised God for putting it in the king’s heart to help the Israelites and for extending good favor to him. He gathered up leaders from Israel to go with him.
b) Everything — food, clothing, shelter, life.
c) It’s important for us to remember what God has done in our lives so that when times get hard, we can go back to God’s faithfulness and use it to fuel us during the bad times. And, it’s crucial because it stops us from taking credit for God’s work and reminds us that we are not self-sufficient. We acknowledge His active hand in our lives. This moves us from thinking, “I’m so good/lucky” to “God is so good.” It cultivates gratitude and humility, actively pushing back against pride and reminding us that our successes are a result of His favor, just as Ezra did when he praised God for moving the king’s heart.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 3: Ezra 7:11-28

I love how God can (and does) use anyone to help His people.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 3: Ezra 7:11-28

The king commissions helpers, a copy of the Law, and gifts for the temple to go with Ezra upon his return to Jerusalem. The king encourages others to return to make Israel great again. The king was very generous in his offerings to Ezra.

Artaxerxes wanted to placate the gods (in this case, the One and Only God) so that he could be blessed. This was a common belief in those times.

Ezra was given significant authority. He knew that only God could create this!

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Ezra 7:11-28 details the official letter of commission from King Artaxerxes to Ezra. This decree grants Ezra extraordinary authority and resources for his mission to restore the Jewish community in Jerusalem.

Interpretation

The letter from the Persian king, the most powerful ruler on earth at the time, contains four astonishing provisions:

  1. Official Permission (vv. 12-13): The king formally authorizes any Jewish person, priest, or Levite in his empire to return to Jerusalem with Ezra.
  2. Royal Funding (vv. 14-23): Artaxerxes and his counselors donate a massive amount of silver and gold for the Temple. He further commands his treasurers west of the Euphrates to give Ezra whatever else he needs—up to 100 talents of silver, plus wheat, wine, oil, and salt—”without limit” and “promptly.”
  3. Tax Exemption (v. 24): The king grants complete tax immunity to all priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and other Temple servants.
  4. Civil Authority (vv. 25-26): Most significantly, the king empowers Ezra to appoint magistrates and judges to govern the entire province based on the Law of God. He gives Ezra the full power of the Persian state to enforce this law, including imprisonment, confiscation of goods, banishment, or even death.

Conclusion

The passage concludes with Ezra’s own reaction (vv. 27-28): a burst of praise to God. Ezra recognizes that this incredible political and financial backing was not a human achievement but a divine miracle. He blesses God for “put[ting] such a thing as this into the heart of the king.” This letter demonstrates God’s absolute sovereignty, showing His ability to move the heart of a pagan king to not only fund the restoration but to legally establish God’s Law as the law of the land.

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BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 11, Day 3: Joel 2:12-27

by atozmom, posted in BSF Revelation: The Hope 2024/2025

Summary of Joel 2:12-27

The Lord asks His people to return to him. He is forgiving and he may relent and even bless those who do turn to Him. Everyone should gather and declare a holy fast, and ask the Lord to spare them.

God pitied His people when they did repent. He promised to provide for His people and never again make them an object of scorn to the nations. He will drive away their enemies.

Joel tells the people to not be afraid for the Lord has done great things. He will restore His people, feed them, bless them. He will be their God. They will never again be shamed.

BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 11, Day 3: Joel 2:12-27

6a) Return to Him. Repent. Declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly, gather the people, and pray to God to spare them and not make them an object of scorn.

b) Ancient Hebrew people would rend (or tear) their garments as an extreme sign of mourning. Here, God is saying to repent and change their hearts, not just make a show of repentance. This takes place by truly repenting before God and changing your ways to be like God’s and not your own.

7) Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, gives blessings, jealous for His land. I would say gracious speaks to me today. I am always in need of grace for I am a sinner, I sin every day, and I need His forgiveness to keep pressing forward in this world.

8a) God pitied His people. He promised to provide for His people, sending new wine and olive oil, and never again make them an object of scorn to the nations. He will drive away their enemies.

b) God will restore His people and all that they lost during the period of judgment that God brought upon his people (a plague of locusts). He will give them back a time of abundance. Believers today can take heart that God will restore you even when you experience a setback or difficult times. God can give back anything that has been taken from you. God is omnipotent and the One in control. God can do anything.

9) With all of the many blessings He has given me and the directions my life continues to take.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 11, Day 3:2:12-27

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how good God is! He takes away but he gives back. So amazing, especially when we are so undeserving!

Reminds me of Matt Redman’s song “Blessed Be Your Name” with the lines that say “You give and take away”

End Notes BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 11, Day 3: Joel 2:12-27

God requires heartfelt repentance, not just an outward sign of tearing your clothes. This is out of the goodness and mercy of God, knowing that He will forgive you.

Leaders of the church should lead people into repentance.

God will restore prosperity and defeat enemies if one repents. God restores what He has taken away.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 11, Day 3: Isaiah 65:1-2 and Ezekiel 20:4-7

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

Isaiah 65:1-2:

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
    I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
    I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations—

Ezekiel 20:4-7:

God reminds his people that he chose them and swore to the descendants of Jacob and revealed himself to them in Egypt. He said to them, “I am the Lord your God.” He swore to  bring them out of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 11, Day 3: Isaiah 65:1-2 and Ezekiel 20:4-7

5a) God promised his people to be their God, to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey, and to provide for them. He called them to not defile themselves with the idols of Egypt. To follow his ways and obey him fully, to keep his covenant, and keep Sabbaths holy. Then they will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Then they will be his people and he will be their God.

b) They turned to false gods at every turn. They did not obey his laws or his wishes. They disbelieved the prophets. They intermarried with pagans. In short, they did not put him first in their lives.

6a) God called out to them by name and held out his hands. He also said he would destroy them in Deuteronomy 30:15-18 and not live long in the Promised Land. The Assyrians would capture them says 2 Kings 17:6. Lord sent Babylonian Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders to destroy Judah in 2 Kings 24:2. Yet, God still tried to return his people to him. 2 Chronicles 36:15 says,”The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.”

b) That God never gives up on His people. He punishes them but always gives them a road to redemption.

7a) Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 says if we follow God and his laws, we will be His people. So, if you want to be God’s, do what he says!

b) Busyness of life. Others. Sin. Temptations to sin. Selfishness.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 11, Day 3: Isaiah 65:1-2 and Ezekiel 20:4-7

I love how we see just how much God loves us in these verses. He never stops pursuing us, no matter how much we fall.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 11, Day 3: Isaiah 65:1-2 and Ezekiel 20:4-7

Isaiah 65:1-2:

God held out his hands to Israel who rejected him or sought him insincerely, following their ways rather than the Lord’s. Yet, God is found by those who seek him sincerely.

Ezekiel 20:4-7:

God is speaking of an oath He made to his people while in exile in Egypt. He repeats his promise he made to Abraham and promises to bring them out of Egypt to the promised land. However, they must throw away the idols of Egypt.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 11, Day 3: Matthew 10:1-15

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 10:1-15

Jesus called his disciples together and gave them the ability to drive out evil and heal every disease and sickness. The 12 are: Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon, and Judas.

Jesus sent the 12 out to the lost sheep of Israel, not to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. Preach the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick; raise the dead; drive out demons; heal lepers. Freely give as they have received. Take no money, bag, extra clothes or sandals for the worker is worth his keep.

They are to stay at others’ homes while traveling. Bless the home if it is worthy. Move on if it is not.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 11, Day 3: Matthew 10:1-15

6) He gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

7a) To the lost sheep of Israel. They were to not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans.

b) Matthew 28:19-20 is the Great Commission, as Jesus sends out his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 says that the disciples will receive the Holy Spirit, and with this power they are to witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the ends of the earth. Romans 1:16 says that the power of the Gospel (God’s Word) can give salvation to those that believe. Believers will experience honor and peace according to Romans 2:9-11. Unbelievers will experience trouble and distress.

8 ) Preach the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick; raise the dead; drive out demons; heal lepers. Freely give as they have received. Take no money, bag, extra clothes or sandals for the worker is worth his keep. They are to stay at others’ homes while traveling. Bless the home if it is worthy.

9) Because hospitality was big in ancient times and was supposed to be given no matter what. Those who rejected the Gospel will face an eternity in hell, which is worse than what Sodom and Gomorrah experienced as burning sulphur rained down.

10) As you meet people, be aware if they may be open to Jesus. Preach the Good News, but if their hearts are closed, Jesus will judge them. You do your part by sharing.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 11, Day 3: Matthew 10:1-15

I love the emphasis on going on and giving freely, but dusting the dust off your feet if your message is not received. We cannot let it bother us when others don’t turn to Jesus. God puts it on others hearts to follow Him or not by hardening hearts or loosening them. Our job is to share the message since we don’t know God’s sovereign will. He awakens dead hearts, not us! And give freely as we have been given to. Great stuff here!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 11, Day 3: Matthew 10:1-15

The 12 Disciples

Really cool synopsis on the Apostles HERE

The disciples are listed in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts, but not the book of John.  Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13. Note they are of various backgrounds, as are all believers. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. There are also other similarities: Peter is always first, and Judas is always last. The brothers are always paired together. Bible scholars see three groups of four, as if each had a leader:

  • Peter, Andrew, James, and John
  • Philip, Bartholomew/Nathanael, Thomas, and Matthew
  • James, Thaddaeus/Judas, Simon, Judas

Jesus equips those he calls to do their job (here, Jesus gave the 12 powers). The 12 have a future role in eternity (Matthew 19:28), helped found the church (Ephesians 2:20)., and shall be remembered always. (Revelation 21:14).

Fun Fact: This is the only time in Matthew the 12 are called apostles, meaning “one who is sent out.”

Iscariout may mean “man of Kerioth,” which is a town in southern Judea, or may mean “traitor.”

Bible Scholar Clarke notes that first the 12 are disciples Matthew 10:1 before apostles Matthew 10:2.. You must learn about God before you can preach about God.

The 12 Disciples Commissioned

It has always been God’s chosen people first (Romans 1:16), then the Gentiles. So it is with the disciples here.

Jesus needed help, so he sends his 12.

Note Jesus called them “the house of Israel.” To God, they will always be Israel, whether they have a state or not.

We are all lost sheep.  (Isaiah 53:6). Jeremiah 50:6

Jesus gives them the message he is delivering: The Kingdom of Heaven is near (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus tells them that God will meet their needs, like He meets our today. He will provide food, clothing, and shelter for them. They are to preach for free, and not charge for it. Give for free as you have received for free.

The 12 disciples who founded the church reflect the 12 Tribes of Israel who founded the nation of Israel. Israel was to be the light of the world. When they rejected him, the Gospel spread to the rest of the world.

The dusting of feet is symbolic of the Jews dusting their feet when they visited a Gentile nation so they would be clean.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 11, Day 3: Genesis 17:9-14; 23-27

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

Summary of Genesis 17:9-14:

God tells Abraham that he and his descendants must keep His covenant. Every male must be circumcised, which is the sign of the covenant. This is to take place at 8 days old, and this applies to all male, whether adopted or not. If any male has not been circumcised, they are to be cut off from God’s people, as this will be a sign that the covenant has been broken.

Genesis 17:23-27:

Every male on that day was circumcised, including Abraham, his son, Ismael, and all in his household.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 11, Day 3: Genesis 17:9-14; 23-27

7) “It will be the sign of the covenant between you and me.”

8 ) That he/they are faithful.

9) Having faith is more important than works.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 11, Day 3: Genesis 17:9-14; 23-27

I love that Abraham obeyed immediately without delay. So, too, are we called to obey immediately as well.

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End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 11, Day 3: Genesis 17:9-14; 23-27

The cutting of the foreskin represents how God is setting His people apart (cutting them off). It is a physical sign that they are His people. Since males were born into it, it was fitting to be associated with reproduction. This is a sign of faith. Circumcision also helped with cleanliness, which was important in a society where no one bathed. Also, it was a sign of cleansing as well.

With Jesus, we are spiritually circumcised.

Why the 8th day? Childbirth is traumatic on a baby. After all, it goes from a water world to a world of air and newness. After 8 days, the baby’s body will recover faster, and some experts think that because the immune system is in place by now, that the baby will be less likely to get an infection. Doctors believe that a baby’s body can also blood-clot better on day 8 of life.

It’s important to note that the people were part of the covenant through faith. When they rejected circumcision, they were rejecting the covenant that God had granted through grace. Circumcision is not something you do that gets you to heaven, although the early Christians tried to make this so. (Galatians 5:1-15). Now, with the new covenant, you are free to circumcise or not.

Abraham’s immediacy speaks to his faith and his obedience to God’s commands. What does your response say when God tells you to move?

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 11, Day 3: Genesis 12:1-3

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  God calls Abram to leave his country (Mesopotamia) for the land He will show Him (Canaan).  God promises Abram to make him into a great nation and He will bless him.  He will bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. ALL people on earth will be blessed through Abram.

Questions:

5a)  I (I being God) will:

1) Make you into a great nation.  This is the Jewish People and the Old Testament chronicles this through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and down to Christ. Genesis 13:16

2)  Bless you.  Philippians 4:19  “God will meet all your needs…in Christ Jesus.”

3)  Make your name great.  Abram is honored by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.  I would wager most people know who he is.

4)  You will be a blessing.  Matthew 28:19-20.  I think the biggest blessing we can be is to tell others about Jesus.

5)  Bless those who bless you.  Matthew 16:19

6)  Curse those who curse you.  I see this in God’s punishment of the nations who are against Israel (Babylon, Assyria, etc) as attested throughout the Bible, history, and today.

7)  All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.  Through Jesus and our faith the Gentiles are children of Abraham. Galatians 3: 7-9, 14-18,29, Genesis 22:18, Acts 3:25-26

b) I’m using Genesis 17 for all of these, where God re-affirms His covenant with Abram (ham) and gives him the sign of circumcision to seal the covenant.  Joshua 21:43-45 confirms Israel took the land and that “every one (promise) was fulfilled.”

6a)  Ephesians 1:3:  Every spiritual blessing

b)  Ephesians 1:18:  Know the hope He has called us to and the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints

c)  Ephesians 2:6-7:  Raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realm; Shows us the incomparable riches of His grace

d)  1 Corinthians 2:9-10: We receive His Spirit so we may know what God has prepared for those who love Him (us)

e)  Psalm 16:5-6, 11:  We have an assigned portion that is secure and pleasant which is a delightful inheritance.  Know the path of life, the joy in your presence, eternal pleasures

Conclusions:  A lot of looking up and researching with the challenge question.  Writing out God’s promises is a powerful reminder that God is for us–not against us (Romans 8:31).  He is our greatest cheerleader and our greatest protector against the enemy.  God is good despite all the bad that sometimes surrounds us.

With these promises, He expects us to be a blessing.  We must show God’s love.  Always.