Tag: bsf lesson 12 day 5

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 12, Day 5: Ezra 10:18-44

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

Summary of Ezra 10:18-44

The Israelites and the priests who had married foreign women were examined and found guilty. Their names are listed. They divorced their wives and gave a guilt offering for atonement. Some had children. God preserved the purity of the nation for the Messiah.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 12, Day 5: Ezra 10:18-44

12) The priests and their descendants. The musicians, gatekeepers (The Levites), and many others.

13a) To show that no one is exempt from God’s laws. This ensured accountability. It showed the seriousness of their sins. To serve as a warning to others who will follow.

b) To be honest, not a lot. This is hard since this was 2,000 years ago. Obviously, it’s never good when families are separated. But, God’s laws are His laws, and it’s not for us to question the consequences of breaking them.

c) The Christian spouse in the marriage now is able to sanctify the unbelieving spouse so that their children are holy. At the time, this was a radical, painful act of national purification. The community saw intermarriage as a direct threat to their covenant identity—the very sin that led to the exile. They chose to surgically remove this influence, sacrificing personal family ties to preserve their “holy seed” and restore their relationship with God. Sometimes hard decisions are necessary to be faithful to God.

14) To obey God’s laws or suffer the consequences. To know that God’s punishments are for our good. Sin has corporate consequences, not just personal ones. Genuine repentance is costly and requires decisive, painful action, not just sorrow. It shows that spiritual purity is a non-negotiable priority, and leaders are held to an even higher standard of accountability.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 12, Day 5: Ezra 10:18-44

Great study of the consequences of sin and what can happen within a family unit because of sin.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 12, Day 5: Ezra 10:18-44

This passage is pretty self-explanatory. Those women who did not convert were put out. They number about 114.

We meet Ezra again in the book of Nehemiah about 13 years later.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Ezra 10:18-44 is the final, sobering record of the community’s repentance: a public list of every man found guilty of intermarrying with foreign women.

Interpretation

This section is the official documentation of the investigation’s findings. Its structure is significant:

  • Widespread Sin (vv. 18-43): The list is organized by group, beginning with the priests, then the Levites, and finally the rest of the people. This demonstrates that the sin was not isolated but had pervasively corrupted the entire community, including its spiritual leadership.
  • Costly Repentance (v. 19): The guilty priests are specifically noted as having pledged to send away their wives and, significantly, to offer a ram as a guilt offering. This underscores the seriousness of the sin and the costly, tangible nature of their repentance.
  • Painful Conclusion (v. 44): The book ends with the stark summary that all these men had married foreign women, and some even had children with them.

Conclusion

The book of Ezra does not end with a celebration but with this stark list of accountability. It’s a somber conclusion that demonstrates the painful, practical, and necessary steps the community had to take to purify itself. This public record serves as the final, concrete proof of their commitment to restoring their covenant identity and separating themselves from pagan influences, no matter how difficult the personal cost.

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BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 12, Day 5: Revelation 6:12-17

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

Summary of Revelation 6:12-17

Jesus opened the 6th seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black, the moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth. The heavens receded, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 

BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 12, Day 5: Revelation 6:12-17

12) Exodus 19:18: Mount Sinai trembled, so both passages have earthquakes

Isaiah 34:4: All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. Both say that the stars will fall to the earth like figs dropping from trees. Both describe heaven as being rolled up/receding like a scroll.

Jeremiah 4:23-26: The mountains and hills were quaking, there were no people, and the light was gone from heaven. Both describe an earthquake, people hiding/not existing, and no light/stars in heaven.

Joel 2:30-31: The sun will be dark, the moon will be like blood. Wonders will be seen in heaven and earth. Both describe the sun as dark and the moon as red/blood. More wonders will be seen as well.

Zechariah 14:3-5: The mountains will split. People will flee. God will come. Both describe earthquakes and people running/fleeing/hiding. All before God comes.

13a) Hid in caves amongst the rocks of mountains. Refuge in God.

b) Psalm 46 says that God is our refuge and our strength. We shall not fear no matter what happens. The Lord is with us. He is our refuge. He will be exalted. Romans 5:1-11 says that we are saved, justified by the blood of Christ. We have peace with God because of our faith in Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us. This says a lot about God! God is everything we will ever need. All we have to do is hold onto Him.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 12, Day 5: Revelation 6:12-17

Basically, God is in control of everything that happens, and if we just give it all to Him, He will be our strength, our salvation, our hope, and our everything.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Revelation: The Hope Lesson 12, Day 5: Revelation 6:12-17

The 6th scroll is near the End.

There will be many natural disasters when God comes. God will use nature and nations to execute his judgment.

Many people/Bible scholars hold different opinions on whether these things described will happen before Jesus comes again or as he is coming again. Many believe these are ongoing and you can expect an intensification of these natural events right before Jesus comes again.

Your answer to “Who is able to stand?” is the only question you need to answer. Only believers in Christ will be left standing at the end.

God’s wrath will not matter to believers. Jesus bore this wrath for us already. We have no reason to fear, only to worship!

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 5: John 8:48-59 and Exodus 3:12-15

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF JOHN 8:48-59

Those who obey Jesus’ word will never see death. People begin to insult Jesus, claiming he is demon-possessed. Jesus claimed he was greater than Abraham, that he existed before Abraham, and that he’s the I am. The people tried to stone him, but Jesus got away.

Exodus 3:12-15

God sent Moses to the people to rescue them from Egypt. God says He is “I am.”

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 5: John 8:48-59 and Exodus 3:12-15

13a) Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life.

b) Abraham rejoiced at Jesus’ saving grace.

14a) This means that Jesus is equal with God, existed before Creation, and is part of God. It means He is God and all should worship him and believe in him.

b) All the difference. With Jesus, life is good. Without Jesus, life is unbearable.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 5: John 8:48-59 and Exodus 3:12-15

I love the “I am’s” in the Bible, and I love how Jesus is equal with God and he says so.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 5: John 8:48-59 and Exodus 3:12-15

The people insult Jesus. Still, he says belief in him brings eternal life. Yet, the religious leaders still twist his words and try to trap him, asking him if he is greater than Abraham.

Jesus says he knows God and is honored by God (not self-honor).

Abraham knew Jesus to be greater.

Now Jesus claims to be God, the great I am, the way God called himself in Exodus.

Fun Fact: This is the third time in this chapter Jesus uses the phrase I AM (John 8:24, 8:28)

This is a clear divine title that all Jews would recognize as such.

Jesus says he has existed eternally. He declared that he is God.

This was blasphemous in the eyes of the religious leaders. They looked to stone Jesus, but he escaped. His time had not yet come. (John 7:30).

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

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

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

SUMMARY OF JONAH 4

Jonah expresses his anger that God saved Nineveh. He asks to die. Jonah leaves the city and waits. The Lord provides a plant for shade for him. It grows and then dies. God asks him if he has a right to be angry about the plant. He still wishes for death. Jonah’s concern for the plant is the same as God’s concern for the people of Nineveh who also needed tending to grow in faith.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

13a) That Jonah is playing God, deciding who should be saved and who should not.

b) Pride that he was better than the people of Nineveh. Anger that they were horrible sinners and God saved them when he was a prophet who was also saved. Anger that the Assyrians were his enemies (the enemy of God’s people). They should be judged, not granted mercy.

14a) Tenderly. By trying to explain to Jonah in a way he would understand about God’s infinite mercy for Nineveh.

b) “should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh” “you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity”

15) It really hasn’t. I’ve always understoon that God can forgive whoever he wants to forgive like he has forgiven me. It’s not on me to judge who he saves and who he doesn’t.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

I find it interesting how Jonah is playing God here and decides for God that Nineveh should not be saved. How many of us do this to our loved ones?

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

Most prophets are pleased with converts. Thus, Jonah’s reaction here is very different.

Without God’s mercy, Jonah would be dead. Yet, this same mercy granted to Nineveh overwhelms him with anger.

God questions us because we are in the wrong and He wants us to see it from a different (often His) perspective. Sure, we can be angry with God, but we are never right over God, and we must repent of that anger, which is often due to misunderstanding.

Jonah seemed to hope that God would still destroy Nineveh when he left. He did not understand God’s love for all of humanity.

Yet, if Jonah cared so much for a plant that he did nothing for, how much more is God’s caring and love for a people that He did everything for from the moment of their creation?

Fun Fact: This is the first time Jonah is recorded as being happy. And it’s all because of a plant.

Fun Fact: Jonah’s last words recorded in the Bible show him clinging to his ways and not God’s ways. Luckily, God always has the last word.

All of this prepared Jonah for God’s work. How is He preparing you today?

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12:22-50

Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, and the Pharisees said it is only by Beelzebub, or the devil, that Jesus can drive out demons. Jesus pointed out that why would Satan go against himself by driving out demons he put into people? And the priests drive out demons, too. Are they working for Satan, too? A house divided against itself cannot stand, Jesus says, and whoever is not with him is against him.

God won’t forgive anyone who speaks against or blasphemies the Holy Spirit, calling God’s work evil. A good tree will bear good fruit; a bad tree bears bad fruit. By your words, you will be condemned.

The Pharisees ask Jesus for a miraculous sign, and Jesus calls them wicked for asking. Jesus will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth like Jonah was three days and nights in a fish’s belly.

Jesus’s mother and brothers came to see him. Jesus calls all of his disciples who do the will of the Father his brother, sister, and mother.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

13a) His power over evil and the devil.

b) You have to subdue the person before you rob him. Jesus overcame Satan first to heal the man. He binded Satan’s power. He is stronger than Satan.

14a) They are not genuine. They are looking to trap Jesus and try to get him to prove himself. Jesus does not have to do that.

b) Jesus will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth like Jonah was three days and nights in a fish’s belly. There will be a sign (Jesus’s death) and a call to repentance.

15) Treat everyone as family.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

Long passages of Jesus fighting against the Pharisees. The fact of the matter is that the Pharisees want to see Jesus go away, which is why they are plotting to kill him. He is ruffling too many feather and changing the way things have always been done. They want to maintain power here. why Jesus essentially only humors them.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

Why would Satan cast out Satan? Jesus says the Pharisees are making no sense right now.

Jesus uses the Spirit of God to heal.

He tells the Pharisees since they are not for him, they are by default against him. If the leaders reject Jesus, they are rejecting the Holy Spirit. God will not forgive them, and they will face eternal consequences.

Jesus points out to the Pharisees that they are bearing bad fruit (or are evil) as they condemn him.

“Brood of vipers” is like calling them the “sons of Satan.”

Careless or idle words do nothing for Christ. Our words reflect our hearts, and you can often tell where a person’s heart lies by their heart. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

The Sign of Jonah

Jesus had already given countless signs; the fact they asked for a sign shows their unbelief.

Jonah was effectively dead in the fish’s belly and then he was given new life. This reflects Jesus’s resurrection. The three days and nights could mean a portion of those days and nights and not the full effect. The Ninevites recognized Jonah; the Queen of Sheba recognized God in Solomon. The Pharisees have failed to recognize Jesus.

Jesus says he is greater than Solomon, a king who is very highly regarded in Jesus’s day.

Jesus will judge the Pharisees moreso than the people of Ninevah as his light is greater.

Evil spirits look for those who are empty of the spirit of Jesus. If you are filled with Jesus, you can never be empty.

True Believers in Christ

Bible scholars believe that Mary and his brothers have arrived to maybe bring Jesus back home and somehow end or curtail his ministry. They are probably worried about him. They do not hold any special privileges. Instead, it’s those who do the will of God who are special.

Jesus sees every believer like his mother, brother, and sister. How cool!

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 5: Genesis 19:30-38

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

Summary of Genesis 19:30-38:

Lot and his two daughers were afraid to live in Zoar so they lived in a cave in the mountains. The older daughter gets worried that they are all alone with no men to marry, so she convinces her sister to get her father drunk and both of them lie with him. They both become pregnant, having sons. One is named Moab and becomes the father of the Moabites and the other is named Ben-Ammi, who becomes the father of the Ammonites — both of whom will constantly war and bicker with Israel, as well as tempt them to sin.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 5: Genesis 19:30-38

13) The older daughter gets worried that they are all alone with no men to marry, so she convinces her sister to get her father drunk and both of them lie with him.

14) All kinds. The problem is man’s mind is twisted by sin and so we can pretty much justify any action — even murder — in our own minds.

15) Moabites and Ammonites. Both nations would continue to tempt Israel into sin. Numbers 25:1 tells us Israel was tempted into sexual immorality with Moabite women. Ruth was a Moabite who would become the mother of Obed who had Jesse who had David whom Jesus came from. Now that is powerful. God continues to judge the sins of Moabites in Jeremiah 48:46-47. God judges Ammon in Ezekiel 25:3-6, making it a resting place for sheep.

16) Lot was afraid so he fled to the mountains. Did he pray to God at all during this time, asking God where to go? It seems all of Lot’s decisions in life were made out of fear, like choosing Sodom in the first place because it looked good and he was afraid the other places were not fruitful. God rescued him; God had not abandoned him; surely God would answer had he prayed. So my answer: don’t let fear guide you. Pray and pray some more. Fear usually is not God’s path for us.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 5: Genesis 19:30-38

Why did Lot not go and live with Abraham is beyond me here. Would have avoided all of this. Ask God before fleeing from life to the mountains and letting your daughters live in ignorance of the world.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 5: Genesis 19:30-38

Lot had access to wine from somewhere. Bible scholars think that the daughters may have thought the whole world was destroyed and there were no men left. However, they did live in Zoar so that is not the case. Probably the daugthers’ minds were so twisted by sin since they saw incest and sodomy all around them that they thought this was okay.

Lot did not seek God at all we are told. Lot’s life was tragic, indeed. He let himself become drunk, lie with his daughters who had children who would become thorns in Israel’s side for generations. Luckily, God used this for good as we see with Ruth, one of Jesus’s relatives.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 12, Day 5: Genesis 13:14-18

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ONE AND ALL!!!

Summary of passage:  The Lord told Abram He was giving him and his offspring all the land Abram could see forever.  God will make Abram’s offspring as numerous as the dust on the earth.  God told Abram to walk his land.  So Abram moved his tents and settled near Hebron where he built an altar to the Lord.

Questions:

11a)  Read this question carefully.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, appropriate by definition means “to take exclusive possession of, annex; to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use; to take or make use of without authority or right.”

In this passage, God requires Abram to go and walk through the length and breadth of the land in order to appreciate God’s gift and to realize the immensity of God’s gift and promises.  God wants Abram to embrace His gifts and promises, to take possession of them like you would a home you just bought, and to make use of them.  God is granting Abram the right to make use of the land and His promises even though Abram has no right to it.  Make sense?

For us, figuratively, God wants us to explore his land, which is His word today, and embrace His promises–by FAITH.

b)  God promises us the world as long as we follow Him and we do not turn away from his law.  God gives Joshua the Promised land and tells him no one will be able to stand against him and He will never forsake him.  Success depends on obeying the law.  God will be with you wherever you go.

12)  Romans 14:10-12:  Because our actions could affect others coming to Christ.  Paul says to stop passing judgment on others for we will all give an account to God for our actions.  Verse 13 is the crux:  “not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”

2 Corinthians 5:9-10:  We must make it our goal to please God for we will all be judged and we will receive what is due us for the things done in the body while her on earth.

1 John 2:28:  We must continue in him (obey his commands) so that we may be confident and unashamed for our actions when Christ comes again.

Conclusions:  The verses in questions 12 I think emphasize the “me”.  I emphasized how it affects others.  True, we must please God and do what is right because we will be judged and our rewards in heaven is determined by our deeds here on earth.  But more importantly is how once you are a Christian people look at you differently.  You represent Christ here on earth and we must be especially careful because others are watching and what we say and do could determine whether or not they come to him or not.

My soul is saved.  Saving others souls’ should be the priority.  And that I believe will earn you greater rewards than just being good.  For their is no nobler a cause.  And naturally, through the goal of saving others, flows forth righteousness, love, and compassion–eternal rewards–God will give.

End Note:  Be careful of the verb appropriate here.  It’s got a tricky definition and I don’t think it means God doesn’t have the right to give the land.  For on earth it can mean taking someone’s property without permission.  Since it is all God’s He can do whatever He wants.  Still, the verb is not sitting well with me in this instance for it does have a negative connotation.  And nothing God does is.

Man seems to think it’s all “mine”.  Look at the Middle East right now.  Fighting again over the land–a gift from God.  Man has forgotten it is all God’s.

I think one of the biggest criticisms unbelievers say about God is this:  that He just forced the people already living in the Promised Land out and took it from them.  Unbelievers just don’t grasp the truth it was and is God’s to begin with and He can do whatever He wants.

Therefore, appropriate is a word man uses when someone takes land.  But here, I believe, it’s land for God’s purposes to be achieved.  Only man can twist the meaning.

Day 6, Question 13:  I normally don’t answer or post these but I couldn’t resist this one.  I was just on a BLOG where there were insanely beautiful pictures of bighorn sheep.  These creatures were magnificent, God’s creations, the epitome of beauty.

I think God’s order to walk the land is an order to appreciate the beauty and the miraculousness of life on earth–the only planet in our galaxy where life exists.  To truly understand God’s gift, Abram needed to see the entire land He had promised him.

We can “walk the land” in the same way.  Literally would be nice but in this day and age we don’t have to.  You can see the images others take and stand in awe of Him–like I was with these photos.

I would encourage you to appreciate God’s beauty around us.  For in all His Creations, is Him.  And we will get to know God the more we get to know His creations–the animals, plants, seas, mountains, and man–the more we embrace His Creations, the more we “take possession of” His Creations.  This is my prayer.