Tag: bsf lesson 12

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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 People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

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

SUMMARY OF JONAH 2:

Jonah prayed to God from inside the fish. He called out to God who brought him up from the pit. Jonah will proclaim God’s name and say that salvation comes from the Lord. The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12:39-41:

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached, but Jesus is here who is greater than Jonah.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

7a) God listens even in our darkest (literally) hours.

b) “I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.” Even though God has given us consequences for our sins, we can still praise him in his infinite mercy. He always lifts us up.

8a) Mankind is stubborn. Sometimes, we have to hit rock bottom to come to Him.

b) Patience. I’m trying to be patient as I yearn to move some place else.

9a) I hopefully learn not to disobey God and suffer the consequences. But when I do, all I have to do is cry out to Him for forgiveness and redemption.

b) Jonah saved many people in Nineveh. That matters to God.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

I can just picture the fish vomiting up Jonah. I’m unsure who was more relieved: Jonah or the fish?

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

Jonah prayed many of the Psalms (Psalm 18:6), (Psalm 42:7), (Psalm 31:22). He was a man of God

Jonah is distressed to be separated from God. Yet, he praises God and realizes his mistake at resisting Him. He repents and promises to do what God tells him to do. He realizes salvation is the Lord.

Note Jonah was delivered after he truly repented of his wrongs. This is what we must do, too.

Jonah most likely was vomited onto the shore and then made his way to Nineveh.

Jonah’s journey foreshadowed Christ’s:

  • Both offered their life for others
  • Both spent 3 days and 3 nights “dead”
  • Both were resurrected per se

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

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

SUMMARY OF JONAH 1:

God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. But Jonah ran from the Lord and headed for Tarshish on a ship. God sent a great wind and storm against Jonah’s ship. They threw their cargo overboard to lighten it. Jonah was sleeping, and the crew cast lots, which told them he was responsible for the storm.

Jonah confessed that he was running from God, so he told them to throw him overboard because the storm is his fault. At first, the men did not do this, but the sea grew wilder. The men prayed for God to not fault them for throwing Jonah over. A fish swallowed Jonah, and he was in its belly three days and three nights.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

3a) 2 Kings 14:25 says, “He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.”

b) Jonah ran away from the Lord.

c) He was afraid to do what God told him to do. He may have been afraid of the people of Nineveh. He was outside of his comfort zone. It was a hard job and Jonah simply did not want to do it. Many Bible scholars believe that Jonah did not believe that the evil Assyrians deserved repentance and mercy from God.

d) They run in every way possible. They ignore his voice and his calling. They don’t do what he tells them to do. They don’t pray or go to church. They hide from Him like Jonah did.

4) When you disobey God, there are consequences. He pursues you and does what he has to to get you to listen to him.

5) I usually don’t struggle with this. None of us are worthy of God’s love and grace, no matter how “good” we are or how “evil.”

6) All the time. He asks me to be nice to people I don’t want to be nice to. He puts me in places I hate. He challenges me to bloom where planted. Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I fail. Still, I try.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

I love the story of Jonah. Such a colorful story of God doing whatever it takes to get your attention.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

map of nineveh and tarshish www.atozmomm.com It’s important to understand that Nineveh was the capital of Assyria at the time. It was a pagan city. God chose Jonah to go and speak to the people of Nineveh and rebuke them for their sins.

Nineveh was to the east of Israel. Tarshish was to the west in what is now Spain. Jonah wanted to get as far away from God’s calling as possible.

God sent a storm. God’s timing is now when He calls. You don’t put off His call for when it’s convenient for you.

Jonah slept as many Christians sleep through God’s calling. We must be awake for Christ.

Jonah asks to be thrown into the sea, and gives us a picture of Christ who threw himself into humans’s storms.

The storm ended once Jonah was thrown into the sea, proving God existed. Many Bible scholars believe the men on the ship came to faith in God after this.

What Was the Fish?

We don’t know what kind of fish this was. It could have been a whale or a special fish God created for just this moment in time. Either way, God was not finished with Jonah yet. He lived three days and nights in the belly of the fish. This was what Jonah personally needed to come to God and obey Him. God does the same with us, just in different ways.

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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 Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12:1-21

Jesus and his disciples were walking through fields of grain. His disciples were hungry, so they began to eat the grain heads. The Pharisees claimed this was unlawful. Jesus responded that David ate consecrated bread when he was hungry and the priests desecrate the day by doing temple work. He says one greater than the temple is here, since he, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath.

The Pharisees ask Jesus if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath. He uses the example of if a sheep had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, would they not rescue it? It’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand, and the Pharisees plotted how to kill Jesus.

Jesus withdrew and healed all the sick, telling them to tell no one who he was. This fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

9a) No. The law was to do no work on the Sabbath. Picking heads of grain was not only allowed according to Deuteronomy 23:25, but it most definitely is not work. The law did not say, “starve on the Sabbath.”

b) Jesus responded that David ate consecrated bread when he was hungry and the priests desecrate the day. He says one greater than the temple is here, since he, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath. Mark 2:23:27 says the Sabbath is made for man and his rest. In 1 Samuel 21:4-6, we read that the priests gave David and his men consecrated bread to eat as long as they had kept themselves from women. Jesus meant that as Lord of the Sabbath, he can do what he pleases.

10) He cared more about people than laws.

11) The Pharisees are beginning to plot against him. Jesus knows he still has work to do before he is called home to God, so he withdraws to protect himself. He’s trying to keep a low profile and not draw attention to himself, so he tells those to not tell others, so he can continue his ministry here on earth.

12) I love how in his name, there is hope. Jesus’s name is so powerful that all we need to do is hope in him.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

Human nature is to bring those down around you who are more successful than you, more popular, and who are helping others. Here, we see Jesus begin to suffer for his goodness.

If you love Bible maps like I do, check out this Bible resource!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

This passage shows us how the Bible can be misinterpreted and the consequences thereof. The Pharisees would have Jesus and his disciples starve because in their minds they were doing work on the Sabbath. This is not what the Bible says at all.

Jesus, of course, never broke a law; he did break man’s interpretation of that law, and sometimes on purpose, to make a point.

Here, human need is more important than the rules of the Sabbath. Besides, Jesus says, the priests break the laws of the Sabbath constantly by performing their rituals, which is work. Mercy is more important than sacrificing for principles (Hosea 6:6)

Jesus once again proclaims his deity with his declaration that he is Lord of the Sabbath and greater than the temple, which was everything to the Jewish people at that time. He  himself is worthy of love, admiration, honor, sacrifice, service, and worship.

Jesus Healing on the Sabbath

Jesus sets the example of us going to church on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees try to set Jesus up with a man who needs healing, knowing Jesus will have compassion on the man and heal him.

Here, the Pharisees turn from just rejecting Jesus to plotting to murder him.

Jesus withdrew to preserve God’s plan for him. He healed all who came to him in faith, and this probably took a long time.

Jesus is the chosen Servant of God.  Matthew 20:25-28, Matthew 23:11, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:43-45. He still serves us by being our guiding light, our Savior, and loving us despite our sins every day.

Jesus doesn’t need to draw attention to himself; his deeds speak for themselves.

Jesus is gentle with those who are bruised and nourishes us who are like smoldering flames.

“The nations” refers to Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 11:16-30

This generation is like children, Jesus says.

Jesus denouced cities (Korazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida) he has performed miracles in because they did not repent. Tyre, Sodom, and Sidon will be better off on the day of judgment than them.

Jesus praises God for revealing himself to the little children. No one knows God except the Son and those whom the Son chooses to reveal to him.

Jesus calls those who are weary and burdened to come to him and he will give them rest. Learn from him who has an easy yoke and a light burden.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

6a) Those who witnessed his miracles but did not repent.

b) If you don’t repent and accept Jesus, you will not receive eternal life.

7) “Because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” for God’s pleasure.

8a) Jesus calls those who are weary and burdened to come to him and he will give them rest. Learn from him who has an easy yoke and a light burden.

b) He carries them for us, forgives our sins, and allows us freedom to live.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

One of Jesus’s most famous quotes as he offers rest to those who are weary and burdened, as most of us are at some point in our lives. Learn from Jesus to be less weary and less burdened.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

map of korazin, bethsaida, and capernaum www.atozmomm.com bsf matthewMany people will criticize just to criticize, as they did Jesus and John for nothing at all they did. Wisdom is proved by actions.

It is worse to know about Jesus and still reject him than to not know about Jesus and reject him. There is a greater responsibility with knowledge.

Here we learn that there are different degrees of accountability based on what you know and what you choose to do with that knowledge.  (Matthew 12:41; 23:13;  Luke 12:47-48), (Romans 1:20-2:16)

The cities Jesus mentions (Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum John 21:25🙂 all faced judgment. We are not told what happened here as we do not have all the details of Jesus’s life (what we could learn if we could!).

Note that the Father can only be known through the Son.

Jesus invites us to come to him, not go. We are to come as disciples, ready to learn how to live and now just receive grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

In ancient times, the yoke was what tied oxen together to do work. It was a symbol of a burden or obligation. The ancient Jews used this as a symbol of a yoke of the law, command, faith, repentance, and more. Jesus’s yoke is nothing in comparision.

Jesus is gentle and lowly and offers us rest. Jesus walks with us and bears burdens with us. He is our leader and mentor. Life is still hard, but with Jesus, he carries the hardships with us and for us.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 11:1-15

Jesus is continuing his ministry in the towns of Galilee. John the Baptist was in prison, and when he heard Jesus had come, he sent his disciples to ask if he was the One. Jesus told them to tell John that he has come to help the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, and raise the dead. He has come to preach the Good News to the poor. All who hear and believe will be blessed.

Jesus then spoke about John the Baptist, saying he is the Elijah who was to come, a prophet who none have been risen greater than he. The kingdom has been advancing thanks to John.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

3a) John is in prison, so he is probably hoping to get out when the One comes. He wants to know if Jesus will rescue him.

b) Jesus quoted Isaiah who prophesied about the Savior, saying when he (Jesus) comes, the deaf will hear, the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the humble will rejoice. He preaches Good News to the poor and binds up the broken hearted (Isaiah 14:3-5).

c) Many times: in our moves, our past bankruptcy, and even now as we try to navigate another move possibly and career changes. All changes test your faith in some way, and you learn to lean on God more and more.

4a) John the Baptist was probably confused if Jesus was a political Messiah, sent to overthrow Rome, or the one he is — the one to save our souls instead. So, he asked Jesus himself, as we all should.

b) By asking Jesus. By bringing their questions to him and asking and waiting for him to respond.

5) He said no one born of women has been greater than he.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

Great example of how it’s okay to doubt who Jesus is and ask him to reveal himself. Many people come to Christ this way. Doubting is human, so give yourself some grace when you arrive at these moments in your life and continue to bring your doubts to Jesus.

Great historical fiction on the life of John the Baptist!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

Some Bible scholars say that John sent his disciples to ask who Jesus was for the disciples’ sake and not his own.

John the Baptist was in jail for calling out Herod Antipas, the ruler of Judea at this time. Herod had seduced his brother’s wife and ended up marrying her. John rebuked him for it and ended up in prison Matthew 14:3-12.

John is confused here, no doubt. He may be expecting a political Messiah — one who will rescue him. Perhaps, he didn’t want Jesus to forget about his troubles, too. Being in prision is hard, no doubt.

Jesus uses the prophecies of Isaiah to say he has come — but not in the political way many crave.

Jesus commends John the Baptist as the greatest prophet and man for being Jesus’s herald.  Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. Note that Jesus bears witness to John as he had done for him.

The kingdom of heaven is forceful in pushing back the darkness and in converting people to Jesus.

John the Baptist was in the spirit of Elijah  (Luke 1:17). John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. We see Elijah at the Transfiguration  (Matthew 17:3), and we’ll see him as one of two prophets to come in Revelation 11:3-12.

Fun Fact: “He who has ears, let him hear” was a saying of Jesus after he said something important he wanted his followers to remember.

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Friday Digest: BSF’s Study of Genesis Lesson 12

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN GENESIS 18:16-19:38:

  • God is infinitely just.
  • God cannot tolerate sin.
  • God’s judgement is certain and fair.
  • God always does what is right, even when we don’t understand.
  • We are righteous by God’s grace alone.
  • Eternity is but a heartbeat away; are you living so?

Take Away: Sin infects everything and everyone. Be wary of who you surround yourself with and the influence of your culture.

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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 4: Genesis 19:15-29

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

Summary of Genesis 19:15-29:

Finding no one else righteous to save, the angels told Lot to take his wife and two daughters and flee. Lot did not want to go. The angels pulled him and his family away, and God showed them mercy. They told them not to look back  or they would be swept away. Lot asked to flee to a small town instead, fearing he couldn’t make it to the mountains. The angels agreed.

When Lot was safe in this town called Zoar, God rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them. However, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Abraham saw the destruction the next morning, and God remembered Abraham and brought Lot out safely.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 4: Genesis 19:15-29

10) Lot hesitated so the angels had to grasp his hand and pull him away. He still did not want to flee to the mountains as instructed, instead opting for a small town to rest in. Lot was so attached to his home he didn’t want to leave his nice life for an unknown life. This fear holds many of us back.

11) God’s judgement is complete and perfect, yet merciful, still giving everyone a chance to turn to Him.

12) Personal question. My answer: Good question. Unsure. Right to be right, maybe? Old life instead of new life. Clinging to security rather than risk.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 4: Genesis 19:15-29

I love this story because it shows immediate consequences of disobeying God with Lot’s wife and oftentimes we see consequences later on down the road. Indecision and hesitancy are things we all face and have to overcome to choose God and his ways.

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End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 12, Day 4: Genesis 19:15-29

We see the angels were the ones who saved Lot and his family. They have to be pulled out of Sodom and urged forward. Luckily, God does this for us as well.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because there were only 4 righteous people, rather than 10. Genesis 18

Because Lot was so ingrained in the world, it’s hard to say if he was happy being saved or not.

Yet God in His righteousness would not destroy the righteous people, so He waited until they were save to rain down sulphur.

Many Bible scholars believe the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah now lie below the Dead Sea as the map shows to show God’s complete annihilation of the cities. Sodom and Gomorrah were beautiful places (remember Lot chose them for their beauty), yet the people within, all of whom could have turned to God, were the opposite of beautiful.

Lot’s Wife

Many Bible scholars believe this was a unique judgement on Lot’s wife and she did actually turn to salt. Other think she got caught up in the pyroclastic flow of the fire because she turned back. The verb in Greek connotates a looking intently, as if she paused and would not move forward.

We see Lot’s wife in  Luke 17:32  where Jesus speaks of the End Times where those who try to stay in the world will lose their life and not gain eternity.

Never look back in life; look forward to God instead. So many of us lose out on so many opportunities because we hesitate. Keep moving forward.

Abraham probably is grateful he is spared and sees God is faithful.