Tag: bsf lesson 20 day 4

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 20, Day 4: Isaiah 44:24-47:15

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

SUMMARY OF ISAIAH 44:24-47:15

Isaiah 44:24-28

God tells His people that He is the Maker of all things and the one in control. Jerusalem shall be inhabited and rebuilt. Cyrus is his instrument of justice.

Isaiah 45

God will go before Cyrus and give him victory so that he will know that God is Lord. God gave him his title for the sake of Jacob and Israel (His people). God will strengthen Cyrus so that all may know that He is God.

Righteousness will flourish, and woe to those who quarrel with Him. God is not to be questioned. He made the earth and the heavens. He will free his people from Cyrus.

Everyone will acknowledge that God is with Cyrus. The makers of idols will be shamed. Isreal will be saved for the ages.

God declares what is right. There is no other god. Turn to Him and be saved. He has sworn by himself. Every knee will bow and every tongue will swear. Everyone will boast in Him.

Isaiah 46

Idols cannot rescue themselves and are carried around by others, not with their own power.

God will sustain His people. Carry them. Rescue them. God is incomparable. There is no other God. God will bring about His plan.

Isaiah 47:1-15

God will take vengenance on Babylon for their sins. They showed no mercy on His people. They loved pleasure. They were prideful. They engaged in sorcery and spells. They did not trust God; they trusted in themselves.

God promises disaster and calamity will fall on them. Their magic spells, sorceries, and astrologers cannot help them. They cannot save them. There is no one to save them.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 20, Day 4: Isaiah 44:24-47:15

9a) Cyrus is the king of the Persians who would conquer the Babylonians. God appointed him to be His instrument of justice on Judah, to carry them away to exile in Babylon. God grants him victory so that all may know that He is the Lord and that God is the one behind Cyrus’s power. He also shows some mercy to the Israelites and frees them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild God’s temple.

b) First, it reveals that God is the only God and is omniscient. Second, it reveals that God’s people will flourish. God has a plan. His people will be saved for all of eternity by His son, Jesus Christ.

c) It gives me hope. Gives me a purpose. Allows me to be more God-like in my every day interactions with others.

10a) Babylon showed no mercy to God’s people. They loved pleasure. They were prideful. They engaged in sorcery and spells. They did not trust God; they trusted in themselves.

b) It’s the same reason that knowing that God will punish those who do evil to us. When something bad happens to you, you want justice. There is something inside all of us that demands justice. Justice is God’s and Jesus’ responsibility. So, when we know that God will handle evil, we are comforted knowing they will pay with consequences for the evil they have caused others.

11) The same as 10b. It’s comforting to know that God has it all. I don’t have to worry about what others do and how they will pay. God knows.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 20, Day 4: Isaiah 44:24-47:15

Another LONG passage, but this one is not as difficult as yesterday’s, so hang in there! The gist: God uses Babylon to show the world that He is in charge; God will then bring justice on Babylon for their treatment of His people. There is no one that can save you EXCEPT God.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 20, Day 4: Isaiah 44:24-47:15

Isaiah 44:24-28

God, Judah and Israel’s redeemer, prophesizes a future deliverer of Israel, Cyrus, whom He will use to bring consequences to His people for their disobedience.

Isaiah 45

God calls Cyrus (200 years before the exile will take place) to subdue nations, including Israel. He would allow Cyrus to win, knowing God was behind him. He wanted Cyrus to be king to His people, granting His people the right to return to the Promised Land after the exile.

God is in control, and it’s foolish to resist the Creator of the universe. God will deliver His people, saving them. Idolaters will submit before Him. They are foolish, and He is great.

Look to God and be saved. This verse saved Charles Spurgeon. And, it can save you.

Every knee will bow.

Isaiah 46

The idols of nations are carried away, powerless to defend themselves.

God is not powerless; He will carry and save His people. God knows everything, and He will bring a deliverer to His people (Jesus).

Isaiah 47:1-15

Babylon will be humbled, and God will be glorified. Babylon will pay for their pride and arrogance, sorceries and enchantments, their treatment of God’s people. The sorcerers cannot save Babylon; only God can save.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 20, Day 4: Matthew 19:13-15

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 19:13-15

Here Jesus rebukes his disciples for rebuking those who brought him little children to bless. Jesus tells his disciples that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 20, Day 4: Matthew 19:13-15

11a) For Jesus to place his hands on them and pray for them.

b) No one valued children in ancient times, and they probably thought Jesus was wasting his time.

c) Jesus cares for everyone, no matter who they are, big or small.

12a) They treat children as if they don’t understand such things. They belittle them when God allows them to understand more than adults sometimes.

b) Unsure. I just stay on the lookout for those God places in my path to influence in some small way.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 20, Day 4: Matthew 19:13-15

Jesus changed everyone’s beliefs about the world, including how children held little value. Great stuff!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 20, Day 4: Matthew 19:13-15

All children should be brought to Jesus to be blessed.

Here, we see the laying on hands as we see elsewhere in the Bible (Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17, Acts 9:17, 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 Timothy 1:6). Note Jesus does this, which means we should if we are comfortable doing so as well.

Children are worthy, as are all of us.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 4: Genesis 30:25-43

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

Summary of Genesis 30:25-43:

Jacob asks Laban if he may return to his home country with his wife and children and flocks.  But Laban asks him to stay for he knows he has prospered only because of Jacob so he offers Jacob to name his price to stay.  Jacob says he will stay if Laban will give him as wages every speckled or spotted sheep and every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat that is born.  He will separate out the current speckled and spotted and dark-colored animals and those will be cared for by Laban’s sons, which will decrease the odds of these being born.

Laban divided the animals as agreed upon and separated the flocks.  Jacob then placed tree branches in the water troughs so when the flocks came to drink they would mate. Jacob, caring for the solid-colored animals, kept his flocks separate from Laban’s and he only kept the strong ones.  The weak ones went to Laban.  Jacob grew exceedingly prosperous.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 4: Genesis 30:25-43

9a) Laban tries to say that he has learned by “divinination” that God has blessed him because of Jacob, which he did not. Jacob agrees with the idea in mind to trick Laban into him getting more sheep and goats by breeding for colors that he thought he could choose. He made separate flocks for him and Laban. Jacob’s grew strong, while Laban’s did not.

b) God, as always

10a) I always ask to myself when these “why did God do something,” why not? God can do what He wants. Why not bless Jacob if He wanted to? Why does/should God bless anyone? None of us deserve it. Genesis 12:1-3 tells us that God has promised to bless Abraham, and since Jacob now has the blessing, God will bless Jacob. Colossians 3:22-25 says we are working for God. 1 Peter 2:18-20 says to submit to your masters even if they are harsh. 1 Peter 3:9 says to repay evil with blessings. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says to give God your worries.

b) God has a plan, and it is good. He will bless you in His time.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 4: Genesis 30:25-43

Funny how neither one has learned anything as they have gotten older. Both Laban and Jacob are back at scheming again.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 20, Day 4: Genesis 30:25-43

Jacob wants to go home, so he asks his master, Laban, for permission. Laban does not want him to go, knowing that he has prospered thanks to God’s blessing on Jacob. Jacob takes the spotted sheep and goats for his flock and intends to keep only the colored ones that are born, leaving Laban with all the others. Laban thinks he is getting a great deal since the spotted ones are rarer. However, he forgot who God is blessing — Jacob, not him.

Jacob cared for Laban’s solid color animals. Laban’s sons cared for the speckled and spotted ones three-days journey away.

Jacob put branches in the troughs to increase the number of spotted animals born so they could be his. He used the modern-day practice of selective breeding to get the characteristics (in this case, spots) that he wanted. We will see in Genesis 31:10-13 that God was behind it all.

God blesses Jacob because of the covenant promise, not because of anything he does/did. We are blessed through Jesus Christ, not anything we have done/did.

We see the example through Jacob of working for others in faith God will bless you, of working hard, and of trusting God to do the rest.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 20, Day 4: Genesis 26:12-35

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Isaac planted crops in the land of the Philistines and the Lord blessed him.  He became rich and had so many flocks that the Philistines became jealous so they filled all his wells with dirt.  Finally, Abimelech told Isaac to move away because he had become too powerful.

So Isaac moved to the Valley of Gerar and re-opened the wells.  Isaac’s servants dug two new wells but the locals quarreled over them.  He dug another well that was undisputed, which showed Isaac the Lord would provide.

At Beersheba the Lord appeared to Isaac and told him He would bless him and increase his descendants. Isaac built an altar there and called on the Lord.  He also dug a well there.

Abimelech saw how Isaac continued to prosper because the Lord was with him and became afraid.  So he along with his  adviser and commander approached Isaac to make a treaty not to harm them.  This was done.  Another well was dug.

Esau married Judith and Basemath, Hittites, and they were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Questions:

9a)  God multiplied Isaac’s crops by a hundredfold.

b)  The Philistines became jealous of Isaac’s success so they filled all of his wells.

c)  Abimelech kicked him out of the land

d)  He just moved and kept digging wells until he found one undisputed.

e)  God appeared to Isaac and told him He will bless him and have descendants.  Isaac responded by building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord.  He pitched his tent there and dug another well.

10a)  Proverbs says “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him”.  The Philistines sought a treaty with Isaac out of fear of the Lord.  God approved of Isaac, blessed him, and protected him by giving him peace.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  If you follow God’s ways, you will have peace with your enemies.  I’m unsure how to answer this one for I have no real enemies like Isaac did.  We live in a time of relative peace compared to ancient times so it’s hard for us to understand this.  Even if we have personal enemies we must love them and do what is right and trust God to bring the peace.

Conclusions:  Good lesson of overcoming adversity.  Most of us don’t have wells that are taken from us but we have other things (and if you’ve been through bankruptcy you know what I’m talking about here).

God gives and takes away and at some point most of us have had things taken from us (either jobs, finances, kids, dogs, family members, relatives, or personal items such as homes or cars).

It’s how we respond that God is seeking.  Like Jesus?  Or not like Jesus?

We will have peace if we do what Jesus would do.  That is God’s promise.

End Note:  Note the name of the wells.  Esek means dispute.  Sitnah means opposition. And Rehoboth means room.  God uses dispute and opposition to give us room.  Neat, huh?

Abraham is known for building altars.  Jacob will be known for tents.  Isaac is known for wells.  All different ways of God’s provision for His people.