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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 5: Isaiah 12 and 25-26

SUMMARY OF ISAIAH 12

In that day, you will praise the Lord, trust Him, and not be afraid. He will be your strength and joy. You will praise God and His name, singing to him of his glorious deeds.

SUMMARY OF ISAIAH 25-26

The Lord will be praised and exalted. He will be honored. He will provide a refuge. The Lord will prepare a feast for all peoples. He will wipe away the tears from all faces. The enemy will be vanquished as God brings salvation.

A song of praise will be sung to the Lord as the people trust Him forever. He will humble people, trample the oppressors, and offer grace. God will bring peace. Those who are dead will rise again. God’s wrath will pass by. The Lord will judge in the end.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 5: Isaiah 12 and 25-26

10a) God’s anger at their disobedience will pass. He is their strength and salvation during this time.

b) “I will praise you, Lord.” My mantra for the year!

11a) Faithful, God is a refuge for His people. God provides. God offers salvation. God wins in the end.

b) God knows our hearts. He is faithful. He will heal. He will make things right. He will grant the wishes of our hearts. All things will pass, even the bad, and God will be there every stop of the way.

12) Isaiah 25:1: “for in perfect faithfulness, you have done wonderful things,” I always love how God is faithful even when we are not. We can depend on God when we can’t depend on anyone else. Isaiah 25:9: “we trusted in him, and he saved us” If we trust, He saves. Does it get any simpler than that?

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 5: Isaiah 12 and 25-26

After so much evil and gloom and doom in the first half of our study, Isaiah is a breath of fresh air!

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 5: Isaiah 12 and 25-26

Isaiah 12

God is praised even in the midst of punishment. Yet, God’s anger is no longer upon us due to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.

God is our salvation, and we can confidently trust in Him.

The wells of salvation bring a picture of life-giving water. There is no limit to the water we can draw from God. We can get our strength, hope, faith, and so much more from Him.

Isaiah 25

We should praise God for what He has done. It’s a decision to praise Him for all of the wonderful things He has done for us.

We should praise God for His righteous judgment, His goodness to the weak, and for what He will do for us (hold a feast for us).

Evil will be destroyed as His people testifies.

God will settle all things when Christ reigns from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 26

In the day of Jesus’s return, there will be much joy and celebration. Salvation will come.

God is our source of strength. He will bring perfect peace.

We should trust in Him forever.

Man’s system will fall to dust. In God’s kingdom, His way will reign. The wicked will see consequences for their ways.

We pray with a humble heart.

God will be our refuge.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 4: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 4: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

8a) Isaiah 2:1-5: In the last days, the Lord’s temple will be established; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many people will come. God will judged between the mountains.

Isaiah 4:2-6: In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy. The Lord will create a refuge over all Mount Zion.

Isaiah 9:1-3: There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. The people will rejoice.

Isaiah 11:6-9, 12-16: The animals will live together. All of the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. The Lord will gather the exiles.

Isaiah 14:1-8: The Lord will settle his people in their own land. Oppression will come to an end. All lands will be at peace. His fury will end.

Isaiah 27: The Lord will punish in that day. The people’s sins will be atoned for. The Lord will gather all of His people one by one. All will worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

b) They would know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that their punishments are temporary. God still loves them and will bring them to Him once again.

c) I love how wonderful the End Times will be when Jesus once again reigns on Earth. It gives me hope during the hard times.

9) In God and His Word.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 4: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

I love how Isaiah is so encouraging even in the face of extreme upheaval. If only we could be so brave and confident in the Lord when our troubles come.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 4: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

Great passages from Isaiah that remind us what we have to look forward to.

It’s so easy to get caught up in our troubles on Earth, but all of this is temporary. This is not our home. So encouraging!

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 3: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 3: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

7a) Isaiah 7:14 with Matthew 1:20-23: Isaiah prophesied: Therefore the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: The virgin[b] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel. In Matthew Mary gave birth to Jesus who was a virgin who conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 9:6-7 with Philippians 2:9-11: Isaiah prophesied: A son will be born who will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. Philippians tells us that God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name above all names. At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue  acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 11:1-5 with Matthew 3:16-17: Isaiah prophesies the Messiah shall be from the branch of Jesse. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. In Matthew, we see this Spirit rest on Jesus:  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.

Isaiah 11:10 with Romans 15:8-13: Isaiah prophesies: In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. Romans tells us that Christ will be a servant of both the Jews and the Gentiles.

b) I like Isaiah 9:6-7 with Philippians 2:9-11 because it speaks to the life everafter. Every knee will bow one day — a day I’m looking forward to!

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 3: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

I like how BSF does the work for us of telling us where we can find the parallel verses!

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 3: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

This is a treat as we get to see how Isaiah’s prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus — our great hope and savior! This is proof of God’s greatness and Jesus’s saving grace. These are great verses to keep in mind, too, when speaking to others about Jesus since they are so full of hope!

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 2: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 2: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

3a) Isaiah 1:1-15; Isaiah 3:1-4:1: Rebelled against God. They are corrupt. They have forsaken the Lord and turned their backs on Him. Their offerings are meaningless. Their hands are full of blood. Their words and deeds are against the Lord. They parade their sin like Sodom.

The elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
    the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
    and grinding the faces of the poor?”
6 The Lord says,

    “The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
    flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
    with ornaments jingling on their ankles.

Chapters 28-31: Their hearts are far from God. Their worship of God is based on merely human rules they have been taught/ They sought the protection of Egypt. Chapter 28’s sins are because the people are wicked and self-reliant. They rely on Egypt and go to Egypt.

b) Isaiah 1:24-25; 5; 7:18-25; 39:5-7: God will turn His hand against you;[a] I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. God will destroy Judah and the people. They will be desolate.  Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard also. There will be only briers and thorns instead of vineyards. The people will be carried off to Babylon.

4a) Isaiah 1:16-17:

  1. Wash 
  2. Make yourselves clean.
  3. Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
  4.  Stop doing wrong.
  5. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
  6.   Defend the oppressed.[a]
  7. Take up the cause of the fatherless;
  8.  Plead the case of the widow.

b) Isaiah 1:18-20: God makes people’s sins white and pure. If people are willing and obedient, they will prosper. If they resist and rebel, they will be devoured by the sword.

5a) The messages might have encouraged them and offered them hope because God will take care of them and punish them.

b) God is just. He is faithful. God defends His people. God cares for His people.

6) God always puts me where He wants me, even if it’s in difficult spots or circumstances. I am to grow with Him during these times.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 2: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

We see God’s mercy will ultimately end when it’s time to face the piper.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 19, Day 2: Selected Passages From Isaiah 1-39

God fulfills His promises one way or another. He warns His people over and over again, in mercy giving them time to repent. When God has had enough, He gives out consequences, which are devastating.

God uses other nations to enact His judgment on His people.

God offers to cleans us through the blood of Jesus. All we have to do (and all Judah had to do) was to surrender to God and obey. Seems simple but how many people turn from God in the face of this choice?

Yet, there is hope in Christ. There is always hope.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 19, Day 3: Matthew 18:6-14

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 18:6-14

Jesus explains that if anyone causes a child who believes in him to sin then it would be better to have a millstone hung around his neck and drowned in the sea. If something causes you to sin, get rid of it, even your hand, foot, or eye. It’s better to have eternal life with only one hand, foot, or eye than to be thrown into the fire of hell.

Don’t look down on the little ones. If one sheep wanders off, the shepherd goes and looks for it until he finds it. He is happier about finding that one sheep than the other 99. God is not willing to lose any of His lost sheep either.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 18, Day 3: Matthew 18:6-14

7) Jesus said it would be better to have a millstone hung around his neck and drown in the sea.

8a) If something causes you to sin, get rid of it, even cutting off your hand, foot, or gouging your eye. He meant to take any step necessary to remove from your life the thing that causes you to sin.

b) I’ve underestimated how others are affected by your personal sin and how much it does affect other aspects of your life.

9) God cares about everyone and wants everyone to come to him.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 18, Day 3: Matthew 18:6-14

We cannot underestimate the importance of getting rid of those things in your life that causes you to sin. Resistance to sin is easier when you’re not around it. This includes habits, relationships, entertainment, and comforts. If God cares so much for his lost sheep, so should we.

Great read!

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 18, Day 3: Matthew 18:6-14

Pressuring others to sin is worse than just you sinning Jesus is saying here. It’s better to die Jesus says than to lead others to sin.

Our actions affect others, and we must consider our actions in relation to the spiritual welfare of others.

God will administer justice to those who sin and hurt us. This is one powerful reason to forgive others and to let things go. At the end, they will be punished.

It’s better to sacrifice now than face eternal punishment later on. It’s important to take the hand, foot, and eye gouging as figurative. The point is to take any step necessary to prevent you from falling into sin.

We are to protect the little ones of the earth. Here is where the idea of guardian angels comes from.

Parable of the Lost Sheep

See Luke’s parable of the Lost Sheep in  Luke 15:3-7

Since Jesus loved and cared for everyone, even those who go astray, so should we.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 19, Day 2: Matthew 18:1-5

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 18:1-5

The disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a child to him and said whoever humbles himself like children is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and they have to become like children to enter heaven. Whoever welcomes a little child like this child becomes like Jesus.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 19, Day 2: Matthew 18:1-5

3) The disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus used a child as a visual example.

4) They change and become like children.

5a) Whoever humbles himself like a child is true greatness. That whoever serves others, namely God, rather than himself is great.

b) Most of the world honors those who do great things, not those who serve others with no expectation of reward. They honor self-sufficiency, not dependence.

c) In many ways with my family and others. It’s hard because we want to think highly of ourselves and never admit we are wrong.

6) This is a tough one since I don’t mingle with others all that much. Co-workers at work.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 19, Day 2: Matthew 18:1-5

I love how Jesus uses concrete examples, such as a child, to make his point. It makes it easier for us to understand and know what to do.

Great read!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 19, Day 2: Matthew 18:1-5

This teaching took place as the disciples and Jesus were walking to Capernaum. They were arguing which one of them was the greatest. The disciples were probably hoping Jesus would pick one of them as the greatest Luke 9:46.

Obviously, Jesus is the greatest. However, he is answering the question by pointing to the nature of a child instead.

Children in ancient times held little to no value until they grew up. Their opinion did not matter, and they were virtually ignored by others. They were raised to work and help their parents. However, children have not yet learned to be full of pride. They are utterly dependent on their parents for everything. Jesus not only gives value to children here, but he teaches how we are to be with God — totally reliant upon Him.

To humble yourself is to put yourself below someone else. This is Jesus’s point. You must put yourself beneath God to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Plus, how you treat others shows how much you love Jesus. Coming in Jesus’s name means your heart belongs to Jesus.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 5: Genesis 29:31-35

Summary of Genesis 29:31-35:

God gave Leah children because she was unloved. Rachel was barren. Reuben was named because Leah was miserable, his name meaning “he has seen my misery.” Simeon was named cause she was unloved, his name meaning “one who hears.” Levi means “attached.” Judah was named for “praise” of the Lord.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 5: Genesis 29:31-35

14) Jacob to love her.

15) God shows us all kindness in difficult times. God shows kindness by continuing to be present, to guide, to lead, to be merciful, to forgive, and to give us hope through his son, Jesus.

16) She grows in her faith like we all do and realizes God is there for here when Jacob, her husband, is not emotionally.

17) God is faithful.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 5: Genesis 29:31-35

I continue to be baffled as to why Jacob still sleeps with Leah besides the physical/procreation side. He knows Rachel is hurt by this, so why do it? Another sin since sex is meant as bonding as well as procreation. Sadly, sex is physical for all too many men today.

BSF notes takes the position that Jacob is fulfilling his duty by giving Leah an opportunity to bear children for status purposes. I can see this for maybe one or two kids, but to continue to have sex with her for all those years and watch his supposed beloved, Rachel, suffer heartache with each successive birth is nothing but selfishness in my eyes.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 5: Genesis 29:31-35

Here we see Leah forced into a marriage with a man who will never love her, and she suffers because of it, hated by her sister, Rachel, yet she can’t change it. It’s not like she could leave or get a divorce. God loves her as he blesses her with children, so important in those times.

Isaiah 54:5 “For the Maker is your husband — the Lord Almighty is his name…”

Reuben is the first born son of Jacob, yet he would not inherit the promise.

We see Leah’s hope shift to God instead of Jacob, which she would never have.

Note the priests (the tribe of Levi) and the royal line (the tribe of Judah) comes from Leah, as well as the Messiah (from Judah). Leah was blessed for her circumstances and for her faith, indeed.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 4: Genesis 29:21-30

Summary of Genesis 29:21-30:

Jacob asks for Rachel’s hand once his 7 years is up. Laban throws a feast, but when evening came he substitued Leah for Rachel. He gave Leah a servant named Zilpah. When morning came, Jacob realized he had been tricked. When he confronts Laban, Laban says the custom is to take the older daughter first. Jacob agrees to keep Leah as his wife, but he then marries Rachel in exchange for 7 more years of labor. Rachel’s servant is Bilhah.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 4: Genesis 29:21-30

9) Laban may have been worried no one would marry Leah is she was uncomely. He also knew he could get free labor from Jacob basically for another 7 years. When he confronts Laban, Laban says the custom is to take the older daughter first.

10) Leah is now married to someone who does not love her. Rachel is favored. Rachel has to share her husband. No one trusts Laban.

11) Jacob deceived Esau out of the blessing, and he pretends to be Esau to receive Isaac’s blessing. Galatians says that Jacob sowed a sinful nature and reaped destruction because of it.

12) Just because you are forgiven does not mean you can change what happened. You cannot undo anything in this world. Actions reap other actions. You are responsible for your choices.

13) Unsure. It’s hard to see this from my eyes.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 4: Genesis 29:21-30

I’m wondering how this went down and how both women felt about this. Leah was forced to marry someone who did not want her. Rachel was forced to allow her sister to take her place that night. I’m wondering too how Jacob did not notice this before he slept with her. Assuming there was no light, and no one said anything or Jacob would have recognized her voice. Still, the logistics of this deceit baffle me. You would think someone would know here.

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End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 4: Genesis 29:21-30

Leah would have been veiled until they were alone together and with no artificial light….still….

Neither girl had a say in this deceit. It was all Laban. Leah may have been happy, sad, angry. We just don’t know.

The morning must have been a shock. Everyone was angry probably — all because of original sin — Jacob’s.

Many Bible scholars believe that Laban’s excuse was made up and was no custom or law at that time.

Polygamy was a sin of ignorance in Abraham’s day. The example was Adam and Eve, but there was no law against more than one wife. Here Jacob is forced to have 2 wives in order to save Leah from a life of solitude, but it is still a sin.

Jacob most definitely reaped what he had sown, and while Jacob was the younger chosen by God to receive the blessing, he married the older instead.

God disciplined Jacob by allowing this to happen as a consequence of his previous sins. Still, Laban is guilty of sin as well. He used his own daughters for free labor and to ensure Leah was married.

The second 7 years was probably a lot tougher than the first. This was definitely a harder pill to swallow, especially considering Jacob’s age.

Laban gets what he wants initially, but, like always, he’ll get his later. God gives people what they want even when they use sin as a means, but they still have consequences.

In this time, Leah was not defiled and could not be married to another. Jacob was obligated to keep her. That being said, I don’t see how he was obligated to sleep with her and have children with her, especially if he didn’t love her EXCEPT for God’s mandate to be fruitful and multiply. Still, I don’t see how he continued doing this.

Having multiple wives was not uncommon in this culture at that time.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 2: Genesis 29:1-14

Summary of Genesis 29:1-14:

Jacob arrives at Paddan Aram, the land fo the eastern peoples. He saw a well where flocks of sheep were gathered. All the shephards would roll the stone away when it was time to water the sheep and then replace it. Rachel, who was a shepherdess, came to the well to water her flocks. Jacob moved the store for her so her flocks could drink. He told Rachel as he wept for joy that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. She ran to tell Laban, her father. Laban rushed out to meet Jacob, embracing him and kissing him.

BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 2: Genesis 29:1-14

3) Jacob stopped by a well that was to water sheep, not people, like Abraham’s servant stopped by. Rebekah did water the servant’s camels for him as Rachel watered (with Jacob’s help) her father’s sheep. Abraham’s servant prayed at the well for God’s sign. Jacob moved the stone to help Rachel. Laban hurried out to meet Abraham’s servant as he did Jacob as well and welcomed him.

4) Providence is “the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power, or timely preparation for future eventualities.” Divine providence is God’s intervention in the universe, God’s guidance or God’s care of the world and all that is in it.” God is orchestrating the meeting of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob stops at a shepherd’s well, and Rachel is a shepheress. She comes to water her flocks when Jacob is there. He helps her, and he finds the family of his mother as he was seeking.

5) He has led me to a new home. Hoping for new opportunities this year with my writing. God has provided all I need faithfully in these tough times.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 19, Day 2: Genesis 29:1-14

Granted the world population in ancient times is a fraction of what it is today, but it still amazes me how easily people find each other in the Bible without cell phones, roads, or any sort of technology. God most definitely guides, that’s for sure.

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Providence brought Jacob to the exact place he needed to be. In an age before navigation, this was, indeed, a miracle. Covering the well helped to preserve water from evaporation in this desert region. It may have been to prevent theft of water since water was so precious. Laban probably suspected that Jacob had a lot of money since he knew his father was wealthy, which explains his eagerness to meet Jacob.