A Three Year Journey: February 2012

LESSON #93 (Week ending 02/26/12)

Joel

Background:

“We don’t know very much about Joel. His name means ‘The Lord is God’ and he prophesies in Jerusalem around the year 400 bc.

The Jews have returned from exile in Babylon (538 bc). They have no king, but the national life is focused on Jerusalem. They have built a new temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel (515 bc) and rebuilt the walls under the leadership of Nehemiah (444 bc).

Joel seems particularly interested in the temple and concerned for the worship. He may have been a priest or a ‘temple prophet’ who worked there.

Joel declares that a terrible plague of locusts is in fact the judgment of God. He calls on God’s people Israel to repent of their sins. When they do so, he promises that a long drought and dearth of the harvests will end. There will be grain and wine for the offerings in the temple once again.

Joel also has a greater message. The locusts are an image of an enemy army invading from the north. Joel sees in them a picture of the great and terrible ‘Day of the Lord’. This is the time when God will judge all the nations and establish his eternal kingdom of peace with Jerusalem at its centre.

Joel’s prophecy may originally have been in verse, and sung to the pilgrims in the temple. Many of his ideas and phrases are the same as older prophets, especially Ezekiel, Isaiah and Zephaniah. His phrase ‘the Lord roars from Zion’ is an echo of the prophecies of Amos before the destruction of Jerusalem.”^{^[1]}

****************************

Joel 1: An Invasion of Locusts

Ø Joel prophesied after a devastating invasion of locusts the likes of which had never before been seen. What, according to Joel, was the reason this took place?

Ø What was Joel’s remedy for this terrible “natural” disaster?

Ø Do you believe that God still used natural disasters today to get His people’s attention? Explain.

Ø Does the calamity that took place in Joel’s day have any further fulfillment that is yet to happen? What does he mean by the term the “day of the Lord” in verse 15?

Joel 2: An Army of Locusts

Ø Does Joel liken the plague of locusts to another total destruction yet to come? If so, what might that be?

Ø What is the remedy for nation of Israel? What does it mean to “rend your heart”? (vs. 13)

Ø What happens when the Lord’s people repent and return to Him? (Also see Isaiah 34:2-3)

Ø What, if any application is there for us today?

Ø To what does “the Day of the Lord” refer in verses 28-32? Is that a prophecy that has been fulfilled or is it still future?

Joel 3: The Judgment of the Nations

Ø To what does the phrase “in those days and at that time” refer in verse 3:1?

Ø Is this a judgment that the nations have already faced or do you think this is a future judgment?

Ø What is the final outcome of this judgment? List the things the Lord will do for His people at that time.

Ø What can we learn from this prophecy that applies for us today?

NOTE:

“Theological and Ethical Significance. Ruin and destruction lie ahead for all who do not know and trust the Lord. But all who belong to Him through repentance and faith are promised His indwelling presence, as well as eternal abundance, total satisfaction, and security. Believers feeling outnumbered and bullied by the world should be encouraged to know that all the worldly powers someday will be assembled before the Lord to receive His justice. Believers should consider times of crisis as opportunities for reflection on the character of our lives, especially our relationship with the Lord. For unbelievers these are opportunities to recognize our vulnerability and our need for a relationship with the living God.”^{^[2]}

^{^[1]} Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed.) (358). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.

^{^[2]} Dockery, D. S., Butler, T. C., Church, C. L., Scott, L. L., Ellis Smith, M. A., White, J. E., & Holman Bible Publishers (Nashville, T. (1992). Holman Bible Handbook (471). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Lesson #92 (Week ending 02/19/12)

Jonah

Background:

“Jonah might well be called the Old Testament’s “patriotic prophet.” A resident of Israel, his was the happy task of predicting the military successes won by Jeroboam II, and the almost unprecedented prosperity of his era (2 Kings 14:25). But when God called Jonah to go predict the downfall of Nineveh, the capital of an Assyrian Empire destined to destroy Jonah’s homeland, the prophet fled in the opposite direction! Jonah himself explained: He feared that the people of Nineveh might repent and that God would relent (Jonah 4:2). When the reluctant prophet finally did preach in Nineveh, his fears were realized.

Despite the simplicity of the familiar story, it is one of the richest of Old Testament books in terms of teaching pointed spiritual lessons. God is shown to be deeply concerned with the welfare of people of every nation, not just of Israel. God is also shown to be gracious in dealing with His prophet. Even though Jonah was knowingly, willfully disobedient, God gave this patriotic prophet a second chance. Perhaps one of the most fascinating lessons is seen in the timing of Jonah’s experience, during the reign of Jeroboam II. It was during this same reign that Amos’ brief, fiery ministry took place. That prophet confronted the rich of Israel and condemned the social injustices that developed with prosperity. Amos too announced judgment and called on the people of God to repent. The significance of Jonah is that God’s grace toward Nineveh served as a vivid object lesson for Israel, His own people. If Israel would repent she too could be saved. Unknown to Jonah, his mission to Nineveh was in fact a mission to Israel as well.”^{^[1]}

****************************

Jonah 1: Fleeing from the Lord

Ø What was significant about the Lord sending Jonah, a Jewish prophet, to Nineveh?

Ø How did God handle Jonah’s disobedience? Is there any application for us?

Ø What do you find interesting about Jonah’s confession to the crew of the stricken ship? Any application for us?

Ø Do you believe that the Lord really provided a huge “fish” to swallow Jonah and preserve him or is this simply a figure of speech to prove a point? Why do you hold the position you do?

Ø Does Mathew 12:39-41 shed any light on whether or not this is a true event?

Jonah 2: Jonah’s Prayer

Ø Why do you think Jonah waited until he was thrown overboard and swallowed by the fish to pray?

Ø What lesson can we learn from Jonah’s prayer/

Ø From Jonah’s experiences would you say there is anywhere that one can hide from the Lord?

Jonah 3: Nineveh

Ø What does verse 3:1 teach us about God’s grace toward His own people?

Ø How did the heathen city of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s message? What does this teach us about proclaiming the Word of God to unbelievers?

Ø Was it Jonah’s responsibility to get a response from the people of Nineveh? Application for us?

Ø What does verse 3:10 teach us about God’s grace toward the heathen?

Jonah 4: Anger vs. Compassion

Ø Why did Jonah become angry with God? Application for us?

Ø How does Jonah describe God? If he was aware of God’s character, why did he get mad at God? Application for us?

Ø What was Jonah’s response to God showing His love and grace toward the people of Nineveh? Application?

Ø How did God deal with Jonah’s temper tantrum? What does this tell us about how God deals with His people?

Ø List several applications that we as Christians today can learn from Jonah and God’s response to him.

^{^[1]} Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.) (546). Wheaton: Victor Books.

Lesson # 91 (Week ending 02/12/12)

Matthew 1-7

Different Gospel themes:

ü Matthew is the Gospel for the Jews, the Gospel of the past, the Gospel which represents Christ as the Messiah of the Jew.

ü Mark is the Gospel for the Romans, the Gospel which represents Christ as the Son of God and Lord of the world.

ü Luke is the Gospel for the Greeks, the Gospel of Jesus as the Good Physician and the Savior of Mankind.

ü John is preeminently the Gospel for the church, the Gospel of Christ as the Eternal Son, and the Incarnate Word.

****************************

Matthew 1:1-17: The Genealogy of Jesus

Ø What is the purpose of Matthew giving such a detailed genealogy for Jesus?

Ø What members of Jesus’ family do you find interesting? List them and tell why they interested you.¹

Ø Is this a maternal or paternal genealogy? Does it make any difference?

Ø Herod the Great died in 4 BC which indicates that Jesus was born between 6 and 5 BC.

Matthew 1:18-2:23: The Birth of Jesus

Ø What does it mean “to be pledged to be married”? Is there any counterpart today?

Ø Why did Joseph agree to marry Mary? What does this show about Joseph’s character?

Ø What O.T. Scripture did the angel give to Joseph confirming the virgin birth? What does this tell us about the proper interpretation of that passage?

Ø Why was Herod concerned about the Magi’s report? How long after the birth of Jesus di the Magi appear? How many Magi were there?

Ø How did they know that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem?

Ø Did the Magi find Jesus in the manger? Where did they find Him?

Ø Why did Joseph take Mary and Jesus to Egypt? When did they return home? Why?

Matthew 3: John the Baptizer

Ø How does Matthew describe John the Baptist? Does this mean he was Elijah?

Ø Was John’s baptism of repentance the same water baptism we practice today? Explain.

Ø Why did Jesus have to be baptized?

Ø Was the Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________________________

“There are many interesting features in this register. For example, in this paragraph, four women are mentioned: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (her who had been the wife of Uriah). Since women are seldom mentioned in eastern genealogical tables, the inclusion of these women is all the more astonishing in that two of them were harlots (Tamar and Rahab), one had committed adultery (Bathsheba), and two were Gentiles (Rahab and Ruth). Their inclusion in Matthew’s introduction is perhaps a subtle suggestion that the coming of Christ would bring salvation to sinners, grace to Gentiles, and that in Him, barriers of race and sex would be torn down.” ^{^[1]}

Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus

Ø Who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted? What can we learn from this?

Ø Did Satan try to tempt Jesus immediately? Why did he wait? Application?

Ø How did Jesus repel the darts of Satan? Application for us?

Ø Did the earthly ministry of Jesus begin before or after His temptation? Application?

Ø What did Jesus mean when He preached that the kingdom of heaven was near?

Matthew 5-7: The Beatitudes

Ø What are the Beatitudes?

Ø To whom were these teachings directed? Application?

Ø The term translated “blessed” speaks of a state of prosperity or happiness. Why are all of the examples Jesus cited the exact opposites of what the world sees as happiness? Application?

Ø Why does Jesus refer to His disciples as “salt” and “light”?

Ø What does it mean that Jesus “came to fulfill the Law”? Notice how He amplifies the common understanding of the Law. What is His point in this? Application?

Ø Chapter 6 gives insight into what true worship is. How did Jesus define true worship according to this chapter?

Ø Chapter 7 gives insight into what true living is? How did Jesus define true living according to this chapter?

Ø Are these teachings still applicable for us today?

^{^[1]}MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Mt 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.