We often forget about the women who were prophetesses when we consider leadership. Prophetesses were gifted by God to speak His message to the people, just as the male prophets. Their mode of operation was very different from that of the firey, active, very vocal male prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, yet they were leaders of the nation. The women prophetess usually worked behind the scenes, not on the "front lines." Examples of prophetesses are Miriam, Deborah, Hulda, the daughters of Philip, and even Anna of Luke 2.
Read Judges 4 and 5. Look for action words that describe the actions of Deborah.
Deborah was a judge and a prophetess. As a judge she led the country in the civil, or governmental issues that came into question. As a prophetess she spoke the word of God to the people. During her time we have no mention of any male judge or prophet. Deborah led the people, men and women.
Without a question Deborah was a leader. Respecting her as a wise woman who heard from God and knew His Law, the people of Israel came to her for guidance. What comes into question is whether she was a military leader or not. Many people call her the first woman Army General. A closer examination of her actions may call this into question. Deborah used her communion with God, her gift of prophecy, to guide Barak, the Army leader. When the word of the Lord came to Deborah, she summoned Barak and directed him to obey God by forming an army against the oppressor. Deborah was a prophetess, not an Army General.
In the book of Hebrews, Barak is mentioned as a champion of faith, not Deborah.Perhaps because she was a prophetess her faith "came naturally" and the faith of Barak did not. Barak needed to have strong faith to believe in the prophetess Deborah. Barak had to stretch his belief that the true, living God could deliver Israel from the onslaught of the enemy, and listen to the word of Deborah. Deborah was a leader as a prophetess, Barak was a leader as the Army General.
Chapter 5 of Judges is a song about the battle. It was common in biblical times to record major events in the form of song that the people could sing, understand and remember. Deborah the prophetess, not the Army General, heard the word of the Lord and was obedient to God's call. She came forward to lead her nation, inspiring others to believe her message from God and follow in faith.
Read one of the prophets such as Amos or Zephaniah (I chose these two because they are very short. As a challenge read Isiah or Jeremiah!!) and compare their lives and actions to that of Deborah, Miriam, Hulda (We will study these last two in detail later.) How was the God-ordained role of the prophetess the same, or different from the role of the male prophet?
Some women were instrumental in 'saving the seed,' such as Esther and Rahab....I think Deborah was used by God to save the people of Israel from a terrible slaughter...saving the seed..
The complete outline Stop! Look! Listen! for Deborah will be added in a few days.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Athaliah - Only Female Monarch of Israel
2 Kings 11; 2 Chron. 22:1-4, 10-12; 2 Chron. 23; 2 Kings 8:26
STOP!
1.Ask yourself, “Why am I studying Athaliah? She was an evil queen.” Most of us cannot recount ever hearing a sermon about this woman. We may have heard the story of baby King Joash, but the focus was on him, not necessarily on what we might learn from Queen Athaliah. Why do you think a study of Athaliah is important? (If you don’t know, write that down.)
2 Gather information. Read the Scripture related to Queen Athaliah. Slow down and look at each word.
3. Start a list of key words, repeated words or concepts you might not understand in these verses. (In the “Look” phase you will research these)
For the study of Queen Athaliah you might list these plus a few more:
a. Who is Jehoiada
b. Who Jehosheba
c. The people ‘rejoiced’ at the report of her death – why?
d. Baal worship
e. Why was the child hidden in the temple?
5. Stop and “Scan the horizon” for geography. Where does this story take place? The city. The exact place.
LOOK!!
1. Read the verses about Athaliah again. Spend time in this phase to research and study what the verses are saying.
2. Go to the list that you wrote in the “Stop” section, and research the words and concepts that you would like to know more about. You are “looking’ to see detail and gain information. Did you find out anything that surprised you?
3. Look right and look left!! See what has gone before and comes after the story of Athaliah. Read 2 Kings 10, all that is in 2 Chronicles 22, and 2 Chronicles 24. How do these chapters impact the story of Athaliah?
4. Begin to ask questions.
a. Who was The Queen Athaliah? Give a brief description.
b. Athaliah was the first, and only Queen that ruled Israel. Why?
c. Scripture says that the people rejoiced when Athaliah overthrew the throne. Why didn’t the people rebel in the beginning? What must life have been like with the leader of the country forcing Baal worship on the country?
d. How did she come to the throne, and what happened to Judah after Joash took over the throne?
e. Why would God have allowed this to happen? What was the spiritual climate in Judah during this time? Had any prophets warned of this?
f. Why did she kill her grandsons? Her own husband had his brothers killed to secure the throne for himself. Athaliah had much evil around her.
g.To think about….What happened to the mothers of those murdered? What happened to the mother of baby Joash?
h. Why was the temple a good place to hide Joash?
i. What are the only words are recorded that she spoke? Are they important? (It is interesting that she should cry out “Treason” when she was the queen of treason and bloodshed.)
j. Why didn’t the people rise up against her…they ‘rejoiced’ when she was over thrown. What does this teach us about today? God let things go along for six years…..let the people have their way until His time had come to stop the evil.
k. Think about: The priest and people seemed to rather have a six year old on the throne than Athaliah.
l. What does it mean “she tore her clothes?”
m. Athaliah the first and only female ruler of Israel? Was she appointed by God or by human choice? What is the plan or pattern that we see in both the Old and New Testament regarding women and leadership?
n. Think about: Why did things get so bad. Why did the people stray? Was there warnings? Many previous rulers had been followers of YHWY…yet things had changed…how? Why?
o. Most important of all….why bother spending all this time studying such an evil woman?
LISTEN
Lessons learned. God is in control. He promised that a seed would reign on the throne of David. Despite the plans of this evil, pagan woman the seed (Joash) did survive.
What if this detailed account of the reign of Queen Athaliah was left out of Scripture. We would have missed seeing the story of the only woman who ruled Judah. We would have missed the details of how God kept His promise to Israel to always have a descendant of David on the throne.
What can we take from the story of Athaliah to apply to our lives today?
The key to this story is how God is faithful to his promises. He promised Davidic line to sit on the throne of Israel. Mans schemes cannot usurp the plans of God. Evil reared its ugly head and almost ‘destroyed the seed.’
God let the people have their way until it was His time to make the correction. Sometimes God lets a nation have what it wants (or thinks it wants) for a period of time, before He acts.
The nation follows their leader. God controls the ‘throne’ of any country.
Families do have a major influence over the lives and beliefs of their children… good or bad. If you are a mom or a grandmom how does your life affect the next generation (s)? Do you need to make any changes? (BUT REMEMBER…each person makes their own decision and choices in life. No matter how Godly a home a child comes from they can still stray from the ways of God. This is not your fault.)
For Deeper Study
Dig deeper: Write out the genealogy of Athaliah to see who “her people” were, and how her life was shaped. (List the verses)
Grandfather
Father
Mother
Husband
Son
Athaliah is in the bloodline of Joseph, husband of Mary, but not the bloodline of Mary. The evil ‘genealogy’ of Athaliah does not reach Jesus. The bloodline of Jesus goes through Nathan son of David, not Solomon (the line of Athaliah).
STOP!
1.Ask yourself, “Why am I studying Athaliah? She was an evil queen.” Most of us cannot recount ever hearing a sermon about this woman. We may have heard the story of baby King Joash, but the focus was on him, not necessarily on what we might learn from Queen Athaliah. Why do you think a study of Athaliah is important? (If you don’t know, write that down.)
2 Gather information. Read the Scripture related to Queen Athaliah. Slow down and look at each word.
3. Start a list of key words, repeated words or concepts you might not understand in these verses. (In the “Look” phase you will research these)
For the study of Queen Athaliah you might list these plus a few more:
a. Who is Jehoiada
b. Who Jehosheba
c. The people ‘rejoiced’ at the report of her death – why?
d. Baal worship
e. Why was the child hidden in the temple?
5. Stop and “Scan the horizon” for geography. Where does this story take place? The city. The exact place.
LOOK!!
1. Read the verses about Athaliah again. Spend time in this phase to research and study what the verses are saying.
2. Go to the list that you wrote in the “Stop” section, and research the words and concepts that you would like to know more about. You are “looking’ to see detail and gain information. Did you find out anything that surprised you?
3. Look right and look left!! See what has gone before and comes after the story of Athaliah. Read 2 Kings 10, all that is in 2 Chronicles 22, and 2 Chronicles 24. How do these chapters impact the story of Athaliah?
4. Begin to ask questions.
a. Who was The Queen Athaliah? Give a brief description.
b. Athaliah was the first, and only Queen that ruled Israel. Why?
c. Scripture says that the people rejoiced when Athaliah overthrew the throne. Why didn’t the people rebel in the beginning? What must life have been like with the leader of the country forcing Baal worship on the country?
d. How did she come to the throne, and what happened to Judah after Joash took over the throne?
e. Why would God have allowed this to happen? What was the spiritual climate in Judah during this time? Had any prophets warned of this?
f. Why did she kill her grandsons? Her own husband had his brothers killed to secure the throne for himself. Athaliah had much evil around her.
g.To think about….What happened to the mothers of those murdered? What happened to the mother of baby Joash?
h. Why was the temple a good place to hide Joash?
i. What are the only words are recorded that she spoke? Are they important? (It is interesting that she should cry out “Treason” when she was the queen of treason and bloodshed.)
j. Why didn’t the people rise up against her…they ‘rejoiced’ when she was over thrown. What does this teach us about today? God let things go along for six years…..let the people have their way until His time had come to stop the evil.
k. Think about: The priest and people seemed to rather have a six year old on the throne than Athaliah.
l. What does it mean “she tore her clothes?”
m. Athaliah the first and only female ruler of Israel? Was she appointed by God or by human choice? What is the plan or pattern that we see in both the Old and New Testament regarding women and leadership?
n. Think about: Why did things get so bad. Why did the people stray? Was there warnings? Many previous rulers had been followers of YHWY…yet things had changed…how? Why?
o. Most important of all….why bother spending all this time studying such an evil woman?
LISTEN
Lessons learned. God is in control. He promised that a seed would reign on the throne of David. Despite the plans of this evil, pagan woman the seed (Joash) did survive.
What if this detailed account of the reign of Queen Athaliah was left out of Scripture. We would have missed seeing the story of the only woman who ruled Judah. We would have missed the details of how God kept His promise to Israel to always have a descendant of David on the throne.
What can we take from the story of Athaliah to apply to our lives today?
The key to this story is how God is faithful to his promises. He promised Davidic line to sit on the throne of Israel. Mans schemes cannot usurp the plans of God. Evil reared its ugly head and almost ‘destroyed the seed.’
God let the people have their way until it was His time to make the correction. Sometimes God lets a nation have what it wants (or thinks it wants) for a period of time, before He acts.
The nation follows their leader. God controls the ‘throne’ of any country.
Families do have a major influence over the lives and beliefs of their children… good or bad. If you are a mom or a grandmom how does your life affect the next generation (s)? Do you need to make any changes? (BUT REMEMBER…each person makes their own decision and choices in life. No matter how Godly a home a child comes from they can still stray from the ways of God. This is not your fault.)
For Deeper Study
Dig deeper: Write out the genealogy of Athaliah to see who “her people” were, and how her life was shaped. (List the verses)
Grandfather
Father
Mother
Husband
Son
Athaliah is in the bloodline of Joseph, husband of Mary, but not the bloodline of Mary. The evil ‘genealogy’ of Athaliah does not reach Jesus. The bloodline of Jesus goes through Nathan son of David, not Solomon (the line of Athaliah).
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The wife of Job....comments
From my friend Kathy in California...guess we need to study the wife of Job......
"She's so renouned for her suggesting Job curse God and die. Nobody ever seems to remember that she, too!!!!!, lost 10 children, friends, servants, and her entire life/lifestyle! Why is that? Granted, she's not the focus of the life of Job but to relegate her to in passing comments and some mean-spirited character isn't exactly an honest portrayal...in my thinking.
She must have been reeling...devastated...wounded to her very spirit. Her children! Gone! She carried them in her body, she raised them, she loved them and they were her blessing. Back in those times many children were considered a blessing. She certainly did her part. (Not once, but then again a whole new family. She was no longer young then, either!) She too, had faithful servants and friends and she enjoyed the wealth her husband brought to the family. Suddenly, that's all gone and now even her husband is decaying before her very eyes. Gosh! Perhaps she had "An Elijah Moment".... utter dispair and depression. Maybe she'd had a total over-flow of 'enough'.
I have a thought about her. If she was such a mean, doubting woman, surely God would not have blessed her with many more children. If she had disrespected Job in the literal sense, she would not have been blessed by God. She must have had some guts, is all I can say.
I know that as Christians we don't tend to tell our slowly dying loved ones to 'curse God and die'.
It would be the exact wrong thing to say. The comment seems so out of place, so far away from who Job was. God obviously didn't strike her dead where she stood. Since He knows our very hearts He must have understood her immeasurable grief and He also mightily blessed her once again. I cannot imagine what they went through. I have two deceased brothers....other family members. Just the loss of two brothers is a crushing weight. I cannot imagine having 10 children and all of them being dead long before they reached old age.
I'm hard-pressed to think poorly of Job's wife or relegate her to some 'bitchy wife' category.
We simply do not know enough about her to describe her character. I'd prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt.
But then....that's just me!
SO....what are your thoughts?"
Kathie...my thoughts are that we do need to study her more!!
.
.
"She's so renouned for her suggesting Job curse God and die. Nobody ever seems to remember that she, too!!!!!, lost 10 children, friends, servants, and her entire life/lifestyle! Why is that? Granted, she's not the focus of the life of Job but to relegate her to in passing comments and some mean-spirited character isn't exactly an honest portrayal...in my thinking.
She must have been reeling...devastated...wounded to her very spirit. Her children! Gone! She carried them in her body, she raised them, she loved them and they were her blessing. Back in those times many children were considered a blessing. She certainly did her part. (Not once, but then again a whole new family. She was no longer young then, either!) She too, had faithful servants and friends and she enjoyed the wealth her husband brought to the family. Suddenly, that's all gone and now even her husband is decaying before her very eyes. Gosh! Perhaps she had "An Elijah Moment".... utter dispair and depression. Maybe she'd had a total over-flow of 'enough'.
I have a thought about her. If she was such a mean, doubting woman, surely God would not have blessed her with many more children. If she had disrespected Job in the literal sense, she would not have been blessed by God. She must have had some guts, is all I can say.
I know that as Christians we don't tend to tell our slowly dying loved ones to 'curse God and die'.
It would be the exact wrong thing to say. The comment seems so out of place, so far away from who Job was. God obviously didn't strike her dead where she stood. Since He knows our very hearts He must have understood her immeasurable grief and He also mightily blessed her once again. I cannot imagine what they went through. I have two deceased brothers....other family members. Just the loss of two brothers is a crushing weight. I cannot imagine having 10 children and all of them being dead long before they reached old age.
I'm hard-pressed to think poorly of Job's wife or relegate her to some 'bitchy wife' category.
We simply do not know enough about her to describe her character. I'd prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt.
But then....that's just me!
SO....what are your thoughts?"
Kathie...my thoughts are that we do need to study her more!!
.
.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Bible Reading Can Be Fun ????
Bible reading can be fun. Did I just say that!! Lets be honest, it is not in me, not in most of us, to really sit down and want to read Scripture. I don’t believe it is natural to want to read Scripture. Our flesh, our ‘natural man’ (or woman), will do anything to keep us from God’s message to us. But the only way to know God and the direction for our lives is to read the words He has given to us.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that all Scripture is beneficial for our learning, our correction, and to teach us doctrine, yet for most of us we neglect making Scripture reading a priority in our lives. We say we don’t have the time, we forgot, or that we don’t understand what we are reading. I have a saying…. “Bible study/reading is not for sissies.” It takes work. That’s why we call it ‘study.’
Years ago I was struggling with reading the Bible. I wanted to read it, I really did, but the world and circumstances always got in the way. So I prayed. I asked God to not only put the love of reading Scripture into my heart, but to help me carve out a time and a place to study each day. My prayers were answered, and here I am years later having read through the Bible many times…and understanding it so much that I now have with several letters after my name that indicate that I have studied and gained some professional understanding of Gods Word.
Now, I love to read Scripture. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that I go to the Word every day, but having said that, I have found out several keys to ‘getting to it.’ First is prayer. If your heart is sincere and you pray for God to control your love of Scripture, you will have a desire to get into the Book.
Now the ‘fun’ part. As humans we like fun. So why not use that need to our spiritual advantage? We focus on fun as we reach out to youth – why not use fun for the rest of us too? Many people complete the daily cross word puzzle, or word search puzzle in the newspaper every day – for fun! Go to a book store or news stand and you will see a variety of puzzle books, even with a Bible emphasis. Puzzle books sell!!! Someone is reading them....so there is an interest in puzzles and word games.
Puzzles are great for learning and for comprehension because they stretch the brain and expand how your mind solves problems, while having fun. You have to slow down to work a puzzle or crossword game. While you're solving a puzzle, you're really teaching your brain to work in new ways.
I never liked crossword puzzles or word search games. It is just not part of my personality….but over the past few years God has shown me how to use this ‘puzzle stuff’ to increase my own time in the Word. I want to share it with you.
But why “Word Search” Scripture? First to get us reading Scripture!! Secondly, to give us a sense of expectation and fun (yes, Bible reading can be fun!). And thirdly, to slow us down as we read, so we increase our comprehension. As we are in the Word…the Word will get into us. I ‘word search’ as I read,and have found the most amazing things! You can too. Let me share it with you. Lets look at some words.
Always look for the words “because,’ ‘for’ (when it means because), and ‘but.’ Small words can hold the key to a sentence or entire paragraph. These three small words tend to explains something.
Words of Faith: Salvation, repent/return, grace, mercy, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, commands, prayer, miracles, angels, eternal life, altar, worship, peace, love, giving/tithing, obey, disobedience, sin, and so many more. What about references to prophecy, heaven or hell? What are you interested in?
Words for Fun: What are you interests? What are your hobbies? What is your field of employment? Look for topics such as gardening (flowers/plants), nature/agriculture, farming, money/finance, cloth/clothing/sewing, jewelry/precious stones, family, children, women, geography, music, singing, instruments, building, military, construction, house, food, dieting, cooking.…. Are you interested in genealogy, quilting or even scrap booking? What might you look for? (What are men interested in reading about? I don’t know.)
Grammar: Basic grammar is so very important. You might look for “all, every none, not, forever, all numbers, because, for, but,, etc..” Just begin to study the word ‘but.” I was amazed I began to look at sentences that explain things with the word “but.” What about the word “if?” You might mark every question that is asked in Scripture. Is there a difference between ‘the’ and ‘a’ when it comes to ‘the angel of the Lord’ or ‘an angel of the Lord?’ Little, short words many times are very important in overall understanding. Always do look for some grammar.
As an example: I always look for references to women because I am studying their lives and the role that God has for women. (I write a “W” in the margin.) I mark any reference to God’s love of Israel with an “I.” I am a retired nurse and always mark any reference to anatomy, illness, anything medical with a “M.” I mark any reference to the land of Israel with a “L” in the margin. (You do not have to mark as many as these, but as you begin to look for words of interest to you, your list might expand as mine has.)
One year as I read through the Bible I marked any reference to war, soldiers, and military battles. I gave the marked Bible to my nephew for a Christmas present.
A teacher might look for words having to do with understanding, learning, knowledge and teaching. (There are many of these)
A mother might mark all references in Scripture about God’s role for women, women as role models, commands about godly living for women, etc… The Bible might be given to her daughter ‘manual,’ , or to her son as a guideline for finding a godly wife.
You will not find your word (s) in every section of Scripture, but keep looking, remember that this is a word search! Some interests might now translate over to word study in Scripture. What about sports, t.v. or computers…won’t find much! For the best results, and to keep your interest (after all, keeping your interest is what this is all about), choose words that will be found, and found frequently, in Scripture. )
Your search results may be longer in the Old Testament, or New Testament, due to the specific topic you choose. “God” will be found in the OT and the NT, what about “Jesus”? What about “Holy Spirit?” If you are interested in spiritual gifts, you won’t find much in the Old Testament.
Try it…you might just get hooked!!!! Just think – looking forward to reading Scripture every day…what a concept.
WORD SEARCH EXERCISES
The “Word Search Puzzle” starting point is to pick four words that you will search, one word from each of the previous given lists, or select words that are of interest to you:
1. Faith:______________
2. Fun:________________
3. Grammar:___________________
4. Always mark ‘because, for and but”. God explains things and we don’t want to miss them!
Puzzle #1 . I suggest you try this technique with your current Sunday School or Bible Study lesson. The goal is to keep our interest as we read Scripture. This works on short sections of Scripture, topical studies, as well as reading longer passages.
Puzzle #2: Try this puzzle exercise on Scripture that you have found difficult or boring in the past. (Sorry Mr. Job – that is your book for me. I just read the 5-7 chapters of Hosea with interest and new understanding.)
Notice how you have to slow down and look at each word! In my life I realized that one reason that I was not understanding Scripture was that I was ‘speed reading.’ For years high school taught speed reading, yet did not teach “speed comprehension.” When I forced myself to slow down and look at each word I was amazed at what I read, and what I remembered.
This morning I read for an hour and marked words such as because, but, for, covenant, land of Israel, and any reference to Gods love for Israel. That was my list.
Try it and let me know what you think. jpsant@netzero.net.
Addendum....here is an article that I wrote last year about Bible Study (reading)/. It sure applies here....
Bible Study: Who Do We Think We are Fooling?
We attend a Sunday School Class or Bible Study on Sunday; maybe a Wednesday night Bible Study; and maybe even a midweek Bible Study. My question is – who do we think we are fooling? Do we really study, or just show up and expect someone to give us a lecture?
If we do open up the study book to prepare, (not even opening the Bible), we spend a few minutes and call that study. If we do open up Scripture during the week we read it over quickly, and then think we have studied.
Who do we think we are fooling? Only ourselves.
After teaching Bible Study for almost every Sunday for 20 years, in eight different churches, I know that for the average attendee there is no preparation – no study.
At the beginning of each meeting I usually ask, “Who had time to study and prepare this week.” The result is usually pretty dismal.
Who do we think we are fooling?
Churches are beginning to change the of Bible Studies to be more ‘seeker friendly.” We now have “fellowship meetings or “care groups.” The emphasis is off the Bible and on to relationships to attract the ‘seeker.’ We have little accountability, and less expectation for the attendees.
Who do we think we are fooling? Bible Study is just that-study.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that all Scripture is beneficial for our learning, our correction, and to teach us doctrine, yet for most of us we neglect making Scripture reading a priority in our lives. We say we don’t have the time, we forgot, or that we don’t understand what we are reading. I have a saying…. “Bible study/reading is not for sissies.” It takes work. That’s why we call it ‘study.’
Years ago I was struggling with reading the Bible. I wanted to read it, I really did, but the world and circumstances always got in the way. So I prayed. I asked God to not only put the love of reading Scripture into my heart, but to help me carve out a time and a place to study each day. My prayers were answered, and here I am years later having read through the Bible many times…and understanding it so much that I now have with several letters after my name that indicate that I have studied and gained some professional understanding of Gods Word.
Now, I love to read Scripture. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that I go to the Word every day, but having said that, I have found out several keys to ‘getting to it.’ First is prayer. If your heart is sincere and you pray for God to control your love of Scripture, you will have a desire to get into the Book.
Now the ‘fun’ part. As humans we like fun. So why not use that need to our spiritual advantage? We focus on fun as we reach out to youth – why not use fun for the rest of us too? Many people complete the daily cross word puzzle, or word search puzzle in the newspaper every day – for fun! Go to a book store or news stand and you will see a variety of puzzle books, even with a Bible emphasis. Puzzle books sell!!! Someone is reading them....so there is an interest in puzzles and word games.
Puzzles are great for learning and for comprehension because they stretch the brain and expand how your mind solves problems, while having fun. You have to slow down to work a puzzle or crossword game. While you're solving a puzzle, you're really teaching your brain to work in new ways.
I never liked crossword puzzles or word search games. It is just not part of my personality….but over the past few years God has shown me how to use this ‘puzzle stuff’ to increase my own time in the Word. I want to share it with you.
But why “Word Search” Scripture? First to get us reading Scripture!! Secondly, to give us a sense of expectation and fun (yes, Bible reading can be fun!). And thirdly, to slow us down as we read, so we increase our comprehension. As we are in the Word…the Word will get into us. I ‘word search’ as I read,and have found the most amazing things! You can too. Let me share it with you. Lets look at some words.
Always look for the words “because,’ ‘for’ (when it means because), and ‘but.’ Small words can hold the key to a sentence or entire paragraph. These three small words tend to explains something.
Words of Faith: Salvation, repent/return, grace, mercy, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, commands, prayer, miracles, angels, eternal life, altar, worship, peace, love, giving/tithing, obey, disobedience, sin, and so many more. What about references to prophecy, heaven or hell? What are you interested in?
Words for Fun: What are you interests? What are your hobbies? What is your field of employment? Look for topics such as gardening (flowers/plants), nature/agriculture, farming, money/finance, cloth/clothing/sewing, jewelry/precious stones, family, children, women, geography, music, singing, instruments, building, military, construction, house, food, dieting, cooking.…. Are you interested in genealogy, quilting or even scrap booking? What might you look for? (What are men interested in reading about? I don’t know.)
Grammar: Basic grammar is so very important. You might look for “all, every none, not, forever, all numbers, because, for, but,, etc..” Just begin to study the word ‘but.” I was amazed I began to look at sentences that explain things with the word “but.” What about the word “if?” You might mark every question that is asked in Scripture. Is there a difference between ‘the’ and ‘a’ when it comes to ‘the angel of the Lord’ or ‘an angel of the Lord?’ Little, short words many times are very important in overall understanding. Always do look for some grammar.
As an example: I always look for references to women because I am studying their lives and the role that God has for women. (I write a “W” in the margin.) I mark any reference to God’s love of Israel with an “I.” I am a retired nurse and always mark any reference to anatomy, illness, anything medical with a “M.” I mark any reference to the land of Israel with a “L” in the margin. (You do not have to mark as many as these, but as you begin to look for words of interest to you, your list might expand as mine has.)
One year as I read through the Bible I marked any reference to war, soldiers, and military battles. I gave the marked Bible to my nephew for a Christmas present.
A teacher might look for words having to do with understanding, learning, knowledge and teaching. (There are many of these)
A mother might mark all references in Scripture about God’s role for women, women as role models, commands about godly living for women, etc… The Bible might be given to her daughter ‘manual,’ , or to her son as a guideline for finding a godly wife.
You will not find your word (s) in every section of Scripture, but keep looking, remember that this is a word search! Some interests might now translate over to word study in Scripture. What about sports, t.v. or computers…won’t find much! For the best results, and to keep your interest (after all, keeping your interest is what this is all about), choose words that will be found, and found frequently, in Scripture. )
Your search results may be longer in the Old Testament, or New Testament, due to the specific topic you choose. “God” will be found in the OT and the NT, what about “Jesus”? What about “Holy Spirit?” If you are interested in spiritual gifts, you won’t find much in the Old Testament.
Try it…you might just get hooked!!!! Just think – looking forward to reading Scripture every day…what a concept.
WORD SEARCH EXERCISES
The “Word Search Puzzle” starting point is to pick four words that you will search, one word from each of the previous given lists, or select words that are of interest to you:
1. Faith:______________
2. Fun:________________
3. Grammar:___________________
4. Always mark ‘because, for and but”. God explains things and we don’t want to miss them!
Puzzle #1 . I suggest you try this technique with your current Sunday School or Bible Study lesson. The goal is to keep our interest as we read Scripture. This works on short sections of Scripture, topical studies, as well as reading longer passages.
Puzzle #2: Try this puzzle exercise on Scripture that you have found difficult or boring in the past. (Sorry Mr. Job – that is your book for me. I just read the 5-7 chapters of Hosea with interest and new understanding.)
Notice how you have to slow down and look at each word! In my life I realized that one reason that I was not understanding Scripture was that I was ‘speed reading.’ For years high school taught speed reading, yet did not teach “speed comprehension.” When I forced myself to slow down and look at each word I was amazed at what I read, and what I remembered.
This morning I read for an hour and marked words such as because, but, for, covenant, land of Israel, and any reference to Gods love for Israel. That was my list.
Try it and let me know what you think. jpsant@netzero.net.
Addendum....here is an article that I wrote last year about Bible Study (reading)/. It sure applies here....
Bible Study: Who Do We Think We are Fooling?
We attend a Sunday School Class or Bible Study on Sunday; maybe a Wednesday night Bible Study; and maybe even a midweek Bible Study. My question is – who do we think we are fooling? Do we really study, or just show up and expect someone to give us a lecture?
If we do open up the study book to prepare, (not even opening the Bible), we spend a few minutes and call that study. If we do open up Scripture during the week we read it over quickly, and then think we have studied.
Who do we think we are fooling? Only ourselves.
After teaching Bible Study for almost every Sunday for 20 years, in eight different churches, I know that for the average attendee there is no preparation – no study.
At the beginning of each meeting I usually ask, “Who had time to study and prepare this week.” The result is usually pretty dismal.
Who do we think we are fooling?
Churches are beginning to change the of Bible Studies to be more ‘seeker friendly.” We now have “fellowship meetings or “care groups.” The emphasis is off the Bible and on to relationships to attract the ‘seeker.’ We have little accountability, and less expectation for the attendees.
Who do we think we are fooling? Bible Study is just that-study.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Bathsheba
2 Samuel 11:1 to 12:25; 1 Kings 1: 1 to 2:25; 1 Chron. 3:5; Matthew 1:6
She has been called 'an immodest temptress"....is she? Was she a sinner, or a victim? Where does it show her planning and cunning? Tamar planned. Rahab planned....did Bathsheba plan anything, or was she just caught up in the palace politics. Lets look at the Scripture and not just what we 'think' we know about this story.
Day 1
STOP!
Only five women are named in the genealogy of Jesus. To have any woman mentioned by name is unusual in Jewish genealogies….so to have five women mentioned must indicate that these women were special in some way, or that God is trying to tell us something. Bathsheba is not really even named, she is called “by the wife of Uriah.”
1. Who is Bathsheba? What do you already know about her? Why is it about her life that is important to study?
2. Read the story of Bathsheba several times.
3. Always stop for the word ‘because” or “for” (when it means because) – it will explain something.
4. Start a list of key words, repeated words or concepts you might not understand in these verses. (Just write the list. In the “Look” phase you will research these). What is of interest to you? What are you noticing for the first time?
5. Make a list of all the men in her life, including her son. Look at their interactions. Who is assertive? Who is giving the suggestions, or commands? Stop and mark phrases such as 'went to,' and 'came to.'
6. Stop! Scan the horizon and look at geography. Where did this take place, and in what time period?
Day 2
Look!
1. Read these verses again. Slow down and notice each word. HEY GIRLS ARE YOU REALLY READING THESE VERSES MORE THAN ONCE ?
2. Go to the list of key or repeated words that you wrote in “STOP” section. Using a Bible Dictionary, Bible Encyclopedia, Commentaries, etc… research your list. You are “looking’ to see detail and gain information.
3. Look Left! Look Right! See what has gone before and comes after. The story of Bathsheba scans quite a time period. Much was happening. Bathsheba saw and was part of many interesting things. She saw new wives added and children born to other women. She probably knew Abigail and Michal. Her life was impacted by the war, and sins of the men around her. She had a child die because of sin. She was counseled by Nathan, and involved with palace politics by Adonijah.
4.Begin to ask questions.
a. Notice her personality. Was she assertive and scheming? Was she flexible in the hands of the men around her? Some scholars seem to think that she was cunning and sinful, and caused the adultery with David. What do you see? Can we tell?
b. Why did Nathan and Adonijah come to her? How did she respond. Remember she was the queen mother. Does Bsthsheba seem to use her political power?
c. Solomon was not the oldest son. He was the fourth son of Bathsheba. Technically the throne should have been given to another son. Why was the throne given to Solomon. It changed history.
d. She was married to a Hittite. We do not know her background. Do we see any suggestion that she was a follower of YWHW? Do we see her pray or seek the face of God.
e. What was her interaction with her son, and David?
f. We probably never consider the sorrow she had in life. She lost a husband. She lost a child. She was driven by her home when David left Jerusalem in flight. She shared Davids time of conquest and times of running.
g. She gave birth to one of the greatest kings in the history of the Bible. He was said to have been the wisest man on earth. I wonder if she was alive to see him as a man. To see the things he accomplished? To see the building of the Temple? Might she have been present in court when the two women came and claimed the one baby?
Day 3
Scripture gives no indication that she was a believer in the God of the Hebrews. Yet, Bathsheba experienced the grace of God. Thought she was probably a pagan, and involved with adultery, she was in the lineage of Jesus, and God wrote her name for all eternity in Scripture.
Begin to learn the lineage of Jesus. Bathsheba and David begat Solomon….Solomon begat……who????
How does 2 Tim. 3:16 apply to this story?
How do our four P’s apply to this story? Practice. Principle. Precept and Progressive Revelation.
Of other women we have said, “she was determined to get what was due her.” Can we say this about Bathsheba? She as been called everything from “sinner” to “victim.” Look at her actions. Was she assertive? David comes to her. Nathan comes to her. Adonijah comes to her. She seems less assertive than Queen Esther, and definitely less assertive than Queen Athaliah. She did have some power as the Queen Mother...how does she use that power?
God reprimands David, through the prophet Nathan, for his sin. God never says Bathsheba is a sinner, in fact, Nathan likens her to a “little lamb.” So….was she a sinner, or a poor woman caught up in a man’s sin. She had the sorrow of losing a husband and a child. We never see her scheming or planning.
Bathsheba had four sons by David. Did you know that one of the sons, Nathan, is in the genealogy of Jesus…in the line of Mary (!!) The line through Solomon goes through the house of Joseph. Amazing…she has two boys that are in the genealogy of Jesus.
Day 4
LISTEN!
Notice that there are many men in the genealogy of Jesus that are “just names.” We know nothing about them. Yet for each woman in the genealogy, Scripture gives us information about her. What are some reasons that you think that God gave us this story of Bathsheba. Yes the focus on these verses about Bathsheba relate to the life and reign of David. This is what we usually study....but Bathsheba was very much part of the life of David.
Complete your chart comparing the five women. Are you getting any real idea about why these five women might be listed in the genealogy, and not others such as Sarah and Rebekah?
Now that we have studied Bathsheba in detail…have any of your previous ideas about her changed? Was she a ‘good girl’ or a ‘bad girl?’ Yes, one of our lessons from her is that women should be more modest and not an instrument of temptation to a man. We sure could and should teach that today....even in our churches!
A personal question…..How many times did you read these verses? It is very important to read them more than once.
Now our three questions:
1. What if this story had never been told?
2. What is God trying to tell us in this story? Is it all about David or Uriah or even Nathan, and their actions?
3. How can I apply what I have learned from this lesson to my life today? This is the most important part of our study! Write out your answer:
She has been called 'an immodest temptress"....is she? Was she a sinner, or a victim? Where does it show her planning and cunning? Tamar planned. Rahab planned....did Bathsheba plan anything, or was she just caught up in the palace politics. Lets look at the Scripture and not just what we 'think' we know about this story.
Day 1
STOP!
Only five women are named in the genealogy of Jesus. To have any woman mentioned by name is unusual in Jewish genealogies….so to have five women mentioned must indicate that these women were special in some way, or that God is trying to tell us something. Bathsheba is not really even named, she is called “by the wife of Uriah.”
1. Who is Bathsheba? What do you already know about her? Why is it about her life that is important to study?
2. Read the story of Bathsheba several times.
3. Always stop for the word ‘because” or “for” (when it means because) – it will explain something.
4. Start a list of key words, repeated words or concepts you might not understand in these verses. (Just write the list. In the “Look” phase you will research these). What is of interest to you? What are you noticing for the first time?
5. Make a list of all the men in her life, including her son. Look at their interactions. Who is assertive? Who is giving the suggestions, or commands? Stop and mark phrases such as 'went to,' and 'came to.'
6. Stop! Scan the horizon and look at geography. Where did this take place, and in what time period?
Day 2
Look!
1. Read these verses again. Slow down and notice each word. HEY GIRLS ARE YOU REALLY READING THESE VERSES MORE THAN ONCE ?
2. Go to the list of key or repeated words that you wrote in “STOP” section. Using a Bible Dictionary, Bible Encyclopedia, Commentaries, etc… research your list. You are “looking’ to see detail and gain information.
3. Look Left! Look Right! See what has gone before and comes after. The story of Bathsheba scans quite a time period. Much was happening. Bathsheba saw and was part of many interesting things. She saw new wives added and children born to other women. She probably knew Abigail and Michal. Her life was impacted by the war, and sins of the men around her. She had a child die because of sin. She was counseled by Nathan, and involved with palace politics by Adonijah.
4.Begin to ask questions.
a. Notice her personality. Was she assertive and scheming? Was she flexible in the hands of the men around her? Some scholars seem to think that she was cunning and sinful, and caused the adultery with David. What do you see? Can we tell?
b. Why did Nathan and Adonijah come to her? How did she respond. Remember she was the queen mother. Does Bsthsheba seem to use her political power?
c. Solomon was not the oldest son. He was the fourth son of Bathsheba. Technically the throne should have been given to another son. Why was the throne given to Solomon. It changed history.
d. She was married to a Hittite. We do not know her background. Do we see any suggestion that she was a follower of YWHW? Do we see her pray or seek the face of God.
e. What was her interaction with her son, and David?
f. We probably never consider the sorrow she had in life. She lost a husband. She lost a child. She was driven by her home when David left Jerusalem in flight. She shared Davids time of conquest and times of running.
g. She gave birth to one of the greatest kings in the history of the Bible. He was said to have been the wisest man on earth. I wonder if she was alive to see him as a man. To see the things he accomplished? To see the building of the Temple? Might she have been present in court when the two women came and claimed the one baby?
Day 3
Scripture gives no indication that she was a believer in the God of the Hebrews. Yet, Bathsheba experienced the grace of God. Thought she was probably a pagan, and involved with adultery, she was in the lineage of Jesus, and God wrote her name for all eternity in Scripture.
Begin to learn the lineage of Jesus. Bathsheba and David begat Solomon….Solomon begat……who????
How does 2 Tim. 3:16 apply to this story?
How do our four P’s apply to this story? Practice. Principle. Precept and Progressive Revelation.
Of other women we have said, “she was determined to get what was due her.” Can we say this about Bathsheba? She as been called everything from “sinner” to “victim.” Look at her actions. Was she assertive? David comes to her. Nathan comes to her. Adonijah comes to her. She seems less assertive than Queen Esther, and definitely less assertive than Queen Athaliah. She did have some power as the Queen Mother...how does she use that power?
God reprimands David, through the prophet Nathan, for his sin. God never says Bathsheba is a sinner, in fact, Nathan likens her to a “little lamb.” So….was she a sinner, or a poor woman caught up in a man’s sin. She had the sorrow of losing a husband and a child. We never see her scheming or planning.
Bathsheba had four sons by David. Did you know that one of the sons, Nathan, is in the genealogy of Jesus…in the line of Mary (!!) The line through Solomon goes through the house of Joseph. Amazing…she has two boys that are in the genealogy of Jesus.
Day 4
LISTEN!
Notice that there are many men in the genealogy of Jesus that are “just names.” We know nothing about them. Yet for each woman in the genealogy, Scripture gives us information about her. What are some reasons that you think that God gave us this story of Bathsheba. Yes the focus on these verses about Bathsheba relate to the life and reign of David. This is what we usually study....but Bathsheba was very much part of the life of David.
Complete your chart comparing the five women. Are you getting any real idea about why these five women might be listed in the genealogy, and not others such as Sarah and Rebekah?
Now that we have studied Bathsheba in detail…have any of your previous ideas about her changed? Was she a ‘good girl’ or a ‘bad girl?’ Yes, one of our lessons from her is that women should be more modest and not an instrument of temptation to a man. We sure could and should teach that today....even in our churches!
A personal question…..How many times did you read these verses? It is very important to read them more than once.
Now our three questions:
1. What if this story had never been told?
2. What is God trying to tell us in this story? Is it all about David or Uriah or even Nathan, and their actions?
3. How can I apply what I have learned from this lesson to my life today? This is the most important part of our study! Write out your answer:
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