Made in Elements
It is easy to read the opinions of others in a Bible study guide. But the real value (blessing) of the Bible comes primarily through reading and pondering the Bible text itself.
Proverbs 30:4 The Context: Recorded near the end of the Book of Proverbs the wise man comes to the realization that as much as we know, or think we know, we don’t really know very much. After contemplating life he admits that he is weary, worn out, and even stupid; he doesn’t understand, hasn’t learned wisdom and does not have knowledge of the Holy One. Yet, God uses him to prompt us to answer the question…
God Asks Us: Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!
jne: With all our scientific advancements we have come to the place where we think we can answer the questions with the bold “we have been to heaven and back;” “we understand the wind and the water and we’ve explored the ends of the earth.” Our blind pride answers: “We know how it is all evolving.” We end up worshipping the earth and the universe, our science. We answer the question “who has…?” with “we have!” If we stop our search with a focus simply on the world around us and do not look for the name of the Creator, or the One Who came to reveal Him to us we remain (no matter how much science we think we know) a stupid man. Do I really want to know The Holy One?
Ponder:
? Many years ago, theology was considered “the queen of the sciences.” Why do you think that is appropriate?
? Romans 1 describes our sinful self as “professing to be wise they became fools.” How can we guard from “becoming fool?”
? Why is “knowing God” the foundation of all worthwhile knowledge?
? What is the difference between knowing about God and knowing God?
Psalm 119:89 Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Read the context: Psalm 119:89-96 (Psalm 119)
God's credibility, and the credibility of His Word, The Bible, is not most accurately tested by the thoughts and testimony of doubters. The world is full of them. But the world is also full of people who have tested and tried God's word and found it absolutely trustworthy. One such person was the writer of Psalm 119. His claims about God and His Word are beyond remarkable. Too many people simply dismiss them without genuine evaluation.
Read through this paragraph and see that God and His Word are:
- forever firmly fixed - enduring - standing fast - serving Him - delightful - worth remembering - giving life - saving us - worth seeking - expansive.
Browse around Psalm 119 and find many other descriptions of God and His Word. He really is wonderful beyond our ability to describe or understand.
Ponder:
? Why is "forever" a significant part of God"s Word being firmly fixed?
? Why does it not say the Lord's Word is firmly fixed "on the earth?"
? In what various ways is God's "Word" related to God's character?
Psalm 50:13,16
The Context: God is The Judge of all the earth; The owner of all the earth; There is nothing we can give Him for He owns it all. He doesn’t need the offering of bulls and goats, they are His for the taking. The problem was (and is) not that they were not religious enough, offering enough sacrifices or offerings. They spoke often of their love for God and claimed to obey Him. BUT they hated God’s discipline and lived sinful lives forgetting the very God they often spoke about. Challenging them to realize their hypocrisies God asked the questions …
God Asks Us: Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? … But to the wicked God says: What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?
jne: When I say one thing while doing another is not just hypocritical before other people, but far worse before God. Especially when my worship and declarations of obedience to Him are mere words. What makes me think I can claim to be a Christian and not act like one? What makes me think that going to church, putting money in an offering plate, singing Christian songs, being baptized, taking communion, and doing other religious things earns me the right to claim God’s righteousness, grace and mercy when I forget God in all the rest of my life? Only a heart of thanksgiving and a life of obedience truly honors God and knows His Salvation.
Ponder:
? In what ways are my claims to be a Christian mere words?
? Why do we spot hypocrisy more often in others than in our ourselves?
? What kind of questions should we ask to best evaluate the level of our personal hypocrisy?
? What are some things we can do to minimize our hypocrisy?
? How can we help each other recognize and deal with our hypocrisies?
Psalm 24:3–4 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
Read the context: Psalm 24
Ponder:
? Why does the Psalm ask the question "who shall ascend...?"
? What is "the hill of the Lord?" and "his holy place?"
? What are "clean hands, a pure heart, and an honest soul?"
There are only two answers to these questions. One involves holy men gaining exalted honor. The other is Jesus Christ being LORD of His Kingdom.
To think that this is referring to individuals must answer three questions. First, is there any person, other than Jesus, who actually has clean hands, a pure heart and honest soul? Anyone who claims to be so either ignores, or refuses to acknowledge the Bible declarations that "the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and there is none righteous, no not one." Second, do you think that this person will become clean and pure in the process of "ascending?" Notice the holy person in this Psalm "has," as in presently possess, a clean, pure, soul.
Thirdly, to whom does the rest of the Psalm refer?
This question introduces the second option for "who shall ascend..." The Psalm begins with "The earth is the LORD'S..." "He founded it, He established it." Someone ascends the hill of the Lord. Then the Psalm ends with the gates and the doors open for the "King of Glory" to come in. This King is "The LORD, strong and mighty." If there is any doubt it is repeated again: "Who is the King of Glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of Glory."
Whoever would have the blind arrogance to claim to be the one clean of hands, pure of heart and honest in soul, aligns themselves with the Devil who said "I will be like the Most High.
Any cleanness, purity, or honesty that we may have is a gift from God not earned.
Job 40:2 The Context: Job was experiencing sever suffering. Others attributed the suffering to Job’s sin. Job himself questioned God’s allowing the suffering. We can understand Job feeling like God had forsaken and forgotten him. After all the questions by Job and others, God begins to speak. God had heard all the doubts and complaints of Job and his friends. So …
God Asks Us: "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?" He who argues with God, let him answer it.
Ponder:
? Why is it so hard to change our thinking in the midst of suffering?
? Was God proving something to Satan, or teaching Job and his friends about God’s sovereignty?
? What thinking should we develop before our friends or ourselves experience suffering?
? What kinds of questions should we be asking when our friends or ourselves experience suffering?
Esther 9:22 The Feast of Purim… the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies…”
Read the context: the whole book of Esther - a great drama story.
Ponder:
? Though “God” is not mentioned in the words of the story, how is Esther a story of both Godlessness and God?
? How does the story illustrate the ebb and flow of who seems to be in control of our life circumstances?
? The world says: “to the victor go the spoils.” How would the story of Esther describe it differently?
? How does the story of Esther illustrate the story of Jesus and the Devil?
Nehemiah 1:4 “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven”Read the context: Nehemiah 1 and even all of Ezra and Nehemiah
Ponder:
? How do you picture in your mind and heart the significance of “as soon as I heard these words?”
? Are there circumstances in our personal experiences where we have had arresting crisis?
? Reading the rest of Nehemiah 1, what seems to be the reason God allowed such “trouble” for the Israelites?
? What can this teach us about the way we should pray and live in times of peace and prosperity?
2Chronicles 19:7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.
Read the context: 2Chronicles 19
Ponder:
? What is remarkable about a nations king giving these instructions to judges he appoints?
? What responses do these instructions prompt in the the judges?
? What responses do these instructions prompt in the people of the nation?
? What are we to think and do when the instructions are not faithfully fulfilled?