How Have We Spoken Against You?

Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Malachi 3:11-18 NIV

11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. 13 "You have spoken arrogantly against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?' 14 "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.' " 16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17 "On the day when I act," says the LORD Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) After entreating His people to return to Him, what will the Lord do for those who return and how will other nations react to His obedient people? (v.11-12)
2) What does the Lord accuse His people of doing against Him and saying about evildoers? (v.13-15)
3) Who will be the Lord's "treasured possession" and how will He treat them? Why? (v.16-18)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Have you ever thought, or said, that it is futile to serve the Lord? If so, why?

LIFE LESSONS
5) The Lord is against the disobedient and rebellious, but blesses those revere Him.

Let Me Dwell With You

Sunday, August 9, 2015
Jeremiah 7:1-15 NIV 

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 "Stand at the gate of the LORD's house and there proclaim this message: " 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. 3 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. 9 " 'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"--safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD. 12 " 'Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.'

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What did the Lord tell Jeremiah to do? (v.1-2a)
2) Who was the Lord's message to? (2b-2c)
3) What was the Lord's message to His people? (v.3)
4) What five (5) things did the Lord command His people to do, or refrain from doing, to continue to live in the land of their ancestors? (v.4-7)
5) What did the Lord accuse His people of doing? (v.8-10)
6) What question did the Lord ask His people and what did He declare? (v.11)
7) What did the Lord tell His people to do? Why? (v.12)
8) What did the Lord do for His wayward people and how did they respond to Him? (v.13)
9) What would the Lord do to His house and to His people, as a result? (v.14-15)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
10) Have you, or anyone you know, forsaken the Lord to do what you pleased instead?
11) If so, what was the result of that disobedience?

LIFE LESSONS
12) The Lord longs to be gracious to His people and gives us every opportunity to repent of our transgressions. But, when we refuse to return to Him, we forsake His presence.

To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

Thursday, June 11, 2015
1 Samuel 15:17-23 KJV 

17 And Samuel said, When thou [wast] little in thine own sight, [wast] thou not [made] the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What did the Prophet Samuel remind King Saul of after the king disobeyed the Lord? (v.17-18)
2) What question did the prophet ask King Saul? (v.19)
3) How did the king respond to Samuel? (v.20-21)
4) What else did the prophet say to Saul? (v.22-23)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you ever willfully disobeyed the Lord?
6) If so, what were the consequences for your rebellion?

LIFE LESSONS
7) The blessings of obedience to the Lord are great, as are the consequences for disobedience.

I Will Press You Down

Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Amos 2:9-16 KJV 

9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height [was] like the height of the cedars, and he [was] strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. [Is it] not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD. 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed [that is] full of sheaves. 14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: 15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and [he that is] swift of foot shall not deliver [himself]: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. 16 And [he that is] courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) After declaring judgment on the nation of Israel for their transgressions, what did the Lord remind the people of Israel of concerning the Amorites? (v.9-10)
2) What had the Lord done for Israel and how did His people respond? (v.11-12)
3) What general declaration did the Lord make concerning His judgement of Israel? (v.13)
4) What seven (7) declarations of judgment did the Lord declare for the nation of Israel? (v.14-16)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) How has the Lord blessed you throughout your walk of faith?
6) How do you typically respond to the Lord's blessings?

LIFE LESSONS
7) The Lord delights to bless His people, but chastens and withholds those blessings from the disobedient and ungrateful.

Humble Yourselves Before God

Friday, January 30, 2015
2 Chronicles 34:24-33 KJV 

24Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, [even] all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: 25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. 26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel [concerning] the words which thou hast heard; 27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard [thee] also, saith the LORD. 28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again. 29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. 32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand [to it]. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that [pertained] to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, [even] to serve the LORD their God. [And] all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) During King Josiah's reign, the people began to repair the house of the Lord. At the same time, Hilkiah (the high priest) found the Book of the Law. The king was grieved and commanded Hilkiah to seek the word of the Lord through Huldah the prophetess.  What did the Lord proclaim to His people and to their king? Why? (v.24-28)
2) What did the king do? (v.29-33)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
3) Have you ever read a passage of Scripture that convicted your heart of the error of your ways? If so, please describe one such time?
4) What did you do to repent of (turn from) your sins?

LIFE LESSONS
5) Ignorance of God's word does not exempt us from the penalty for not doing what the word says.
6) God has given us His word so that we may, humble ourselves before Him, ackowledge our sins, repent of them, and be forgiven.
7) We receive the blessings of the Lord when we are obedient and humbly submit to His word (will) for our lives.

Obey the Words of the Lord

Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Jeremiah 35:12-17 KJV 

12 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, 13 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD. 14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. 15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending [them], saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. 16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me: 17 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What was the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet? (v.12-13)
2) What did the sons of Jonadab refrain from doing? Why? (v.14a,14b)
3) How had God's people responded to His commandments? (v.14c)
4) Who did the Lord send to His people and what did they tell them? Did the people of God listen to His words? (v.15)
5) Who did the Lord use as a standard in judging His people? (v.16)
6) Why did the Lord judge His people? (v.17)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
7) Are you diligent in doing all that the Lord commands in His word? If not, why not?
8) Who might you look to as an example of obedience to the Lord's word (will) in your life?

LIFE LESSONS
9) Our Lord expects His people to hear and to do whatever He says in His word.
10) The Lord sends people into our lives, who exemplify obedience to God, to motivate and model a Godly lifestyle before us.
11) The Lord expects His children to obey Him because He knows what is best for us.
12) Prolonged disobedience to the Lord's commands always results in the chastening of the Lord.

You Shall Not Profane My Name

Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Lev 26:22-33 KJV

22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your [high] ways shall be desolate. 23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 [And] when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver [you] your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; 28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) The Lord God told His people what would happen to them if they walked contrary to Him or disobeyed Him. What did the Lord say that He would do if His people rebelled against Him? How would this affect their families and their property? (v.22)
2) What twelve things did the Lord God say would happen if His people refused to repent and do as He commanded them to do? (v.23-33)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
3) Have you ever experienced progressively difficult hardships or troubles in your life? If so, please describe the most recent difficulty?
4) What do you typically do when you are inundated with difficulties in life?
5) Have you ever considered that your troubles may be the result of your disobedience to the Lord's commands? If not, why not.

LIFE LESSONS
6) The Lord chastens his children when we do not obey His commands because He wants what is best for us.
7) When we refuse to repent, the Lord's chastening becomes increasingly more punitive and progressively more severe.
8) A genuine change of heart that leads to obedience is the only acceptable sacrifice of the rebellious when facing the wrath of Almighty God.