Weekly Bible Study Review
July 29, 2012

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Cafe Class
Culture Cafe
1359 N Altadena Drive
Pasadena CA 91107
Tuesdays 11:00 am

classroom
Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Hutchins Hall Room 402
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 7:00 pm

.Romans Challenge March 2012
Romans Challenge

Albert Baroody invites you

to read the book of Romans in two translations with three other people

in four weeks. 

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Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month

 

August 11, 2012 

September 8, 2012 

October 6, 2012
November 3, 2012
December 8, 2012
 
topofpageGreetings! 

This newsletter is sent to people who attend one of Sandy's weekly Bible studies. The left column has the current class schedule. Be sure to watch for the links in each article. Clicking on them will lead you to charts, diagrams and additional articles related to your class. 

Anyone can subscribe to this free newsletter by using the link in the upper left corner. If you would like to forward this issue to a friend all you have to do is click on the link below.



 

 TuesdayTuesday Cafe Class
Ephesians
Genesis

Genesis 1:1-3:24 

Most scholars agree that Genesis was written by Moses (though a few say Ezra). It's a very old book written about 1,500 years before Christ. Many of the other books of the Bible quote Genesis but Genesis doesn't quote any of them. As we discussed in class, Genesis was not written to convince atheists that God exists and it's not a science book explaining how the universe works. It was written for the Israelites so that they would better understand the God who made a covenant with them. Moses knew God very personally. He spent significant "face time" with God and God must have told him how the world was created and the events that happened long before Moses was born.

  

In ancient times the pagans worshiped a god of the sun, a god of the moon, etc. But Moses shows the Israelites that their God, the One with whom they have a covenant relationship, is the God over everything. It was important for the Israelites to have this written down because right after Moses died they were going to enter the Promised Land that was full of pagans worshiping other gods. Moses knew they would be tempted into idolatry so it was vitally important for them to know their God.

1:1-26 "In the beginning" when the heavens and earth were first created, the earth was empty, formless and dark. The Spirit of God hovered over the waters that covered the earth. Here is the creation account:

  • Day 1 God made light and separated the darkness from the light, calling the light "day" and the darkness "night".
  • Day 2 God made the sky and separated the water under the sky from the water above the sky.
  • Day 3 God gathered the waters below the sky into seas. On the dry land God made seed-bearing plants and trees.
  • Day 4 God made the sun, moon and stars to light the earth and serve as signs to mark days, years and seasons.
  • Day 5 God made all the birds of the air and creatures that live in the water. He blessed them so they would be fruitful and increase in number.
  • Day 6 God made all the livestock, wild animals, and all the creatures that live on dry land. Then God made man.

Notice how it was the God of the Israelites who created all the things the pagans call gods. Moses is showing his people that their God is greater than anyone else's god.

 Click to read more...
 

rtbclassThursday Read-to-Believe Class  
Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 2:24-4:31

This week we read about the beginning of the conquest of the Promised Land. The Israelites defeat two kings, taking their cities and land. All this region was given to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and part of the tribe of Manasseh. (See the map)

 

 In class we talked about the difference between the amount of land controlled by Israel today and what the Lord originally gave them. The city of Tyre in the north is now part of Lebanon and Gaza is controlled by Egypt. The strategic area now known as the Golan Heights is part of Syria. The whole region east of the Jordan River is now part of the nation of Jordan. Page two of the handout shows some of the recent history and explains how Israel had to battle several Arab nations to keep the land they have.

 

2:24-37 The Lord told the Israelites to cross the Arnon Gorge (the southern border of Reuben) because He had given them victory over the king of Heshbon. The nations feared the Israelites because of reports that were spreading about them. Moses sent messengers to the king of Heshbon asking for permission to pass through his land the same way they had passed through Seir (Edom) and Moab. He offered to pay for their food and water in silver. But the king refused to let them pass "for the Lord had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into" the hands of the Israelites. This sounds remarkably similar to the situation with Pharaoh's hardened heart. In the battle at Jahaz the king of Heshbon was struck down along with his sons and army. The Israelites took all his towns and killed everyone-- men, women and children. But they carried off the livestock and plunder for themselves. The Israelites defeated every town in the kingdom of Heshbon. They followed the Lord's command not to move into the land of the Ammonites or the towns in the hills.

 

3:1-11 Next they went north toward Bashan and King Og marched out to meet them for battle at Edrei. (See the map) The Lord told Moses not to be afraid but defeat Og as he had done to the king of Heshbon. The Lord gave the Israelites victory and they took all the fortified cities-- 60 of them, as well as many small villages. They completely destroyed them and killed all the people but kept the livestock and plunder for themselves. The Israelites now controlled a territory from the Arnon Gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north and from the Jordan River in the west to the land of the Ammonites to the east.

Click to read more...

 
 
Since ancient times the Bible has been read aloud to groups of people who were eager to hear the words of Life. We're really no different today. Believers still look to the Bible for wisdom and instruction. We belong in the Word together. Thank you for your participation in these classes. I hope you will pass this email on to others and invite them to attend a Bible study.

Grace and peace,
Sandy Blank


Tuesday2Tuesday Cafe Class (continued)
Genesis 1:1-3:24 

1:27-28 God created man (male and female) in His own image. He blessed them and told them to be fruitful and increase in number. They were to fill the earth and "subdue it." God gave them authority to rule over all the animals. He didn't give this kind of authority to any other creature, only to man. Being made in God's image seems to be related to having authority, serving as God's representative on earth.

 

v. 29-31 God gave the man and woman every seed-bearing plant for food. They were vegetarians. All the birds and animals were also given green plants for their food. They too were vegetarians. God looked at what He'd made and said that it was very good. Imagine the scene-- beautiful animals, birds, trees, and plants in a world where there was no bloodshed or violence. It was indeed very good.

 

2:1-3 God was finished creating. On the seventh day He rested, not because He was tired, but because He was finished. He blessed that day and made it holy. Before we go on, try to imagine the impact this chapter would have had on the ancient Israelites. While the pagans around them were worshiping other gods they alone worshiped the God who made everything that other people worshiped. Also, this account of creation helps explain why Sabbath-keeping was a part of their covenant with God.

 

v. 4-17 Now Moses goes back to talking about Day 6 of creation. Man was not created yet and the vegetation had not sprouted because God hadn't brought rain. Streams came up and watered the earth. Then God formed the man from the dust and breathed into him the breath of life and "man became a living being." God planted a garden called Eden and put the man there. Eden was filled with fruit trees and in the middle of the garden were two very special ones: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This garden was watered by a river that separated into four headwaters, the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The man was placed in the garden because God wanted him to take care of it. God commanded him not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or else he would die.

 

In class the question came up: "What's so bad about knowing good from evil? Wouldn't God want them to have this knowledge?" After some discussion we realized that it wasn't a matter of distinguishing between what is good and what is evil. Rather, it was knowledge of good and knowledge of evil. Prior to their sin Adam and Eve had no knowledge of evil. They had a sort of innocence that was lost after they ate the forbidden fruit.

 

v. 18-25 God said it was not good for the man to be alone so He would make a helper for him. But first the man was told to name all the animals. Naming them indicates his authority over them. But no suitable helper was found for Adam. So God caused him to sleep and took one of his ribs from which He made a woman. Then God brought her to the man. There was an intimate connection between them. Adam recognized that she was "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Moses explains to the Israelites that this is why a man leaves his parents and becomes united to his wife. They become one flesh. Later on Paul would write about Jesus leaving His Father to be united with His bride-- becoming one with her. Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame. All was well in Eden.

 

3:1-7 Then along comes the "crafty" serpent who speaks to the woman and challenges God's command. The woman said they must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or even touch it, or they will die. The serpent said, "You will not surely die." The serpent was calling God a liar. He went on to tell Eve that if she ate this fruit she would be like God, knowing good and evil. The woman was tempted by the pleasing appearance of the fruit and the idea that it would make her wise. She took some, ate it, and gave some to her husband. He also ate it. Their eyes were opened. Realizing that they were naked, they sewed fig leaves together to make simple clothing to hide themselves.

 

v. 8-13 The Lord God was walking in the garden in the evening. The man and woman hid from Him. The Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" God knew where he was. The man answered that he was afraid because he was naked so he hid from God. When asked how he knew he was naked and whether he'd eaten the forbidden fruit the man blamed it on God and the woman. He said to God, "The woman you put here with me-- she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it." So God asked the woman and she blamed it on the serpent who deceived her.

 

v. 14-15 God cursed the serpent saying that it would crawl on its belly and eat dust. God would put hostility between the serpent's offspring and the woman's. The serpent's head would be crushed by her offspring (referring to Christ) and the serpent would strike his (Christ's) heel.

 

v. 16 God did not curse the woman but told her that He would greatly increase her pain in childbearing. Her desire would be for her husband and he would rule over her.

 

v. 17-19 God did not curse Adam but he cursed the ground because Adam listened to his wife and ate the fruit. Eve was deceived by the serpent but apparently Adam was not deceived. God cursed the ground so that it would produce thorns and thistles. Instead of tending the lush garden in Eden Adam would have to plant fields and work very hard for his food. When he dies his body will return to the ground because he was made from dust and unto dust he will return.

 

v. 20-21 "Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living." God made clothing out of animal skins for Adam and Eve. This is the first mention of any blood being shed on the earth-- right after the first sin was committed. It seems to be a shadow of the blood that Jesus would shed thousands of years later.

 

v. 22-24 God said the man had now become like Him in the sense that he had knowledge of good and evil. "He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So God banished Adam from Eden and guarded the tree of life with cherubim and a flaming sword. Adam had to go "work the ground from which he had been taken."

That's all for this time.

-- Sandy Blank

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readtobelieveThursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Deuteronomy 1:24-4:31

3:12-29 Moses gave some of this land to the Reubenites and Gadites because it was good for grazing livestock and these tribes had much livestock. The northern part was given to descendants of Joseph's son, Manasseh. Jair and Makir were the leaders of Manasseh who took a share of land east of the Jordan River. The rest of that tribe will be given land after they cross the Jordan. Their possession of this land was conditional-- all their able-bodied men must cross the Jordan and help the Israelites fight until they have all gained possession of the land the Lord is giving them. If the Reubenites, Gadites, and descendants of Manasseh do not go and fight then they will forfeit the land in the east and must accept whatever land they are given west of the Jordan.

 

In class we read the back story about this deal Moses made with the tribes that settled east of the Jordan.(See handout) We read Numbers 32:1-42 where we saw that it was the Reubenites and Gadites who approached Moses with the idea of settling there. Moses didn't like the idea at all because he thought they were only trying to discourage the Israelites from going in and conquering the land the way the spies had done 38 years earlier. Moses was very angry with them and said, "And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following Him, He will again leave all this people in the desert, and you will be the cause of their destruction." (Numbers 32:14-15) But they made him an offer he couldn't refuse by saying that they would build pens for their animals, cities for their women and children, and then they would go with their brothers across the Jordan. When all the battles were done then they would come back to their land east of the Jordan. Moses agreed but sternly warned them that they must follow through on what they said they would do. If not, they would be sinning against the Lord and they would not get away with it. He also told Joshua and all the leaders about this land deal because Moses knew he would not be there to enforce it later on. The Lord had told him that he would not cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. Even though Moses pleaded with Him, the Lord would not change His mind. But He allowed Moses to climb to a high place and see the land with his own eyes. Joshua would be the one to lead the people on.

 

In class there was some discussion about why the division of land was not equal. Some tribes received much more land than others. So we went back to Numbers 26 and saw the Lord's command regarding the division of land. Moses was commanded to take a census of all the men who were 20 years and older. Here are the results.

 

Reuben

  43,730

Simeon

  22,200

Gad

  40,500

Judah

  76,500

Issachar

  64,300

Zebulun

  60,500

Joseph- Manasseh

  52,700

Joseph-Ephraim

  32,500

Benjamin

  45,600

Dan

  64,400

Asher

  53,400

Naphtali

  45,400

Total

601,730

 

In Numbers 26:53 the LORD said to Moses, "The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names." The larger tribes received more land. That's why some tribes received more land. The Levites were also counted but they did not inherit land the way the other tribes did.

 

4:1-4 Moses warns the Israelites to follow the decrees and laws the Lord has given them. They must also teach them to their children. No one may add to or subtract from these decrees and laws. This covenant is not unconditional. If they follow these laws then they will live and possess the land the Lord is giving them. They had already learned that if they do not follow His laws they will die. Moses is talking about physical life and death here. He reminds them of the incident at Baal of Peor, when the Israelites were practicing idolatry and the Lord destroyed many of them.

 

In class we read the story from Numbers 25:1-17. (See handout) Israelite men were committing sexual immorality with Moabite women and were worshiping the Baal of Peor. The Lord became angry with them and started killing them with a plague. While Moses and the people were weeping at the Tent of Meeting a man brought a Midianite princess to his family, presumably to marry her. Such a marriage between an Israelite and a leading Midianite family would form an alliance between the two nations that was forbidden by the Lord. Aaron's grandson, Phinehas, took matters into his own hands and killed both the Israelite man and Midianite woman with a single thrust of his spear. His zeal for the Lord's honor stopped the plague. Unfortunately 24,000 people had already died. That's how we know that Moses is talking about physical life and death here. When they obeyed they lived, when they disobeyed they died. "The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today." The people Moses was speaking to were present at that event.

 

v. 5-14 Once again Moses tells the people to follow the decrees and laws of the Lord. Their obedience will "show your wisdom and understanding to the nations." Moses reminds them that they are honored above all other nations because the Lord is near them when they pray and He has given them righteous decrees and laws. Other nations are not so fortunate. But he warns them to be careful not to forget what they have seen. They must teach their children and grandchildren about all of this. Their descendants must never forget when the Lord spoke to them out of the fire at Mount Sinai. They heard a voice but saw no form of any kind. The Lord declared to them His covenant, the Ten Commandments, and wrote them on two stone tablets. At that same time the Lord directed Moses to teach the people all the laws they must follow after they cross the Jordan and take possession of their own land.

 

v. 15-24 Idolatry is forbidden. The people didn't see any form on the day the Lord spoke to them. They must not make any idols or images that look like any created thing. They must not worship the sun, moon or stars. God has put these in place for all the nations and they are not to be revered as gods.

 

In class a man from India told us about how Indians worship the sun and moon. Then one day they heard the Americans put a man on the moon. They thought it was impossible because they always thought the moon was made of light. It was a shock for them to learn that astronauts brought back rocks from the moon. This is a great example of the futility of worshiping idols.

 

It was the Lord who brought them out of the "iron-smelting furnace" of Egypt "to be the people of His inheritance." Once again Moses reminds them that the Lord was angry with him because of the rebellion of the people and would not allow him to enter Canaan. Moses knew he was going to die before they got there so he is warning them in very strong language. They must not forget the covenant they have with the Lord and turn to idols. "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

 

v. 25-31 Even if they manage to avoid idolatry initially, Moses warns them that if their descendants corrupt themselves with idols and provoke the Lord to wrath they "will quickly perish from the land" and will not live there very long. The Lord will scatter them among other nations and only a few will survive. While living in those places they will worship idols made of wood and stone. "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." In later days they will return to the Lord and obey Him. "For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant." Moses was a prophet and spoke accurately about what would happen to them in years to come. They would often fall into idolatry. They would be exiled to foreign lands and they would cry out to the Lord in their distress. He was merciful with them every time they repented and obeyed Him because He never forgot the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Much more next time.

 -- Sandy Blank

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This newsletter is maintained by Sandy Blank (Ph.D. Educational Studies, Biola; MA Biblical Studies, Grace University). If you would like further information about any of her classes or would like to know how to start a Bible study in your area please contact her at [email protected]. This newsletter is sponsored by Theocentrix, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting God-centered Bible literacy. Visit www.theocentrix.org for more information.