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Weekly Bible Study Review
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Missed an Issue? No problem. View our Archives.
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Class Schedule
Go to www.theocentrix.org click on the "Events" tab
for maps and more information.
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Cafe Class
Culture Cafe
1359 N Altadena Drive
Pasadena CA 91107
Tuesdays 11:00 am
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Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Hutchins Hall Room 402
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 7:00 pm
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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 |
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 Greetings!
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.
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Tuesday Cafe Class
Ephesians
Genesis | |
No Cafe Class on August 28th.
Genesis 4:1-8:22
Genesis 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 revealed to him how the world was created and the events that happened long before Moses was born. 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.
4:1-7 Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve. Eve acknowledges it was the Lord who helped her give birth to a "man." Cain was the very first baby to be born. Sometime later Abel was born. Cain worked the soil and Abel tended flocks. Cain and Abel both brought offerings but only Abel's was acceptable to the Lord. Cain became "very angry." The Lord asked him why and told him that if he does "what is right" he will be accepted. But if he does not do what is right then "sin is crouching at your door." Cain is told to master this sin.
v. 8-16 Unfortunately, Cain murdered Abel. When the Lord asked about his brother, Cain lied and said he didn't know. The Lord cursed Cain and told him the ground would no longer yield crops for him. He would be "a restless wanderer on the earth." Remember, Cain was a farmer. Farmers are not "wanderers." They stay on the same plot of land for generations. Cain protested saying that this was too harsh and he feared that someone would kill him. But the Lord put a visible mark on Cain and said that if anyone killed him then he would be avenged seven times over. Cain went out and lived in Nod, east of Eden.
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Thursday Read-to-Believe Class
Deuteronomy | |
Deuteronomy 4:15-7:26
4:15-24 Idolatry is forbidden. The Israelites didn't see any form on the day the Lord spoke to them so 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. 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 them and would not allow him to enter Canaan. Moses knew he was going to die before they got there. The people 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 in years to come 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." Later 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" He made with their forefathers. Moses was a prophet and spoke accurately about what would happen to them in the future. 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 has never forgotten the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
v. 32-40 Moses raises an important question that he wants the people to ask. Has this ever happened before? Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking to them in fire and lived to tell it? Has anyone else's god "tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation" by miracles, war, or awesome deeds? The God of the Israelites has done what no other god has ever done. Therefore they should not be tempted to worship any pagan gods because the Lord is greater than all other gods. The Israelites "were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God: besides Him there is no other." He made them hear His voice from heaven and He showed them His great fire on earth. The Lord loved their forefathers. That is why He brought them out of Egypt and drives out nations before them to give them the land He promised. The people must "acknowledge and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other." If they will keep His decrees and commands then they will be allowed to live a long time in the land He is giving them.
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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
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 | Tuesday Cafe Class (continued) | |
Genesis 4:1-8:22
4:17-24 Cain had a son named Enoch. He named the city he was building after Enoch. Next we see the genealogy of Cain's descendents all the way to the one named Lamech. Lamech had two wives. He killed a man and told his wives that if his ancestor Cain could be avenged 7 times then he should be avenged 77 times. Lamech expected greater leniency than the Lord had given Cain when he murdered Abel.
v. 25-26 Adam and Eve had another son named Seth. Eve saw Seth as Abel's replacement. Seth had a son named Enosh. It was Seth's descendants who began to "call on " (or proclaim) the name of the Lord. Click to see a chart of Cain and Seth's families.
5:1-32 Now Moses goes into a lengthy and detailed genealogy of Seth's descendents. He even includes their age when they had their first son and how long each man lived. This is quite unusual. Click to see the chart we discussed in class. We see that Noah's father, Lamech (not the same Lamech in Cain's line), died 5 years prior to the flood. Noah's grandfather, Methuselah, died the same year as the flood. Noah and his son Shem survived the flood. We also see that there were 10 generations between Adam and Noah as well as 10 generations between Noah and Abraham. Why is this genealogy important? Because it shows that there is order in the course of history. Things are not just happening randomly or spiraling out of control. The Lord is behind it all.
6:1-3 As the population of the world increased so did the wickedness. The Lord said He would not "contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." This is not a reference to a shorter lifespan for mortal men, rather it means He was going to bring the flood in 120 years and wipe them out.
v. 4-6 There is much debate about who the Nephilim were. It's likely that they were powerful men, "heroes of old, men of renown," who were under demonic influence. "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." The Lord was grieved that He had made man. He wasn't surprised that it turned out this way but He was sorrowful about it. Notice that "man's heart was only evil" and the Lord's "heart was filled with pain."
v. 7-17 So the Lord declared that He would wipe out not only the people but also the animals and birds. Fortunately for us there was one man who found favor in the Lord's eyes-- Noah. He was apparently the only man who "walked with God" at that time. His three sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. The earth was corrupt and full of violence because of the people. It was because of people that God was going to destroy the earth with a flood. He told Noah to make an ark. The details are given. God was about to bring a flood that would kill all the creatures on earth who were not in the ark.
v. 18-22 But God established a covenant with Noah. He was to bring his wife, his sons, and his sons wives into the ark along with 2 of every kind of animal to keep them alive during the flood. The animals would come to Noah (he didn't have to catch them) and he was to store enough food for them all. "Noah did everything just as God commanded him." This is how we know he was a righteous man.
7:1-24 The Lord told Noah to go into the ark and take 7 pair of every kind of clean animal as well as 2 pair of every unclean animal and 7 pair of every kind of bird. Notice that even before the covenant with the Israelites there was a clear distinction between clean and unclean. In 7 days God was going to make it rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Again we see that "Noah did all that the Lord commanded him." He was 600 years old when the flood came. They all entered the ark and "after 7 days the floodwaters came." The flood started on the 17th day of the 2nd month "in the 600th year of Noah's life." The Lord Himself shut the door on the ark. It kept raining and the ark floated high above the mountains. The water covered the mountains by more than 20 feet and remained for 150 days (5 months). All of the people and animals died except those who were with Noah in the ark.
8:1-12 "But God remembered Noah" and all who were with him in the ark. Keep in mind that Moses was writing this to the ancient Israelites who would have been thinking about the way God "remembered" them when He brought them out of Egypt. The rain stopped falling, God sent a wind and the waters receded steadily and on the 17th day of the 7th month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (modern-day Armenia). On the 1st day of the 10th month the tops of the mountains became visible. After 40 days Noah sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the waters dried up. Then once a week he sent out a dove. The first time it couldn't find a place to rest, the second time it brought a fresh olive leaf, and the third time it did not come back at all.
v. 13-17 "By the 1st day of the first month of Noah's 601st year the water had dried up from the earth." By the 27th day of the 2nd month the earth was completely dry. God told Noah to come out of the ark with his family and all the animals so they "can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."
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Month |
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2 |
17 |
600 |
the flood began | |
7 |
17 |
600 |
the ark rested on Mt. Ararat | |
10 |
1 |
600 |
the tops of mountains visible | |
1 |
1 |
601 |
the ground was dry | |
2 |
27 |
601 |
Noah leaves the ark |
v. 18-22 So Noah came out of the ark. He built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed some of the clean animals on it. The Lord smelled "the pleasing aroma" of the burnt offering and said to Himself, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done." He went on to say that "as long as the earth endures" there will continue to be day and night, cold and heat, summer and winter... We will see in the next chapter what the Lord gave as a sign that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood.
-- Sandy Blank
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| Thursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued) | |
Deuteronomy 4:15-7:26
4:41-49 Moses set aside three cities that would be known as cities of refuge. They would be a safe haven for a person who had unintentionally killed someone. If the person ran to one of these cities he would be protected and kept safe from an avenging relative of the one he had killed. We will read more about these cities later on. Moses told the people all these things while they were east of the Jordan River after they had taken possession of the land previously ruled by the king of Bashan and the king of Heshbon.
5:1-21 Moses called all the people together and told them to learn and follow all the decrees and laws they had been given by the Lord at Horeb (Mount Sinai). This covenant was made between the Lord and the people who were standing in front of Moses that day. Moses specifically said God did not make this covenant with their fathers but with those who were alive with him that day. The Lord spoke to the people from the mountain even though Moses stood between them and served as the mediator of the covenant because they were too frightened to come near to God. Then Moses repeated the Ten Commandments.
- I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me.
- Make no idols. Do not bow down and worship any idols or your children will be punished to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
- Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
- Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Work six days but rest on the seventh. This includes your servants and animals. You were slaves in Egypt but the Lord brought you out and commands you to observe the Sabbath day.
- Honor your father and mother so you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord is giving you.
- Do not murder.
- Do not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
- Do not covet your neighbor's wife, house, land, servants or possessions.
v. 22-33 Moses reminds them that these are the commandments the Lord spoke to them from the fire that burned on Mount Sinai. "And He added nothing more." Then the Lord wrote them down on two stone tablets and gave them to Moses. When the people first heard His voice all the leading men came to Moses and told him how they were afraid they would die if they continued to hear the voice of the Lord. They thought the fire would consume them so they wanted Moses to go near and listen to everything the Lord said. They promised to obey everything the Lord told them through Moses. The Lord allowed the people to return to their tents and Moses could serve as the intermediary. It was the Lord's desire that the people would always fear Him in this way so that they would obey and He could bless them rather than punish them. Moses told the people to be careful to follow the Lord's commands "so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."
Notice that their obedience to the Ten Commandments was tied to physical life, not eternal life. If they obeyed they would live a full lifespan and be allowed to stay in the Promised Land for many generations. But if they did not obey then they would physically die-- either be executed by stoning for breaking one of the Commandments, or perhaps killed in a plague sent by the Lord. It's obvious that these commands were specifically for this one nation and the blessings/punishments were physical, not spiritual. We will read more about this in the next chapter.
6:1-12 The commands, decrees and laws of the Lord are to be followed in the Promised Land, not only in the wilderness wandering. They must keep doing them generation after generation so they "may enjoy long life" and "increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey." Again, notice the physical blessings for obedience. Moses says, "Hear, Oh Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." They must love the Lord wholeheartedly and not divide their affection between Him and other gods. These commandments are to be a natural part of their daily lives such that they will talk about them throughout the day, impress them on their children and even tie them to their hands and foreheads and write them on their doorposts. This is so they will not forget the Lord after He has given them a good land filled with cities they did not build, wells they did not dig, and vineyards they did not plant.
v. 13-25 The Israelites are to fear the Lord, serve only Him, and take oaths in His name. Again Moses stresses that they must not follow the gods of the other nations who live around them. The Lord is a jealous God and will destroy them in His anger if they turn to other gods. When Moses says they should fear the Lord he really means fear. Idolatry is a matter of life and death. He says they must not test the Lord as they did in Massah (Exodus 17:1-7). If they "do what is right and good in the Lord's sight" it will go well with them and they will be allowed to go into the land He promised them. Again we see that obedience is tied to physical blessings and a long life, not eternal life. Later, when their children ask them to explain the meaning of the Lord's laws and decrees they are to tell the children about their previous time of slavery in Egypt and how the Lord brought them out. He sent miraculous signs and wonders on Egypt and commanded the Israelites to obey all His decrees. If they obey and fear the Lord then they "will always prosper and be kept alive." Furthermore, Moses says that if they obey all that He has commanded them then "that will be our righteousness."
In class we discussed this statement about the Israelites' righteousness. Moses has been saying that if they obey the decrees of the Lord they will live (physically) and be able to live for many generations in the land He has given them. But this is the first time Moses has said that this is their righteousness. The question that came up in class was, "Is this obedience to the Law of Moses our righteousness today?" It is not. That's because our righteousness in the sight of God comes through our faith in Christ. Why wasn't that the case for the Israelites? Because they never heard the name of Jesus. God hadn't revealed Him yet. We also talked about Abraham and Noah. Were they righteous because they kept the Law of Moses or because they believed in Jesus? No, because they lived long before the Law and Jesus. Noah was righteous because he believed God regarding the flood and did what he was commanded to do. The same with Abraham. He believed God when He said He would give him a son in his old age. Abraham believed and it was counted as righteousness. So, how does one become righteous in God's sight today? By believing God when He says that Jesus is enough to redeem us from our sins. Obedience to the Law will not make us righteous. We will talk about this much more when we get to Hebrews chapter 11.
7:1-16 Moses told the people that God would drive seven large and powerful nations out of Canaan before them. It was up to the Israelites to destroy these nations totally and without mercy. They must not make treaties with them or intermarry with them otherwise the Israelites will be drawn into idolatry and the Lord will have to destroy them. The Israelites are a holy people to the Lord and chosen to be "His treasured possession." Therefore they must break down the pagan altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their idols in the fire. The Lord did not choose the Israelites because they were a large nation, rather they were very small in number. There were only 70 men in Jacob's family when they relocated to Egypt under Joseph's protection. The Lord loves them and He kept the oath He made to their ancestors. "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love." Their ancestors loved the Lord. But if the Israelites turn away from the Lord they must remember that "He will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate Him." So again Moses warns them to follow the commands and laws they have been given. If they do then the Lord will surely keep His covenant of love with them. He will bless them in many different ways. They will be healthy, fertile, and enjoy great prosperity. But they must destroy all the nations the Lord gives over to them. If they allow these nations to live then they will certainly participate in their worship of other gods.
v. 17-26 Moses anticipates that the people may wonder how they will be able to drive out nations that are stronger than they are. But they need only remember what the Lord has already done for them in Egypt. They saw with their own eyes the trials, miracles and the mighty hand of the Lord that brought them out of slavery. The Lord will do the same with the nations they must drive out of Canaan. He will even make sure the ones who hide from them perish. The Lord will drive these nations out a little at a time otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous. He will throw these nations into confusion and make it possible for the Israelites to defeat their kings. No one will be strong enough to stand up against them. But they must be careful to burn their idols and not covet the gold and silver on them. If they bring such "detestable" things into their homes then they will be set apart for destruction the same as those idols. "Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction."
We have seen in this week's reading that God has zero tolerance when it comes to idolatry. It might be wise for us to think about why this is such a serious matter with Him and also begin to identify any modern-day idols that might be a snare for us.
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 sandyblank@theocentrix.org. 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. |
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