Weekly Bible Study Review
August 12, 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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peacock 1
Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month

 

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

No Cafe Class on August 28th.

Genesis 9:1-13:18

9:1-7 God blessed Noah and his sons telling them to "be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." All the animals were now going to be afraid of people (apparently they weren't before the flood). God gave Noah and his sons permission to eat meat and fish. Remember we read back in 1:29-30 that Adam and all the animals were given green plants and fruit to eat. Now they may eat meat but it must not have has its lifeblood still in it. God will "demand an accounting" from every animal that kills a man and every man who kills a man. God established capital punishment for murderers. The Israelites who read this book much later would recognize that their own practices of abstaining from blood and stoning murderers weren't something new but actually had their roots back in the time of Noah.

 

v. 8-17 God established a covenant with Noah, his descendants, the animals and the birds that He would never again send a flood to destroy the earth. Why was this covenant necessary? I think sometimes we overlook how traumatic the flood would have been for the survivors. All the people, cities, roads, vineyards and fields were gone. The wives of Noah's sons would have lost all their relatives in the flood. It would have been frightening to be so alone on the earth. The next time there were rain clouds in the sky they may have feared that God would do this again. God wanted to reassure them that this would never happen again so He made this covenant with them. It wasn't dependent on their behavior and didn't require them to make any sacrifices or offerings. God also gave them a clear sign of this covenant-- the rainbow.

 

 

rtbclassThursday Read-to-Believe Class  
Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8:1-11:15

8:1-5 Moses repeats his warning that the Israelites must follow every command of the Lord so they "may live and may enter and possess the land" the Lord promised to their forefathers. He led them through the desert 40 years to humble and test them. The Lord caused them to hunger and then fed them with manna to teach them that "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Jesus quoted this verse when Satan tempted Him after He had been fasting in the wilderness 40 days (Luke 4:4). Not only did the Lord continue to feed them but their clothes didn't even wear out. He was disciplining them like a father disciplines his son.

 

v. 6-20 He will bring them into a good land where they will lack nothing. But Moses warns them that they must be careful because when they have become prosperous and have eaten all they want then they might become proud and forget that it was the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. He is the one who led them through that dangerous land. They might say, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But the Lord is the one who gives them the ability to produce wealth. This is to confirm the covenant He made with Abraham. If they ever forget that and worship other gods then the Lord will surely destroy them.

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 9:1-13:18 

9:18-23 All the people of the earth are descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. Noah planted a vineyard, made some wine and became drunk. He was lying in his tent unclothed when Ham came in and "saw his father's nakedness." Ham went outside and told his brothers. Shem and Japheth very discreetly covered Noah without disgracing him by seeing his nakedness.

 

v. 24-29 When Noah woke up and found out what happened he was very angry and cursed Canaan (Ham's son) saying he would be the lowest of slaves to Shem. He also blessed Shem and Japheth saying Japheth's territory would be increased and he and Shem would be allies. These blessings and curses were not only for these men but would also apply to their descendants. Shem and Japheth's descendants would be blessed but Canaan's descendants would be cursed and become slaves. The Israelites are descendants of Shem. When they read this account of Noah's curse it would have helped them understand why the Canaanites who occupied the Promised Land were driven out. The question came up in class, "Why did Noah curse Canaan instead of Ham? Canaan didn't do anything wrong." By cursing only one of his grandsons Noah could still be vindicated while limiting the effect of the curse. Instead of all of Ham's descendants being cursed, only one of his four sons had to bear it.

 

10:1-32 Next we see the genealogy of Noah's sons. The sons of Japheth settled in the north. Canaan's descendants (verse 15-19) scattered throughout what was later known as the Promised Land. Shem's sons lived in the eastern hill country. Noah's descendants gradually spread out over the earth. Click to see map.

 

11:1-9 This chapter is a flash-back to a time before all these nations scattered. It was a time when all people spoke the same language. They decided to work together and build a city with a tower made of bricks and mortar in order to "make a name" for themselves. They didn't want to be scattered throughout the earth. What's the problem? This sounds like cooperation and progress, right? But the Lord wanted them to go out and fill the earth. He saw what they were doing and put a stop to it by confusing their language so they would not understand each other. "So the Lord scattered them" and they were forced to stop building their city which was called "Babel."

 

v. 10-32 Now we see a more detailed description of Shem's descendants. Notice that the years are listed in this genealogy. Click to see the handout. There are 10 generations between Adam and Noah, and 10 generations between Noah and Abraham. Terah's sons were Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran, the father of Lot, died in Ur. Abram married Sarai and Nahor married Milcah (his brother Haran's daughter). Terah took Abram, Sarai, and Lot and set out for Canaan. But they settled in Haran instead. Nahor must have stayed in Ur. Click to see map. Terah eventually died in Haran, never completing his trip to Canaan.

 

12:1-5 While in Haran, the Lord came to Abram and told him to leave his country, his people, and his father's house and go to a land He would show him. The Lord promised to make Abram into a great nation, and he would be a blessing to all nations. Whoever blessed him would be blessed, whoever cursed him would be cursed. Abram (age 75) was obedient and left with his wife, his nephew Lot, and all their possessions. "They set out for the land of Canaan and arrived there."

 

v. 6-9 The Canaanites were living in the land at this time. But the Lord promised to give this land to Abram's descendants (the Israelites). Abram built an altar to the Lord at Shechem. Click to see map. He went to Bethel, built another altar, and then went to the Negev-- a barren land to the east.

 

v. 10-20 There was famine in the land so Abram went to Egypt. Egypt had food because of the abundant water supply there. Abram asked his beautiful wife Sarai to say he was her brother. Abram was afraid because in those days a man might kill a woman's husband so he could marry her himself. But a woman's brother would be treated well and given gifts so he would give his permission for her to marry. In Egypt, the Pharaoh himself wanted Sarai to be his wife. Abram, who was thought to be her brother, was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants and camels. But Pharaoh's household became very sick. That's when Pharaoh figured out who Abram really was. He quickly sent Abram and Sarai on their way along with all the wealth he'd given them. So Abram left and went back to the Negev.

 

13:1-4 When Abram left Egypt he was a very wealthy man because of the gifts given to him by the Egyptian Pharaoh. He and Sarai and Lot went to the Negev and then to Bethel where he had pitched his tents earlier. Abram once again "called on the name of the Lord."

 

v. 5-13 Lot also had livestock and tents. Abram and Lot could not stay together because there wasn't enough grazing land and water to support all of their flocks and herds. They had to go their separate ways. Abram graciously offered Lot first choice in where he would like to go. Lot chose to go to the plain of the Jordan River where there was abundant grass and water. So Abram went the other direction and moved to the area of Canaan. The wicked city of Sodom was in the plains where Lot chose to go.

 

v. 14-18 After they separated, the Lord told Abram that He would give him all the land as far as he could see. It would belong to Abram and his descendants forever. The Lord also promised that Abram would have descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. Abram was told to walk the length and breadth of the land the Lord was giving him. So he moved his tents to Hebron and built an altar to the Lord there. 

More next time.

--Sandy Blank

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readtobelieveThursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Deuteronomy 8:1-11:15

9:1-6 The Israelites were about to cross the Jordan River and drive out seven powerful nations. The cities have high walls and the people are strong and tall like Anakites. But the Lord will go before them and weaken them so the Israelites can drive them out of the land and destroy them quickly. Moses bluntly tells them that they are not being given all this land because they are so righteous. Rather it's because these other nations are so wicked that they are being driven out. The Israelites are not better than the people they are dispossessing; as Moses will show them in several graphic reminders of their "stiff-necked" rebellion against the Lord.

v. 7-29 They provoked the Lord to anger many times, the first of which was at Mount Horeb (Mt. Sinai) when they worshiped a golden calf. The Lord was angry enough to destroy them but Moses interceded and begged Him to forgive them. Even Aaron was in danger of being destroyed by the Lord for his part in the rebellion.  Moses had to go up the mountain a second time and fast 40 days and nights. Then the Lord gave him new stone tablets on which He'd written the Ten Commandments.

As a reminder of their rebellious attitude toward the Lord, Moses mentions four other times when the people had made the Lord angry-- at Taberah, Massah, Kibroth Hattaavah and Kadesh Barnea.

         Taberah-- Numbers 11:1-3 The people complained about their hardships and the Lord killed some of those who were at the outskirts of the camp with fire. Taberah means "burning."

         Massah-- Exodus 17:1-7 The people had no water and questioned whether the Lord was with them. They threatened to stone Moses but the Lord told him to strike a rock and it brought forth water for all the people.  Massah means "testing."

         Kibroth Hattaavah-- Numbers 11:4-35 Some of the people craved other food and said they were better off in Egypt. The Lord brought a huge number of quail, enough to feed them for a month. But He was angry with them for wanting to return to Egypt so He struck them with a severe plague. Kibroth Hattaavah means "graves of craving."

         Kadesh Barnea-- Deuteronomy 1:19-46 The people were discouraged by the bad report given by 10 of the spies and sat in their tents saying, "The Lord hates us." Because they did not trust the Lord to conquer their enemies He made them turn back toward the desert and kept them out there another 38 years until all the fighting men of that generation died.

The Israelites neither trusted Him nor obeyed Him. Moses says, "You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you." Yet he interceded for them again and again, appealing to the Lord's desire to protect the honor of His Name among the pagan nations. If He destroyed the Israelites then the other nations would think He hated His people or He was not powerful enough to bring them into Canaan. Moses never made excuses for the Israelites' disobedience.

10:1-11 Moses reminds the people of the new stone tablets and the ark of the covenant in which they were kept. He records the burial place of Aaron and how his son, Eleazar, succeeded him as high priest. In class we read about Aaron's death in Numbers 20:22-29. Like Moses, he was not allowed to enter Canaan because he sinned against the Lord. The Levites were set apart by the Lord to carry the ark of the covenant and minister before Him. That's why the Levites were not given a share of the land when it was divided.

v. 12-22 What does the Lord ask of the Israelites? To fear Him, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve Him with all their heart and soul, and to observe His commands and decrees. All of this is for their own good. The Lord owns the heaven, the earth, and everything in it. He is the one who chose them above all the other nations. That's why they should not be stiff-necked and rebellious but instead should circumcise their hearts, humbling themselves before the Lord.  Moses says, "The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords." He is above all others. He shows no partiality and cannot be influenced by a bribe. He defends the helpless, like widows and orphans. He even provides food for aliens. The Israelites should fear Him, hold fast to Him, and take their oaths in His name. It is the Lord who has made them into a large nation. There were only seventy men with Jacob when he went down to Egypt at the time when Joseph was in power, but now there were more than 600,000 men.

11:1-7 Not only should they fear Him and serve Him, but they should love the Lord and obey His commands. Moses reminds them that it was this generation who saw the many miracles the Lord did for them in the wilderness. It was not their children who saw it but these grownups who were standing with him east of the Jordan River just before they were to cross over. In class we talked about the three generations that were involved here. There was the group that was 20 years and older when they left Egypt, the children of that group, and the grandchildren of that group. The oldest generation died in the wilderness during the 40 years wandering. The next generation would have been little kids when they left Egypt but were grown up by the end of the 40 years. And the youngest generation was born during that 40 years in the wilderness. It was the second generation that Moses was talking to. They were the ones who experienced the discipline of the Lord, saw the signs and wonders at the Red Sea, and all He did for them along the way. They also witnessed what happened to Dathan and Abiram at the time of Korah's rebellion when the earth opened up and swallowed these rebellious men and their families. (Read Numbers 16).

v.  8-15 The Israelites must observe all the commands of the Lord so He will give them strength to go in and take the land on the other side of the Jordan. This is a good land. It's even better than Egypt because in Egypt they had to manually water their crops. But in Canaan the Lord sends rain from heaven. He watches over that land and cares for it from the beginning of the year to its end. But the blessings of this good land are dependent upon their obedience to the Lord's commands. If they obey they will be blessed with rain, new wine, oil, and abundant grain. Even their cattle will enjoy plenty of grass in their pastures.

That's all for this 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.