The Road To Bethlehem: God With us

Today we continue on the Road to Bethlehem and we continue in Isaiah 7:14.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

• God with us... Why is it that the Messiah would be God With Us?
• Sin Romans 3:23 tells us that "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In other words, our sin separates us from God.
• Remember yesterday how we talked about how Jesus had to be born of a virgin so that He would not inherit sin? Our sin is still the central issue why the Messiah is coming to be God With Us.
• Who walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden? Adam and Eve
• What happened when they sinned? They got thrown out of the garden. Their sin separated them from God physically and spiritually.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

• This passage in Ephesians reminds us that our salvation is only by grace and not by works
• In other words, our works - no matter how good they may be - cannot save us.
• If we can do nothing to save ourselves, then we can do nothing on our own to bring ourselves back to God.
• We can read (like in Romans 3:11) that nobody seeks God.
• So, if God wanted to have a relationship with us, He would have to come to us.
• So, if God was sending a Messiah who would be called "God With Us" do you think He wants a relationship with us?

The Road To Bethlehem: A Virgin Shall Be With Child

Today we continue on the Road to Bethlehem and we come back to Isaiah. This time we come to chapter 7.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

• A few weeks back, we looked at Genesis 3:15 and saw (among other things) that the Messiah was to be born to a virgin. In other words, He was going to have an earthly mother but not an earthly father.
• We had looked in Matthew 1:18 and read about how that part of the Genesis prophecy was filled in Jesus.
• Have you ever wondered why (other than this prophecy) the Messiah had to be born to a virgin?

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned

Romans 5:12

• Sin. That's why the Messiah had to be born of a virgin. Because of Adam's sin, we have all inherited sin and the death that is the result of sin.
• Many wise men, believe that sin is passed down through the father and since everybody has an earthly father, everybody has inherited sin.
• The father, as you might recall from last week when we studied "Everlasting Father" represents the first of it's kind. In other words, If the father sinned, all of his descendents like him sin.
• But Jesus, the Messiah, did not have an earthly father. Therefore, He did not inherit the sin of Adam.
• Another aspect of the Messiah being born to a virgin is that, well, it would be a miracle since normally there needs to be a mother and a father to make a baby.
• But remember we're talking about a Messiah whose name would be "Wonderful" and that Hebrew word means miraculous!

The Road To Bethlehem: Bethlehem

Today as we continue on the road to Bethlehem, I want to read a little bit about Bethlehem and who is associated with it. Bethlehem means "house of bread." It is also known as Ephrath which means "place of fruitfulness." Several well known Old Testament people are associated with Bethlehem.

• Rachel (wife of Jacob) was buried near Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19)
• Elimelech was from Bethlehem. He was the husband of Naomi who went and died in Moab. Naomi returned to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law Ruth.
• Boaz, who married Ruth, was from Bethlehem, as was their son Obed and their grandson Jesse.
• Jesse was the father of David, the second King of Israel, writer of many Psalms, "a man after God's own heart," and one through whom the Messiah was promised.

Another well know prophecy of the Messiah focuses on Bethlehem.

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
    out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
    whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times. "

Micah 5:2

• Although many significant people came from Bethlehem, it was a city for one of the smallest tribes of Israel.
• This verse says talks about a "ruler over Israel." How does this remind you of Isaiah 9:7?
• The government shall be on his shoulders
• wonderful counselor
• Prince of Peace
• This verse also mentions "whose origins are from old, from ancient times." How does that remind you of Isaiah 9:7?
• Everlasting Father
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem and He is King of Kings and He has existed forver. Do you think Jesus fulfills this prophecy?

The Road To Bethlehem: Prince of Peace

Today, we finish up our journey through Isaiah 9:6 (but not the road to Bethlehem) as we come to "Prince of Peace."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

• The Hebrew words here are sar shalowm.

• Sar means prince or commander. It is used in the Old Testament of both nobility (princes) and commanders of armies.
• Shalowm is a word that today is used of peace. It can refer to completeness (in number), safety, soundness (in body), welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment, peace in friendship
• We know that the Messiah will be
• ruler of everything (the governement will be on his shoulders)
• a master strategist (wonderful counselor)
• a mighty warrior (mighty God)
• forever (everlasting father)
• So what will he rule over?
• a complete kingdom - not one of His children will be left out
• a safe kingdom where we will be free from harm
• a healthy kingdom where no one will get sick again
• a peaceful kingdom where there will be no more war
• If that sounds like Heaven, it is!
• From all that we've learned by looking at Isaiah 9:6, can you see how the Israelites would be looking forward excitedly for the Messiah?
• Aren't you glad that we know the Messiah is Jesus?
• Are you glad that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy?

The Road To Bethlehem: Everlasting Father

As we continue on the road to Bethlehem, we come now to "Everlasting Father."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

• The Hebrew words we see here are `ad 'ab.
• `ad means "perpetuity, for ever, continuing future." and both means ancient (from forever ago) and lasting for all times (until forever in the future)
• 'ab means "father" or "head or founder of a household," or "ancestor," or "originator or patron of a class, profession, or art (i.e., first of it's kind)"
• So, how long has the child who was to be born existed?
• How long will He exist?
• How long has Jesus existed?


• How long will Jesus exist?

He [God] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Ephesians 1:5

• This verse says we were adopted through Jesus. Would this confirm the Messiah as father or head of household?

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:29

• This verse talks of Jesus being the firstborn among many brothers. Does this sound like the Messiah is originator or patron of a class, profession, or art (i.e., first of it's kind)
• Does it sound to you like Jesus fulfills the "Everlasting Father" part of this prophecy?

The Road To Bethlehem: Mighty God

As we continue on the road to Bethlehem, we come to "Mighty God."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

• The Hebrew word gibbowr means strong and mighty. It is often used to describe mighty warriors, fighting men, or heroes.
• How would you define mighty?
• What are some ways that God is mighty?
• What are some things that God battles against?
• What are some ways that God is a hero?
• The Hebrew word el which is translated here as God means god or mighty one.
• So, in effect, we could translate gibbowr el as "Mighty, mighty God" further emphasizing God's mightiness!
• Isn't it good to know that the Messiah, who will be running the world and will be a master strategist, is called mighty mighty?
• If the Messiah is Mighty God, do you think he'll be able to carry out his plans?

The Road To Bethlehem: Counsleor

As we continue on the road to Bethlehem, we continue with our examination of the prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6. Thus far, we've read about how the Messiah will

• Be born a baby
• Will be a son
• Will be ruler over all, and
• Will be wonderful

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

• In the Old Testament, a counsellor was someone who gave you advice and helped you plan. The Hebrew word here was often used of a king's top helpers, the people who helped the most in running his kingdom.
• We know that the Messiah would be the King of Kings. Here we see him referred to as Counselor. To me, this says that as King of Kings, he doesn't need anyone's advice. He already knows what is best.
• As I mentioned when we looked at "wonderful" most translations treat this as one phrase: "Wonderful Counselor." The New English Translation of the Bible translates this phrase as "Extraordinary Strategist."
• We often think of strategy when we're playing chess. We think a move may be a good move because it causes our oppponent to not have any good moves or to lose.
• The Messiah, the prophecy says, will be a master strategist. He will always know what the best move will be. He will always know how to acheive victory.
• Do you think that Jesus knows what is best for you?
• Can you follow Jesus' advice?
• Do you think that you should do what Jesus says to do?

The Road to Bethlehem: Wonderful

Yesterday, we read about how it was prophesied that the Messiah would run the world. Today, we'll look at the word in the prophecy: "wonderful."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Looking at some of the comments on this verse in the Bible there are some people who put a comma in between "wonderful" and "counselor" and some who don't. From reading "Eats Shoots and Leaves," we know things read differently if we punctuate them differently. For purposes of today's Bible study, I am going to treat it as if there is a comma there. Today we will be looking at the Messiah being called Wonderful.

• Dictionary.com defines wonderful as "excellent; great; marvelous" or "of a sort that causes or arouses wonder; amazing; astonishing:" How would you define wonderful?
• What is something that you would describe as "wonderful"?
• The Hebrew word here is pele' which is often used in describing miracles or marvelous deeds. Can you think of some miracles God did in the Old Testament?
• Other times that this Hebrew word is used, it is translated as astonishing which is how you would describe something that was so amazing that it surprised you. Can you think of something that is wonderful in this way?
• Jesus did many miracles when He was here on earth. What are some that you can remember?
• Do you think the people who saw these miracles would describe Jesus as wonderful?
• Would you say Jesus is wonderful?

The Road to Bethlehem: The Government On His Shoulders

Yesterday, we read about how it was prophesied that the Messiah would be a son. Today, we'll look at the next phrase in the prophecy: "the government will be on his shoulders."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Here in Virginia, the governor is the one person of whom it can be said that the government is on his shoulders. There is no higher authority in Virgina than the governor. In the United States, the President holds that distinction. There is no one person who has greater authority for the running of the United States than does the President. In Isaiah 9, we read that the Messiah has the government on his shoulders.

• What are some of the implications of the government being on the Messiah's shoulders?
• He has authority. You can't run a government if you don't have any authority. Jesus says in Matthew 28:18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Jesus has authority. He is in charge.
• He is over all the earth. Jesus doesn't just have the government of one part of the earth on His shoulders, he has it all. As we just saw "all authority in heaven and on earth" was given to Jesus. There is nowhere on Earth where He is not in charge.
• He is involved with our daily lives. The world is not like a wind-up toy that you wind up and let go and then watch what it does. The world is more like our electric Polar Express train. It only runs when you are running it. As Jesus is running the world, He is daily running it. Every day, He is a part of it. If He weren't, the world wouldn't run.
• He has our best interests at heart. In America, if the country didn't feel that the President had their best interests at heart, he wouldn't get reelected. We know that Jesus has our best interests at heart because we know that He came to save us from our sin and to bring us close to God.
• In Pinky and the Brain, the Brain is always trying to take over the world. Does it ever work for him? No
• Is the Brain truly capable of running the world? No
• Is Jesus capable of running the world? Yes, of course He is
• Who would you rather run the world? The Brain or Jesus? Why?

The Road to Bethlehem: A Son Is Given

Yesterday, we read about how it was prophesied that the Messiah would be given as a baby. Today, I want to look at the next phrase in the prophecy: "a son is given."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

To us a son is given. In Bible times, having a son was important. The son would be the heir, the one who would take over when the father died. The son would inherit the father's possessions and take over as the leader of the family. The son of a king would become the next king. Sons were important to carry on the family line. Though daughters were important too, when married they would become part of their husbands families. Today in America, sons aren't quite as distinctive as they were in Bible times. But in other places around the world, like China where families are encouraged to only have one child, parents prize sons and if a daughter is born they might give the daughter up for adoption hoping that they will subsequently have a son to carry on their family.

• Why do you think that it was important that the Messiah would be a son?
• He would be a prophet. Most of the prophets who brought God's word to His people were men. Yes, there were some prophets who were women, but most of them were men. Jesus brought God's word to His people.
• He would be a priest. All of the priests in the old testament who would make sacrifices on behalf of God's people were men. Jesus is our great priest who intercedes on our behalf before God. He also was the ultimate sacrifice for our sin.
• He would be the King of Kings. Yes, women can be queens, but as the great ruler over all of Heaven and earth, Jesus would be King of Kings.
• Why is it important that the Messiah is a son given to us?
• It shows that we are family and not separated from God. Jesus isn't just some stranger doing something good for us, we are family.
• It shows God's love specifically for us. Jesus isn't like a great toy given to a friend that we get the benefit of playing with whenever we're at that friends how. Jesus was given to us and we get the benefit of knowing him all the time.
• It shows we have a continuing relationship with Jesus. I will always be your father and you will always be my sons no matter what happens. No matter what happens, we will always have a relationship with Jesus.

The Road to Bethlehem: A Child Is Born

Yesterday, we read about how Jesus was prophesied as a great light coming into the darkness. Today, we get into some of the richness that is in Isaiah 9:6 where we read a lot about who the Messiah is going to be and what He is going to do.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Waiting can be hard, can't it? Yesterday, we also heard a little about how God's people were on the verge of being invaded by enemies. Through Isaiah, the Messiah was prophesied, but they would have to wait for the Messiah to come. And when the Messiah finally came, they would still have to wait a little bit longer. Why? "For to us a child is born." How many babies do you know that are great leaders? How many babies do you know that are great warriors? How many babies do you know that can defeat their enemies? Babies are good at eating, drinking, sleeping, pooping and peeing. Sure they will be able to do other things, but you have to wait for them to be able to do those things.

• What is significant about Jesus the Messiah coming as a baby?
• He was vulnerable. King Herod was so threatened by the birth of the Messiah that he had all of the young boys who were born around when Jesus was killed. (Matthew 2:16) An angel warned Joseph of this and he, Mary and baby Jesus fled to Egypt keeping Jesus safe.
• He was dependent on others. Babies can't feed or dress themselves. Babies need their parents to take care of them. Jesus, even though He was God, still needed Mary and Joseph to take care of him.
• He was able to experience all of human life live a sinless life.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

I can recall holding each of you when you were just babies. It was truly an incredible feeling you in my arms and feeling the overwhelming love I had for you. At the same time I knew of your weakness and vulnerability I also had dreams of the future and of watching you grow up and become Godly men. Since you both were born after Christmas, I was also amazed that God would send His Son into our world as a little baby. That helped to even better appreciate the love that He has for us.

The Road to Bethlehem: A Great Light

This week as we continue on the road to Bethlehem, we are going to spend a lot of time looking at one verse. This one prophecy has a lot to say about who Jesus is and what He came to earth for. Isaiah chapter 9 has a great prophecy of the Messiah. Verse 6 alone provides much rich description of the Messiah. But we're not going to get there today. Today we're going to look at the beginning of the prophecy. But first, let's read the whole thing.

¹ Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

² The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

³ You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

⁴ For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

⁵ Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:1-7

Today I want to focus on verse 2. Let's read that again...

The people who are now living in darkness will see a great light. They are now living in a very dark land. But a light will shine on them.

Isaiah 9:2 (NIrV)

When Isaiah made this prophecy, God's people were on the verge of being invaded by the Assyrians. This would be terrible for the Jewish people, especially in the Northern part of the promised land where the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali lived (they were mentioned in verse 1). The Northern part of the promised land was the hardest hit by the Assyrian invasion when it happened, but here, Isaiah talks of a great light in the darkness. Darkness can be scary. Especially when enemies are out to get you. We've read Psalm 23 before out of your little Bibles. Let's look at what that says about walking in darkness.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 (NIrV)

We also read about the darkness in our study of Psalm 119. Let's look back on a little of that.

Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.

Psalm 119:105 (NIrV)

When we read the Creation account, what was the first thing that God said "Let there be..."

God said, "Let there be light." And there was light.

Genesis 1:3 (NIrV)

• We discussed three purposes for light the other night while looking at Christmas lights. Who remembers them?
1. To help you see
2. To help you be seen
3. To communicate a message
• Considering those three purposes, how do you think this prophecy of Jesus the Messiah is represented?
1. Like God's Word (and as you recall in John 1, we see Jesus referred to as "the Word"), Jesus helps us to see where we should be going? He is the example of the sinless human and we are to strive to be like Him.
2. In Psalm 23 we read "you are with me." To me, this implies that God is close enough that He can see us, to the point that we are comforted. He knows where we are. Since it is through Jesus that our relationship with God is restored, Jesus helps us to be seen.
3. Also through Psalm 23, we realize that we can have hope and we don't have to be scared. God's shepherd's rod and staff comfort us. Jesus is the good shepherd and he communicates a message of love, protection, and comfort to us.
• Last, but not least, do you recall what God said about light after He created it? He said it was good.
• If light is good, what must this "great light" be? great, very good
• Do you believe Jesus is the "great light" spoke of here in Isaiah?

Let's close by looking at the first chapter of John and read about how Jesus IS the light.

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

John 1:9

The Road to Bethlehem: The Lamb of God

As we continue on the road the Bethlehem, today we look at another story from the life of Abraham that foretells of Jesus. In this passage in Genesis 22, we see how God is testing Abraham.

¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. ² Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Genesis 22:1-2

God has told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as an offering God. Normally, one would sacrifice a lamb or a goat or some other animal, but God is telling Abraham to sacrifice his son. A burnt offering represents complete submission to God's will, the entire offering is given to God (i.e., it cannot be used after it is burnt) (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/qorbanot.html#Olah). Of course, we know that ultimately God is the one who sacrifices His son Jesus. But in Abraham's time that hadn't happened yet. Abraham immediately obeys God and takes Isaac off to the place where the sacrifice will be made.

⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" ⁸ Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

Genesis 22:6-8

Abraham and Isaac show up at the spot for the sacrifice and Isaac notices that something is missing (God didn't tell Isaac that he was to be sacrificed). Abraham knew that God would provide the lamb because Abraham knew that God had provided Isaac. Although Abraham may have been struggling trying to understand why God told him to sacrifice the son that God had given him when he was old - the son that was his first descendent in the line that would ultimately lead to Jesus, the son that God's promise would come through - he still obeyed God without hesitation!

⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. ¹² "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." ¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Genesis 22:9-13

God here provides the physical substitute for Isaac in the offering. In this case it is a ram (mountain goat). In the eternal scheme of things, the lamb He provides is His own son, Jesus. Though Jesus wasn't offered as a burnt offering and God didn't need to show complete submission to Himself, God knew that we needed to be cleansed of our sin and sacrificed Jesus for us.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29

Here we can see that Jesus is the Lamb provided to take away our sin. Turning back to Genesis 22, as the story ends, we can see the same promise we saw yesterday repeated.

and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Genesis 22:18

All nations will be blessed through Abraham's offspring, his descendent. He will be a Lamb that God offers to take away the sin of the world. What greater blessing could we want?

The Road to Bethlehem: Abram's Promise

Our next stop on the road to Bethlehem is in Genesis 12. In this chapter, God is making a promise to Abram (who is later known as Abraham). Let's read.

¹ The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

² "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 12:1-3

• This passage is where God tells Abram to move and go to the promised land. God promises him that he will have many descendents, though he was old and did not have any children. The promise ends with "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
• What do you think is meant by this?
• This gets mentioned a little later in the Bible.

⁸The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." ⁹So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:8-9

• Here, the Apostle Paul tells us that the promise in Genesis is referring to Jesus.
• Who does Paul say will be blessed? those who have faith
• Who does that include? Us
• Abraham lived almost 2,000 years before Jesus was born and yet God told him about Jesus. Like Adam and Eve before him, he may not have understood it fully, but we know that he had faith. We again have the advantage of having seen this promise fulfilled in Jesus.

The Road To Bethlehem: A First Prophecy

As we continue on the road to Bethlehem, I want to look at what I think to be the first prophecy concerning Jesus. This can be found in the third chapter of Genesis.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3:15

• This part of Genesis 3 deals with the curses that God has made after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and fell into sin.
• Specifically, here we are reading from the curse on the serpent (representing Satan)
• We can infer three things about Jesus from this prophecy.
1. He will be born to a virgin
2. He will destroy the power of Satan in our lives
3. He will suffer in saving us
• God says He will put enmity between the woman and the serpent. What is enmity? Hate
• Who's offspring (descendent) will have strike against the serpents? the woman's
• This indicates that a descendent of Eve will do this. In other words, the person who does this will have to be born rather than just created like Adam and Eve were.
• Furthermore, if you notice, instead of saying their (Adam's and Eve's) offspring it says hers. Some people who have written Bible commentaries (and have probably done a whole lot more study of this than I have) interpret this as indicating that this person referred to here will have an earthly mother but not a father. How can this happen?

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18

• Jesus was conceived in Mary through the Holy Spirit! He had an earthly mother but not a father (although Joseph took care of him as if he were).
• The serpent represents Satan - the devil. The head refers to authority or power.
• This prophecy says Jesus will crush the serpent's head? What do you think that will do to the serpents power? end his power
• What did the serpent lead Adam and Eve to do? sin
• Do you recall what the wages of sin are? death
• If Jesus has died for our sins and we have accepted him as lord and savior, does the serpent still have power over us? no
• This verse ends with "you will strike his heel." The Hebrew word for strike can mean to bruise or to break or crush. The word for heel may also be translated footstep or footprint. Though I am not a Hebrew scholar, I might translate this as "You will break him where He walks."
• Where was Jesus broken? the cross
• Aren't you glad that when Jesus died on the cross that he rose from the dead and wasn't defeated after all?
• From this one verse here, we can sense God foretelling (prophesying) Jesus' birth, purpose (to crush the power of sin) and death. I don't know if Adam and Eve understood all of this at the time, but I'm glad that from looking at all of the Bible we can understand this!

The Road To Bethlehem: Jesus, Creator

As we begin the month of December and look forward to Christmas, I want to work our way through the Old Testament (with some journeys into the New Testament) and see what it has to say about Jesus. We'll be looking at prophecies about the coming Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus as well as passages that - thanks to what we read in the New Testament - are about Jesus. Today, we'll begin at the beginning: Genesis 1.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Now of course, we read that "God created," it doesn't say "Jesus created." Why is it that we can read this and think of Jesus?

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:1-3

• Here in John, "the Word" refers to Jesus. Thus, we could read this passage as:
1. In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God and Jesus was God.
2. Jesus was with God in the beginning.
3. Through Jesus all things were made, without Jesus nothing was made that has been made.
• Based on what we read in John, would you agree that Jesus was involved in Genesis 1:1?
• Though Jesus had not come into the world, the world was created through him. Let's read a little bit more in John 1.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

John 1:14a

• What is this verse talking about?
• Though Jesus was there in the beginning, he did not become flesh until that first Christmas!
• Now that we've seen Jesus in the very first verse in the Bible, we'll be looking out for him in other places in the Old Testament as we go through the month of December.

Remembering to be Thankful

As we continue to look at Bible passages dealing with giving thanks, we come to a New Testament passage where Paul is instructing Timothy on dealing with some false teachers. In this passage, he tells Timothy of things that are to be received with thanksgiving.

¹The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ²Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. ³They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. ⁴For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:1-5

• The false teachers that Paul warns Timothy of are in part telling people what they shouldn't eat. But Paul tells Timothy those things should be received with thanksgiving.
• The Greek word used here - eucharistia - means to freely give thanks.
• The English word Eucharist - which refers to Communion is derived from this Greek word. So, when we have Communion, we should remember to give thanks to God for what Jesus did for us.
• Paul goes on to tell Timothy that "everything from God is good." The Greek word here is kalos which means beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable.
• Because the things we receive from God are good, we are to receive them with thanksgiving.
• Furthermore, the things we receive from God are also consecrated - hagiazō - set apart and dedicated to God.
• 
  
• What are some things that you have received from God?
• Have you thanked Him for them?

Thank You For Saving Me

Today, we continue on the theme of giving thanks. Yesterday, we looked at Psalm 100 and how giving thanks and praise are tied together. We looked at some of the things to be thankful for: mainly for God's love and faithfulness to us. Today, we are going to look at the story of Anna, one of the people who got to see baby Jesus, when Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple.

³⁶There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke 2:36-38

• The original language for the New Testament is Greek (not the Hebrew we're used to from the Old Testament. The word used in verse 38 for giving thanks is anthomologeomai. This word means "to acknowledge fully, to celebrate fully in praise with thanksgiving." This long word is actually a compound word in the Greek - anti and homologeō which itself is a compound of homou and logos - which in it's parts mean "because of," "together," and "word." homologeō by itself means to agree, to praise and to celebrate. The prefix anti (though in other cases it could mean what we think of in English) means "because of." In other words, as Anna is giving thanks and praising, she is recognizing that it is because of Jesus that she is giving thanks.


• What is Anna thankful for? the redemption of Jerusalem


• The word for redemption - lytrōsis - means "deliverance, esp. from the penalty of sin"
• Jerusalem can be taken to mean the people of Israel, God's people
• Anna recognized that baby Jesus was going to deliver God's people from the penalty of their sin. She had been waiting all of her life for this and was excited that it had finally arrived.
• Are you thankful that Jesus has delivered you from the penalty of your sin?
• Are you glad you didn't have to wait all of your life for it?
• If we know that Jesus has delivered us from the penalty of our sin, what should we do?

Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving

This Thursday, we will celebrate the holiday Thanksgiving. As we gather with family and eat lots of good food, we will also remember to thank God for the many blessings that He has given us.

A psalm. For giving thanks.

^{1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.}

^{2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.}

^{3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.}

^{4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.}

^{5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.}

Psalm 100

In particular today, we are going to focus on verses 4 and 5. In this verse, we see the concepts of thanksgiving and praise coupled together twice. So let's look at those two concepts a little.

• What does it mean to give thanks? the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, esp. to God
• What does it mean to give praise? the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation
• The Hebrew word for thanksgiving - towdah - means give praise to God or thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, hymn of praise
• The Hebrew word for praise - tĕhillah - means praise, song or hymn of praise or praise, adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God)
• The Hebrew words for give thanks - yadah (hiphil) - mean to give thanks. (Well, duh) But it's interesting to note that the verb here by itself can also mean to shoot as in shooting arrows. To me this implies that giving thanks is active not passive and that there is a target for giving thanks.
• The second word we see translated as praise - barak - means to praise or to bless.
• So from this verse we can see that thanksgiving and praise go together. The thanksgiving can be in song and it is active and directed towards God.
• What, here in this Psalm, is the Psalmist thankful for?
• God is good - in Hebrew towb - meaning good, pleasant, excellent, right
• His love - checed meaning goodness, kindness, faithfulness - endures forever
• His faithfulness - 'emuwnah meaning firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness - continues to all generations.
• What are you thankful for?

Psalm 119: Wrapup

So did you remember the 7 words referring to God's word? Let's look back on something we read before we got to Psalm 119.

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

• What is God's word useful for
• teaching
• rebuking
• correcting
• training in righteousness
• equipping the man of God for good works
• What are some of the other things that we read about in Psalm 119?
• promoting the fear of God
• helping us live pure lives
• comforting us when dealing with bad people
• comforting us when we're not happy
• focusing on what God wants us to do
• living boldly
• growing when we're afflicted
• benefitting others
• helps us when waiting
• God's word is eternal
• making us wise
• guiding our path
• God's word is to be greatly desired
• God's word is right and trustworthy
• we can put our hope in God's word when crying out for help
• What have you learned about God's word

Psalm 119: A look back

Do you realize that it was over a month ago that we started Psalm 119? Today (and tomorrow) we are going to take a look back at some of the things that we've learned.

• What was the main focus of Psalm 119? God's word or law
• How many of the different words referring to God's word can you remember?
• commands
• decrees
• law or laws
• precepts
• promises (or promise or promised)
• statutes
• word or words
• Which is mentioned most frequently? law or laws is mentioned 45 times
• All of these words, except promise, are mentioned at least 20 times. Promise is only mentioned 14 times. All total, these words are mentioned 177 times. Since there are only 176 verses, you can see that this is the central theme to Psalm.
• What are some of the things the Psalmist is going to do that were mentioned over and over?
• obey - mentioned 17 times
• meditate - mentioned 8 times
• praise - mentioned 6 times

¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.

¹⁶ I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:15-16

• When you think about God and His law, what are some things you think about?
• What are some ways that you want to focus on (not neglect) God's Word?

Taw

We come now to Taw the last letter in the acrostic in Psalm 119. We've learned a lot about God's Word by reading His Word. We'll review some of what we learned the rest of the week, but today let's look at some of the psalmist's closing thoughts.

¹⁶⁹ May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.

¹⁷⁰ May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.

¹⁷¹ May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.

¹⁷² May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.

¹⁷³ May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

¹⁷⁴ I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.

¹⁷⁵ Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

¹⁷⁶ I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

Psalm 119:169-176

Discussion Questions

• What are some of his closing thoughts?
• He wants understanding (v. 169)
• He humbles himself before God (supplication) (v. 170)
• He praises God (v. 171)
• He sings of God's word (v. 172)
• He has chosen God (v. 173)
• He delights in the law (v. 174)

Let's look at one of Jesus' parables:

¹²"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

Matthew 18:12-14

• He's a lost sheep who hasn't forgotten God's word. (v. 176) Will God take him back?

Now let's look at a passage in Romans.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1

• The Psalmist wants his life to praise God. In Romans our lives are supposed to worship God. Should our attitude be like the psalmists?
• How do we know we can do this? His word sustains us.
• Food also sustains us. But what must we do for it to sustain us? Eat it
• Can we just eat once and that will be enough? No, we must eat multiple times every day.
• Should we then read God's Word every day?

Sin and Shin

We are almost to end of Psalm 119. It's been a long time that we've been looking at it, but it's been well worth the time that we've spent on it. Today we come to Sin and Shin. Here we read about how God's word is to be highly treasured and loved. We saw some of this last week and today we see more of how the psalmist loves God's word. Let's read.

¹⁶¹ Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.

¹⁶² I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.

¹⁶³ I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law.

¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.

¹⁶⁵ Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

¹⁶⁶ I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands.

¹⁶⁷ I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸ I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.

Psalm 119:161-168

Discussion Question

• What are some of the things we read here that tellof how the psalmist feels about God's Word? Let's look at them and you tell me what they mean...
• My heart trembles at Your Word (v. 161)
• I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil. (v. 162)
• I love your law. (v. 163)
• Seven times a day, I praise You for Your righteous laws. (v. 164)
• Great peace for those who love Your law. (v. 165)
• I love them greatly. (v. 167)
• Now let's look at two of these and dig into what they are saying.
• I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. (v. 162) He finds great spoil.
• Do you remember in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull how excited Mac was when they found all of the treasure at the end? Mac was os enamored of th treasure that it cost him his life.
• Can you think of a time when you found great spoil?
• How did you feel when you got your new Bibles? Did you rejoice?
• Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. (v. 164) Seven times a day
• Do you eat seven times a day?
• Do you play with legos seven times a day?
• Do you play Wii seven times a day?
• Do you suppose this indicates the Psalmist is constantly praising God?
• Do you suppose the psalmist really, really loves God's word?
• Why does the psalmist say he will obey God's Word?
• He loves it
• All of his ways are known to God

Remember God's Word is a valuable treasure that you should love and obey. But also remember God is watching you.

Resh

We've got just a few more days to go before we finish up our journey through Psalm 119. In today's study we come to the letter resh. We once again see the psalmist contrasting himself with the wicked people around him and wanting his life to be preserved. Let's read.

¹⁵³ Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.

¹⁵⁴ Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.

¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.

¹⁵⁶ Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your laws.

¹⁵⁷ Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.

¹⁵⁸ I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word.

¹⁵⁹ See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love.

¹⁶⁰ All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Psalm 119:153-160

Before we get to our discussion questions, I want to do something a little different. First, I want to look at a few of these verses from a different translation - the Amplified Bible.

We will see here how different translators bring out different aspects of the text. Sometimes this can be helpful for understanding the message of the text. Consider when you're playing Star Wars Lego on the Wii. There's a weapon that you call a "meter." When you boys are playing and talking about meters, you each know what the other is talking about. To me, a meter might be a parking meter where you would put money in to pay for parking or the primary unit of linear measure in the metric system. If you only knew about your "meter" then you might be confused if I told Mommy about having to keep going out every 15 minutes to feed the meter. But if instead I said I had to keep going out every 15 minutes to pay for parking, you might understand better. By looking at a different translation, you might better understand a passage of Scripture or you might respond to it differently.

¹⁵³ Consider my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget Your law.

¹⁵⁴ Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me and give me life according to Your word.

¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked, for they seek not nor hunger for Your statutes.

¹⁵⁶ Great are Your tender mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord; give me life according to Your ordinances.

Psalm 119:153-156 (Amplified Bible)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Now, I will admit that when I read this text in the Amplified Bible, something clicked that hadn't when just reading it in the NIV or the NIrV. I recognized it as being the inspiration for the song "Revive Me" by Jeremy Camp which we have heard sung in church a couple of times. When you hear the words sung, you may get yet a different impression of this passage of Scripture because of the way emotion can be communicated through the singing. So, let's listen to the song.

Discussion Questions

• Which did you like best? The NIV, the Amplified, or the song?
• I know my impressions of greatly differed between the NIV and the song. The song doesn't have all of the words in the text and chooses words to help focus on the theme. Did you get different impressions from the different versions?
• We've talked before about how singing God's word is valuable. Do you think that this song is a good example of singing God's word?
• Though the full text in the Bible that we read touches on several themes, what is the theme that you hear in the song?


• Do you think that this song is a good representation of this part of Psalm 119 or do you think it misses? Or in other words, do you think the theme in the song is found in the text?
• Did you find it refreshing today to look at this text differently by using another translation and using a song?

Qoph

Today we come to qoph in our journey through Psalm 119. The theme that I want to look at today is that when we call out for help, we can put our hope in God's word. So, let's read!

¹⁴⁵ I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees.

¹⁴⁶ I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.

¹⁴⁷ I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.

¹⁴⁸ My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws.

¹⁵⁰ Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.

¹⁵¹ Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your commands are true.

¹⁵² Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.

Psalm 119:145-152

Discussion Questions

• The psalmist is calling out for help. To whom?
• The first two verses may sound a little different from what we've read before. But really they are not. The psalmist isn't really saying that he expects God to answer and then after God has answered he will obey. Rather, he is saying that he expects God to answer and while he is still waiting for the answer, he will obey. (v. 145-146)
• How urgent is his cry for help? Urgent enough, that he's getting up early to cry for help (v. 147)
• In what is he placing his hope (a wish and expecting the wish will be fulfilled)? God's word (v. 147)
• How important is it to the psalmist to focus on God's word? He is staying up all night meditating on God's word (v. 148)
• Who is it that is causing him to cry out for help? those who devise wicked schemes (v. 150)
• How is he comforted?
• God is near (v. 151)
• God's word is true (v. 151)
• He has learned from God's loaw (v. 152)
• He knows that God's laws will last forever (v. 152)

Tsadhe

We now come to the Hebrew letter Tsadhe. Today, we read about how God's word is right and trustworthy. In the Hebrew, we can translate righteous/right as what is right or just or normal, rightness, justness (of weights and measures) or straight, upright, correct, right. When we read trustworthy, the original Hebrew can be translated as firmness, faithfulness, truth, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness. Count how many times right or righteous is mentioned. Count how many times words meaning trustworthy are mentioned. Let's read!

¹³⁷ Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right.

¹³⁸ The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.

¹³⁹ My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.

¹⁴⁰ Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

¹⁴¹ Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.

¹⁴² Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.

¹⁴³ Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.

¹⁴⁴ Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.

Psalm 119:137-144

Discussion Questions

• How many times was right or righteousness mentioned? 5 Define it
• How many times were words meaning trustworthy mentioned? 2 Define it
• Do you think if these are repeated over and over they are important?
• What does the Psalmist say about how he feels about God's word?
• He loves it (v. 140)
• He delights in it (v. 143)
• What are some situations the Psalmist says God's word helps him?
• when people don't like him (v. 141)
• when he's having trouble (v. 143)
• How does he know God's word will help him? it is right and trustworthy
• Do you think God's word can help you? When?

Pe

As we continue our journey through Psalm 119, we come to the Hebrew letter Pe. Here, we readed about how God's word is to be greatly desired. Can you remember the feeling on Christmas morning or your birthday when you are about to open a present? Can you recall the excitement as you start to rip away the paper and try and figure out what the present is? This is how the psalmist feels about God's word. Let's read!

¹²⁹ Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.

¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

¹³¹ I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

¹³² Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.

¹³³ Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

¹³⁴ Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.

¹³⁵ Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.

¹³⁶ Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.

Psalm 119:128-136

Discussion Questions

• What is the best gift you ever got? Did you know what it was beforehand?
• What did you think about that gift? Was it bad, okay, or wonderful?
• How did the psalmist feel about God's word? (v. 129)
• How did you feel as you were unwrapping this gift?
• The psalmist talks about the unfolding of God's word. This means opening up of or beginning to understand God's word. Do you think he was excited by it? (v. 130)
• Reading verse 131, how do you think the Psalmist felt about God's word? Bored, sad, exicted? Why?
• If we can agree that the Psalmist thought God's word was a wonderful gift (that keeps on giving!) what are some of the things he did as a response?
• he obeyed (v. 129, 134)
• he followed the right path (v. 130)
• he learned (v. 135)
• he was saddened when people disobeyed (v.136)

Ayin

As we continue our journey through Psalm 119, we come to Ayin the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The theme I want to touch on today is this: When faced with multiple paths, hate the wrong ones. In light of what we read yesterday about people who stray from the path and the day before about how God's word is a light to our path, we know the importance of the right path. But sometimes we are tempted by other paths that may not be the right path. So, let's read.

¹²¹ I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²² Ensure your servant's well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.

¹²³ My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.

¹²⁴ Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.

¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

¹²⁶ It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken.

¹²⁷ Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,

¹²⁸ and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.

Psalm 119:121-128

Discussion Questions

• Before we look at how the Psalmist hates the wrong paths, we need to see where he is first.
• He is living a "good" life
• doing what is righteous and just (v. 121)
• serving God (v. 125)
• wanting to understand God's laws (v. 125)
• He is looking to God
• looking for God's salvation and promise (v. 123)
• looking for God to respond to bad people(v. 126)
• He is motivated by God's word
• He loves God's commands (v. 127)
• God's word is valuable to Him (v. 127)
• He considers God's word right - as in the right path, a straight, level path
• As a result of living a life obedient to God, looking to God, and realizing that God's word points to the right path, he hates the wrong paths. It is important to note:
• Hate - literally means to hate. Not "not like as much as the other" and not "slightly dislike" and not "dislike", but hate!
• wrong - translated elsewhere as false meaning a lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood
• path - way, path, road, passing of life, way of living

Samekh

Do you sometimes get frustrated with the people around you? Do you find that people do things that you don't like or don't want them to do? Do you sometimes see people doing things that are wrong? How should you react? What does the Bible say about how we should react? As we get to the next section of Psalm 119 for the Hebrew letter samekh we find the Psalmist talking about how he wants to deal with bad people around him. Let's read!

¹¹³ I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.

¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

¹¹⁵ Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!

¹¹⁶ Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

¹¹⁷ Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.

¹¹⁸ You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain.

¹¹⁹ All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.

¹²⁰ My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.

Psalm 119:113-120

Discussion Questions

• We see different people referred to in this passage. What do some of these mean?
• double-minded men - this implies evil, false, useless, lying men
• evildoers - this implies spoiled, rotten, good for nothing, bad people who harm others
• those who stray from God's decrees - are people who make a mistake and lies and deception take them away from the God's path
• the wicked - people who are morally wrong, actively (not just occasionally) bad
• What does the Psalmist say in response to these people?
• He loves God's law
• He puts his hope in God's word
• He wants to keep God's commandments
• He will have respect for God's commandments
• He fears God
• He stands in awe of God's laws
• Do you remember how we defined fearing God?
• Do you know what it means to stand in awe of God's law?

Nun

Now we come to Nun. Today, we're going to do things just a little bit different. We'll be having some discussion questions before we do our reading and then we'll have more after we do our reading. But, anyway, back to nun, the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this section we see that God's word guides us. God's word helps us to know where to go and keeps us heading in the right direction.

Discussion Questions

• If you are walking through the woods in the dark, what tool would you want with you? A flashlight?
• If there's a path through the woods, would you want to stay on it?
• If you are walking in the dark and drop your favorite toy, what would you do?
• If you are walking in the woods at night and hear a strange noise off the path, what would you do?
• If you're walking at night in the dark, do you think you should remember your flashlight?

Now, keeping in mind that God's word guides us, listen as we read for how God's word keeps us on the right path.

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

¹⁰⁶ I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.

¹⁰⁷ I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.

¹⁰⁸ Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

¹⁰⁹ Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.

¹¹⁰ The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.

¹¹¹ Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹² My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.

Psalm 119:105-112

Discussion Questions

• Based on verse 105, what would you compare God's word to?
• Does the Psalmist plan to stay on the path? How? (v. 106)
• The Psalmist is suffering and worried about losing his life. How does he expect to not lose it? (v. 107)
• The wicked are out to get him. What does he do? (v. 110)
• How do we know he'll have his "flashlight" with him? (v. 109)
• How does he plan on staying on the path? (v. 112)

Mem

Mem is the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet that we come to in Psalm 119. In this section of Psalm 119, we read about how God's word makes us wise. Webster.com defines wise (adj) as "characterized by wisdom : marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment." For our purposes, we can think of it as being smart, having common sense, having good judgement, making good decisions, having insight into and understanding about things. Listen for some of these words and concepts as we read. Also, pay attention to how the Psalmist has to do things (put effort into) in order to gain some benefit (get something out of it) from God's word.

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

⁹⁸ Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.

¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.

¹⁰² I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

Psalm 119:97-104

Discussion Questions

• What does the Psalmist put into God's word? What does he do with it?
• He loves it (v. 97)
• He meditates on it (v. 97, 99)
• He obeys it (v. 98)
• He statys away from evil (v. 101)
• He doesn't depart from the law (v. 102)
• He "eats" or consumes it (v. 103)
• What does he get out of God's law?
• made wise (v. 98)
• insight (v. 99)
• understanding (v. 100, 104)
• able to obey (v. 101)
• learned it (v. 102)
• gains pleasure from it (v. 103)
• What do you want to put into learning God's word?
• memorizing?
• meditating?
• praying?
• singing?

Lamedh

Today, we're finally moving into the second half of Psalm 119. Today's letter is Lamedh. In this section, we read about how God's word is eternal.

⁸⁹ Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

⁹⁰ Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

⁹¹ Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

⁹² If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

⁹³ I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

⁹⁴ Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.

⁹⁵ The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.

⁹⁶ To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.

Psalm 119:89-96

Discussion Questions

• How long is it until Christmas? less than two months
• How long have you been alive? Is that longer than until Christmas?
• How long has Daddy been alive? Is that longer? What about Grandpa?
• How long is eternity?
• God's word is eternal. What does that mean? How long has it been around? How long will it last? (Verse 89)
• What about God's faithfulness? It's eternal too (Verse 90)
• What about God's law? It's eternal, too (Verse 91)
• The psalmist would have perished in his affliction if he had not delighted in God's law. Why? He probably realized God's law would last long after his affliction was over. (Verse 92)
• The psalmist sees a limit (end) to everything but what? God's law (Verse 96)
• Does keeping in mid the eternalness of God's word help you realize how short any of your waiting is?

Kaph

As we continue our journey through Psalm 119, we come to the halfway point: the Hebrew letter Kaph. As with each section, we're looking at this section and looking into a theme in the section. This section talks about how God's word helps us in waiting.

⁸¹ My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

⁸² My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, "When will you comfort me?"

⁸³ Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your decrees.

⁸⁴ How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?

⁸⁵ The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law.

⁸⁶ All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause.

⁸⁷ They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.

⁸⁸ Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.

Psalm 119:81-88

Discussion Questions

• Do you sometimes find it hard to wait?
• The psalmist is waiting for something. What is he waiting for? salvation (from his affliction) (Verse 81)
• Hope, we defined last week, is "wishing and expecting that wish to be fulfilled." What has the psalmist placed his home in? God's word (Verse 81)
• Does it seem like the psalmist has waited a long time? (verses 82,83,84, 87)
• How does he handle the waiting?
• Remembering God's law (Verse 83)
• Remembering God's word is trustworthy (Verse 86)
• Not forsaking (turning away from) God's law (Verse 87)
• Obeying God's law (Verse 88)
• What can you do to help you wait on God?
• Reciting scripture
• Memorizing scripture
• Meditating on scripture
• Singing scripture

Yodh

We continue our journey through Psalm 119 and now we come to Yodh. Today's section continues some with the them of affliction, but expands on it to show how we can use God's word to benefit other people.

⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.

⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

⁷⁵ I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.

⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.

⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.

⁷⁹ May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes.

⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

Psalm 119:73-80

Discussion Questions

• We see a little more about affliction in this section. Here, what does the Psalmist say happened? Proud people have treated him badly without any reason (Verse 78)
• What is his response to this? Meditating on God's law (Verse 78)
• Does he blame God for his affliction? No, he know God is being faithful (Verse 75)
• What does he know God's word promises for his comfort and continued life? God's unfailing love and compassion (Verses 76-77)
• Backing up a little bit, why does he want to learn God's commands? Because God created him. (Verse 73)
• When he is around others that love God, what does he want?
• He wants them to be joyful because his hope is in God's word (Vers 74)
• He wants to teach them God's laws (Verse 79)
• How does he expect to remain blameless? By following God's law (Verse 80)
• Do you want to take what you have learned from God's word and share it with others like the Psalmist does?
• How would you like to do so?

Teth

Today we continue on with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Teth. The theme I want to look at today is how the word of God helps us grow when we are afflicted. To be afflicted means to be distressed so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish. The root word in Hebrew means to be brought low, humbled. In other words, something bad has happened to the Psalmist where, though his life had been good and people looked up to him and respected, he was made to be low where people looked down on him and turned away from him. Pay attention in this passage to what the word of God meant to him.

⁶⁵ Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD.

⁶⁶ Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.

⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

⁶⁸ You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

⁶⁹ Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.

⁷⁰ Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.

⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

⁷² The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Psalm 119:65-72

Discussion Questions

• How do you think the Psalmist was afflicted? People told lies about him. (Verse 69)
• What was his life like before he was afflicted? He didn't obey God's laws. (Verse 67)
• As he wrote this, his affliction was probably over (although not necessarily so). What did the Psalmist think of it? It was good that he was afflicted. (Verse 71)
• What was the benefit of his being afflicted? He learned God's laws. (Verse 71)
• What are some things that he learned from God's law as the result of his affliction?
• God would do good for him. (Verse 65)
• Knowledge and good judgement (Verse 66)
• God is good and does good (Verse 68)
• How does he feel about God's law now?
• He delights in it (Verse 70)
• It is worth more to him than thousands of pieces of silver and gold (Verse 72)

Heth

So we've spent some time so far looking at Psalm 119. We've seen several themes of how God's word relates to our lives. These include:

• the word of God promotes the fear of God
• the word of God helps us to live pure lives
• the word of God helps us when people are doing or saying bad things to us
• the word of God helps us when we're not happy
• the word of God helps us focus on what God wants us to do
• the word of God helps us to live boldly
• the word of God gives us comfort

Heth is the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The theme I want to look at today is how we turn to God's word is response to what He has done for us.

⁵⁷ You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words.

⁵⁸ I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁵⁹ I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.

⁶⁰ I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.

⁶¹ Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law.

⁶² At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.

⁶³ I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.

⁶⁴ The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.

Psalms 119:57-64

Discussion Questions

• In the NIrV, verse 57 begins "Lord, you are everything I need." What do you think that means? Everything he needs is provided by God
• What are some things that you need? How does God provide for them?
• Recognizing the sufficiency of God's provision for Him, how does the Psalmist respond? He promises to obey God's word.
• In verse 59, the Psalmist has thought about the way he lives his life? What does he decide to do? Follow God's laws.
• What else does the Psalmist say about following/obeying God's law?
• he won't waste time and will obey quickly
• regardless of what's happening, he won't forget to obey
• he'll give thanks to God - even in the middle of the night
• he'll be a friend to others who obey
• he wants to keep learning God's law
• What are some of the reasons he wants to do this? We've already seen one
• God provides all he needs (verse 57)
• God's decisions are fair (verse 62)
• The earth is full of God's love (verse 64)

Zayin

Zayin is the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. One theme I see in this passage is finding comfort in God's word. Comfort means assistance and support or a feeling of relief or encouragement.

⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

⁵¹ The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law.

⁵² I remember your ancient laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them.

⁵³ Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.

⁵⁴ Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.

⁵⁵ In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your law.

⁵⁶ This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.

Psalm 119:49-56

Discussion Questions

• What does it mean to have hope?
• If the Psalmist has hope, do you think that he might be lacking in something at the moment or be in a situation where he doesn't want to be?
• Verse 50 talks about suffering. What is suffering?
• What is the first thing he says provides him comfort?
• In verse 52, what does he say provides him comfort?
• Since he remembers God's ancient law, do you suppose he's read a lot of scripture and perhaps memorized scripture?
• The last part of verse 54 in the NIrV reads "I sing about your orders" indicating that he actually sings God's word. Do you ever sing God's word?
• Can you name some songs that you've sung where you are singing God's word?

Waw

Waw (not "wow") is the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Like each of the sections we've read this far, we can kind of find a theme in this section. The theme I see here is how God's word helps us to live boldly. Webster.com (the online dictionary) defines bold as "fearless before danger." Do you sometimes get scared? I know that I do. But, this section of Psalm 119 reminds us that with God's word, we don't have to fear, we can live boldly!

⁴¹ May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;

⁴² then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

⁴³ Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

⁴⁴ I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

⁴⁵ I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

⁴⁶ I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,

⁴⁷ for I delight in your commands because I love them.

⁴⁸ I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

Psalm 119:41-48

Discussion Questions

• In verse 41, what does the Psalmist want to come to him?
• What was promised to him by God?
• He writes of being taunted (insulted). Why is he not scared of this?
• He also writes speaking before kings. Kings in his day were pretty powerful, they made the laws and would lead their armies in battle and if they wanted to have somebody punished, they could. Why is he not afraid of doing this?
• What are some things that you're afraid of?
• Do you think that remembering God's word can help you not to be scared of them

He

He is the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Here we can see how God's word helps us keep focused on what God wants us to do.

³³ Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

³⁴ Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

³⁵ Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

³⁶ Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

³⁷ Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

³⁸ Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

³⁹ Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

⁴⁰ How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

Psalm 119:33-40

Discussion Questions

• When you're playing Star Wars Lego on the Wii, can you play soccer at the same time?
• If it's good to focus when you're playing Wii, should you also focus on what God wants you to do?
• The Psalmist wants to learn God's laws, how long does he expect to keep them? the rest of his life
• The Psalmist wants to keep God's law, how will he obey it? with all his heart
• What are some things that the Psalmist worries will distract him?
• selfish gain - wanting something for yourself really badly that you don't really need.
• worthless things - things that have no value, especially with regard to what God wants for us
• What are some things that distract you from God?
• What can help you focus on God?

Daleth

As we've been working our way through Psalm 119 and working our way through the Hebrew alphabet, we've also been seeing different aspects of how the Word of God is helpful to us.

• Under aleph, we learned about how the Word of God promotes the fear of God
• Under beth, we learned about how the Word of God can help us to live pure lives
• Under gimel, we see how the Word of God is useful when people are doing bad things to us or saying bad things about us

Today, in the daleth section, we'll read about what the Word of God offers us when we're not happy.

²⁵ I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.

²⁶ I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.

²⁷ Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.

²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

²⁹ Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.

³⁰ I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

³¹ I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame.

³² I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

Discussion questions

• What are some indications that the Psalmist might be not very happy?
• Verse 25 talks about being "laid low in the dust" which can be taken to mean near death
• Verse 26 says "I recounted my ways..." which some translations of the Bible translate as meaning telling of what they've done wrong and others translate as meaning making complaints.
• Verse 28 says "My soul is weary with sorrow" which in the NIrV is translated "My sadness has worn me out."
• How does the Psalmist respond to these things?
• To being near death, preserve my life according to your word
• To recounting their ways, teach me your decrees
• To being weary, strengthen me according to your word
• Each time, it involves turning to God's Word and trusting in it
• What is one way the Psalmist has chosen to be faithful to God? by putting his trust in God's law (v 30)
• Why does the Psalmist trust God's laws? Because God has set him free (v 32)

Gimel

Gimel is the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And so, it's where we're going today. Here in this section of Psalm 119, we see the focus shift a little bit. We read here about the Psalmist being scorned (being rejected by people) and slandered (people saying bad things about him). The focus is still on God's word and how it can help us. In this section, we see how it can help us when we have to deal with bad people in our life and when people are not saying nice things about us.

¹⁷ Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word.

¹⁸ Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

¹⁹ I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.

²⁰ My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.

²¹ You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands.

²² Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.

²³ Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees.

²⁴ Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

Psalm 119:17-24

Discussion questions

• We read in this passage about good and bad being done to the Psalmist. Who is doing the good? God is.
• What does the Psalmist expect out of God's word? Wonderful things
• Where does the Psalmist feel his home is? heaven
• What does the Psalmist long for? God's commands
• What is the difference between the people who are being bad to the Psalmist and the Psalmist? they stray from God's commands, he keeps them
• How does the Psalmist respond to the bad things being said about him? He meditates on God's word
• In the end, why does the Psalmist delight in God's word? it is his counselor teaching him the right thing to do

Beth

Beth is the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is also the next section of Psalm 119. It also, as does most of what we've been looking at this week, speaks of ways that God's Word is useful for us to grow closer to God.

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

¹² Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.

¹³ With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.

¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.

¹⁶ I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Discussion Questions

• How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to God's word.
• What are some of the things this passage tells us we can do to help us live by God's word?
• Memorizing scripture - I have hidden your word in my heart
• Learning scripture - teach me your decrees
• Reciting scripture - With my lips I recount all the laws...
• Gladly obeying God's law - I rejoice in following your statutes
• Meditating/thinking about scripture - I meditate on your precepts
• Delighting in scripture - I delight in your decrees
• Which of these things are you doing?
• Which of these things would you like to try more of?
• The very last thing this section says is I will not neglect your word. Neglect means "to pay no attention or too little attention to." Do you think you pay enough attention to God's Word?
• Would you like to pay more attention to God's word? How do you think we could do that?

Aleph

Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hebrew is the language that most of the Old Testament was written in. What does this have to do with Bible study? Well, the longest Psalm in the Bible is an acrostic poem. That means that in each section of the Psalm, all of the lines in the original Hebrew start with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We don't see that in the English translation. But, if we read the first part of Psalm 119 (we don't want to read the whole thing it's 176 verses long). But the aleph section (and all of the letters for that matter) is only 8 verses long.

¹ Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.

² Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

³ They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

⁴ You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

⁵ Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

⁶ Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

⁸ I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

Psalm 119:1-8

We see some themes here that we've seen in other places that we've studied. There's similarities to Psalm 1, Psalm 19, the Beatitudes which we read from Matthew 5, and other places. There's also (like Psalm 19) several different ways of referring to God's law.

• the law of the Lord
• his statutes
• precepts
• decrees
• commands
• righteous laws

Discussion Questions

• Who are the blessed in this Psalm?
• what do they do
• their ways are blameless
• walk according to the law of the Lord
• keep his statutes
• seek him with all their heart
• do nothing wrong
• walk in his ways
• based on what we studied yesterday, would you say they fear the lord?
• does the Psalmist (whoever wrote this Psalm, it's not labeled like some of the other Psalms) want to be like those "whose ways are blameless"?
• do you think the Psalmist thought he was like that?
• how does the Psalmist think he will get that way?
• Do you want to learn God's righteous laws like the Psalmist did?

The fear of the Lord

Yesterday in Psalm 19, we read about God's law. We read a phrase there that I want to look at again today: "the fear of the Lord." Let's learn a little about the fear of the Lord from Proverbs.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

Does this mean we're supposed to be scared of God? It means that we properly reverance and respect God. If we remember all that God has done and what He is doing for us, how can we not respect Him? What does the fear of the Lord involve?

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

Deutoronomy 5:29

Remember how we first heard this phrase yesterday while reading about God's law?

If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God-good!

1 Samuel 12:14

Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.

Deutoronomy 8:6

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

Job 1:1

Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.

Deutoronomy 6:13

Fear of the Lord involves

• keeping His commandments - explicit obedience to His commandments
• obeying His voice - doing the right thing when His word does not explicitly guide. One example that I can think of is when Daddy asked Mommy to marry him. Nowhere in the Bible does it say "Thus says the Lord, Kevin shalt marry Jennifer." Yet, from all that God was telling me, I knew it was the right thing to do.
• walking in His ways - showing Godly character
• turning away from evil
• serving Him

Discussion Questions:

• Do you find it hard sometimes to keep God's commandments?
• Can you think of a time when you obeyed God's voice?
• What are some ways that you are walking in God's ways?
• Can you think of a time that you turned away from evil?
• What are some ways you have served God?
  

Inspired by Engaging With God by David Peterson, page 71