Author: Carol Graft

Worship VII Day 15 What’s So Amazing About Grace?

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 2:1-9
Lamentations 3:22-24
Titus 2:11-14
2 Timothy 1:9-10
Revelation 20:4-6

Worship VII, Day 15

We often think of those who write hymns, especially famous ones, as being faultless. Yet, each writer was human, and therefore deeply flawed, none more so than John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace.”

John Newton’s mother was a believer and instilled learning Scripture in John as a young boy. Motherless at 7, he joined his father, a ship captain, at sea for several voyages. As a young teen, he often found himself in trouble aboardship, and eventually, a moment of free time away from the ship put him into the path of a press gang. John was kidnapped to serve in the British Navy for several years, but all the hard work requirements didn’t stop him from creating havoc aboard the ships.

“Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us the grace and salvation John Newton wrote about do not come at our own hand. Instead, like the apostle Paul, we can only see the truth of our sin and God’s grace when the scales fall from our eyes. Paul’s temporary blindness was physical, but it also represented his spiritual blindness to Who God truly was. We, like Saul, are blinded to Who He is, and to the ugliness of our sin, when we are mired in our self-serving sin and lifestyles dishonoring to God.

When John was free from the Navy, he was given the opportunity to assist a plantation owner and slave trader on an island off the African coast. Though slave trading was a legal business and he had success, John discovered himself chained in spiritual bondage, just as the slaves he traded were locked in physical chains.

“’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.”

Rescued from life on the island, John joined another trade vessel. A fierce storm arose, causing the ship to take on water and begin falling apart. After helping to bail water, he was assigned to the helm. It was in this moment, facing almost certain death, John remembered the faith of his upbringing and started praying.

Three hours later, the storm abated. John spent several more hours at the helm, giving him plenty of time to pray and reflect on his life. He began to realize God was very real and did, indeed, still hold him. Titus 2:11-13 aptly describes the call of God, which settled on John’s spirit, although he did not yet fully grasp it yet:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come,
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.”

Eventually, John became captain of his own vessel, making several voyages to Africa and back. Over the course of these trips, he made time for prayer and devotions with his crew. Before one trip, John was overcome with a fever and forced to remain behind; later, tragic news came that the ship sank. Once again, he was reminded of God’s divine protection over his life.

John retired as captain and eventually chose to go into ministry. He became active in the abolitionist movement, denouncing, and working to end, slave trade. God had continued to make John’s heart new and increasingly more like Christ’s!

“The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”

As he penned these verses, John put into his own words the declarations of God’s faithfulness found in Psalm 28:7, Psalm 91:4, and Lamentations 3:22-24.

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

John spent many years writing sermons and poems, often collaborating with fellow poet William Cowper. “Amazing Grace” is one of the many poems produced by Newton. His past became the focus of many of the verses, but he concluded this famous work with his gaze fixed on eternity:

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.”

Grace was the theme of a wretched man like John, who gave himself over again and again to the Amazing God who died to free him from his chains of slavery to sin. Our sin gives us each the moniker “wretch,” and yet, when we turn to Him in repentance, even the most wretched heart is transformed by His amazing grace! Come, be amazed at the gracious kindness of a God who sacrificed Himself for you!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Sketched VIII Day 5 Dining With Sinners

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 3:22-25
Romans 6:15-23
Psalms 32:1-5
Psalms 130:1-4
Luke 7:36-50

Sketched VIII, Day 5

Tales of the crazed wilderness Baptist seemed to ride the wind in my village. He urged people to be watchful for the coming King. Then came news of another teacher, a man some called the Messiah, the fulfillment of the prophets of old.

This Teacher turned water into wine, and the Baptist baptized Him. So strange. They said he was a carpenter’s son, certainly not what I expected of our Messiah. Rumors about Him were first carried on hidden whispers, but as time passed, they began circulating freely.

Townspeople, the rumors said, were leaving their homes, jobs, and families to follow Him. Fishermen, common people, my neighbors . . . even a scoundrel tax collector. They encountered this Teacher, then walked away from their lives, as if they were suddenly worth nothing. I was astounded by their foolishness.

He was inviting people to a greater life, the rumors said, a life of freedom.
He came to heal not just the sick, the rumors said, but to set captives free.

As stories about Him grew, I nearly believed them. Of course, I wasn’t physically ill or imprisoned. But in moments of stark honesty, I admitted my desperation to escape the life I’d scratched out for myself. I longed to be able to make decisions for myself, and to be welcomed into my community, rather than relegated to its outskirts in shame.

Suddenly, my life felt . . . defeated. Lonely. Confining.

“Bah, escape is simply not possible,” I told myself. “I’m a realist, not a dreamer.”

My life had its benefits. I was crazy for thinking there was more.

Days turned into weeks. While I tried to forget about this mysterious man, I couldn’t avoid hearing more of His teachings about Yahweh. He claimed God wasn’t wrapped up in the Law. Inconceivable! The Law was the very foundation of our culture.

All the same, I began to wonder.

What if God could see me? Love me?

What if I could approach Jehovah myself? Not just listen from behind a stone wall.

Is such a relationship even possible?

I wrestled with myself, caught between the world as I knew it and the inexplicable pull I felt toward this Teacher.

My “chosen profession” silenced my voice in the public spaces of our town, but others were freer with their words. From them, I learned the Teacher and His followers were gathering at Simon’s house.

Like everyone else in town, I knew of Simon and other members of the elite and powerful Sanhedrin. They feigned interest in the Teacher’s words only to entrap or make sport of Him.

In a moment of outrageous and uncharacteristic courage, I made up my mind. I would never be invited to the gathering, but I knew I must go.

This man was offering a way out, freedom for captives. I’d realized He wasn’t talking about physical locks and bars imprisoning me, but I was nearly strangled by chains of emptiness, shame, and desolation. I began to hunger, fiercely, for the freedom He proclaimed.

As I slipped through the shadows, the flask I’d tucked into my satchel bumped against my side.

This fragrance had cost me.
Everything. 

Dusk had settled by the time I neared Simon’s house. A few servants hovered outside the door. Why weren’t they inside? I didn’t want to be seen. The flask was small, but seemed heavier with each step.

Who was I trying to fool? Was there really hope for someone like me?
How dare I consider coming near the Messiah?

Fear nearly made me flee, but I crept into the main room as if physically drawn towards Him. Important men reclined at the table while servants lined the walls. I prayed no one would hear the deafening pound of my heart.

The conversation grew lively and I forced myself to move forward. Instantly, I recognized the Teacher. Simon, as host, was next to Him. Thankfully, he was too engrossed in the discussion to notice me.

In an instant, the room became silent and all eyes turned toward me as the scent of spikenard from the flask I’d opened filled the room.

By now, my tears were falling freely. I was still afraid of being cast out and punished for my audacity, but a much bigger part of me simply broke open in the presence of the Teacher, much like the remnants of the flask clutched in my hands. Suddenly, I understood I was a prisoner to my sins and only this man could bring me release and redemption.

The precious oil mixed with my tears as I anointed His feet. My long hair had fallen free of its covering and unashamedly, I used it to dry His feet.

Simon spoke, the hostility in his voice startling me from the tender moment. His voice was thick with condemnation for the Teacher for allowing me, a woman of widely-known sin, to touch Him. Yet, how often had I stifled my revulsion in submitting to Simon’s own touch? But his sin was secret, and his self-righteous indignation protected his public image, so I closed my eyes and waited to be dragged from the room.

The Teacher didn’t shout, didn’t startle, didn’t demand my immediate removal or fall prey to Simon’s manipulation. Instead, He praised my actions, reminding Simon he hadn’t provided water to wash his guest’s feet before He entered the house, hadn’t greeted Him with a kiss . . . hadn’t welcomed or honored Him as I had.

Flustered and embarrassed, Simon complained about the oil. Yes, it was costly. I should know; I paid such a high price for it.

The Teacher then told a story about the forgiveness of debts. I am not dense; I understood He was demonstrating to Simon his own sinfulness and hypocrisy.

Then the Teacher stopped talking. I felt His eyes upon me, and lifted my eyes to meet His gaze.

“Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace,” the Savior said.

After one last look at my Lord, I walked out of the room, head high, knowing I was free and a new life awaited me.

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VIII Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched VIII

Ten Day 7 Family On Purpose: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Family On Purpose

The Questions

1) Why are there so many “do nots”?

2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?

3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?

Leviticus 19:9-37

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God.

11 “Do not steal. Do not act deceptively or lie to one another. 12 Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the Lord.

13 “Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages due a hired worker must not remain with you until morning. 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the Lord.

15 “Do not act unjustly when deciding a case. Do not be partial to the poor or give preference to the rich; judge your neighbor fairly. 16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people; do not jeopardize your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.

17 “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. 18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

19 “You are to keep my statutes. Do not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.

20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be punishment. They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 However, he must bring a ram as his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22 The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.

23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden. It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit is to be consecrated as a praise offering to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way, its yield will increase for you; I am the Lord your God.

26 “You are not to eat anything with blood in it. You are not to practice divination or witchcraft. 27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard. 28 You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.

29 “Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. 30 Keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary; I am the Lord.

31 “Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.

32 “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. Fear your God; I am the Lord.

33 “When an alien resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 You will regard the alien who resides with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

35 “Do not be unfair in measurements of length, weight, or volume. 36 You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure; I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Keep all my statutes and all my ordinances and do them; I am the Lord.”

Original Intent

1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
It is important to remember that God creates order and purpose. His purposes always flow from a heart of deep love because He is love. (1 John 4:16) He does not operate from the stance of “controlling dictator”, so we must drop this supposition when we study His words. His purposes for Israel were for them to multiply and live a long life of honor and worship towards Him so other nations would see that Yahweh was the true God. The rules He laid down here in Leviticus were God’s Code of Conduct. In reading Leviticus 19:9-37 it seems as if God thought of everything imaginable His people could, or would, ever consider doing. He created humans, He created the world, He knew the human heart and just what we are capable of. He established His law as a standard to clearly remind Israel to turn aside from the things of the world and “be holy as I (God) am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) God’s Law drew a clear line of distinction between the practices of surrounding pagan cultures and how Israel was to live. Sin had ruled them, keeping them in slavery since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden and their choice to sin against God. (Genesis 3) The standard of God’s holy law reinforced their need for redemption and forgiveness from a kind God who could, and would, make all things good and ‘clean’ again. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they witnessed a culture that reflected the pagan gods Egyptians worshiped. When the Israelites wandered in the Wilderness, they were witness to many people groups whose cultures also reflected pagan worship. God established His Law so the Israelites would show themselves as set apart while they reflected they were indeed God’s chosen people.

2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
Living our lives after the pattern of God’s wisdom and loving boundaries is the very best way to live life! Because God is the author of life and is Himself love, we can trust His ways to be the wisest above our own. This Levitical law of honoring is still something to heed today. Although the word “honor” is technically only tied to the command “Honor your mother and father” (Leviticus 19:3), the idea of honoring God and others is woven throughout every command listed in this passage. Honoring neighbors. (Leviticus 19:15-18) Honoring elderly. (Leviticus 19:32) Honoring our children. (Leviticus 18:21, 19:29) Honoring our bodies. (Leviticus 19:27-28) Honoring foreigners. (Leviticus 19:34) All of these actions honor God! Honoring your children means you won’t give them up, by selling them into a lifestyle that will harm them. Honoring your neighbor, and your community, means you will seek their good, and give generously as you care for the poor and the needy. Honor the elders who have come before you. Respect and care for them. As we honor others, we will bring honor to the Lord God as we reflect His heart of love.

3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
When you see “Lord” in all capital letters, it signifies the personal name God, Yahweh. It was deeply intimate, and regarded as so holy that Hebrews would not even write all the letters, instead abbreviating it as “YHWH”. Using the phrase “I am the LORD” throughout this passage in Leviticus is God’s way of grounding the Israelites and continuously reminding them of God’s personal love and His mighty character. As they lived out this lifestyle of love and honor, they were representing the very name and character of the God who passionately loved them, Yahweh. He alone brought them out of slavery in Egypt. It was Yahweh who sustained, provided, and led them as they wandered in the wilderness. God did not create these laws to be a dictator and make life difficult, He created them as a pattern for the best way to reflect His heart of love. God wanted His people to always be aware of Him.

Everyday Application

1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
Sinfulness was not an ancient Israel problem, but runs just as rampant in our own hearts and cultures today. Jesus knew we could never attain to the perfect standard of righteousness set out by the Old Testament Law. Our nature is to sin. Our DNA is to choose self over a Savior. One only needs to begin comparing ourselves to even a handful of commandments to see our sinful bent. Have we ever lied? Have we ever lusted (Jesus’ equivalent to committing adultery in Matthew 5:27-28)? Have we ever been angry (Jesus’ equivalent to murder in Matthew 5:21-22) One slight step away from the commands, is our own condemnation, resulting in eternal separation from the Holy God because we are not blameless before Him. When you read of God’s “do nots” let them remind you of His holiness, our own nature to sin, and our desperate need for a Savior, which God graciously and lovingly provides in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s list of “do nots” are also meant to safeguard our lives by creating wise boundaries. Our welfare, our physical health, our mental and emotional state require adherence to most of these “do nots” even today. God’s wise pattern for living is intended to show those around us that we are set apart (1 Peter 2:9-11) as followers of Christ just as Israel was set apart as God’s chosen people. Though we still have this Code of Conduct for righteous living, our only hope in attaining righteousness is found in Jesus Christ who came and perfectly fulfilled every requirement of the Law for us! He became our righteousness!

2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
Honoring God and others isn’t solely an Old Testament concept; even Jesus talked about esteeming others above yourselves and giving to the poor. He elevated the idea of honoring others when He said loving your neighbor as yourself was the 2nd greatest commandment, second only to loving the Lord Himself. (Mark 12:31) We often think of Leviticus as different than the Ten Commandments, and wonder how those laws all relate to Jesus Christ and His life, or the times we are living in now. All the laws can feel overwhelming or obsolete. In Jesus’ day, Jews observed all regulations of the Old Testament, but Jesus brought the focus on two laws that encompassed every other one. Keeping God first and loving your neighbor as yourself. To love and honor are similar concepts. If you love someone (even yourself), you will honor and respect them. Paul reiterated the Levitical command when he wrote in Ephesians that by honoring parents, a long life was given. (Ephesians 6:2-3) To some of us, honoring our parents feels difficult and complicated as relationships often are. Perhaps we were mistreated or conflict constantly raises its voice in the relationship dynamics. However, if we are born again and have come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit will give us the power to forgive and supernaturally love those who have mistreated us or are difficult to communicate with. When we seek to love the Lord first, He will empower us to love others.

3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
While God’s name carried more heavy significance in the Old Testament culture, we can begin cultivating the same awe and respect for His name. Read through today’s passage and speak out loud the four words, “I am the LORD.” Or maybe say, “I am Yahweh”, and remember this name that carried such significant intimacy for ancient Israelites is the exact same for us! All who come to Christ and trust His work on the cross for our salvation are still God’s chosen people just like Israel! In similar fashion, we become set apart to reflect His name, His character, and His love to the world around us. Peter applied the Old Testament command to New Testament believers like us, “Be holy as I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) We can only be made holy and new in deeper ways by coming to Him in repentance and seeking Him daily.  He deserves to be honored and prioritized first in whatever we do whether it’s in our long-term goals and dreams or our day to day moments. The more we submit to His Holy Spirit to reshape our hearts, the easier it becomes to live in such a way that we more clearly reflect the depth and intimacy of our relationship with Yahweh!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Redeemed Day 14 Paid In Full: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Paid In Full!

The Questions

1) What is meant by “kinsman redeemer”? (Ruth 4:1-3)

2) Were women truly considered commodities to be bought? (Ruth 4:5-6)

3) Why is the genealogy at the end of Ruth so important? (Ruth 4:18-22)

Ruth 4

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So, Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So, they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Original Intent

1) What is meant by “kinsman redeemer”? (Ruth 4:1-3)
Naomi and Ruth were in a bit of a predicament. They moved back to Naomi’s town, but with no money, and no place to live, as her deceased husband had sold their land before fleeing due to the famine, they were destitute. Naomi knew of a redeemer, some translations say, “kinsman redeemer”, which means a near relative who is in a position of stepping in to “redeem” her current situation. (Ruth 2:20) In the original language, the root word for redeemer is ‘ga al’, meaning “to redeem, or buy back”. The Lord had designed the role of kinsman redeemer as means of protecting a woman and her family, or sometimes giving provision for a slave. (Exodus 21:8) Outside of Ruth and Naomi’s story, there are several other instances of kinsman redeemers in the Old Testament. Job also knew he had a kinsmen redeemer, however, he wasn’t referring to a human redeemer to save him from his circumstances. Rather, by God’s all-knowing Spirit, Job pointed forward to a coming Messiah who would offer redemption for all peoples. (Job 19:25) The prophet Isaiah confirms Job’s words hundreds of years later in Isaiah 43:14, “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel…”. Regardless of the reference in Scripture, the role of the redeemer always carries the idea of “buying back as a gift of grace”, meant to elevate the status of the one being redeemed.

2) Were women truly considered commodities to be bought? (Ruth 4:5-6)
From reading Ruth’s story, it may seem like women had little worth and they truly were commodities for sale, which is largely true. The ancient eastern culture was patriarchal, meaning men held sole power and authority. Whether it was over a nation, a large city, the synagogue, or a home, the voice of a man was the only voice that mattered. Women were allotted the role of homemaking, and even more critically important, childbearing, especially bearing a son who would carry on the male lineage. The father selected a suitable husband for his daughter and, when it came to slaves, women were sold at a lower price. In Ruth’s case, the true prize in the near relative’s view, was foremost Elimelech’s land, and secondary, Ruth. When we read Ruth’s story, we must put on these cultural glasses so we can properly see how God’s perspective of women was vastly different. He elevated women to be equal with men in importance and value. He esteemed women so highly He ensured their inclusion, by name, in the lineage of Jesus, God’s Son. Even the concept of “kinsman redeemer” was put in place by God in order to elevate and safeguard women in a patriarchal society. These laws were given by the Lord in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. (Deuteronomy 25:5-6 and Leviticus 25:23-28) The relative who was first in line to carry out the duties of kinsman redeemer, didn’t want Ruth; he was only interested in the land. When he discovered that Ruth came along with it, he turned down his duty because it would jeopardize his inheritance. This could have meant he was married with other children or it could be another reason entirely. Thankfully, Boaz stepped in and was willing to pay the price for Ruth.  Throughout the book of Ruth, we see Boaz elevating Ruth; He didn’t view women as simply a commodity, but as people worthy of honor and respect.

3) Why is the genealogy at the end of Ruth so important? (Ruth 4:18-22)
In Old Testament times, family lineage was an important piece of Jewish and Hebrew culture. Who you came from, who your people married, and how far back you could trace Jewish bloodlines carried significant importance. Extreme value, and whole identities, stemmed from one’s heritage. The ideal lineage could be traced all the way back to the fathers of the faith, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In fact, this supreme importance of clear lineage is why the Samaritans were such outcasts in Jesus’ day as Jews had intermarried with Samaritans, creating a mixed race. Great care was taken to ensure people with distasteful lifestyle choices or poor reputations were avoided, even cut off from Israel, as to be certain of a “clean bloodline”.  For this same reason, women were rarely, if ever, included in a genealogical listing; they were viewed as non-entities and were typically ignored. God, however, radically upends these ideas by including both women and persons of ill-repute in His human family tree! The genealogy at the end of Ruth is a small snippet of the full one found in the New Testament, preserved in both Luke and Matthew. Luke takes the genealogy found in Ruth 4 and begins with Jesus Christ working backwards until arriving at the first man made in God’s image, Adam. It is important to note that some of this family tree was foretold by prophets thousands of years before Jesus was born.  Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would come from the family lineage of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Everyday Application

1) What is meant by “kinsman redeemer”? (Ruth 4:1-3)
Your life doesn’t need to be destroyed and your children tragically killed like Job, or be impoverished like Ruth and Naomi, to be in need of a kinsman redeemer. Just being you is qualifier enough! We are all broken, whether we like to admit it or not.  We need rescuing! Maybe you’ve had a friend jump start your car, or maybe you’ve received a warning instead of a speeding ticket, or perhaps your “rescue” was not being marked late for work or class.  These everyday rescues are common graces the Lord kindly gives, but our greatest need for rescue runs much deeper to the core of our nature as human beings. We are, each of us, tragically cut off from a relationship with the God of the Universe because of our sin. This sin earns us the penalty of eternal death, forever separating us from God, from love, from life, and from forgiveness. (Romans 6:23) Our need for this kind of rescue is found only the pure, holy God who willingly sacrificed Himself on our behalf that we might be restored. With His blood, Jesus redeems those who trust in Him; He “buys us back” from the kingdom of Sin and Death. (Ephesians 1:7) He “redeems our life from the grave” that we might enjoy His lavish “love and mercy”. (Psalm 103:4) This Jesus is the same Redeemer the prophets foretold would come in the Old Testament and He is the same Redeemer Paul wrote about to the churches in Corinth and Galatia. (1 Corinthians 1:30, Galatians 4:5) Jesus is our Eternal Redeemer, adopting us as God’s sons and daughters if we turn to Him in faith, repent of our sin, and surrender our lives to Him. (Ephesians 1:5)

2) Were women truly considered commodities to be bought? (Ruth 4:5-6)
Just as the Lord God placed value on women in the Old Testament in many ways, including the law of the kinsman redeemer, so did Jesus exemplify this same valuing of women when during His earthly ministry. Rather than viewing women as a commodity to be bought, sold, or traded, He esteemed women. In John 4 Jesus went out of His way to travel to Samaria, intentionally stopping at a Samaritan well at midday where He met a woman who was an outcast.  His chat with her set in motion a revival in a city with mixed races who were considered pariah by traditional Jews! Following her encounter with Jesus, Mary Magdalene traveled with the disciples, serving where needed in Jesus’ earthly ministry. (Luke 8:1-3) Talk about a coveted position! Additionally, she was one of the last to leave the scene of Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:25, Luke 23:49) and the first to see Jesus resurrected in the garden (John 20:15-16)! Jesus was also friends with Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha. He even protected Mary’s position of sitting at His feet to learn from Him as His student, a position traditionally only permitted for males. (Luke 10:39-43) Jesus shepherded these sisters, both reprimanding them and loving them deeply. (Luke 10:38-42, Luke 11:17-33)  Be assured that, to Christ, you are not simply a commodity! You are so valued that Christ your Redeemer purchased you with the greatest price. The Savior shed His blood so you might have eternal life with Him! In Christ, there is no sliding scale of value between male and female. (Galatians 3:28)

3) Why is the genealogy at the end of Ruth so important? (Ruth 4:18-22)
Matthew’s record of Jesus’ lineage hides nothing, boldly listing women and people with tarnished character. Because we’ve first put on the necessary “cultural glasses”, we are encouraged and pleasantly surprised to realize how much value God places on women, despite the cultural norms. Ruth, a non-Jew, is listed as well as Tamar, who was manipulated and abused (Matthew 1:3), and Rahab, a Gentile prostitute (Matthew 1:5). Have you ever been shamed or taken advantage of?  Perhaps you’ve dabbled in promiscuity or adultery. By including these women, God was declaring that no one is too far gone to be esteemed and valued for His kingdom work! Guess who Rahab gave birth to? Boaz! The women listed in Jesus’ genealogy were broken, used, and carried deep shame, and most weren’t even Jews! But, they turned to Jehovah, the One True God, and HE redeemed them, using each of their stories in radical ways. Because God is gracious and loving, He saw fit to redeem them and give them a place of honor. God loves you with the same grace and love! He knows where you have been, the shame you carry, and He knows the good kingdom work He has for you in the future if you surrender to Him. He paid the highest price for you, and because of this, we can each call on His name and repent for our past, seeking forgiveness for our sin and freedom from our shame. Jesus doesn’t see us as beyond repair. Be encouraged by these seeming random names at the end of Ruth’s story, they shout of God’s inclusive love and value! God wants you to know you beloved and chosen!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
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This is Redeemed Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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He Day 12 Yahweh Sabaoth: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Yahweh Sabaoth!

The Questions

1) What is meant by “jars of clay”? (verse 7)

2) What is the “treasure” and the “all-surpassing power”? (verse 7)

3) With all of these trials and afflictions, why believe in God?

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

Original Intent

1) What is meant by “jars of clay”? (verse 7)
In telling us “we have this treasure in jars of clay”, Paul is poetically referring to our beginnings in Genesis when God created the first man, Adam, from the dust of the Earth. (Genesis 1:27) Adam was a vessel, a jar, formed by the clay of the earth by the very hand of God. In the ancient Middle East, the culture of the Bible, earthen clay vessels were used to store supplies and often necessities for life like food or water. Some vessels were sturdier than others. Clay jars used for storing water and oil were probably the heaviest, having thicker walls. There were also clay jars made of finer quality, likely kept on a high shelf (a mantel of sorts perhaps), this held sacred (holy) oil. This oil was used for anointing for prayer. (John 12:3, Luke 7:37-38) No matter the contents, vessels were still made of the same material. Clay. Earth. Fragile. Paul uses a metaphor by saying we, as human beings, are those vessels. Human, but still fragile. Each of us, regardless of shape, gender, race, or age, carry such value that God Himself has chosen us to store His treasure within!

2) What is the “treasure” and the “all-surpassing power”? (verse 7)
When an ordinary man, woman, or child chooses to trust in Jesus, believing Him to be exactly who He claims to be in the Bible, God places His Spirit within that individual. The Spirit then begins the work of transforming that person into someone who loves and follows Jesus and reflects His amazing divine love to a world lost and lonely without Him. The Spirit teaches the Christ-follower about God, helping him or her understand the Bible and discover deeper truths about God and His character. Vine’s Dictionary defines the treasure as “the full knowledge of the goodness of God.” The treasure we have through God’s Spirit, the treasure available to all who surrender to God, is the knowledge of who God is and the power that comes along with that belief. The more we know God through studying His Word by the power of the Spirit teaching us, the more closely we will follow Him and love those around us. This is God’s power unleashed through us! Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Luke 24:5-6), healed a bleeding women (Mark 5:30), made dead men breathe again (John 11:44), and changed the leper’s skin to clear as snow (Luke 17:14). With the treasure of God’s Spirit within, the power of God is at work both in us and through us, drawing in those who are far from God to be close to Him, so they too might know Him deeply.

3) With all of these trials and afflictions, why believe in God?
Paul is not only referencing what he himself has gone through, which was significant. (shipwrecked, betrayal, beatings, stoning to near death, Acts 9:23-25, imprisonments, and house arrest to name a few) He is also pointing to Christ Himself in what Jesus endured while He was on earth. Christ was also betrayed (Mark 14:44) and carried a weight (the sin of the world) Christ prayed would be removed from Him. (Luke 22:42) This letter was written during a time of great persecution for the church as a whole, and Paul’s recipients in Corinth would have been facing severe difficulty and danger for following Christ. All of these trials were real, heavy and pressing, yet Paul encourages his readers that they will not be abandoned in the midst of them. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes that compared to knowing Christ, everything else is rubbish! (Philippians 3:8)

Everyday Application

1) What is meant by “jars of clay”? (verse 7)
We have value and worth because, not only were we handcrafted by the God of the Universe, but each of us were also made in His own image. We are etched with the image of God! Every one of us! (Genesis 1:27) Every bitty baby in its mother’s womb and every wizened elderly being have been fearfully and wonderfully made to reflect God’s own image and have inestimable value. (Psalm 139:13-14) However, for the one who trusts fully on the Lord Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation and has surrendered their lives to Jesus, these clay pots become the holding place for a treasure beyond comprehension, God’s Own Spirit! (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) Christians are still clay treasures, but they hold within them the Treasure of God’s Spirit. We are the fine vessels containing the costliest of contents. God’s love through His Spirit. The love He poured out on Calvary and the power he gave us when His spirit was poured out on Pentecost is available for all today. (Titus 2:11) It doesn’t matter if our vessels are tarnished, chipped, or cracked. We are still His chosen, and still invited to contain the greatest gift of all time, the Spirit of the Living God!

2) What is the “treasure” and the “all-surpassing power”? (verse 7)
We can have access to the power of God’s Spirit by storing up His treasures within us, His earthen, human vessels. His treasure, His word. Paraphrasing Dr. Suess, “the more you know, the more you grow” applies to our walk with Christ too.  Need a starting point? Begin in the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.  If you have a Bible with Christ’s words in red, begin there. John is a great gospel to start with. Go slow, write down your questions and curiosities. It’s not a race to finish so you can check it off a list, it’s an invitation to know the God of the Universe! Everything Jesus gave His followers, His disciples, is available to you, to all of us, through reading His Word! There is no cost other than submitting and turning your heart over to Him. Consider making this passage in Ephesians 1:17-18 a personal prayer. Simply insert “me” in a few spots for ‘you’ and ‘my’ for ‘your’.  Pray that your eyes are open to the glorious knowledge and wisdom Christ has for you. With that comes relationship with Him and the power of His word as the Spirit makes it alive for you!

3) With all of these trials and afflictions, why believe in God?
Jesus, Paul and the believers who made up the early church were not the only ones to face difficulty, just take a peek in any family’s life around the world! While hardship is common to everyone who breathes oxygen, the difference is that, for believers, we have hope and strength and power from the Living God. We can’t manufacture this on our own! We have a God who works all things for good, for those who love Him, even in the middle of trial. (Romans 8:28) Wiersbe’s commentary says all the struggles we go through in our everyday lives are not our final destruction, and don’t necessitate our despair. Rather, when we are faced with hardships, crushed a bit, it allows for the ‘goodness of God, the light of Christ’ to seep out and affect others in the midst of our hardship because His strength shines brilliantly in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) For us it means that we, in all of these life circumstances, in the persecutions, disappointments, betrayals but also just the general wearing down of our physical bodies, we have a blessed hope to which we fervently cling. (Titus 2:11-14) Not only are we given the ability to endure through trial, we are not alone. (Matthew 28:20) We have the Lord of Hosts, God Himself ever present in our time of need. (Psalm 46:1) We have a host of angels who are surrounding us, unseen by human eyes, but always at the ready just like the story of Elisha and his servant. (2 Kings 6:15-17)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Yahweh Sabaoth!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is He Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Sketched VII Day 12 My Shaping Moments: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out My Shaping Moments!

The Questions

1) What is mercy in this context?

2) What is grace in this context?

3) How are we alike or different from Paul?

1 Timothy 1:12-20

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

Original Intent

1) What is mercy in this context?
Our English word for mercy comes from the Greek word eleeo, meaning compassionate and tender kindness. Throughout the New Testament, eleeo is used to convey the idea of God not punishing as we justly deserve; this is an act of mercy. Because of our sinful rebellion against God, we deserve instant exile into eternal separation from God, but because of His mercy, He gives each of us time to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) In this letter to Timothy we see Paul recounting how merciful God was to him.  Paul was rebelling against God, imprisoning and murdering Christians, but God showed Paul mercy by continuing to give him life, patiently waiting for Paul to come to repentance, and by mercifully giving him the opportunity to repent multiple times over. Mercy, God’s tender-hearted compassion toward His people by not giving them what they justly deserve, is abundant throughout the Bible. We see Moses writing about mercy in Numbers 14:18, describing God’s slowness to anger even though He will also dispense consequences because He is loving and just. David writes about God’s mercy and compassion throughout the Psalms. Some examples are Psalm 86:5, Psalm 103:8 and Psalm 145:8-9. We see God Himself speaking through the prophet Isaiah about His tireless compassion towards His people in Isaiah 65:2 in spite of their rebellious actions and attitudes.

2) What is grace in this context?
In the original Greek, grace is charis. Its definition is broader than mercy, but includes the attributes of mercy as kindness and compassion. Grace is like an umbrella that mercy fits beneath, but it also carries the idea of undeserved favor represented by a gift. It also comes from the Hebrew word hsd, or hesed, meaning loving-kindness. All of this comes together beautifully presented as a lavish, entirely unmerited, impossible-to-earn gift, which is given out of God’s core character of love. Grace is given unconditionally, knowing the favorable gift could never be repaid. God states that He is the God of grace, love, forgiveness, and favor in Exodus 34:6-7. Grace sees the impoverished orphan and lovingly provides lavishly for that orphan, treating her as precious and priceless, knowing she could never do anything to earn the gift or ever do anything valuable enough to repay her benefactor. (Ephesians 1:5-9) Paul says in verse 14 that the “grace of our Lord overflowed” to him, meaning a new life, fully undeserved, was given to Paul as a gift. This is grace!

3) How are we alike or different from Paul?
Before Saul’s encounter with God, and his subsequent surrender to Christ as well as his name change to Paul, we see him as a Pharisee, a very learned man of the Law. Meaning he knew the Torah, the first 5 books of our Bible, and was well practiced in working hard to keep every bit of the Law, while also making sure others were keeping it as well.  The Torah is full of lengthy passages of rules, rituals, and laws for Israel to follow as a nation. (Don’t let this deter you from reading it, however, there are some incredible stories and accounts of interesting people!) As a Pharisee, Saul believed every Jew was to uphold those laws, or else they were deemed not ‘good enough’ for God. Saul (before he became Paul) wrongly believed anyone could attain their own righteousness by following these Old Testament laws. Flying in the face of these laws, Saul saw the followers of Jesus as wrong and blasphemous against God because Jesus taught that He was the fulfillment of those laws because only in Him could anyone be declared righteous. Jesus taught it was through faith one became righteous to God, not through works of the Law. This inflamed Saul, and his fellow Pharisees! So, he set out to destroy all who followed Christ. In Acts 8:1 he has a follower of Christ, Stephen, put to death. (Acts 6:8-8:3) In Acts 8:3, Saul goes house to house physically removing anyone who has professed that Jesus is Lord. Finally, by God’s grace, God stops Saul in his literal tracks in Acts 9:1-7 and opens Saul’s heart to realize how everything he had been doing was in opposition to God.

Everyday Application

1) What is mercy in this context?
In today’s world we tend to use the word compassion more often than mercy as it seems to be an outdated term for most. In our society, we most often associate compassion with rooting for the underdog or a feeling of kindness to someone less fortunate. But oh, do we need to be reminded of true, biblical mercy! While we are urged to show mercy and compassion to one another as a reflection of God’s heart in Scripture (Luke 10:37), eleeo goes deeper than compassion. Compassion sees a hurting friend and lovingly walks beside them in grief. Mercy looks at the teenager who snuck out against the known rule and says, I will not punish you as you rightly deserve. Eleeo is most often used in the New Testament to demonstrate a kind, tender mercy that comes from God. Mercy is an act of God, too magnificent for us to fully comprehend because our injustices against Him are too great. Take time to look up these passages using eleeo and consider how unfathomably great is God’s mercy towards us. (Luke 1:50, Jude 1:21, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:4) Then allow this overwhelming richness of mercy to motivate you to extend mercy towards others as a reflection of God’s magnificent eleeo mercy! (1 Peter 1:3)

2) What is grace in this context?
There is a popular saying describing the difference between grace and mercy by stating, “Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve. Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we do deserve.” These two may sound similar, but by this description, God’s gift of wiping away our sin is a gift of grace because He is giving us what we do not deserve. Mercy could be receiving a less harsh consequence. For example, when a judge is lenient with a defendant and gives a lesser punishment, he is showing mercy. Mercy stops the executioner from delivering deserved justice to the offender. Grace then enters to give that offender the gift of walking out of his jail cell with his sentence marked “paid in full”. Mercy compassionately doesn’t give what is rightly deserved. Grace kindly gives what could never be deserved. Grace is never about legalism, checking all the boxes, and working hard to earn favor. (Galatians 5:4) Grace is undeserved no matter how hard we try to win it; it cannot be won. We are saved not by the ‘law’, or our attempts at good deeds, but by God’s gracious love and favor; this is His grace towards us. (Ephesians 2:4-5) Grace wins over sin every time for the one who puts their faith fully in the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf at the cross. This lavish gift of grace, however, doesn’t mean Christians have received a ‘free pass’ to keep on sinning. (Romans 5:20-6:2) Rather, the recipient of such grace is motivated to live for Christ, the One who set them free to live a life of love instead of sin!

3) How are we alike or different than Paul?
In our humanity, we are all like Paul when he was Saul, because we all rebel against God, seeking to be our own “god”. Perhaps, like Saul, we are ignorant of the saving message of Jesus, even if we do know God exists, which, as a Pharisee, Paul did. He knew all about God, but didn’t see anything he did as sinful, until God Himself showed him the error of his ways on the Damascus road. We can be very much like that.  Whether that sin is giving in to doing something we know is completely wrong, or simply falling prey to ‘little’ sins.  Backbiting, lying, slander, stealing, and many others are examples of sin, but there are no “small sins” to God; even one marks us unholy, resulting in eternal separation from a perfectly holy God. We also sin by simply not acknowledging that we are indeed broken and sinful. (1 John 1:8) We can think, like Saul did, that by being ‘good’ we are saved and are in “good enough” standing with God. We deem ourselves as righteous. We get caught up in the “laws” in our mind of how people should act and behave, without ever considering that maybe there is something in ourselves that needs to change. The beautiful thing is, God is indeed gracious and merciful, overflowing with compassion and love. We don’t need to do anything to earn His love and forgiveness, other than repent and turn away from a life of sin and acknowledge He alone is holy, and in His mercy and grace, provided a way to rescue us from sin by sacrificing Himself for us. That’s it!  2 Peter 3:9 says God desires that none should perish.  Because of God’s great love for us and His blood which He shed on the cross, we can come to Him in repentance and He will pour His unfailing love and grace out on us. (Ephesians 1:5, John 1:4, Romans 5:2)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with My Shaping Moments!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VII Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Here Day 7 Shepherds: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Shepherds!

The Questions

1) Why is Bethlehem so important in this passage?

2) Why are there so many references to shepherds?

3) How would the Promised One be our “peace”?

Micah 5:1-6

1 Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
2 Bethlehem Ephrathah,
you are small among the clans of Judah;
one will come from you
to be ruler over Israel for me.
His origin is from antiquity,
from ancient times.
3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return
to the people of Israel.

4 He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of the Lord his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
5 He will be their peace.
When Assyria invades our land,
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade.
So he will rescue us from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.

Original Intent

1) Why is Bethlehem so important in this passage?
Micah was delivering this prophecy from God 700 years before the birth of the Messiah. Bethlehem was a relatively small village with only about 300 people during a high season, yet we see that a great and glorious event would take place sometime in Bethlehem’s future. That is the thing with a prophecy; it could take place the next day, a week later, or even several hundred years from that point. Scripture reminds that a prophet is known if he is false or true by whether their prophecies come true. (Deuteronomy 18:22) The true prophets of Yahweh were known for prophesying correctly, because Yahweh, our God, is completely trustworthy. The reliability of God’s prophets even made King Herod Herod (of the New Testament) fearful because he felt his throne would certainly be threatened by a “new king”. When wise men, the Magi from the East, came to Herod as they were following the star, the King told them to go to Bethlehem, find the Messiah, and report back to him. (Matthew 2:8) It’s also interesting to note that though Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph later fled to Nazareth for his growing up years Matthew 2:20-23. So, some later dismissed Jesus as being the Messiah because they only knew Him as a Nazarene.

2) Why so many references to shepherds?
Throughout the Bible, shepherds were plentiful as tenders of livestock. Culturally, it was a major occupation, but it was also one of the lowliest, humble, and “least of these” types of occupations. It was also a role everyone understood and had a mental image of; everyone knew what a shepherd did, how they smelled, and how impoverished they were. Standing in contrast, we read in Luke that shepherds were highly esteemed by God to be the first to hear of the birth of the Messiah Luke 2:8-14. In this passage in Micah, verse 4 and verse 6 utilize “shepherd” as a verb giving the image of delivering, protecting, and actively bringing into the sheepfold. This depiction speaks of God as He actively shepherds His people.There are several names and character traits of God, one of which is Yahweh Roi, meaning the Lord is My Shepherd. (See King David’s imagery of Yahweh Roi in Psalm 23!) Micah’s prophecy to the Southern Kingdom of Israel, called Judah, told them that while their sins were many (corruption and evil had infiltrated every level of society), and they would have to face God’s judgement, God wouldn’t leave them. He would return as the Shepherd-King, deliver His people from their enemies, and gather them as a remnant, and bring them back into His sheepfold.

3) How would the Promised One be our “peace”?
The people of Micah’s time were constantly in bondage to sin and continually attacked by enemies. Conflict and invasion from enemy nations were regular, ongoing occurrences that God allowed because of their perpetual sin against Him. Israel continued to choose their sin over the Savior, running from Him, even as He held out life and hope and redemption to them. They did not deserve peace, nor did they deserve God’s kindness towards them, but they did longingly ache for the day when they would live in peace. While they knew that God, Jehovah, was Yahweh Shalom (God of Peace) they neither saw nor experienced that peace because of the rightly deserved consequences for their sin. The peace Micah talks about in verse 5, however, is more than simply having freedom from invading neighbors and the violence those enemies perpetrated. This peace means wholeness, completeness, and signifies an eternal peace that could come only from Yahweh Shalom as the God of all peace restores the brokenness existing between Himself and His people.

Everyday Application

1) Why is Bethlehem so important in this passage?
We often think of small towns and villages as places where nothing happens. We treat the towns themselves, and the people from them, as having little to no value or worth. Rarely are great or famous people from a small town. We generally hear most often about the great and glorious things that a large metropolis has to offer.  Like so much of the Christmas story, God chose the small, insignificant, and seemingly unimportant to bear the greatness of the arrival of God the Son. Shepherds. Peasant parents. Aging prophets in the temple. A town that barely made the map. These are the delight of God to use as He showcases His glory! In the same way, He continues to do the same with the people of His kingdom. Paul writes, “For consider your calling, brothers:  not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27) If you are feeling weak and insignificant, let the story of Bethlehem remind you that God loves to use the “least” to declare the greatest story ever told to a world desperate for His love!

2)Why are there so many references to shepherds?
Because the visual image was so clear for shepherds in Jesus’ time and culture, He used the role often to help make His point as He explained Who He was to His followers. Jesus even referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd John 10:11-18. In this reference He wasn’t just saying He was really great at tending physical sheep, He was saying He was THE shepherd who was coming in fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy. Since Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we are given free access to know and experience Him as our Shepherding Savior where He actively cares for us and provides for us. He lovingly shepherds us, as His people. We, as His sheep, can run to Him for protection, for nurturing, and deliverance. We also have the eternal, assured Hope of being included in His new sheepfold when He returns. Where do you see evidence of the Good Shepherd in your life? Celebrate and praise Him for shepherding you! If you are feeling bereft and alone, know that your Good Shepherd is here, simply draw near to Him! (James 4:8)

3) How would the Promised One be our “peace”?
We often think of “peace” as the cease fire after a military battle, that moment when striving between two people or parties has stopped. Or maybe it’s simply trading the chaos of the everyday hustle and bustle of life for a vacation to a cabin in the woods or a quiet beach. The peace Micah was prophesying about, however, is much deeper than outward circumstance, it’s about peace with God. This peace can only be found when we wholly submit our lives to Jesus by accepting what He did on our behalf by dying the death we deserve because of our sin. Israel’s sin separated them from God, and ours does too. There is only one way back to having peace with God, and that’s through the blood Jesus spilled on our behalf. When we admit to God that we are indeed sinners deserving eternal death apart from Him and His holiness, and ask Him to forgive us, and give us His own righteousness in place of our filthiness, Yahweh Shalom gives us His Peace! Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and He came to bring peace to us. The peace Jesus offers isn’t necessarily going to stop the outside chaos that often surrounds us, but it will anchor us amid that chaos. Cling to the unshakeable peace of Jesus!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Shepherds!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Here Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.