Digging Deeper

Kneel Day 9 Believing The Best Of God: 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 Believing The Best Of God!

The Questions

1) To whom should the believer demonstrate graciousness (gentleness)? (verse 5)

2) Why should the believer demonstrate graciousness? (verse 5)

3) What does Paul encourage believers to use as a defense against worry? (verse 6)

4) What will be the result of our obedience to pray about everything? (verse 7)

Philippians 4:5-7

5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. the Lord.

Original Intent

1) To whom should the believer demonstrate graciousness (gentleness)? (verse 5)
This isn’t a trick question! But it is a weighty one, isn’t it? Most of us want some sort of clarification for the commanding statement in Paul’s letter. Maybe the original readers did too. Anytime we read a word as inclusive as “everyone”, we typically begin to look for parentheses to offer some sort of exception. Much to our chagrin, there is no clause excluding certain people or situations. The believer is to let our “graciousness be known to everyone.” The Greek word (epieikes) used in this verse conveys that our attitude toward others, all the others, is to be gentle, equitable and patient. Digging into the context of the verse helps us understand Paul’s instructions regarding relationships. In verses 2-3, he encourages two women in the church to strive toward unity, implying there are far-reaching gospel implications in their pursuit of reconciliation. Their discord could drastically affect how others are hearing and receiving the peace of Christ. He writes that these women had “contended for the gospel at my side”. (verse 3) They were faithful servants with Paul in the work of sharing Jesus. Whatever had caused the disagreement wasn’t nearly as important as the commonality they shared in Christ and their goal of telling others about the freedom and peace He brings. It was essential that the gospel (What is the gospel?) they proclaimed not be hindered by their disunity. This message regarding unity and humility wasn’t only for these two women. It was for all believers at the church in Philippi. Graciousness was to be demonstrated by every believer and toward everyone who witnessed their interactions.

2) Why should the believer demonstrate graciousness? (verse 5)
The graciousness we are to show to all people is painted with a broad brush. Our human tendency may be to flinch at the command to treat everyone with grace. It means that our kindness and patience is not just toward those we love or find desirable. Our heart-motivation is key to genuineness! We do this because “the Lord is near.” (verse 5) Sandwiched between the more well-known and oft-quoted “rejoice-in-the-Lord-always” and “be-anxious-for-nothing” verses is this treasure. “Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” When the believer lives with the awareness of Jesus’ daily presence and His pending return (Hebrews 9:27-28), it becomes easier and more significant to rejoice in the Lord and show gentleness to all people. Since we know Jesus will settle every wrong when He returns, we carry our personal struggles and conflicts to Him because we can trust Him to make things right in our sin-stricken world. James tells us that receiving God’s grace and giving His grace are linked. (James 1:19-27) Our time with Jesus in prayer and in the Word is evidenced by our graciousness. When we exhibit the humility of Christ, we season the gospel in a way that adds flavor. We adorn it. Our graciousness gives credibility to our gospel message of grace. When Paul wrote to his disciple Titus, he reminded him to encourage all the believers in sound doctrine and motivate them toward gracious living. (Titus 2:1-14) The Lord is near. He is with us now through His Spirit and His bodily return is forthcoming. Therefore, we live in such a way as to preach the gospel with our lives as well as our words.

3) What does Paul encourage believers to use as a defense against worry? (verse 6)
Paul tells the believers at Philippi to reject worry and instead “present your requests to God.” Though we may never fully grasp how our prayers and God’s will work together, the Bible makes it clear we are to pray. The Greek gnōrizesthō means “to make known, declare, know, discover.” We are to make known to God our worries. Yes, He does know everything, but Scripture repeatedly tells us to confess our sins, to confess our needs, and to confess our desires. We do this by bending our hearts in prayer and taking a humble posture toward God’s purposes. We do not come to Him asking humbly because God is reluctant to answer, but because He is the sovereign Lord of all. He deserves our humble hearted response. (2 Corinthians 9:7-15) We make our requests known to God because He commands us to do so. Had a Syrian woman with a demon-influenced daughter not been bold enough to approach Christ with her request, she would have missed the opportunity to demonstrate her faith in His power to heal. (Mark 7:24-30) Had a blind beggar not cried out to Jesus for mercy, those in the crowd wouldn’t have witnessed Jesus’ power to give sight to the blind. (Luke 18:35-43) God says we often go through life without answers to our prayers because we do not ask, or we ask with the wrong motives. (James 4:2-3) Prayer is the means of defeating the enemy of our souls who constantly presses against our peace. (Ephesians 6:18-19) We can take our thoughts captive by replacing big fears and little worries with pleas to our good Father. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) We acknowledge the presence of our great high priest, and are then able to approach God boldly with our requests. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

4) What will be the result of our obedience to pray about everything? (verse 7)
This promise is AMAZING! Who would not desire to have this kind of peace? “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Praying from a thankful heart is the key to unlocking the door of peace. If something completely fills a space, the only way another item can fully fit is to switch the items. Paul wanted his readers to understand they could not simply sideline worry without making an adjustment in their minds. Replacing worry with its antidote was imperative! Praying about everything serves as a kind of guard in our hearts. It fills the space that worry might occupy. Nothing that produces angst can get past the guard of peace. Colossians 3:15 tells us the peace of Christ is to serve as a ruling umpire in our hearts and minds. The way we fill up on peace is by praying for it. As we pray, God provides peace to us that we are unable to fully explain. I love how Bethany wrote, “Paul assumed God was good at giving good things. If what he was praying about was a good gift, he assumed it came from God…If Paul was petitioning God for something, he assumed what God had already given and was going to give was good, too…In everything, God’s good provision meant that prayer could coincide with thankfulness.” God takes our obedience of replacing worry with prayer and provides the good gift of peace to us. A supernatural peace only He can give.

Everyday Application

1) To whom should the believer demonstrate graciousness (gentleness)? (verse 5)
We read in the New Testament that the apostle Paul was a mentor to several young men in the faith. I’m especially struck by some of his final instructions to his dear “son” Timothy. He told him to pursue, among other things, gentleness! (1 Timothy 1:2 6:11) He mentions this along with “righteousness, godliness, faith, love and endurance.” My sweet sister, even those of us who may have studied these verses many times, let’s not miss this. Our gentle disposition is an integral part of demonstrating the power of God in our lives. We find the strength to radiate this beautiful grace only through the power of the Spirit. Galatians 5 tells us the fruit of the Spirit include the characteristic of gentleness. (Galatians 5:22-23) Oh that I would exude graciousness when everyone is expecting fretfulness! I long to get up from my knees with an energy to conquer my worry and fears evidenced by a gentleness that mimics Christ. In the power of our Lord and Savior, I have the provision I need to do exactly this.

2) Why should the believer demonstrate graciousness? (verse 5)
We demonstrate graciousness because God is good and full of grace! I believe one of the greatest testimonies of a woman of prayer is her Spirit-induced ability to maintain kindness to everyone in the midst of conflict. What a beautiful gospel picture we are proclaiming when a peaceful spirit oozes from us. I love picturing Jesus’ dear friend, Mary, sitting at His feet, enthralled in His presence. (Luke 10:38-42) Why was her sister Martha fretting? Because she hadn’t learned where rest comes from. She had missed the way to be at her absolute best. I don’t think Jesus was scolding her for attempting to check off her To Do list. Rather, I think He was reminding her there is only one authentic way to peace – remembering Jesus’ nearness and presenting our worries to Him. I think if Mary were here today, she would joyfully join singing with us:
Come find what this world cannot offer.
Come and find your joy here complete.
Taste the living water, never thirst again,
rest here in His wondrous peace.
Come and find your hope now in Jesus.
He is all He said He would be.
Grace is overflowing from the Savior’s heart.
Rest here in His wondrous peace.
Oh the goodness, the goodness of Jesus!
Satisfied, He is all that I need.
May it be, come what may, that I rest all my days in the goodness of Jesus.
(The Goodness of Jesus by CityAlight)

3) What does Paul encourage believers to use as a defense against worry? (verse 6)
Paul’s instruction here is more than a soft word of encouragement. It’s possible that in our attempts to not offend others, we sometimes don’t emphasize the wealth that is found in our obedience to this command, “Don’t worry about anything.” Let’s face it, sweet friends, this isn’t written like a suggestion, is it? Paul is urging his Philippian friends to live at peace with another and within themselves through the command of rejecting worry. I’m so thankful he does not leave us hanging though; Paul continues by telling them to pray about everything. Well, my goodness. We are to be gracious to everyone, not worry about anything and pray about everything. I’m beginning to feel my skepticism rise within me. This feels impossible! And you probably know what’s coming next. It IS impossible! When Jesus used hyperbole in Matthew 19:23-26 to teach His disciples that riches were a hurdle for some to enter God’s kingdom, they were astonished. But He looked at them and stated a dramatic reality: “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) We are able to graciously interact with others. We are able to face difficulties and conflict with inner peace. We are able to maintain a thankful heart. We are able to do these because God has given us access to Himself through prayer. It doesn’t even need to be eloquent or long. It just needs to be sincere.
Lord, I believe You are who You say You are. You are able to do anything. But in my humanity, I’m weak and frail. I fret and flounder. Lord, help my unbelief and replace my worry with worship. Amen.

4) What will be the result of our obedience to pray about everything? (verse 7)
We pray because Jesus taught us and showed us it was essential to pray. It would seem to us if anyone did not need to pray, it would have been Jesus. After all, He was God in flesh. But as Bethany reminded us in her Journey Study, “Paul assumed God wanted to hear it all.” This assumption was borne out of hours spent in prayer to God for His glory to be shown through himself and others. Jesus prayed not only for something, but out of something. He prayed because of His already-established relationship with the Father. He came to His Father through prayer as an obedient, faithful, and loving Son. For the believer, prayer should be like breathing, easier to do than to not do. Yet we know many things keep us from approaching God. Unconfessed sin, distractions, doubt, and even plain old forgetfulness crowd out our intimacy with God. Friend, I’m committing anew to let “everything” mean “everything.” I’m expectant and hopeful to watch my powerful, faithful, and loving Father work in ways that will astound me and bring me unexplainable peace. “For this reason, I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that he may grant you [and me], according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Believing The Best Of God!

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 Kneel 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.

Kneel Day 7 On Our Behalf: 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 On Our Behalf!

The Questions

1) What is the “new and living way” inaugurated by Jesus? (verse 20)

2) How are our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed in pure water? (verse 22)

3) How do we hold onto the confession of our hope without wavering? (verse 23)

Hebrews 10:19-23

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus— 20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)— 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.

Original Intent

1) What is the “new and living way” inaugurated by Jesus? (verse 20)
In Hebrews 10:20, we are told Jesus’ blood has made a new and living way to enter the sanctuary of God. Before Jesus’ death on the cross, the high priest sacrificed an innocent animal every year to atone for the sins of God’s people. (Leviticus 16) Because of Jesus, people have a “new and living way” to access the Father. When the sinless Savior took our sin upon Himself, He redeemed our lives and reconciled all who believe in Him back to God. We are no longer separated from God but can come boldly to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) through the “new and living way” of Jesus. Andrew Murray suggests “Christ’s death was something entirely and essentially new, and so also His resurrection life; a life out of death, such as never had been known before. This new death and new life constitute the new and living way, the new way of living in which we draw nigh to God.” The reason Jesus came to earth and sacrificed His life was so we could live an abundant life (John 10:10) in communion with God (1 Corinthians 1:9). His death made a way for us to draw near to our righteous God without the hindrance of our sin. As David Guzik points out, “Now under the New Covenant we have access because of the perfect sacrifice of the sinless Son of God, and it is as if the living, resurrected Jesus ushers us into the throne room of God.” We can remain in God, and He remains in us (John 15:4-8), because Christ’s work on the cross brings us into relationship with God.

2) How are our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed in pure water? (verse 22)
In the Old Testament, priests sacrificed an animal and sprinkled its blood on the altar to signify cleansing and payment for sin. They would also wash themselves, signifying holiness, before wearing tabernacle garments to make the sacrifice. (Leviticus 16:4) Kenneth Wuest explains how the “high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial animal seven times on the ground as he approached the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies.” (Leviticus 16:14) The author of Hebrews references this in writing, “Let us draw near [to God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22) It is Jesus, our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), who cleanses us from sin through the blood sacrifice He made for us at the cross. We are sprinkled clean and washed pure by His blood. Some, like David Guzik, suggest this passage also references water baptism. “With the perfect cleansing available to us, described in terms of promises of the New Covenant in the Hebrew Scriptures (hearts sprinkled) and the Christian practice of baptism (bodies washed), we can draw near to God in a way never available to someone under the Old Covenant.” Jesus’ sacrifice made a way for us to have a vibrant relationship with the living God! Andrew Murray asserts, “The blood [of Christ] has put away the thought of sin from God; He remembers it no more forever. The blood puts away the thought of sin in me too, taking away the evil conscience that condemns me.” What an incredible reality, that we can commune with the Holy God who frees our conscience from evil and sprinkles our hearts clean, free of condemnation! (Romans 8:1)

3) How do we hold onto the confession of our hope without wavering? (verse 23)
The author of Hebrews 10:23 admonishes readers to “hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.” According to Chuck Swindoll, this letter was written to “Jewish Christians in Rome, who were struggling under Nero’s persecution and were considering moving back toward the Mosaic Law. The writer to the Hebrews showed these Jewish Christian believers that, though they were faced with suffering, they were indeed following a better way . . . and they should persevere.” It can be hard to stay committed to biblical beliefs when doing so incurs mistreatment from others. It can be easy to waver, or even fall away, from truth when following Christ becomes difficult. This verse tells us that, because God is faithful and keeps His promises, we should hang on with hope without faltering. R.C. Sproul explains, “The faithfulness of His Word and His activity through history give us the basis for our hope and confidence that God will do all that He promises. Because of this faithfulness, we too must be faithful to Him.” God’s Word tells us all Christians will face persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), but the hope we are holding onto in the promises and Person of Jesus is worth any persecution we face for following Jesus. In fact, the Bible calls those who are persecuted blessed for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. (Matthew 5:10) God grants us the grace (John 1:16) to be faithful to Him as He shows faithfulness to us in all situations.

Everyday Application

1) What is the “new and living way” inaugurated by Jesus? (verse 20)
Recently at church, our fancy printer for checking kids into class wasn’t working, so I told parents we were “kickin’ it old school” using ink pens and stickers instead of technology. Of course, “old school” is relative; when I was a child, kids were simply dropped off without official security measures. Everybody knew everybody else and the street where they lived. The “new system”, even with a downgrade to markers and stickers, was still better than the “old system” I’d grown up under. In relating with God, Jesus has given us a “new system” described in Hebrews 10:20 as “the new and living way” which is immeasurably better than the old system. Instead of relying on a priest to temporarily atone for our sins through animal sacrifice, we can freely access God because Jesus took our sins upon Himself once and for all. (1 Peter 2:24) We don’t need to worry about not measuring up, or working to atone for the impossible debt our sins have incurred, because Jesus paid the debt-price (1 Corinthians 6:20) to cleanse us from “all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Dan Cruver describes what it’s like for us to “enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19) when he writes, “Our confidence to enter is not based upon what we’ve done or not done but upon what Christ has done through the shedding of His own blood. Our confidence is based upon the work of Christ.” There is much freedom in knowing my salvation does not rely on what I do or fail to do. My righteousness before God is because of Jesus’ righteousness; all I need to do is accept His love and mercy made available through the “new and living way”! (John 3:16)

2) How are our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed in pure water? (verse 22)
I was saved from my sin-debt at age 5, so the idea of being made clean and whole didn’t resonate with me as deeply then as it does now. Since then, I’ve grown in understanding of my sin, its offensiveness to the Holy God, and my deep need for a Saving God to cleanse me. There are numerous sermons, songs, books and movies describing the blood of Jesus washing us because it’s a life-altering experience. Hillsong United’s song, Clean, declares, “The highest Name has set me free/Because of Jesus My heart is clean.” In her song, “Clean,” Natalie Grant sings, “There’s nothing too dirty/that you can’t make worthy/You wash me in mercy/I am clean/ Washed in the blood of your sacrifice/Your blood flowed red and made me white/My dirty rags are purified/I am clean.” When your life has been tinged with the guilt and shame of sin, being delivered from the heaviness of condemnation is whole-life-liberating. Only the blood of Jesus, shed for us, cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7) and frees us from sin and death (Romans 8:2). According to author Liz Curtis Higgs, “God doesn’t just clean us up, fix us up, straighten us up. He recreates us in the image of His Son. He starts from scratch. He makes us new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In Christ, we become “a new being” (Good News Bible), “a new person” (New Living Translation), “a new creature altogether” (Amplified Bible), and have “a fresh start” (The Message Paraphrase).” This freedom is available to all who choose to turn from their sin and trust Christ to pay their sin-debt! Being made new, clean and free, stirs us to share this Good News with everyone!

3) How do we hold onto the confession of our hope without wavering? (verse 23)
I’ve always been inspired by Christians whose lives demonstrate a life that “hold(s) on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since He who promised is faithful.” Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian Dutch woman who hid Jews from the Nazis in the Netherlands during World War II. “In concert with her religious beliefs, her family experience, and the Dutch resistance. Her defiance led to imprisonment, internment in a concentration camp, and loss of family members who died from maltreatment while in German custody” (encyclopedia.ushmm.org) Though she and those she loved suffered much, she was still able to say, “In darkness God’s truth shines most clear”. (Corrie Ten Boom) She held onto the unwavering hope she had in Christ and the truths of the Scriptures in her darkest hours, then emerged to share that hope with others around the world. There are stories from all over the globe like this one, of people holding fast to Jesus in the face of intense struggle. The recent coup in Myanmar left people fleeing into the jungles for survival, but hope persists for those displaced Christians. Lindy Lowry reports, “Like so many situations where God’s people are pressed on every side (2 Corinthians 4:8,) faith continues to survive in persecution. Our local partners [in Myanmar] report that increasing numbers of people are turning to Jesus for their hope.” In Nigeria, Boko Haram has harassed Christians who refuse to convert to Islam, yet “many Nigerian Christians forgive their persecutors, and some even share the gospel with militants” (persecution.com) Stories like these remind me that holding on to my hope in Christ without wavering is important because it keeps me connected to God’s promises and it encourages others who may be struggling.

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

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 Kneel 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.

Kneel Day 4 Fierce Faith: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Fierce Faith!

The Questions

1) Why does Paul admonish Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ? (verse 1)

2) What should the reader understand from the examples of solder, athlete, and farmer? How do they relate to Paul’s suffering? (verses 3-9)

3) How do the truths declared in the short hymn in verses 11-13 impact our everyday faith?

2 Timothy 2:1-13

You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and descended from David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound. 10 This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy:

For if we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Original Intent

1) Why does Paul admonish Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ? (verse 1)
Submitting to God’s will for his life was not easy for Paul. He endured many trials, but he never wavered. Instead Paul persevered. Some of the men who ministered with Paul however, did not persevere. Instead, they deserted Paul (2 Timothy 1:15-18). Paul, who considered Timothy his spiritual son, offered instruction and encouragement to Timothy in his letter. First, Paul instructs him to be strong. According to the Enduring Word Commentary, “This is one of the twenty-five times Paul encouraged Timothy to be strong and endure in his work in Ephesus.” Living his life for the Lord was not easy for Timothy, just as it wasn’t for Paul. But Paul didn’t simply tell Timothy to be strong, He told Timothy how: “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”. Paul knew from his own experiences the strength Timothy needed in order to endure would not come from himself. Manufactured strength would absolutely not cut it. “Our strength, both as Christians and as ministers, lies in Christ, and not in ourselves.” (studylight.org) Paul declared this truth for himself (Philippians 4:13), and he gave Timothy a gift in directing him to the only One who could sustain Timothy in his ministry work – Jesus. (written by Marietta Taylor)

2) What should the reader understand from the examples of solder, athlete, and farmer? How do they relate to Paul’s suffering? (verses 3-9)
In verse 3, Paul tells his son in the faith, Timothy, to “share in suffering”. He is repeating his admonishment from earlier in his letter. (2 Timothy 1:8) Based on the Greek translation, Paul wants the reader to be encouraged to “suffer hardship together.” He is implying his desire for the saints to be unified in their suffering along with Paul even though they lived apart. (biblehub.com/greek) Through this joint mission of suffering, they would experience the reward of the Lord. He would provide everything they needed to endure. (verse 7) Paul provides three examples he has previously used (read 1 Corinthians 9) regarding endurance. 1) A soldier understood the importance of remaining untethered. He could not be tied to the routines and expectations of normal civilian life. The soldier’s life is not his own as he has committed to serving his commanding officer first and foremost. 2) An athlete trains to deny himself certain things if he desires to win. He competes by submitting physically and mentally to the game. He trains by disciplining his body in regard to food and other pleasures, and then competes by submitting to the rules and boundaries. 3) The farmer may be the least glamorous of the three examples. His reward isn’t a medal or a trophy. His reward is the yield of good fruit resulting from demanding work. The examples Paul gives serve as a reminder to the reader that suffering for the sake of the gospel will require unwavering loyalty, long-term endurance, and humble persistence.  (verse 9) The soldier, the athlete, and the farmer have their eyes fixed on one thing: the reward. The faithful ones of Jesus do the same in their hardships as they focus their lives on Him. (verse 8) Here is where fierce faith is built! (written by Melodye Reeves)

3) How do the truths declared in the short hymn in verses 11-13 impact our everyday faith?
Faith that endures is a faith that has walked into the heat of suffering. (verse 3) Truly tenacious, fierce faith is built one small step at a time as we learn, on repeat, to die to ourselves and our sin, while living for Jesus. This is utterly impossible unless we have first been crucified with Christ. Paul closes this chapter on suffering and strength through His grace by singing of Christ’s crucifixion because His example leads us to do the same with our sin nature. We cannot follow Christ when we do not have His nature within us; our default nature is sin, which is full of lies, lust, and vile rebellion against God. Christ died, but as Paul exhorted Timothy to remember, anchor on, and lean into, “Jesus Christ,[is] risen from the dead…”. (verse 8) Christ died and rose victoriously, conquering death and sin. (Romans 6:9) So are we to die with Christ, crucifying our flesh (Galatians 5:24), that we also might share in His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) When we daily choose to take up His cross of crucifixion, we become radically freed to walk in new life from the Spirit of God! In this kind of living, we are given power to endure suffering as well as the right to reign with Him in eternity for our relationship with Him has been restored. (verse 12) In Jesus, sin no longer stains us or stands between us and God; we have been clothed in the very righteousness of God Himself! (2 Corinthians 5:21) (written by Rebecca Adams)

Everyday Application

1) Why does Paul admonish Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ? (verse 1)
Ministry may look glamorous, but it can be hard work. If you try to “muster up” the strength to endure, you will quickly burn out. The apostle Paul knew this well. He told of his source of strength in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” This is the grace and strength Paul encouraged Timothy to tap into for his work at Ephesus. It is no different for us. According to Calveryfullerton.org, “If you expect to just be strong in yourself, you’re going to fail.  If you think that God owes you some strength because you “deserve” it, you’re going to fail. But when you get to the point where you realize that you don’t deserve a thing, but that you desperately need God’s help, then you have a chance.” Timothy was in Ephesus teaching and defending the gospel and making disciples. That’s our job too (Matthew 28:19-20), though it will look different for everyone. Whether we are in full time ministry like Timothy, discipling our kiddos, or volunteering at church, we all need the grace Christ provides to do any of it well and to the glory of God. This was what Timothy needed, and it’s what we need too. (written by Marietta Taylor)

2) What should the reader understand from the examples of solder, athlete, and farmer? How do they relate to Paul’s suffering? (verses 3-9)
Paul did not mean that a believer, specifically a minister or church leader, should never enjoy life or find pleasures in recreation. His goal is the gospel. It’s always the gospel! Whether it’s the mundane or the magical, our hearts are to be single-minded in purpose. This unifies all brothers and sisters in the world around the message of Jesus. It is the Spirit of God through the Word of God who will give us courage and perseverance as we face trial and hardship in life. In our season of suffering, He will provide His grace. “For the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (verse 7) We can trust Him to provide for us everything we need to endure and grow in our faith. We don’t need to give into temptation even as we suffer. We are not alone in our suffering. (2 Peter 1:3-4) And Sister, praise His Name, we have His word! It is alive and working in us. It “is not bound.” (verse 9) Look to the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer as your example to persevere. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our salvation for it is HE who suffered the death we deserve. It’s in His life we have the endurance we need to never give up! (Hebrews 12:1-3) (written by Melodye Reeves)

3) How do the truths declared in the short hymn in verses 11-13 impact our everyday faith?
The closing words of this early church hymn reverberate with ground-breaking freedom, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”  No matter the inky blackness of our sin, or the many times we return to the putrid nature of death despite our new nature of life, God remains ever-faithful to Himself. He cannot abandon His own Life at work in us by His Spirit. He absolutely will not. We can dance in this confidence every moment of our lives regardless of circumstance. He will never prove unfaithful. Do whatever you must, right now, to ensure you remember this truth in the next breath, the next 5 minutes, and the next 5 months. Christ will not prove unfaithful to the work He has begun in us as long as we have surrendered ourselves to Him completely! (Philippians 1:6) However, there is one line we must not overlook, “If we deny Him, He will deny us.” (verse 12) Pause and breathe those words in. Re-read them. Uncomfortable? Me too. To deny Him is to be utterly without hope for He will most assuredly deny knowing us. Jesus’ own words are clear, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) What is this “will of My Father”? To become like Him in His death that we might become like Him in His resurrection. (Romans 6:5) If we refuse to surrender to the death of our sin nature, we are denying Him, which will result in Him denying us for eternity. The pathway of cultivating fierce faith is strewn with suffering, but it leads to life and the faithful love of God toward us. Choose His life, and sing in victory! (written by Rebecca Adams)

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

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 Kneel Week One!
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.

Kneel Day 2 Restored Relationship: 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 Restored Relationship!

The Questions

1) Where is Ezra traveling to and who is going with him?

2) What prompted Ezra to pray for a “safe journey”?

3) Why did Ezra fast and pray?

Ezra 8:21-23

21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. 22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.” 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.

Original Intent

1) Where is Ezra traveling to and who is going with him?
This passage is full of plural pronouns which tell us there are more travelers than Ezra alone. If we back up to Ezra 7:11-26, it is clear these verses are referring to any Israelites in captivity in Persia who desire to return to Jerusalem. King Artaxerxes declared, “Any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.” (Ezra 7:13) The Israelites were being released from captivity to travel back to their homeland of Jerusalem. The Israelites, who choose to return, are headed back to the Promised Land, their inheritance from God as His chosen people. An inheritance they had been removed from because of their rebellion against the Lord God 70+ years prior.

2) What prompted Ezra to pray for a “safe journey”?
The journey the Israelites are embarking on is 900 miles as it stretches from ancient Babylon to Jerusalem. The trek would largely be made on foot, making it incredibly long with plenty of danger along the way. Ezra is fully aware of the risks he and his fellow Israelites will face, but, interestingly enough, he chooses not to ask the king for armed protection. (verse 22) Instead, he turns to the Almighty God, seeking protection for their journey. Ezra confidently knows God is more than able to provide exactly what they need and the challenges they will face.

3) Why did Ezra fast and pray?
Ezra knows God is the One allowing Israel’s return to their homeland of Jerusalem. God’s sovereignty supersedes all human rule and authority. He also is confident God will protect His people, but through his action of humble prayer and fasting, he also demonstrates his understanding that God desires His people to ask for their needs to be supplied through faith. As a result of Ezra’s leadership, the Israelites commit to fasting and prayer. This time of setting aside their physical desires through fasting allows them to spend uninterrupted time petitioning God to accomplish what only He can for His people. Through this act of intentional humility, the Israelites demonstrate faith in the God who provides, and they acknowledge God for Who He is and His all-powerful ability. Then, they choose to actively trust God to fulfill their requests.

Everyday Application

1) Where is Ezra traveling to and who is going with him?
The Israelites were provided the opportunity to go back home, but first, they must accept the invitation the king was offering. If they decided not to return with Ezra, they were actively choosing to remain in the same circumstances of exile they had been living in for most, if not all, of their lives. While our circumstances are much different than those of the Israelites, we are given a similar invitation. Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the tomb, taking our punishment so we could have the opportunity to go Home with Him for eternity. However, we must choose to either accept the invitation provided in Jesus’ sacrifice or reject it. Rejection of Christ relegates us to the same status we already live with, active rebellion against God whose wrath we rightly incur because of our sin. Acceptance of His offer to forgive our sin completely and give us new life through His Spirit opens the door for us to go Home with Him just as Israel was free to go home to Jerusalem. Acceptance of this gift necessitates our true repentance and turning away from our sin.

2) What prompted Ezra to pray for a “safe journey”?
Ezra prays publicly for a safe journey after he makes the choice not to ask King Artaxerxes for armed protection. Verse 22 tells us he was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry because he had already told the king God would provide for them. Ezra’s confidence in God’s provision was sure and certain. We each face our own set of challenging journeys throughout our lives, and while ours likely won’t look anything like Ezra’s, we should look with confidence to the same God Ezra did. Only the One True God can provide safety for us along the journey we are walking. The dangers and temptations of this world bombard us on a daily basis and we have access to the One who can provide the safety we so desperately need; all we need to do is ask!

3)Why did Ezra fast and pray?
We face difficult times and situations in life just as the Israelites. When we do we should turn to the Creator of the Universe who holds everything in His sovereign hands. One effective way we can demonstrate this is through fasting and prayer. Jesus Himself spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness and praying to His Father. (Matthew 4) As there is no better example to follow than Jesus’, surely, we would not be so arrogant as to think we have no need for the humble disciplines of prayer and fasting. As Jesus fasted, He was tempted by Satan and His tactic for combatting temptation and fleeing sin was to wisely wield the truth of Scripture. When we fast, we are actively demonstrating a complete dependence on God and are provided with time and space to fill with prayer and meditating on His Word. We can follow Jesus’ example and use this time in Scripture and prayer to fight against the schemes of Satan. Instead of taking time to eat, we can spend those minutes in the presence of the Lord, denying ourselves physically and instead feasting on His Word and asking Him to accomplish what only He is able to do. As we face difficult times, sisters, let’s be challenged to turn to the God of the Universe through fasting and prayer, bringing our needs before the Only One able to provide all we will ever need.

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

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 Kneel Week One!
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.

Advent Day 14 The Carol of Abraham & Isaac: 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 The Carol of Abraham & Isaac!

The Questions

1) How could Abraham agree to obey God’s request? (verse 3)

2) What is the nuanced meaning behind “only son”? (verse 2)

3) Why is this particular narrative important?

Genesis 22:1-8

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.

7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”

And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”

Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

Original Intent

1) How could Abraham agree to obey God’s request? (verse 3)
Abraham had a long-standing relationship with Jehovah God. He was familiar with hearing from God directly. He’d also gone back and forth with God as he interceded for the welfare of the cities Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 18:16-33) He asked God for confirmation regarding God’s promise that his future descendants would dwell in the land of Promise. (Genesis 15:8) God told Abraham his descendants would be  as numerous as grains of sand (Genesis 22:17) or stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). This story detailing God’s command to sacrifice Abraham’s heir appears as if God is revoking His covenant promise. Why didn’t Abraham argue with Jehovah about this as he had previously pleaded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah? Didn’t Abraham place more value on his son’s life than on a few residents dwelling in wicked cities? Careful, holistic reading of Scripture reveals this particular scene in Abraham’s life is again mentioned in Hebrews’ listing of “Heroes of Faith”. (Hebrews 11:8-12). He had such faith in God he confidently knew God would somehow make it right, even if it meant raising Isaac from the dead. A burnt offering meant that the entire object of sacrifice was to be wholly consumed. This was also a pagan land; child sacrifices were not unheard of, but this went totally against Jehovah. (Jeremiah 7:31) Abraham knew this, even as he saddled his donkey, even as he chopped the wood and placed it on Isaac’s back for the offering. He knew somehow God would provide. As evidenced by his comment to his servants, “We will return.” (verse 5) Unlike New Testament times, no one had been raised from the dead. Abraham’s faith was anchored on what he confidently knew to be true about God. Nothing else mattered.

2) What is the nuanced meaning behind “only son”? (verse 2)
We read this passage and wonder why God specifically instructed Abraham to bring “your only son” in verse 2 when God clearly knew Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. (Genesis 17:18-19) God also knew that Ishmael was the result of Abraham’s lack of faith when he listened to his wife, Sarah, and slept with Sarah’s slave, Hagar. While this wasn’t God’s plan for marriage, it was culturally acceptable to have children through a slave woman; any offspring would then belong to the patriarch. God emphasized that Abraham and Sarah’s plan wasn’t His by using the language of “your only son” because Isaac was the only son of promise. He was the one God had promised would be born to Abraham and Sarah; he would be the heir through whom God would fulfill His covenant. (Genesis 17:19) Through Isaac, the “only son”, God would bless all peoples and his descendants would outnumber the stars and sands. Ishmael represented the “work of man” as Hagar and Abraham took God’s promise and decided to accomplish it by their own power. Isaac is the “work of God” for his birth was outlandishly far beyond human ability. No woman is physically able to conceive a child long past child-bearing years, but God allowed it to showcase that His work would faithfully come to pass by His own hand. At the beginning of Abraham’s story, God promises “…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3) This was begun with Isaac’s birth and fulfilled when, through Isaac’s lineage, Christ Jesus, the “only Son” of God, was born to save all people from their sin if they turn to Him in faith. (John 3:16) Jehovah God was not going to disregard His promise to Abraham; He is eternally faithful! (Hebrews 10:23)

3) Why is this particular narrative important?
Everything contained in Scripture is beneficial for training us how to follow Christ; through His Words, the Holy Spirit equips us to live out what it looks like in everyday life to love God and love others. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) No story should be overlooked, for these are all the words of God, given to us that we might know Him better and understand ourselves and the world around us more clearly. Abraham’s journey in following God was pot-holed and twisting, yet the Lord never left him or decided not to fulfill His purposes in Abraham’s life. Abraham had connived with his wife to jumpstart God’s plan to birth a son and he lied on multiple occasions to save his own life, even putting his wife in jeopardy. Abraham followed, albeit unfaithfully at several points, but God used his faith and led Abraham to know and trust Him more fully over time. This wasn’t to Abraham’s credit, but to God’s! This scene from Abraham’s life comes decades after he had first trusted God to lead him. The faith we see in this narrative has been built up over significant time. This faith wasn’t new, it wasn’t testing the waters, it was no longer arrogant and self-trusting, it was refined to a humble love and quick obedience. God placed this particular narrative in Scripture to remind us that faith is foundational, but God’s faithfulness will do the work that we cannot. Ultimately, He proved this by dying in our place as the perfect sacrifice for all sin for all time. All we must do is turn to Him with faith that, while it may begin small, God will ensure it grows rich and full over time spent following Him.

Everyday Application

1) How could Abraham agree to obey God’s request? (verse 3)
Have you ever been asked by God to do the impossible? Maybe it’s giving beyond your comfort zone, going overseas or across the street to tell someone about Jesus, or forgiving the one who harmed you. Following God actually is impossible without faith and the work of the Holy Spirit giving us power to follow Him. (Hebrews 11:6, 2 Peter 1:3) Unlike the popular catchphrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle”, Scripture teaches God will indeed give us more than we can handle. That’s His intent, for when we realize we cannot, we realize HE can! Paul wrote, “But He (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, (…) for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) When we are faced with a test causing us to rely solely on what we know to be true of God, we are in Abraham’s shoes. New Testament disciple, James, writes, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance…”. (James 1:2) Sometimes, we confuse tests from God with trials and temptations from the enemy. Tests from God will always bring Him glory as He builds maturity in us. Even if we face a difficult temptation to sin, the Lord is faithful to provide a way of escaping sin’s allure. (1 Corinthians 10:13) With surrender to Christ, trusting His ways, we can say with Paul, “I am able to do all things through Him (Christ) who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

2) What is the nuanced meaning behind “only son”? (verse 2)
Do you feel alone? Unseen? Abandoned? The only one who sins or struggles with doubt? The only one unreachable by God? You are not alone. God created you and God sees you. Just as deeply as Abraham was known and his future was seen by the Almighty God, despite how it may have felt, so is yours. He also sees your sin, your heart (even if it’s dark), and He desires to redeem you and show you Himself, giving you Hope! God the Father’s only son, Jesus Christ, who is Himself God, came to the world incarnate (wrapped in flesh) for the purpose of paying the penalty of our sin, forgiving us, and making us new. We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23) But God is faithful. Oh, so very faithful! His faithfulness is sure, certain, and able to withstand the whole weight of our lives today and our eternity stretching forward. Abraham heard God’s command to sacrifice his only son, and God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead. (Genesis 22:13-14) Centuries later, on another hill not far from Abraham’s altar, God sacrificed Himself in our place. He became “Isaac’s ram”, providing perfectly for him, and us. God holds out this providential forgiveness to all of us. To accept this lavish, undeserved gift, we can come to God in faith, trusting Him at His promise to forgive, and repenting (turning away) from the heavy weight of our sin, surrendering our all to the God who Faithfully Provides. When we do this, God gives us Himself both now and for eternity.

3) Why is this particular narrative important?
When we need help in strengthening our faith, we can look to the heroes of the faith who have walked before us. The author of Hebrews tells many stories of people who began as ordinary, but whose faith was cultivated by God’s hand as they surrendered to God one step at a time. (Hebrews 11:1-12:2) Adding to these biographies, who do you know in your own life that truly follows God in full surrender, even if their lives aren’t perfect? Who encourages you to know God more deeply? Reach out, thank that person for their example of faith! At Gracefully Truthful, we’ve studied many whose lives have been set on trusting God. Visit “Previous Journeys” and look for “Sketched” themes! We could read Abraham’s story and leave it categorized as another good biography of a man of faith who lived in total surrender to God, believing unswervingly that God would faithfully fulfill His plan. But this story tells more than simply the faith of one man. We also glimpse Isaac carrying the burden of wood and humbly submitting to being bound to the altar in full trust of his father. Fast forward centuries later to God in the form of man, Himself in total surrender to His Father praying in a Garden, carrying His burden of a cross on His back, and willingly becoming the ultimate sacrifice of the World. One man’s humble obedience pointed forward to the divine Christ, humbly becoming “obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8) that we might be rescued forever and covered by His forgiveness! He chose you, will you choose Him?

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Carol of Abraham & Isaac!

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 Advent 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.

Advent Day 12 A Shepherd’s Heart: 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 A Shepherd’s Heart!

The Questions

1) Who is the shepherd?

2) Who is the recipient of the shepherd’s care?

3) What does the shepherd provide?

Psalm 23:1

“The LORD is my shepherd. I have what I need.”

Original Intent

1) Who is the shepherd?
The psalmist begins by acknowledging that it is the Lord who continually provides all he needs. “The LORD … is my shepherd.” The image of a shepherd suggests the writer is considering himself to be a sheep under the care of the Lord, the genuinely good shepherd. The psalmist expands the metaphor in the following verses of the chapter and describes how the Lord is like a shepherd to him. Each verse is packed with images about the shepherd’s character and care. Bible translation notes offer us insight into the Hebrew language used in the verse. “The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the Lord as his shepherd (habitual present use).” (netbible.org) The Lord provided constant care to His servant, David. In verse 6, David says to his Lord and shepherd, “Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (Psalm 23:6) This shepherd of David is the same God who passed in front of Moses displaying His glory, “The LORD came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, ‘the LORD.’ The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7) This is the One to whom the people of Israel sang when the ark of God was returned. David himself was leaping and dancing before the Lord in celebration of Who He is, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:7-18 34-36)

2) Who is the recipient of the shepherd’s care?
Psalm 23 is a “psalm of David.” This same David was the people’s unlikely choice for king of God’s people. (1 Samuel 16:10-13) Theologian, Charles Spurgeon, said of the psalmist and songwriter, “I like to recall the fact that this psalm was written by David, probably when he was a king. He had been a shepherd, and he was not ashamed of his former occupation. When he had to wear a crown, he remembered the time when he had handled the shepherd’s crook, and as a lad, with his sling and stone, had kept watch over his father’s sheep in the wilderness.” (www.spurgeongems.org) Being a shepherd was a familiar role for David. He had cared for his father’s sheep as a youth. As a shepherd, he knew the constant watchfulness it took to be a faithful and protective shield for the sheep in his care. (1 Samuel 17:12-15, 34-35) As David’s shepherd, the Lord provided him with peace, even when he was pursued by enemies. (Psalm 23:4-5) As Rebekah stated yesterday, “When the going got tough and trial upon trial came up, David repeatedly relied upon the One whom He referred to as ‘The Lord, my Shepherd’. King David understood that his position, a God-given one, was a position of being under God’s protection even as he lived in anticipation of the ultimate Shepherd, King Jesus.” Shepherding was considered a noble occupation for the Israelites before the social shift began with Egyptian prejudice toward them. (Genesis 46:33-34) Still, most shepherds never became kings, and most kings had never been shepherds. God gave David a unique perspective as the shepherd-king.

3) What does the shepherd provide?
Sheep are vulnerable animals for several reasons. Most of us understand they are susceptible to predators because they are defenseless creatures. They have many natural predators in the wild, but those who care for them tell us sheep are their own worst enemy. They have a natural tendency to wander off and get lost. When they stray, they put themselves in danger of being lost, attacked, and even becoming disoriented to the point of tragically killing themselves by drowning or falling off cliffs. The shepherd’s job is an offensive and defensive one. He guides the sheep to places that will provide for their needs, while being constantly on guard to protect them from prowling enemies. (Psalm 23:2-4) As a king with enemies, David faced many days of fear and worry. Several of his psalms reflect his human emotional turmoil and suffering. It was a natural response for him to have dread and anxiety when his life was in danger. Yet, time and again, David took his fears to his God, the Good Shepherd. He resolved in his heart to trust the God he had come to personally know and trust, the One Who was faithful and generous in love. (Psalm 13)

Everyday Application

1) Who is the shepherd?
As our Shepherd, the Lord provides us all with His personal care, direction, protection and presence. When David declared the Lord as His shepherd, he was acknowledging the connection he had with God. As we read through the Old Testament books, we find that the relationship God had with His people dynamically shifted when Jesus came to earth as a man to bring us nearer to Him. Yet, even the patriarch Jacob had a comprehension of the shepherding heart of God. When he blessed his grandsons, he spoke of the “God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” (Genesis 48:13-16) The prophet Isaiah also referred to the coming Messiah as a shepherd. (Isaiah 40:9-11) As our gracious and gentle shepherd, God revealed His good news at night to a group of men in a field caring for their flock. How beautiful it is that the angel announcing the birth of the Christ appeared to shepherds! Years ago, I sang a chorus with these words: “Gentle Shepherd, come and lead us, for we need You to help us find our way. Gentle Shepherd, come and feed us for we need your strength from day to day. There’s no other we can turn to who can help us face another day. Gentle Shepherd, come and lead us, for we need to you to help us find our way.” Friend, during the season of Advent (when we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s coming), we can worship our Good Shepherd with joy and thanksgiving. The One who chased after David also pursues us with His goodness and mercy, which He will continue to do all the days of our lives. (Psalm 23:6)

2) Who is the recipient of the shepherd’s care?
Like others in the ancestry of the Christ child, David was an unlikely pick to be king of Israel. When Samuel anointed him, David had yet to defeat Goliath and establish war strategies. But, sister, who doesn’t love a good underdog story? As usual, God chose to lead His people in unexpected ways by calling on a young shepherd boy. As a shepherd himself, David was able to savor the sweetness of having a personal shepherd. He understood the implications of the imagery in the verses in Psalm 23. He said of God, “the Lord is MY shepherd.” Although the prophet Nathan shared a vision with David about his future (2 Samuel 7), I am doubtful that David fully comprehended his part in the fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming. His name would be forever inscribed in the greatest story of all time. “Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son …” (Luke 2:4-7, emphasis mine) To all who call on the name of Jesus, we too become recipients of the Good Shepherd’s goodness and mercy. Oh come, friend. Let us adore Him. “Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.” (Hebrews 13:20-21, emphasis mine)

3) What does the shepherd provide?
David was acutely aware of his own need for a shepherd as evidenced in his gut-honest psalms. Only God could fully supply everything he needed. Jesus said we are all in the same condition of need, both spiritually and emotionally. What comfort during this Advent season to know that it is precisely our need that leads us to find the source of our lasting joy. (Matthew 5:3-5) Charles Spurgeon said that to know the Lord as our shepherd, we must first understand our own wandering nature, “for he cannot know that God is his Shepherd unless he feels in himself that he has the nature of a sheep.” (Spurgeon.org) I recognize how I am prone to wander away. Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus to us. Sweet sister, He is our only hope!
“In the process, in the waiting, You’re making melodies over me. / And Your presence is the promise, for I am a pilgrim on a journey / You will lift my head above the mighty waves; / You are able to keep me from stumbling. / And in my weakness, / You are the strength that comes from within. / Good Shepherd of my soul, take my hand and lead me on. / You make my footsteps and my path secure, so walking on water is just the beginning. / Cause my faith to arise, stand at attention, for You are / calling me to greater things. / Oh how I love You, how I love You! / You have not forsaken me. / Oh how I love You, how I love You! / With You is where I want to be.”
(Shepherd by Amanda Falk)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with A Shepherd’s Heart!

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 Advent 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.

Advent Day 9 The Suffering Servant: 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 The Suffering Servant!

The Questions

1) What do we learn of the Promised Messiah from Isaiah’s description? (verse 2-3)

2) What did Jesus achieve on our behalf? (verses 4-5)

3) What truths can we know about our human condition from this passage? How does this impact our relationship with God? (verses 6)

Isaiah 53:2-6

2 He grew up before him like a young plant

and like a root out of dry ground.

He didn’t have an impressive form

or majesty that we should look at him,

no appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;[a]

he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,

and he carried our pains;

but we in turn regarded him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our peace was on him,

and we are healed by his wounds.

6 We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the Lord has punished him

for the iniquity of us all.

Original Intent

1) What do we learn of the Promised Messiah from Isaiah’s description? (verse 2-3)
Throughout Scripture, many facets of Jesus’ character and His role in human history are revealed. He is present before creation (John 1:1) as a part of the Triune God and active in it (Hebrews 1:2); He is preordained as Savior (Ephesians 1:5); His role and presence echo throughout the Old Testament (John 8:56-58, Hebrews 11:26, Jude 1:5, 1 Corinthians 10:4). In Revelation, Christ is foretold as mighty redeemer and judge. (Revelation 19:11-16) But, between the imagery at creation and the powerful descriptions in Revelation, we glimpse something unexpected. Our God is humble and meek. (2 Corinthians 10:1) First on display in the lowest of places, a feeding trough, God is born in human form. Philippians 2 highlights His willing submission to death on a criminal’s cross. Isaiah’s prophecy describes Jesus growing up as a “tender shoot” in dry ground. This statement refers to Him as a “sucker” plant or something that comes from the plant but isn’t part of it. He brought divinity with Him in whole, it didn’t come from another source. “From dry ground” references the difficulties experienced where He was raised (in Nazareth, an insignificant town with economic and political troubles). Additionally, “dry ground” represents the harsh reality of hearts hardened by sin, unwilling to accept Christ as Lord. In His humanity, Jesus came from humble beginnings without majesty to attract us to Him. (verse 2) The Hebrew word God uses to refer to the relationship between Himself and Israel is “helper”. “The One enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth.” (Psalm 113:5-6) All of Scripture tells of a humble God who consistently stoops to “raise the poor from the dust and lift the needy from the ash heap.” (Psalm 113:7-8)

2) What did Jesus achieve on our behalf? (verses 4-5)
Jesus bore our griefs and sorrows, was pierced for our transgressions, and punished for our sins. The word translated rebellion in verse 5 comes from the Hebrew word, pesha, which generally is associated with rebellion, trespass, or revolt. In the New Testament language of Greek, the term used is parabasis, and it implies a breaking or violation of the law. Spiritually speaking, these actions are the result of a defiant or rebellious spirit, one that is bent away from a Holy God. Every sin we commit, willfully or not, is an act of rebellion against holiness. These are the transgressions, pesha, for which Jesus was pierced. Isaiah 53:5 proclaims He was crushed for our iniquities. “Iniquities” refer to something deeply profound in a person’s heart; it is our human sin nature. This depravity within a person leads us to sin and be accountable for the guilt that accompanies the iniquities of our wicked hearts. Jesus didn’t just take my iniquities and your iniquities. He took the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) The sin of the entire world from the beginning of creation until He returns. He took it all. (1 John 2:2) Jesus was punished for all sin and sinfulness, for the sin that entered the world through Adam and Eve to the sins we commit today, and all that will be committed in the future. He was pierced, crushed, and punished for us, in our place. We are offered peace with God and healing for our broken, sin-infested hearts through His willing substitution for us. His peace and healing are not ours by default, but become ours when we choose to trust Him at His word and surrender ourselves fully to Him. This is what He gives us, and He gives it at the ultimate cost—His own life.

3) What truths can we know about our human condition from this passage? How does this impact our relationship with God? (verse 6)
Verse 6 describes the entirety of human experience in relation to God, “We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way…”. In any good relationship, we know there is a give and take, a mutual love, respect, and sacrifice. There is faithfulness and pursuit of the other person for the good of the relationship. But Scripture teaches that when it comes to our relationship with God, He is the one who is loving, respectful, sacrificing, faithful, and pursuing. We go astray. We turn to our own way. Of course, we have moments of love which grow over time, but these are due to the Holy Spirit working within our surrender to Him. It is the Spirit inside of every believer who cultivates true sacrifice, respect, faithfulness, and following Him. These moments grow into longer seasons as we practice submitting to the Spirit, but invariably, we wander from Him. As the old hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing) It is our nature to stray and His to stay.

Everyday Application

1) What do we learn of the Promised Messiah from Isaiah’s description? (verse 2-3)
Isaiah foretells how the Messiah would be despised and rejected which was fulfilled in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and even today. We would expect God’s message of hope, love, and forgiveness embodied in Jesus to be gladly received like water on a hot day.  Instead, Jesus’ message is often despised and rejected. We are prone to esteem Him not. (verse 3) We likely know people who have rejected Christ or have animosity toward Jesus. We should think of them, pray for them, love them, reach them, and be present in their lives as the fragrance of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:15) In doing so, we become conduits of God’s grace and love. Just as importantly, we should remove the log of sin from our own eye before removing the speck from others. (Matthew 7:4-5) We must examine our hearts and lives through the lens of Scripture as we submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. (James 1:22-25) It’s easy to be like the man who entered the temple, thanking God he wasn’t like the sinner across from him. (Luke 18:10-14) God asks us to examine our lives to see where we reject Him, His people, and the gospel. (2 Corinthians 13:5) If we are honest, we will know we reject God by our actions, thoughts, and speech. Even those committed to following Christ wholeheartedly fail to do so perfectly. Because of God’s humble, patient, merciful love, He continues extending opportunities for us to repent (turn away) from sin. We can turn to Jesus for forgiveness when we acknowledge and repent of the ways we reject Him. When we allow the compassionate Lord to remove our log of sin, we can extend His love and hope to others on His behalf.

2) What did Jesus achieve on our behalf? (verses 4-5)
In Isaiah 53:4, we are reminded that Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. Truly pondering this reality draws us to Him with deep gratitude and humility. We do not serve an unapproachable God who is “distant” or “up there,” but one who chooses to be right here, in the mix with us as we suffer. We have a Great High Priest who sympathizes with us as described in Hebrews 4:14-16. He is with us, and He cares about what we endure. Not only does He care, but He bears up our griefs and sorrows, taking them upon Himself. He steps into our place of sin, accepts the punishment for our sin and the ramifications of our sin nature. He bears it all, so we may be set free to live in a restored relationship at peace with Him. He provides the means for us to be healed at our deepest soul level. Because of His intimate investment in each of us, even though we were born into a sin-infested world, inheriting a sin-nature in our flesh, we can live renewed, reborn, and resurrected from the death that was our first inheritance.

3) What truths can we know about our human condition from this passage? How does this impact our relationship with God? (verses 6)
We are prone to wander. We go astray like sheep. How do sheep stray? It’s been said, “One nibble at a time,” and that’s quite accurate. A sheep becomes fixated on grazing and loses sight of both their surroundings and even the shepherd himself. Most sheep won’t “run” away; instead, they nibble away, one small action at a time. So do we. We nibble at selfishness, self-centeredness, pride, Pharisee-like legalism, lust, greed, anger, fear, and a myriad of other sins. In doing so, we take another small bite and barely notice how we are straying from Jesus bit by bit. At some point, our wandering might get so far off we look up from our grazing and wonder where our Shepherd has gone and how we got so far away from Him. We lost sight of Him, but He never lost sight of us. He is the Good Shepherd, and He leaves the ninety-nine to pursue us when we stray. (Matthew 18:10-14) We may leave His side, but we never leave His sight. Knowing we are prone to wander can help us become more purposeful in keeping our eyes on Him. We can and should set our hearts on Him more consistently and with greater intentionality. Even still, we will wander from Him. In those times, we can rest in this promise: He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and He will always bring us back (Psalm 71:20-21).

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

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 Advent 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.

Advent Day 7 Immoveable Anchor: 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 Immoveable Anchor!

The Questions

1) What is the context of Isaiah’s warning? (verse 12)

2) What competes for worshipping the Lord God that Isaiah calls out the instruction of verse 13 to “regard only the Lord of Armies as holy”?

3) How is it possible to stumble over the Lord of Armies? (verses 14-15)

Isaiah 8:13-15

You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy.
Only he should be feared;
only he should be held in awe.
14 He will be a sanctuary;
but for the two houses of Israel,
he will be a stone to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,
and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over these;
they will fall and be broken;
they will be snared and captured.

Original Intent

1) What is the context of Isaiah’s warning? (verse 12)
God’s people, the Jewish nation, had split into two nations long before Isaiah came as the Lord’s prophet. Each split portion of the kingdom had her own king, who was generally wicked, not only rebelling against God for himself, but also leading God’s people into great rebellion and sin. The Northern Kingdom retained the title “Israel”, while the significantly smaller portion, the Southern Kingdom, was called Judah. At the time of this writing in chapter 8, Ahaz was king of Judah. Though his father, King Jotham, mostly followed God (2 Chronicles 27:1-2), Ahaz furiously rebelled against Yahweh. It’s recorded Ahaz even sacrificed his own son to a false god and, with an interesting description, “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel”. (2 Kings 16:3) While Ahaz has been wrecking Judah with his horrendous leadership and adulterous worship against the One True God (2 Kings 16:4) for twelve years, Hoshea assassinates the king before him, Pekah, in order to steal the throne. (2 Kings 15:30) For over 200 years, the Lord had sent prophets to the Northern Kingdom, warning them of judgement for their insistent idolatry and adultery, but they refused to return to love Him only. As just consequence, the Lord was sending the cruel Assyrian empire to defeat Israel. Jumping back into Isaiah 8, King Ahaz of Judah has heard the war cries of Assyria and fears that, following Israel’s destruction, Judah (and Ahaz) will be next. To Ahaz’s panic, the Lord responds through the prophet Isaiah, “Do not call everything a conspiracy that these people say is a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified.” (verse 12) Judah’s judgement was coming, but it wouldn’t be from the Assyrians. God instructs Ahaz to wait on Him, to return and worship Him, and not give in to fear.

2) What competes for worshipping the Lord God that Isaiah calls out the instruction of verse 13 to “regard only the Lord of Armies as holy”?
Ahaz had grown accustomed to worshipping everything BUT the Lord God Almighty. The book of Kings records, “He (Ahaz) sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.” (2 Kings 16:4) He closely followed the idolatrous actions modeled by Israel’s kings, and was quick to follow suit. The disease of peer pressure haunted Ahaz. Thinking he could “use” God to win him favor by bribery, Ahaz stole the holy, set apart treasures from God’s temple in attempt to buy Assyria’s aid. (2 Kings 16:8) He looked to his most-feared enemy as a source of help when he feared attack from other kings! (2 Kings 16:7) When Assyria did help Ahaz fight his enemies in the city of Damascus, Ahaz met Assyria’s king face-to-face, yet Ahaz’ lusting pride drew him ever farther away from true worship of Yahweh. While visiting Assyria’s king, Ahaz noticed their altar for sacrifices to their false gods and decided it was far superior to the one God had specifically given instructions for His people to build. (2 Kings 16:10) Not to be outdone, Ahaz gave instruction to duplicate the Assyrian altar.  He then had the bullish audacity to move the Lord’s holy altar aside so he could place the Assyrian altar in its place; he ordered the Lord’s priests to sacrifice on the Assyrian alter instead of Yahweh’s. (2 Kings 16:14-15)

3) How is it possible to stumble over the Lord of Armies? (verses 14-15)
There is no doubt when examining Ahaz and his choices as king of God’s people that his decisions were major missteps. He was stumbling around in the darkness of his sin because he refused to acknowledge the Light of God. Despite the warnings from prophets and the clear consequences the befell the Northern Kingdom because of their own rebellion, Ahaz still insisted on living his way instead of building Judah on the solid cornerstone of God, His Word, and His perfect ways. The more God gave His righteous commands, the farther Ahaz moved against Him in arrogant rebellion. The more he fixed his attention on his peers and fostered his fears instead of giving the whole of himself to worshipping Yahweh and following Him, the deeper into darkness he rushed. God said to worship Him only for only He was worthy (verse 13), but Ahaz stumbled against this life-giving command over and over to the point he slaughtered his own son in pursuit of self. The God who had every power to save Ahaz and restore Judah was more than willing to forgive Ahaz and teach him how to love the Lord God alone, but Ahaz rejected Yahweh endlessly. Eventually, Ahaz’ rebellion cost him the throne and his life.

Everyday Application

1) What is the context of Isaiah’s warning? (verse 12)
When we consider the whole of Ahaz’s timeline and heart motivations, we should be urged toward two main applications for our own everyday lives. One, God takes sin seriously. Yes, there is grace and forgiveness as evidenced by the centuries that passed before God finally ushered in His consequence, but He absolutely cannot, and will not, turn a blind eye to sin. This wasn’t true for Israel or Judah, and it’s certainly not true for us today. The gossip, the biting words, the harsh body language, the lusting second glances, the covetous heart that wants what is “hers”, the willingness to give in to anxiety and fear instead of surrender to the God of peace; Sisters, all of these are rebellious sins. Every sinful act earns us the just payment of eternal death, meaning separation from God and His loving mercy and kindness for the rest of eternity. (Romans 6:23) Either we can turn away from our sin and toward the God who loves us enough to sacrifice Himself and pay our sin-debt for us, or we can continue spurning the Almighty like Ahaz and Hoshea. Two, what the Lord has declared, we can most assuredly trust. (Isaiah 40:8) It was not time for Judah’s destruction; Ahaz had no reason to fear Assyria. Ahaz insisted on surveying his circumstances and choosing fear when he could have chosen to look at the God of Armies, surrender to Him in faith, and received perfect peace as a result. We don’t have prophets telling us God’s Word, we can read it ourselves and understand it through the aid of the Holy Spirit if He lives within us. Will we read His Word? Will we choose to trust the One who sees all and knows all and loves perfectly? Or will we live in fear?

2) What competes for worshipping the Lord God that Isaiah calls out the instruction of verse 13 to “regard only the Lord of Armies as holy”?
Everywhere Ahaz cast his eyes, there were more opportunities to give his worship to something utterly unworthy of his praise. How foolish Ahaz’ worship attempts look when tossed before “gods” that neither had any means of delivering what Ahaz pleaded for, nor were they even remotely worthy of the adoration he gave. How foolish we look when we do the same! Take a quick physical glance around your house or a metaphorical glance around your life, and take note of where your heart pulls. Do you look at the mirror and loathe the reflection staring back as you nitpick on your image? Idolatry is here as you are drawn to worshipping self over Creator God. Do you become angry at the piles of dishes or laundry? Or maybe the décor, or lack thereof, as you are tempted to compare yours to hers. Do your “eyes” land on your relationships? Where is jealousy lurking underneath the “longing for better and deeper”? Sister, you are not alone as you look around and take stock of the idols preying for your undying love. I’ve encountered mine on all sides today, and I know I will do the same tomorrow. Sin doesn’t happen because temptation exists, it’s how we respond to this seemingly sweet invitation to satiate ourselves. Eve wrestled with it just as surely as you and I. She gave in, as have I many times, but the Lord says we don’t need to live in the grasp of sin’s deadly allure. (1 Corinthians 10:13) James writes that, while giving into temptation eventually leads to death and destruction (James 1:15), humbling ourselves under God will have the opposite effect as He draws us ever closer to Him, raising us up to know Him better. (James 4:10)

3) How is it possible to stumble over the Lord of Armies? (verses 14-15)
We often don’t see past the enticing allure of sin to the pit of darkness behind its seemingly harmless lust. Satan dresses up our desires, making us feel like we are missing out if we don’t have what we want, when we want it, and then uses us against ourselves to shackle us to destruction. Like a pied piper, Satan’s deception tactics insist that the God we claim to follow is stingy while Satan wants to give us everything we could dream. Instead of waiting on the Lord, we begin thinking we should step in and take over. We become trapped into thinking we can arrive at our desired destination more effectively by sinning than by humbly obeying the Lord. A simple, but common for my heart, example is evidenced by my desire for my children to obey my voice. My sin? Arrogant anger when they don’t behave as I want or accomplish what I expect. Instead of choosing love, the enemy seizes an opportunity to destroy, and says I will accomplish my goal faster if I become angry. Don’t I deserve their obedience anyways? How quickly one deception leads to another! Jesus’ half-brother, James, picked up Isaiah’s prophecy about God as a stumbling stone and applied it to Jesus. (1 Peter 2:5-8) In the greatest act of humility, God coming to earth in the form of a human, living a perfect life of love, and surrendering Himself to death that we might have our sin-debt forgiven, He becomes a stumbling block to many. Either we reject this extravagant love and keep living for self, walking around in darkness like Ahaz, or we fall in adoring worship, rejoicing to accept His lavish forgiveness. Either Christ remains our stumbling block, and we continue choosing deadly rebellion, or we embrace Him as Cornerstone and build the rest of our lives upon Him, knowing our eternity is perfectly secure as it rests on Him.

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

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 Advent 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.

Advent Day 4 Until: 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 Until!

The Questions

1) What is being referenced by blazing fire, darkness, gloom, storm, trumpets and words? (verses 18-21)

2) What does the opposing imagery represent in verses 22-24?

3) How does the author urge his audience to respond and why? (verses 25-29)

Hebrews 12:18-29

For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear. 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.

25 See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven. 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Original Intent

1) What is being referenced by blazing fire, darkness, gloom, storm, trumpets and words? (verses 18-21)
The Hebrew audience would have instantly associated the apostle’s dark description with the imagery of Mount Sinai. Ringing in their ears would have been every story they’d heard and every Hebraic character from scrolls they’d studied since boyhood about Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Sinai. Here was the core pillar of the Jewish faith, this was the Lord’s proof of His covenant as evidenced by His commandments. The sky was dark and heavy with clouds, thunder boomed, lightening flashed, and though they technically could touch the mountain, death awaited all who dared. (Exodus 19:12-13) Only Moses and Aaron had permission to go up the mountain of God. (Exodus 19:20, 24) The fear of the Lord and His awe-full presence was too much for the people to bear, even Moses testified, “I am trembling with fear.” (Hebrews 12:21) Likely for some in the audience, their response to the apostle’s words would have been visceral with chills and a physical pulling back; such was the power of the images evoked by this description. Yes, God Almighty had humbled Himself even then to come down to His people, but so thick, heavy, and terrifying was His presence that truly drawing near without an advocate was impossible.

2) What does the opposing imagery represent in verses 22-24?
The author skillfully turns the audience’s eye from the base of one mountain to another. The drastic scenery change between Sinai and Zion is a shift the first hearers could sense with their whole selves. Zion was the place of perfection. As heavy and terrifying as Sinai, Zion surpassed these concepts with the overwhelmingly freeing sense of finally living peaceably; to live in Zion is to live at home for God dwelt there. Zion was the great reward, the longing of every heart, for here, peace flourished and love made its home. Even in the Old Testament, which again, the first audience would have been keenly familiar with, Zion was lush with welcome. This was no cotton-candy sweet place to visit, neither was this a tragedy-doomed utopian dream, Zion was steadfastly and assuredly perfect because Righteousness Himself lived there and only the righteous could dwell securely with Him. The Old Testament rings of the enthralling, eternal loveliness of Zion. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “…the Lord of Armies who dwells on Mount Zion.” (Isaiah 8:18) Ancient worship leader, Korah, described Zion as the Lord’s “Holy mountain, rising splendidly, (as) the joy of the whole earth.” (Psalm 48:2) To be in Zion was to live alongside the deepest joys and impenetrable securities for all eternity. It’s beauty and might reflected the God who embodied it and gave Himself to its citizens forever with the greatest delight, “Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers, note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation: “This God, our God forever and ever—He will always lead us.” (Psalm 48:12-14)

3) How does the author urge his audience to respond and why? (verses 25-29)
Sinai’s terror of the Old Covenant with its law keeping and constant animal bloodshed to offer payment for perpetual sinfulness of God’s people is made plain under the disciple’s pen. So also, the glorious freedom of Zion’s beauty radiates with grand invitation and stunning aura as the author continues his description, but then he pivots our attention to the weightiness of our own decision. Centuries before, as Israel prepared to finally cross over from desert wanderings into their long-awaited Promised Land, their leader Moses declared, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful to him. For He is your life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) In much the same fashion, the author of Hebrews urged his audience to refuse to reject what had been set before them. “See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they (ancient Israel) did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him (God) who warns us from heaven.” (verse 25) Life and death are again set before the author’s hearers and the choice is given, will they accept the gift of Christ’s forgiveness and dwell in Zion or will they remain under the shadow of death at Mt. Sinai where every sin must be paid in full on their own, which is utterly impossible.

Everyday Application

1) What is being referenced by blazing fire, darkness, gloom, storm, trumpets and words? (verses 18-21)
Today, regardless of culture or location, we simply do not have the same physical response or drastic images playing in our mind’s eye when we read these words in Hebrews. We don’t live in the period of animal sacrifice, we didn’t wander the desert with Moses, we didn’t see the Red Sea waters part, or smell the acrid smoke that surrounded the Hebrew camp of newly-freed slaves as God Almighty descended on Mt. Sinai. We simply read some words and wonder at their curious description. Let’s not pass up this opportunity to slow down and learn from these ancient Hebrew people of how they viewed God with awe. Precisely because we are don’t share their visual experiences, we much too easily dismiss the authority and all-consuming power of the Lord God. When we worship on Sundays, do we ever consider the One to Whom we sing as holding all power and authority, or are we simply waiting for an emotion strong enough to make us raise our hands? God is absolutely unchanging. Though we understand more of His tender heart through the whole of Old and New Testaments, His awesome sovereignty and authority are no less abated simply because Christ came as a helpless infant with silky skin and trembling lips. Considering the absolute magnitude of His unfathomable glory should make us bow with ever deepening awe and reverence as we dare cast our eyes to the Babe in the manger. God displayed a sliver of His glory to Moses, Aaron and the Hebrews gathered at the base of Mount Sinai. (Hebrews 12:29) Let’s gasp together that this same I AM has already come as a wholly divine, wholly human infant and will one day come again as Lord of Lords to once and for all bring His beloved Church Home.

2) What does the opposing imagery represent in verses 22-24?
None who dwelled in Zion experienced lack, grief, shame, or fear because the very same God of Sinai inhabited Zion. “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home: “This is My resting place forever; I will make My home here because I have desired it. I will abundantly bless its food; I will satisfy its needy with bread. I will clothe its priests with salvation, and its faithful people will shout for joy.” (Psalm 132:13-16) Was there an enormous distinction between the two images of Sinai and Zion? Assuredly, yes, this stark difference is emphasized by Hebrews’ author. Yet, also inherently underscored is the reality that the God of Sinai was also the God of Zion. The difference is that peace with His people had been made. No longer did the dread of perfectly keeping God’s commands hang over them while sin plagued them on all sides, for sin had been slain and righteousness had been perfectly purchased, making peace with God available to all. Those who accepted this peace, were cleansed by the precious blood payment of God Himself and welcomed to Zion’s embrace forever. Zion, with its Heavenly city of Jerusalem, myriads of angels, every redeemed saint, and God’s glorious presence results in the grandest “festive gathering” of all peoples and nations. (verses 22-24) This is Heaven, the great reward of Home for all who trust Christ as Savior and Forgiver from sin.

3) How does the author urge his audience to respond and why? (verses 25-29)
Through the scrolling ink marks of a disciple whose bones have long since returned to dust, yet whose soul, even now, rejoices in dwelling in the presence of the Most High God, the Lord God reaches through history to personally plead with you and I. Which mountain will be your Home? Sinai, representing judgment for every sin and eternal death to pay the consequence for that sin, which each of us have committed, is the default homeland for every human being. Let that sink in. Default. Homeland. Yet, wondrously, Zion is available to all. (Colossians 1:13-14) The payment for sin has been made through Christ the Righteous One as He took our death punishment upon Himself at the cross, then proved His victory over it by rising from His own deathbed three days later. He is the entrance doorway to Zion’s delight, for He longs to make His home with us! (John 10:9) Hear the pleadings of an ancient author, see the love of God who sacrificed Himself for you, repent from your sin, accepting His grace-filled forgiveness, and come Home to Zion! When we surrender our lives to Christ, His Spirit indwells us as He comes to live with us. (Romans 8:9) But this glory is merely a down payment of the Zion yet to come. (Ephesians 1:14) One day, with gloriously resurrected bodies, all who have trusted Christ will rise from the grave as the Holy Jerusalem is inhabited in the new Heaven and the new earth and so we will be with the Lord forever! (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Sister, choose this day whom you will serve!

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

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 Advent Week One!
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.