giver

Questions 2 Day 13 More Than A Bargain

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 55:1-13
Hebrews 11:1-40
John 15:1-17
Philippians 4:4-9

Questions 2, Day 13

I prayed for a husband for years.

I waited.

And waited.

I waited as my friends fell in love. I celebrated at their wedding receptions, rejoiced over baby announcements, and clicked ‘like’ as baby bump pictures chronicled pregnancies. The pictures then shifted to first steps, first days of school, and so many other milestones . . . while I continued to wait.

In the midst of the moments of rejoicing, heartache existed, too. Even as I prayed for my husband, I watched other marriages fall apart. Parents or children were lost through the finality of death. Other relationships persevered through challenging circumstances, and growth took place as time marched on.

As I waited, I continued to ask for my husband in the Lord’s timing. Sometimes, I succeeded in asking with a healthy mindset, motivation, and heart posture, while other times, I failed miserably. Regardless, the Lord remained faithful, and I learned how true surrender to the Lord’s plan improved both my prayer life and my everyday life.

The Lord invites questions, but I have discovered a fine line between asking and attempting to strike a deal. Here are a few key lessons I am grateful the Lord has taught me through the years.

1. It’s about the Giver rather than the gift.
During the season of waiting, the more I focused on my desire for my husband and bargained with the Lord, the more I lacked peace.

With the valuable gift of hindsight, I can see how the Lord acted, for my benefit, to lovingly deny my pleading requests. What I wanted most was a husband; what God wanted most was my heart’s full attention and surrender. When I sought Him, the Giver (rather than pleading for my gift), He graciously supplied peace with His quiet “not yet.”

My sadness and tears were consistently met with the Lord’s tenderness. (Psalm 56:8) He taught me to trust His heart over mine as He held me close. There in the ache of waiting, I fell more in love with the Lord as He shaped my heart and lifted my gaze to my true Gift, the Giver Himself!

Whatever you’re tempted to bargain for, God’s desire is for you to know HE is your full satisfaction and delight!
“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:17)

2. Ask with wisdom.
Assessing our heart posture and motives are critical when we bring our requests to our Father, who loves to give generously. Though an often-painful process, it teaches us to seek wisdom as we pray. When asking for my future spouse, my self-assessments revealed I pleaded most intensely when loneliness seemed strongest.

I would love to say I consistently asked with a surrendered heart, but that would be untrue. Instead, I sometimes let my emotions rule my prayers, thinking I could evoke the response I wanted from the Lord. But prayer is not a business transaction, and these prayers lacked a willingness to submit to God’s wisdom.

When emotion and fear take the lead, they send us blindly stumbling off the path of God’s Wisdom.
Therefore, let us begin our prayers by first seeking wisdom.
“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

3. Receive with grace.
The Lord is faithful. I do not always understand His ways, but I do know He has a plan and purpose far better than mine. His answer may be no, it may be wait, and sometimes it is even yes. Whatever the response, receiving His answer with grace has consistently proven to be in my best interest.   

Waiting is not easy. Surrendering to wisdom is not easy. Yet both are necessary to receive the sweetness of His fullness.

Whatever you’re praying for, set your heart on loving Him more than the answer you’re after. He is the better.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the wealth of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of His strength.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Nearly a year into my marriage, I can already see how the Lord’s choice for me is far better than any storyline I had written in my mind over the years of waiting.

Attempting to strike a deal with the Lord accomplishes little more than robbing our peace and diffusing our joy. We can’t use religious language or even Scripture to outfox Him, manipulate Him, entrap Him, or buy Him off.

When we’re nakedly honest, we realize our prayers of
“If You would just . . . then I PROMISE I will . . .”
are wild, heartbroken efforts to offer anything to appease a God we feel is stingy.  We simply have no power to hold the Lord hostage.

When we willfully grasp the truths that He needs nothing from us and loves to give us good gifts, our bargaining position evaporates.

Let’s fix our gaze upon His tender, Father’s heart for His beloved child. Let’s bring Him our desperation, our loneliness, and our fear. Let’s admit, “If You don’t . . . I am afraid . . .” and allow Him to fill the void of our inability with His faithfulness, provision, power, and love.

I encourage you (and myself!) to continue to be satisfied with the Giver over the gift, to embrace His wisdom, and to trust His grace at work in our lives while we wait for Him.

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Beloved Day 6 A Lover’s Delight

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:12-16
Genesis 2:18-25
Proverbs 31:10-12

Beloved, Day 6

Have you ever walked in a garden under a pale moonlight? It’s counterintuitive, but at night, a garden truly glows. Everything is bathed in the moon’s gentle light. Visitors can breathe in the sweet fragrance of roses and lavenders, an intoxicating aroma.

During the day, the gardener tends to the plot, and the garden becomes hard-working and industrious. But at night, the garden invites the gardener to lay down the stresses of the day and rest in the pleasure of the fruits of his labor.

Our God is a giver. In Scripture, we encounter His gifts of both literal and metaphorical gardens. In the beginning, He created a world full of blessings. Then, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over creation and entrusted them to rule as He would. God also gave mankind the gifts of food and His Sabbath rest. Tucked away in the midst of all those blessings was another gift, a command to be fruitful and multiply while subduing the Earth.

In Genesis 2, we learn of the creation of the first man, Adam, and how God entrusted him with two gardens. The literal garden of Eden was given as part of Adam’s domain to cultivate, because it is where Heaven met Earth. The second and metaphorical garden, Eve, was given to Adam because God saw Adam needed a companion and helper in order to fulfill his purpose.

In the union of Adam and Eve, we find the design for pure delight and pleasure within marriage:

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, but felt no shame.”
(Genesis 2:24-25)
Wrapped up in the sacred space of marriage, both husband and wife were truly free and truly satisfied.

Song of Solomon builds upon the foundation laid in Genesis, giving us a detailed look at God’s plan for pleasure and delight within the boundaries of marriage. Chapter 4 recounts the culmination of the wedding ceremony; here, we find the groom describing his bride as an abundant garden.

Within the garden metaphor, our Creator begins to unlock the mystery of Godly marriage. A good gardener tends carefully to his garden, looking forward to a fruitful harvest. He protects it from pests and disease and rot. The gardener removes troublesome weeds, ensuring a nutrient-rich environment. Finally, his gentle hand encourages flowers and fruit-producing trees to grow. Such a prized and prioritized garden will not only produce an abundant harvest, but will be a great beauty to behold.

In the same way, a husband is to tenderly care for, encourage, and protect his wife, helping her to flourish. Proverbs 31 describes a wife who is industrious and productive under the care of a good gardener.

Within the partnership of Godly marriage, both husband and wife, gardener and garden, delight in the pleasures of a fruitful harvest. In the safety and innocence of lifelong commitment, spouses find every physical sense captivated and exhilarated:

“You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes;
With one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,
And the fragrance of your perfume, than any balsam.
Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.”
(Song of Solomon 4:9-11, emphasis mine)

As with a garden, cultivating joy and pleasure within marriage requires time and intention. After the battles of the day have been fought, and the responsibilities of the day are laid to rest after bedtime prayers, husband and wife must intentionally turn their hearts, minds, and bodies to one another. Just as a vigilant gardener tends to every corner of his garden, we must make space to nurture our emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical connections.

But this sweet image of man and wife delighting in the fragrance and abundance of their nighttime garden is incomplete. Spouses will never find full delight, full satisfaction, full completion, solely in their mates . . . because husband and wife are human, and imperfect, and sinful.

Only when we have first found fullness of delight in God (our perfect, holy, lacking-in-nothing and possessing-all-we-need God) can we turn our attention from the scarcity in our spouse to overflowing gratitude for all the ways God blesses us through him.

And so, sisters, in the gardens of our marriages, let us first pursue and delight in our Master Gardener. Then, let’s enjoy the blessing of love and take delight in our spouses all the days of our lives.

“Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)

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Sketched VIII Day 12 Giver Of Sight: 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 Giver Of Sight!

The Questions

1) Why did Jesus lead the blind man away from the village for his healing? (verse 23)

2) Why did the man’s healing come in phases?

3) Why did Jesus warn the man to not even enter the village after his healing? (verse 26)

Mark 8:22-26

22 They came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people—they look like trees walking.”

25 Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus lead the blind man away from the village for his healing? (verse 23)
If we rewind two chapters back to Mark 6 we see Jesus sending the disciples out in pairs to preach and heal. Jesus gave His followers power over demons, the ability to heal the sick, and the instruction to call the Israelites to repentance, all for the sake of spreading the kingdom of God. Jesus also included a warning that if any place would not receive, or listen to the message, then the disciples were to shake the dust from their feet as a testimony against that place. (Mark 6:7-11) In Matthew 11:16-24, Jesus curses the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their consistent rejection of truth and persistent unbelief. “Then He began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” (Matthew 11:20-21) As a result of their spiritual blindness and hearts dull of hearing truth, the village of Bethsaida was no longer allowed to experience the fullness of God. They had firmly chosen unrepentance as their stance towards God. Could this have been the reason the blind man’s friends begged Jesus to touch him? Even in the midst of judgment, God still had mercy and led the blind man out of the village to restore his sight.

2) Why did the man’s healing come in phases?
The first stage of the blind man’s healing took place when Jesus physically removed him from the village of unbelief (Bethsaida). The second part took place when Jesus did an unexpected thing. “When He had spit on his eyes and laid His hands on him, He asked him, ‘do you see anything?’” (Mark 8:23) The physical blindness of the man was much like the spiritual blindness of the disciples. Although they were witnesses, and took part in the miracles of Jesus, there was still a veil covering their spiritual eyes. They could not comprehend the full scope of who Jesus really was, and is, as God. After spitting and laying hands on the man, the blind man responded that he could only see partially. His condition mirrored the disciples’ partial spiritual blindness. In fact, earlier in the chapter, Jesus had just fed the 4,000 and warned the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees. The disciples thought He was talking about physical bread, and frustrated, Jesus responded, “Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?” (Mark 8:17-18) Often, spiritual understanding is the cure for spiritual blindness. (Mark 8:21) As the man’s blindness began to lift, Jesus completed the healing by laying hands on him one more time. “His sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” In fact, after this healing, Peter’s spiritual sight was made new, and he finally saw Jesus clearly for who He was as the Son of the Living God. (Mark 8:29)

3) Why did Jesus warn the man to not even enter the village after his healing? (verse 26)
Paul posed an interesting question in Romans 6:1-2, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Once Jesus called the blind man out of the place of sin and unbelief, there is no going back to the place of blindness. Once the blind man’s sight had been restored, Jesus set him on a new path of renewal. There were instances where Jesus warned people to go and sin no more like the woman caught in the act of adultery John 8:3-11 or the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda John 5:1-16. In the case of the blind man, the wrath of God was resting on the village of Bethsaida due to the corporate sin of unbelief. Unbelief is an affront to God’s character because the premise is that God is a liar, He will not perform according to His word. God has declared that if anyone is to approach His throne, that person must first acknowledge that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. “For without faith it is impossible to please God” and, “for the just shall live by faith.” (Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 10:38)

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus lead the blind man away from the village for his healing? (verse 23)
The book of Mark is full of references to Jesus wandering desolate places to be alone and to receive refreshing from His Father. In many ways, God will take us on paths that lead us away from our villages. Sometimes, our “villages” where we spend our most time are places where faith dies, where we are pulled away from the Lord because the voice of the “crowd culture” is so deafening. In order to do a new thing, and usher in times of refreshing, the Lord will lead us down lonely and isolating paths away from the crowds, just as He did with the blind man in Mark’s narrative. In Exodus, when Yahweh led the Israelites into the wilderness and met them on the mountain, He initially wanted to converse with the entire congregation at one time. Unfortunately, the crowd was frightened and asked Moses to be their representative instead. So, Moses and God conversed on the mountaintop for 40 days. “The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” (Exodus 20:21) Sometimes the clearest place to find God is in the midst of thick darkness. When life is chaotic and uncertain, solitude is the surest place to find God. To know Him, and the fellowship of His sufferings, requires an intimacy that cannot be found in peace and security wrapped around material things or even other relationships. Instead, God’s peace is found when you leave what you have known to follow Him. “He who dwells in the SECRET place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1) The place of intimate healing is often found in the desolate corners of life.

2) Why did the man’s healing come in phases?
Paul said that “we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) Until we come to the point of perfect understanding in Heaven, some things remain a mystery. I suppose that not being able to see everything clearly can be one of the most frustrating things about the faith walk. I’m sure the blind man was wondering why Jesus couldn’t just heal him on the spot in the village. I’m really sure the blind man was wondering why Jesus spit on his eye! At that point, I’m not sure I would have had the faith to see what Jesus would do next. There have been many times when I asked God to come through at a certain time and place and He didn’t. Often, God doesn’t move and act on our time, or in the way we imagine to be best. Sometimes, He takes the long route and gradually we discover His “why” as we keep walking forward and trusting Him. Like a child, the Lord teaches us heavenly precepts at the level where we are. “Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? Babies removed from the breast? “Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there.” (Isaiah 28:9-10) You’re not going to find your growth in the place of comfort! For many of us, these have been some of the most painful and uncertain times we have ever experienced. But in this midst of all that uncertainty, the Great God is preparing you for a better place. In this place, you will find your healing!

3) Why did Jesus warn the man to not even enter the village after his healing? (verse 26)
Have you ever left a toxic relationship before? It took a really long time for me to heal from the effects of a bad relationship, yet there is still the haunting question of what if I tried again? Your brain, and wise friends, tell you not to return because you will be worse off than you before. Sometimes people will return to what was comfortable and familiar, even if it will put them back into bondage. Even the Israelites wanted to go back to slavery because walking by faith in the desert with God required surrendering control. Lot’s family was warned to not return to sin-filled Sodom, yet Lot’s wife still looked back and was instantly punished for it. Sin will always beckon you to return like a siren’s song. Fear and doubt will tell you to continue doing what were familiar with, even if it disobeys God. At some point, we all have to choose not to go back to our personal “Egypts” and “Bethsaidas”. Instead, we can make the same choice as Paul, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:7-8)

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Sketched VIII Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Sketched VIII Day 11 Giver Of Sight

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 8:22-26
Psalm 27:13-14
Lamentations 3:25-26

Sketched VIII, Day 11

The sound of familiar voices woke me, but opening my eyes revealed nothing but more darkness. Even after all this time, each morning brought a renewed longing to see the faces of loved ones. I feared forgetting them.

Estimating the time by the temperature in the room, I sat up and felt my surroundings, getting my bearings. My sandals sat by the bed, and I slid into them, one foot at a time.

Excited energy crackled in the air. Outside my window, I heard people walking, but I didn’t know what was happening. Everyone seemed to be heading east, chasing after someone or something.

What was going on?

My friends’ voices grew louder.
They were inside now.

“Berel, hurry! You must come with us now. Jesus is coming! He is here in town.”

I’d heard of Jesus. Stories of Him were spreading throughout Bethsaida and many claimed He was the Promised One. But I wasn’t so sure. A carpenter from Nazareth was not the Messiah I envisioned from the prophets’ description.

Besides, I wasn’t sure healing was part of my story. How many times had I prayed from the psalms, asking God’s forgiveness and for my affliction to be removed? How many times had my friends fasted on my behalf on the Day of Atonement, with no resulting change? Hope was buried somewhere deep within me, and seemed too dangerous to reach for again.

But my friends were hopeful and relentless. They pushed me toward the door as my inner monologue of doubt and questions shouted in my ears. Regardless of what I thought, my friends believed this man could heal me, and they were not going to miss this opportunity. Even if it meant dragging me down the road to the carpenter.

Resigned to their efforts, I allowed them to lead me. The day was already hot as we made our way down the dirt road and I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead. After we’d walked about half a mile, I heard my friend Alon cry out, “There He is! It’s Him!”

His hands left mine for a moment and I sensed he was using them to plead with Jesus.

“Please, Rabbi. If You could just touch him. Please. He has been blind many years, but we know You can heal him.”

Time seemed suspended as we stood in the street. I had a feeling Jesus was looking at me assessing my need, and perhaps even my faith. Then, before I had the chance to speak or plead my case, my eyes were wet with a slimy residue. What was happening?!

I began protesting, but strong fingers pressed against my eyelids. Warmth permeated from them and when He removed His hands, I noticed something. The darkness that had been my world for years was no longer pitch black; light began filtering in. I could see shapes where before, I saw nothing.

Something I barely recognized pulled at my heart. It had been so long since I felt it, I almost pushed it back down.

It was hope.

Was this man capable of healing me? Was this the beginning? A juxtaposition of fear and possibility overtook me; I knew a crossroads of choice had come.

“Do you see anything?” (Mark 8:23)

Jesus’ question interrupted my warring thoughts. His voice was calm and centered, and I felt He already knew the answer. Although I didn’t fully understand it, I knew the question went beyond my physical sight: He was asking me to make a decision. I also knew honesty was the only way to answer Him.

“I see people; they look like trees walking around,” I said. (Mark 8:24)

I wanted to see. I tasted it and now I longed for it with everything in my being. Hope and firm belief sprang to life in my spirit, silencing doubt and fear. This Messiah could indeed heal me, fully and completely. The soft light and blurred shapes were only a fragment of what He could do. I knew it.

My body trembled as He reached out again. I could make out the shape of His hands this time. His fingers caressed my eyes again, but this time I had no doubts about His ability. As soon as He removed His hands, my belief was confirmed. Tree shapes became people. Masses devoid of detail became faces and I saw hope in everyone’s eyes.

Suddenly, my body felt lighter, as though a weight was lifted. This Jesus saved me! He was the One.

My friends jumped with excitement as they realized I was healed. I looked at the face of the man who changed my life forever. I will never forget how His eyes spoke of kindness and compassion, but there was something else. A sadness. As if He knew something I didn’t. I hoped I wasn’t a part of it.

A posture of worship overtook me, and I wanted to shout my story from the center of town. After all, if this Messiah restored my sight, what could He not do? Everyone needed to know about Him.

Jesus had other plans. He sent me home with instructions not to tell anyone about what happened. Why? I didn’t understand it, but somehow I knew I needed to listen to Him. So even when my neighbors questioned me about my healing, I remained quiet.

But my quietness could not hide the transformation inside of me. Every morning when I woke up, my renewed sight brought fresh cause for worship.

People around me witnessed the change, too. They saw hope, once buried, now resurrected.

And they went looking for this man called Jesus.

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

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VIII Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Gospel Day 7 That He Gave: 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 That He Gave!

The Questions

1) What is being compared or connected in verse 25 with the word “neither”?

2) What important doctrine is taught in the phrase “God who made the world”?

3) Why is Paul reminding the people of Athens God doesn’t need anything or anyone?

Acts 17:24-25

“The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.”

Original Intent

1) What is being compared or connected in verse 25 with the word “neither”?
The context for this passage of Scripture places Paul in Athens. While waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him, he engages in continual dialogue with the Jewish leaders and many of the people in the city. Disturbed by the number of idols he has noticed, Paul feels compelled to tell them the truth about Jehovah, the One True God. The gods the Athenians worshipped were made with human hands and had limitations. But the God unknown to them, the One who had delivered them and was worthy of their worship, was in reality the Creator God. This God was “neither” confined to an earthly temple “nor” was He dependent on humans to provide Him with anything. He has no needs. God is the Provider. In fact, He is the ultimate giver of everything.  Romans 11:33 reminds us, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?”
The word “neither” places emphasis on the fact that God wasn’t needy of anything, and therefore was uniquely worthy of their worship.

2) What important doctrine is taught in the phrase “God who made the world”?
Some people in Athens didn’t know the One they were honoring was indeed the One True God. There are Bible scholars who believe the verses regarding this specific altar (verses 22-23) are possibly referencing a time in Athenian history when the people believed they were rescued from pestilence and plague. They constructed the altar/idol out of their gratitude. Paul wanted them to understand the altar they had erected to their “unknown God” (verse 23) was not just to a god. He was in fact The God. He was their Deliverer. He was the One who had rescued them.
He was also their Creator. In their ignorance, they were celebrating the God of the universe without realizing it. In the following verses, Paul revealed how this God was also their Savior through the work of Christ Jesus. Paul’s message to the people declared the God who created them, and the God who had rescued them from disease, was the very same God who would save their souls. (Acts 17.30-31) Paul’s gospel was this: From creation to this very moment, this is the same God. The only God.

3) Why is Paul reminding the people of Athens God doesn’t need anything or anyone?
The people who worshiped in this day were accustomed to their religious practices (verse 22). They mostly likely served their gods “religiously”. Paul used this opportunity to teach them that the God he was speaking of did not need their service. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine.” Psalm 50:12
In fact, this God was the giver of all things, not the receiver. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reminded His people of this truth. Reminding them of the inadequacy of idols, He said, “Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you. Who will you compare me or make me equal to? Who will you measure me with, so that we should be like each other?” (Isaiah 46:3-5)
Just like foreign gods could not save the people of old, neither were the present gods able to deliver them. Only an all-powerful and all-sufficient God was worthy of genuine worship.

Everyday Application

1) What is being compared or connected in verse 25 with the word “neither”?
We must keep in mind we worship a God much higher than us. “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.’ This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8)
Paul was burdened that the people of Athens were missing the true God of salvation. The One True God of whom Moses proclaimed, “For I will proclaim the Lord’s name. Declare the greatness of our God! The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true. The Lord declares, ‘See now that I alone am he; there is no God but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from my power.’” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 39)
This God is able to accomplish anything. He created the universe and He sustains it. We do well to humbly acknowledge our relation as humans to Him, the LORD of all.

2) What important doctrine is taught in the phrase “God who made the world”?
In John 3:16, we learn that God loved the world and He gave us His only Son. In Acts 17 we learn God created the world and gives us life and breath … and ALL things. What an amazing thought: The creator of the universe is a giver. He did not just create a world and then leave us alone. He isn’t some distant deity, uninterested in our lives.
We understand this because we are made in His image.
Those in Athens had heard their own poets refer to themselves as God’s offspring (17:29). Paul used this familiar concept to communicate how God was more than a figure made of wood or stone. Humans were created to live in relationship with the Creator. He has given us life and has also given us the power to live and breathe. He demonstrated this life through the resurrection of Jesus, the Son He gave. THE God, who created everything wants a forever relationship with us. Peter preached the same message that Paul preached, “By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water… [This] Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:5, 9) We were created by God and we are loved by God. He is a life-breathing, life-giving God!

3) Why is Paul reminding the people of Athens God doesn’t need anything or anyone?
When we worship the One True God, we are the beneficiaries. He doesn’t need our worship, He deserves our worship. We must recognize that we remain a receiver and God is always the giver, yet even so, He finds delight in relationship with us. We are the beneficiary and He is the benefactor. Everything we have was given to us by God. (1 Corinthians 4:7 ) When we pray, we are confessing our dependence on Him to even desire to pray. When we serve, we aren’t working for a weak God who can’t accomplish a task without us. We are simply vessels God created to be His human hands and feet on earth. When we ‘count our blessings’, we aren’t tallying what we owe God. We could never repay Him. Nor should we see it that way. God doesn’t give because He needs a return. God gives because He is a giving God. In Isaiah 41:10, God says “I’ll help you, and I’ll hold you.”
John Piper said, “Trust this God, and every day pray as a helpless, empty recipient of this promise. And when you pray and when you trust as a helpless little kid, God will work for you. And He will get the glory, and you’ll get the joy.”

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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Study Tools

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

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

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

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