set apart

Enough Day 7 Fallen Kings: 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 Fallen Kings!

The Questions

1) Why did Israel not have a king up to this point?

2) What had Samuel said that Israel refused to listen to?

3) Why did Israel want a king so desperately and why did God choose to give them a king?

1 Samuel 8:19-22

19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”

21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. 22 “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”
Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”

Original Intent

1) Why did Israel not have a king up to this point?
God instituted a covenant between Himself and Abraham long before these verses were written. This covenant was a promise to bring nations forth from Abraham and his offspring, and it was also a covenant to be their God. (Genesis 17:5-7) In Exodus 6:7, God told Moses the Israelites would be His people and He would be their God. The Israelites didn’t need an earthly king because they had God as their ruler. You’re likely familiar with the term, “democracy” as a rule by the people. Israel had a “theocracy” as a rule governed by God. Up until this point in Israel’s history God would send judges as needed to correct the Israelites when they rebelled repeatedly, but they had no need for a king. God was King. Israel was called by God to be a nation set apart from other nations (Leviticus 20:26) and the lack of a physical, human king was one aspect which separated them from other nations. God had not seen fit to provide a king because Israel did not need one.

2) What had Samuel said that Israel refused to listen to?
These verses follow a dialogue between Samuel and the elders of Israel. They had asked for a king and Samuel had warned them of the reasons they should not desire a king. 1 Samuel 8:9-18 reminds the Israelites what a king would take from them and what is owed to a king. Samuel also warned them that if they appoint themselves a king, there would come a day they would regret their decision and cry out to God, but He will not answer because of their decision to choose an earthly king over The Sovereign King. As verse 19 begins, the Israelites are disagreeing with Samuel’s reasoning and continue demanding a king.

3) Why did Israel want a king so desperately and why did God choose to give them a king?
These verses come toward the end of Samuel’s life. He has appointed his sons as judges over Israel. However, the elders of Israel knew that Samuel’s sons did not live as he did, or follow God as Samuel had. In response, the elders asked for a king. The elders even admitted they desired to have a king “just like the other nations”; they were bent on rejecting God as their king. (1 Samuel 8:1-8) The Israelites strongly wanted to be like everyone around them instead of following their calling to be a nation set apart for God’s purposes. Israel begs for a king as a result of allowing the world around them to have greater influence on them than God. Simply stated, they wanted what everyone else had, which had been a recurring problem for Israel since God rescued them from Egypt. Although God knew it wasn’t in their best interest, He allowed them free will and instructed Samuel to send the elders home until the time a king would be appointed. Even though a king was not what God desired for Israel at this time in history, He allowed it and even used it to teach Israel a lesson about worshipping Him and following Him over others.

Everyday Application

1) Why did Israel not have a king up to this point?
In the United States we do not have a king. As a matter of fact, our country became a nation by people who left England and then fought a war to escape the king’s rule. Citizens of nations with Presidents living under democracies read passages like this in Samuel and don’t have the same understanding the first audience naturally did. God had set Israel apart to be different, and while none of us can claim our nation to be set apart in the same way (unless we are Israel!), God does set apart believers in the same way. There should be a noticeable difference between believers in Jesus and nonbelievers. We should ask ourselves if we are being transformed to the image of God or if we are allowing the world to transform us to their image. God desires for us to submit our lives to Him, looking more like Jesus and less like the world much like He desired Israel to live in submission to Him rather than to an earthly king.

2) What had Samuel said that Israel refused to listen to?
Samuel has just finished providing the Israelites with all the reasons they should not desire a king. However, they refused to listen and demanded a king anyway. How often do we behave in a similar fashion? God provides us with instruction that is best for us, and if we are listening to Him, leads us down the path He knows is right, but we think we know best and ignore God’s leading. We continue to demand our will instead of His, placing ourselves as our own king over His rightful rule. Sometimes we do this because we cannot see God’s plan and God’s path appears too difficult. Other times, we demand our will because we desire control or we feel we know better. In these moments, we behave just as the Israelites, refusing to listen to the wise counsel that truly is best for us.

3) Why did Israel want a king so desperately and why did God choose to give them a king?
Israel desired to look like the other nations around them instead of the set apart nation God had called them to be. They had lived under constant blessing and favor from God. He had rescued them from slavery and led them to a land of their own, yet God’s provision and faithfulness were not enough; Israel wanted more. Israel’s disobedience provides a lesson for us today. Just as the Israelites were in covenant with God, so are all who have surrendered to Jesus and trusted Him as their personal Savior. I appreciate the words of Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “But the lesson of the text is rather for those who have the favour and blessing of God, but are not content, and still crave worldly things. You are in covenant with God. He has redeemed you, not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. You are now sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what you shall be. There is laid up for you an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Yet your heart hankers after the things of the world.” We are often drawn astray by the things of the world and we long for what God does not desire for us. Even in His sovereignty, He will allow us the free will of our desires and, just as He taught the Israelites a lesson by allowing them a king, He will teach us a lesson when we follow our earthly desires instead of His. God is a God who pursues us even in the moments we drift away. He will constantly teach us and pull us back to Himself because we have been redeemed by Him and He has plans bigger than ours for our lives.

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

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 Enough 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.

Pause IV Day 9 No Sin Unseen

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Pause IV, Day 9

Today’s reading in Habakkuk sounds strange to our ears and can be difficult to follow, understand, and make sense of in today’s culture, which is why it’s imperative to first read it through the lens of then-current-day culture.

Go ahead and read verses 6-14 to gain an initial footing in the passage!

As we’ve already studied, Israel was rebellious against God. As consequence, the Lord was using the wicked Chaldeans (or Babylonians) to overtake Israel, taking them into captivity in Babylon. Habakkuk struggled with this consequence of using an evil nation to overtake God’s people who were supposed to be set apart as His holy and chosen people.

In today’s passage, God addresses this tension as He speaks in detail about the sinfulness of the Chaldeans. Their sin was not hidden from God any more so than Israel’s sin, and their day of experiencing the righteous justice of God would also come.

In verse 5, “He” is the arrogant one we read about in yesterday’s Journey. His appetite to fuel himself and his own pride is insatiable; this person is always thinking about more of himself and his own pleasure and desires while also justifying himself to be in the right.

Still sitting in arrogance and a resistance to God’s promised word that consequence would come, the arrogant one feels confident in himself. He believes God would surely never punish him because he feels justified in self-righteousness before God. From this position of self-security, he arrogantly “looks down” upon the evil Babylonian Empire.

From his place of pride, the self-righteous one feels he can securely mock the Chaldeans/Babylonians because he judges himself as far superior to them; surely, God would never judge him. (verse 6) These arrogant ones in Israel are “they” in verse 6.

To help you have greater understanding in reading verses 6-14, you can replace “him” and “you” with “Chaldeans” or “Babylonians Empire”.

The Chaldeans were a wicked people, violent, dishonest, and murderous. Even the stone walls cried out, testifying against their atrocities. (verse 11) Their greatest sin, however, was just as evil as Israel’s. Arrogance and pride were rooted deep in their hearts, as they thumbed their nose at God, “(Babylon) place(s) his nest on high.” (verse 9) Like the very first inhabitants of Babylon (Genesis 11:4), this nation was still reaching for equal status with God, high and lofty above all others.

Babylon’s sin. Israel’s sin. My sin, and yours, are all on equal footing. When we seek our ways over God’s we usurp His authority and crown ourselves as our own little god.
This is the arrogance that brought on Israel’s captivity, Babylon’s ruin, and our own eternal death and separation from God.

The word of the Lord closes out today’s reading with a powerful reminder of the Only True God. Just as water fills the seas, so the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory! (verse 14) One Lord of all. One just King. His glory supersedes all things.

Today's Invitation

1) Be a scribe and copy the precious words of Scripture down word for word. Make space in your journal to write down Habakkuk 2:6-14. As you copy, lookup a cross reference or two as you come to them (they are the small letters next to certain words in your study Bible or online at www.biblia.com). As you write, think of the incredible gift it is to be invited into God’s presence through His word!

2) Choose one of these options to radiate Jesus’ love to others as you hold tightly to the anchoring truth of the eternal confidence we have only through Christ!

  1. a) Pitch in to do something extra at church. Whether it’s helping with cleanup, opening doors, trimming weeds, or offering to help in a child’s classroom, step up to loving deeper by serving in a new way.
                b) A note of genuine kindness and specific encouragement goes a long way in showing love and support to your pastor. Consider sending your pastor(s) an email or card!
                c) Check out some local ministries in your area and make plans to serve with them for an afternoon. Maybe it’s organizing school donations, serving soup, or stuffing backpacks for kids. Even better, get some friends to join you!
                d) Prayer walking is a simple way to begin shifting the eyes of your heart to truly see others. Walk around your neighborhood, some city streets, the aisles of your grocery store, or intentionally sit at a local coffee shop and pray, pray, pray. Pray for the people around you, pray for hearts to turn towards Jesus, pray for your own heart to be ready to share the full gospel if given the chance. Don’t worry about seeing results, that’s God’s job!
                e) Strike up a conversation with a random stranger. It may move to spiritual topics, it may not, but showing love to those outside our immediate circles always begins with a simple conversation. “What have you been doing today?” “Do you live nearby?” “Where do you go to church?” “What are your favorite local restaurants?” “What a cute handbag! Where did you get it?” These open-ended questions work well!

3) Share the exciting, bold ways you are living out your eternal confidence today with the rest of the GT Community! Our Facebook community page is always open! Or snap a photo and tag us on Instagram @gracefully_truthful

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
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Habakkuk 2:6-14

Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him,
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say,
“Woe to him who amasses what is not his—
how much longer?—
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.”
7 Won’t your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.
8 Since you have plundered many nations,
all the peoples who remain will plunder you—
because of human bloodshed
and violence against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.

9 Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house
to place his nest on high,
to escape the grasp of disaster!
10 You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
11 For the stones will cry out from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.

12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!
13 Is it not from the Lord of Armies
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,
as the water covers the sea.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause Week IV Two!
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 Pause IV!

He Day 9 Yahweh M’Kaddesh: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

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

The Questions

1) Why did God say in verse 23, “I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned and I will cleanse them?”

2) What Did Ezekiel mean when he wrote in verse 24, “My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them?”

3) What does the phrase in verse 28, “I, the Lord, sanctify Israel” mean?

Ezekiel 37:23-28

They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my ordinances, and keep my statutes and obey them.

25 “‘They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your ancestors lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and my servant David will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a permanent covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 When my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’”

Original Intent

1) Why did God say in verse 23, “I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned and I will cleanse them?”
This section of Ezekiel 37 starts with a phrase in verse 15, “The word of the Lord came to me.” Scholars estimate Ezekiel started writing his book before the fall of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and, we know from his own writings, that he continued recording prophecies after he was captured and moved to Babylon. God gave Ezekiel this prophecy to encourage the exiles in Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem that was coming in 586 B.C. Long before Babylon invaded Jerusalem, many prophets, including Isaiah and Micah, warned the people of Judah to stop worshiping other gods. But the people persisted in their idolatrous ways. As the fall of Jerusalem drew closer, God called Ezekiel and Jeremiah to warn King Zedekiah, and the people of Judah, of God’s coming judgment for their sinful choices. This passage contrasts the past sinful actions that led to the Fall of Jerusalem, and the resulting Babylonian captivity, to a glorious future with an eternal king. In Ezekiel 37:23, “apostasies” refers to the abominable and filthy things. Throughout the Old Testament, “apostasies” is combined with the word “idols” to describe the idol’s filthy sin nature.  This passage provides hope even in captivity. God said He would save His people from their sins and cleanse them. God’s people needed to be cleansed because their destructive and idolatrous choices had defiled them. After God saved them and cleansed them, He would restore their relationship, they would be His people, and He would be their God. This reference goes back to a promise God gave Moses in Exodus 6:7, “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians.” It is restated again in Leviticus 26:12, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.”

2) What Did Ezekiel mean when he wrote in verse 24, “My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them?”
This prophecy about King David is fascinating because Ezekiel lived nearly 500 years after David was king of Israel! This phrase mirrors verse 25, which says, “My Servant David will be their prince forever.” Often phrases or words are repeated in the Bible to give extra emphasis to a point. God wanted to grab the attention of the people of Israel who were listening to this prophecy, underscoring its importance by pointing to the past, while also pointing forward to the future. King David was a shepherd of sheep when he was chosen to lead the people of Israel and anointed as their next king. David was the model of a godly king, a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14) Under David’s rule, the nation of Israel was unified and successful in battle. Ezekiel’s prophecy pointed to a time yet to come when God’s people would be unified under a perfectly righteous leader who would lead His people as a compassionate shepherd. They would be successful in battle and live in peace. This Good Shepherd could only be God Himself wrapped in human flesh, Jesus Christ.

3) What does the phrase in verse 28, “I, the Lord, sanctify Israel” mean?
The word “sanctify” relates to being made holy. The NIV translation of the Bible uses the phrase, “I the LORD make Israel holy,” and the Good News translation explains, “I, the LORD, have set Israel apart as holy.” The word “holy” means “set apart.” Being holy is a characteristic of the Lord God. In Leviticus 19:2, God commanded Moses to “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” In order to be in relationship with a holy God, the entire community was required to be holy. However, it was impossible for the people to sanctify themselves because they were unholy. They were defiled by sin, so being sanctified required action from the Lord. As Ezekiel 37:28 illustrates, it was the Lord Himself who would sanctify the people of Israel. In Exodus 31:12-13, “The Lord said to Moses: ‘Tell the Israelites: You must observe my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am the Lord who consecrates you.’” Keeping the Sabbath wasn’t a way to become holy, but a way to be reminded it is only the Lord who made them holy. On Sabbath, the people were commanded to do no work, as a reminder that only God’s work could purify them. Leviticus 20:8 states, “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sets you apart.” 

Everyday Application

1) Why did God say in verse 23, “I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned and I will cleanse them?”
God has always desired to have a relationship with His people. Contrary to what we may feel, God is not carrying a big stick, waiting for us to mess up. He isn’t looking for us to be perfect before He gives His nod of approval, because we will never reach perfection! He wants to be our God and for us to be his people. He isn’t looking for performances put on like a mask, He wants our hearts knit with His in oneness of deep relationship. Alas, He is holy and set apart. We are corrupted by sin, just as the people of Judah were defiled by their apostasies and idol worship. Our efforts cannot save us, only God’s redeeming work through the cross of Jesus Christ can save us. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.” Look at your sin head on for what it is without sugar coating it as a “mistake”, call it out for the apostasy and idolatry it is, then turn to God, Yahweh M’Kaddesh, who promises to make us holy, even in spite of our sin!

2) What Did Ezekiel mean when he wrote in verse 24, “My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them?”
Ezekiel’s prophecy was looking forward to a time when a descendant of David, an eternal king would rule. As the genealogy in Matthew 1 shows, Jesus is a descendant of King David. As a Rabbi and teacher, Jesus was familiar with this prophecy in Ezekiel. He explained to his followers that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” In John 10:14-16, Jesus continues, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.” The people listening to Jesus would know that “sheep” often referred to Israel. However, Jesus added a new dimension by stating, “I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen.” Jesus was referring to those who were not descendants of the tribes of Israel. King Jesus would shepherd people from all over the world to encompass every nation, every tribe, and every tongue. One glorious day, all who trust Him as their Shepherd, will live at peace for eternity! (Revelation 7:9-10) For all to live together in beautiful unity, restored to a righteous relationship with God, His people would need to be made righteous. Jesus magnificently exemplifies Yahweh M’Kaddesh as the God who makes us holy so we can all dwell with Him!

3) What does the phrase in verse 28, “I, the Lord, sanctify Israel” mean?
Just as Israel couldn’t sanctify themselves, none of us can make ourselves holy. Even one single sin disqualifies us from ever becoming holy on our own. This is bad news for all of humanity, but the good news is that Jesus came to sanctify all people and make us holy for us! Hebrews 10:10 says, “By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.” The nation of Israel was given the Law, the Ten Commandments, to make it abundantly clear what holy righteousness looked like. Israel proved over and over they couldn’t keep the whole law, and neither can we. Any deviation from the Law makes us a sinner, and the punishment for sin is death and eternal separation from God. It is only through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who took that punishment on Himself, that we can be made right with God. In John 17:17, Jesus asks God to sanctify His disciples, making their lives reflect His holiness, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” God will use His word and truth to sanctify the believer to make us holy. It is not our efforts that will make us more like God, but the Holy Spirit’s power through the word of God that sanctifies us.

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

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is He Week 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.

Worship VI Day 7 Isn’t He?: 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 Isn’t He?!

The Questions

1) Why was Israel the favored nation of God?

2) Was Israel a nation without blemish or sin?

3) What is God teaching Israel in this passage?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Now this is what the Lord says—
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.
2 I will be with you
when you pass through the waters,
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
You will not be scorched
when you walk through the fire,
and the flame will not burn you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in my sight
and honored, and I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

Original Intent

1) Why was Israel the favored nation of God?
God chose the nation of Israel to be the people through whom Jesus Christ’s human ancestry lineage would descend from. Since the beginning of time, God set apart Israel as His chosen race through whom He would bless the whole world through Jesus, the Savior from sin and death, the heart condition of the entire human race. (Deuteronomy 10:15, John 3:16) After Adam and Eve’s fall into sinfulness, effectively separating them for eternity from their once-delighted-in relationship with God, God promised a Messiah would one day come, crushing Satan’s head of power, and would bring restoration back again. (Genesis 3:15) Through the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God continued to confirm again and again throughout the generations, the Messiah would come through His people, Israel. (Genesis 12:1-3) Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason why God chose Israel to be His special people. It wasn’t because they were stronger, or more qualified, or possessed more wealth, He simply decided to set His love upon them in order to highlight His glory. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8) God called Israel to be a distinct people for God’s glory and purposes. Israel was set apart to be a beacon of light in a darkened sinful world.

2) Was Israel a nation without blemish or sin?
The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel’s repeated failure to obey God. Israel refused to keep His commandments and statues. While God had set them apart for holiness and to live out the righteousness of God in a pagan culture, they failed continuously. (Psalm 78:10-11, 40-42, 56-57. (“Ephraim” in these passages is understood as greater Israel) Remember the only suffering Israel experienced are direct results of her own sinful choices. However, Isaiah 43 paints a stark picture of restoration by divine grace set against the dark backdrop of Israel’s rejection, arrogance, and pride. Isaiah’s words were a reminder to the people of Israel that their identity as a nation existed because of God and His magnificent love for them. Who they were as a people was rooted in their relationship to God and who He was as the Creator and Sustainer. He was in control at all times and their destiny depended on Him and His faithfulness. In Isaiah 43:1-7, we see Jehovah God assure His people with tender love that they need not fear for HE created, formed, redeemed, and called them. He would faithfully be with them in flood or fire. God would be their final deliverance.

3) What is God teaching Israel in this passage?
Chapter 42 details out Israel’s sickening rebellion and leaves no question as to God’s rightfully justified anger towards them. Yet, with one sweeping voice of love, God speaks truth over His people. A truth they must hold tightly to, even in the middle of the reality of their sin and God’s wrath. Through Isaiah’s prophecy of the yet-to-come punishment for their sin, God also declares His unchanging love for them, as if in the same breath. We must remember this original context when we read this precious passage, as it makes its truths all the sweeter. These great and precious promises are originally directed to Israel as solid reminders of what was true. Truths God wanted Israel to hold in the forefront of their minds despite the consequences forthcoming for their sin were: 1) Israel Belongs To The Lord. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. (verse 1)
This is the basis by which Israel can stand with no fear! 2) Israel Will Be Preserved By God. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. (verse 2) God’s promise to keep Israel never waivers. 3) Israel Is Precious And Loved. You are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you. (verse 4) Despite Israel’s waywardness, God chooses to love with intensity. (Daniel 7:6) 4) Israel Will Be Whole. I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. (verses 5-6) One day, God will make Israel whole again. One day, all will be healed where it was once wounded and broken.

Everyday Application

1) Why was Israel the favored nation of God?
The promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would save us from Death, which is the natural consequences for our choice to reject God and His righteousness, instead choosing our own sin. This Messiah was destined to come through the line of a small nation, who had done absolutely nothing to deserve such rich kindness or heritage towards them. Deuteronomy 14:2 says of Israel, “For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and God has chosen you to be His treasured people from all nations that are on the face of the earth.” God did not choose them because they were holy, He made them holy because He chose them. This is a beautiful picture of God’s love towards every human heart! We have done nothing to deserve God’s rich love and mercy towards us, but He still chooses us, calls us into His heritage by making us His children, and purposing our lives to be shining examples of His glory to all people. Just as God used Israel to teach the world about His character and glorious nature, so is the calling of every heart turned towards Christ. Israel exemplified brokenness, while God’s amazing grace and redemptive love declared His glory!

Today, in 2019, in all of our brokenness, every born-again believer is called and set apart to share the gospel, which is the glory of God! God uses our brokenness today just as He did with Israel to highlight His kind grace, tender love, and redemptive power.

2) Was Israel a nation without blemish or sin?
Israel, time and time again, failed to be obedient to God, they were exiled and scattered around the globe, separated spiritually from God. Israel owed God everything, not the least of which was their origin as a nation. He created them. Yet, regardless of how Israel failed, their shortcomings neither deterred God from pursuing them every single time they rejected Him, nor did it disqualify them from still being used by God for God’s purposes. His purposes didn’t prevail because they were good. Not at all! His purposes prevailed because God was good for them. This IS the hope of the gospel! For every heart surrendered to Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah, this very reality is lived out in our everyday lives as often as we breathe. Christ IS our good, for us, on our behalf, despite how many times we might turn away and fail to follow Him. This is how He rescues us! Many Jews had no hope as they faced being exiled for their perpetual disobedience towards God, but Isaiah’s prophetic words encourage them to have NO FEAR. Why? The God of All had created, formed, and redemptively loved them. This very same God offers His unchanging love and “fear not” message to each of us today. Whatever the darkness you’re facing, the brokenness you’re hiding, or the fear you’re masking, God is pursuantly inviting you to return to His heart and know Him as Savior. Know Him as your everyday Savior. For every human being, our impending default assurance is eternal separation from God. This is a reality of which depths, I cannot imagine or grasp, but neither can I fully comprehend the lavish love of a God who pursues those trapped in darkness so He can rescue!

3) What is God teaching Israel in this passage? 
Just as God was with Israel and declared His love for them, so is He with us today, also declaring His love. The imagery we first see with Israel, we see repeated again in our own, messy, sin-wrecked lives. Israel rebelled, and so do we. Israel’s consequence was severe, but so is ours. Israel needed a One Day Savior. A Messiah who would One Day make all things right, bring restoration, heal, and bind up what had been torn and broken. Don’t you feel the same ache? To have that One Day when all your fears are forever cast out, when every single tear will be redeemed, when every wound will be restored perfectly, and every loss will be rebirthed in newness of life? This is the hope of the Promised Messiah, this is the hope we have in Jesus! For every single person who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus to save them from their own sinfulness, our eternities are altered! Now WE belong to the Lord. …for you were bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:20) Now WE are preserved by God alone, not our works. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time. (1 Peter 1:5) Now WE are precious and loved by the Creator. Just as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in my love. (John 15:9) Now WE are promised full redemption on the very same One Day by exactly the same Savior! Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. (Revelation 21:3-4) Fear Not, WE are His redeemed!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Isn’t He?!

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 Worship VI 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.

Relentless Day 14 Relentless Chase: 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 Relentless Chase!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to be chosen, or known, as several other versions say?

2) What does it mean to be set apart and appointed?

3) What is the response to this verse?

Jeremiah 1:5

I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to be chosen, or known, as several other versions say?
In verse 4 Jeremiah informs readers that the Spirit of the Lord came to him; what follows is his encounter with God, or more specifically, the calling of God on his life. In this call, we learn incredible details for the call on the life of every believer. God tells Jeremiah that, before he was formed in the womb, he was chosen, or known, by God. There is incredible intimacy described here! The God of the universe intimately and loving created Jeremiah as an infant, but He knew Jeremiah, and the plans He had for him, before that knitting together of his tiny body ever occurred. Matthew Henry says it better than I ever could, “(God) let him (Jeremiah) know He who gave him his commission is the same One that gave him his being, that formed him in the belly and brought him forth out of the womb, that therefore He (God) was his (Jeremiah’s) rightful owner and might employ him and make use of him as He pleased, and that this commission was given him in pursuance of the purpose God had purposed in Himself concerning him, before he was born.”

2) What does it mean to set apart and appointed?
God tells Jeremiah specifically what his role in the kingdom is, exactly what his purpose is. Jeremiah was to be a prophet to the nations. In this calling, God is informing Jeremiah, as well as commissioning him out into that role. It was time for Jeremiah to accept and embrace God’s call regardless of his age. In verses 8-10 we see more details of this appointment. God did not simply call Jeremiah and then leave him alone to figure everything out on his own. God also equips Jeremiah and gives him His words to share (verse 9).

3) What is the response to this verse?
God didn’t force Jeremiah into his calling. God simply invited Jeremiah into His divine plan. Jeremiah had a choice to make, would he step out in faith and embrace that calling or would he run the other way. In the Old Testament, God gives examples of both. Jeremiah chose to step into his calling, regardless of what it would look like in his life and the sacrifices it would mean for him. Jeremiah chose God right back. However, Jeremiah did not make this choice immediately. In Jeremiah’s account beyond this one verse, we learn Jeremiah thought he was too young and objected to his calling (verse 6).

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to be chosen, or known, as several other versions say?
Just as Jeremiah was intimately known and called into a purposeful life, such is the calling for everyone who chooses to follow Christ. Matthew Henry says, “The great Creator knows what use to make of every man before He makes him. He has made all for himself.” Just as Jeremiah was known and chosen for a purpose before he was formed so are each of us. God has a plan and a design for every human being. He intimately and specifically crafts us in our mother’s womb with those purposes and plans in mind. He makes no mistakes. What that means for each of us is that we need to embrace this plan and design in order to realize our fullest delight and purpose. None of us look the same as another, and none of us play the exact same role in the Kingdom of God, but we all have a divinely ordained purpose, and it’s the perfect one for us!

2) What does it mean to be set apart and appointed?
Jeremiah was not the only person to be set apart and appointed by God. We see throughout Scripture God calling people into His purposes and appointing them to His work. He didn’t always appoint people in the same way, and He still doesn’t today. On a large scale, believers are all called and set apart to make disciples of all nations as Jesus appointed us in Matthew 28:19-20. This calling is for every single believer and God empowers and equips each of us to live out that calling. However, God goes about this work in different ways in each of us. God sets His people apart and appoints them to His purpose often utilizing the gifts unique to each believer while also using the different passions in each of us. Where might God be calling you to live out the purpose He has for you?

3) What is the response to this verse?
Just as a Jeremiah had a choice to make, so do we. God invites all of us to play a role in His greater story and we, like this Old Testament prophet, must choose whether we will say yes or whether we will choose fear and make excuses to not join God in His work. The Lord will never force us. He is not a God who wants to control us, rather He is a God who desires deep, intimate relationship with us. Just because He loves us and has purposed a plan for us doesn’t mean the call will always be easy, Jeremiah’s sure wasn’t, but it will always be worth it. It may take us out of our comfort zone, or to a place we never dreamed we would go, but when we choose to say yes and join in on God’s activity, it is always more than we could ever dream or expect. The choice is mine and the choice is yours… what will we choose? How can you live out that choice starting today?!

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

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 Relentless 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.

Relentless Day 13 Relentless Chase

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 13-16
1 John 1:5-10
Jeremiah 1:4-10 (ESV)

Relentless, Day 13

When I think of God’s relentless pursuit of His people there are so many stories that come to mind. The story of Samson wasn’t one of them until recently.

About a year ago in Bible study, we were talking about Samson’s story. We noted how his life was unique in the sense that he was so very clearly called by God yet he chose to live in ways that were directly opposing to that call. We even said wow, we never want to be like Samson! But by the end of the conversation someone said, “aren’t we all like Samson?”. Truthfully, none of us could say no.

We blatantly disobey God’s word.
We make His call on our lives about us.
We flirt with the enemy.
We allow the enemy to capture and blind us.

Every single person has acted, will act, or does act just like Samson.
The good part about Samson’s story, and ours, is how God’s love brilliantly colors the mess of lives.

From the womb, God’s love was on full display in Samson’s life.
“Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'” Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”

 In Judges 13:6-8, God had set Samson apart before he was even in his mother’s womb.
Likewise, in Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV) it says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 

God also sent His power upon Samson, even in the midst of his disobedience regarding God’s laws. (Judges 14:19, Judges 15:14)

 Samson disobedience and disrespect for God permeated his life….
He touched a corpse, slept with a prostitute, pursued a woman that wasn’t a Nazarite, and told her the secret source of his strength.
Samson’s sins were many, but his biggest mistakes that eventually lead to his downfall, were in his heart.

Samson took for granted his gift of strength while also taking his life into his own hands; he felt his own ways and wisdom were better than God’s.
He knew what God said,
he knew God had an intentioned, set apart purpose for his life,
but he wanted creative control on how those plans came about.
He dethroned God and enthroned himself.

Here’s the reality, we all do that.
We ask God to follow us, instead of us following Him.
We invert the gospel, asking God bless our plans, desires, and will.
In reality, the gospel is us our full surrender to the Lordship of God.

What would it take for us to realize our lives are not our own and the
best and safest place to be is under the lordship of the triune God?
For Samson, it took the destruction of his life….
He was captured by the enemy, beaten, and abused. Samson hit rock bottom before he finally looked up and surrendered total control, giving God lordship over his life.

For the first time in his life, Samson asks God to fill him with the strength God gave to him so long ago, after it had been taken from him. (Judges 16:28)
He finally recognized it was not his strength but God’s strength through him.

Samson’s humble surrender, opened the door for God to do what He always does.
He showed off His character of tender love and grace.
He is faithful and just to forgive our sins,
no matter how bad they may seem.
(1 John 1:9)

Samson’s life reminds me so much of my own.
No matter how far I take my life into my own hands, He is faithful to work on my behalf, faithfully continuing to relentlessly chase my heart.
He shows up even when I’m trying to act out of my own strength,
but at the end of the day His heart is for me to turn and make the humble ask for Him to work through me.

His heart for people is that we would dethroned ourselves and enthrone Him in every aspect of our everyday lives. Our call is total surrender to His lordship as we trust His plans, desires, and will for our lives over our own.

Stop chasing yourself, Sister, and let His chase catch you!

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

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