The Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel

It seems to be a season of sequels.  As I scan the movie listings on the internet, I find myself drawn to preview movies that are continuations of ones I have already seen.  Why is that?  Mostly likely it is because I know it’s a good bet that if I enjoyed the original then I will probably delight in the follow-up.  I also like to re-engage with the familiar, in particular, characters and personalities that I had grown fond of.  I just love to reacquaint myself with memorable plots and characters revived in a new installment with a new title.  For me this is a combination that won’t disappoint.

Last year, Women’s Bible Study embarked on a journey of memorization.  Right about this time last December we decided to initiate a challenge to commit to memory 10 verses over 20 weeks.  It was called the Bible Memorization Project and it was a resounding success.  Not only did twenty plus women complete the challenge, but the testimonies of what God did through that project were nothing short of breathtaking.  The Lord came in and surprised us with His stunning brilliance as we allowed our minds and hearts to become saturated with His Word.  

As I already mentioned, I just love a good sequel.  So in keeping with the momentum of that premiere event we decided to launch another one like it:  The Bible Memorization Project – The Sequel.    This project will run much the same way as last year’s project.  The only difference is that we will be bringing in a slew of fresh scriptures which could only make this sequel as striking its predecessor. 

If you are new and didn’t participate in last year’s project, then this won’t be a sequel for you, this will be your premiere event.   We would love to have you participate with us.  We are believing that God is going to do something stunning through these twenty weeks as we yield our minds to meditate on His Word.   You won’t want to miss out on the blockbuster of a time that God has planned for us.  Won’t you join us? 

So here is how it works…

What is it?

1) We will memorize one verse and its reference every two weeks.

2) We will write the verse on an index card and number each verse corresponding to the week. 

Calendar

Verse 1 - January 10^th – start date

Verse 2 - January 24^th

Verse 3 – February 7^th

Verse 4 – February 21^st

Verse 5 – March 6^th

Verse 6 – March 20^th

Verse 7 – April 3^rd

Verse 8 – April 17^th

Verse 9 – May 1^st

Verse 10 – May 15^th

Verse rally day - you will recite your 10 verses to one of the Bible Memorization leaders – don’t forget your index cards.

The Prize

For all those that have met their goal we will have a luncheon to celebrate.  The only requirement to attend is to say your 10 verses to one of the Bible Memorization leaders. 

What Verse?

You can either pick you own verse or ask us to give you one.  You want the verse to have meaning to you so it should be something that is really relevant to your life. 

How to Memorize Verses?

Day one – Say the verse once looking at it then repeat it 10 times trying not to look. 

Day two and after – The same. 

If the verse is too long, break it down into portions: 

Day one – say the portion once looking at it then repeat it 10 more times.

Day two – say the first portion once looking at it then repeat it 10 times without looking at it.  Work on second portion.  Read it once then repeat it 10 more times. 

Day three – say the first portion ten times, say the second portion 10 times, then start on the third portion.

Never move on until you have each portion memorized.  Do this everyday and I believe that you will master the technique in no time at all. 

Accountability

Keeping yourself accountable is important because when someone else knows that you are memorizing, it will cause you to do it. 

1) Partners – Let someone know that you are memorizing, hopefully someone else who is, and keep each other accountable.  You can ask to listen to each others verses every two weeks.

2) Facebook – Every two weeks I will put my verse up on MWC Women’s Bible Study Facebook page and you can follow it with yours by writing it as a comment.

3) Blog – Every two weeks we will put a post up on the blog about what number verse we are up to.  Week one, week two ..etc and you can leave your verse as a comment. 

Last Word

In order to be successful at your memorization make sure that as we move through the weeks that you continue to recite the verses you have already committed. 

Thanks so much for dedicating this time to Bible Memorization.  I know that God is going to meet you and bless you in ways that you never imagined. 

"What's the Scoop on..........Elizabeth"

In bible study today Jan taught on Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.  Jan pointed out something that caught my attention.  She mentioned that the picture that we get about Elizabeth in scripture is in the frame of her relationships.  First we see Elizabeth as a wife to Zechariah and then as a cousin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Jan taught that both of these human relationships give insight into her character. There is a third relationship in scripture…..one that I think defines who she was…. and that was her relationship with God. 

Elizabeth and Zechariah

One of the central roles Elizabeth played in her life was as a wife. She married Zechariah, also of the priestly line of Aaron. God’s word says, “Both of them  were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly” (Luke 1:6). It goes on to say “But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years” (Luke 1:7).

Although they had been married a long time their relationship did not produce children.  This is a condition which would have caused Elizabeth to be disgraced.  It was the custom of the times in the Jewish community for a man to divorce his wife if she did not give him children yet Zechariah did not do this.

In the beginning of Luke 1, Zechariah has an encounter with an angel as he is burning incense to the Lord inside the temple. The angel gives him some amazing news – he and Elizabeth were going to have a child!! Among other instructions the angel tells Zechariah that they are to name the son ‘John’.  Jumping ahead to the end of Luke 1, Elizabeth has a baby boy. Eight days after his birth their family and friends are gathered to celebrate the baby’s circumcision. It was expected that the baby would be named after his father. “But his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John" (Luke 1:60).  This is further evidence of the strength of their relationship. Even though Zechariah would not have been able to verbally communicate what had transpired in his encounter with the angel, Elizabeth stood by his side in full support.

Elizabeth and Mary

In the last month at Ladies Bible Study Arlene has been speaking of the importance of mentoring relationships.  “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children” (Titus 2:3-4).  It is likely that this is the type of relationship Mary and Elizabeth shared. 

When the angel announced to Mary that she would bear the Messiah he also told her that her cousin Elizabeth was now in her sixth month of pregnancy. (Although Elizabeth’s pregnancy came about my natural means it was a miracle nonetheless because of her age.) “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1:39-40).

After a long journey Mary arrived at Elizabeth’s home. It was clear that their relationship had been transformed forever. “When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:41-43). Wow!!!  There is so much said in these verses! Mary is no longer just Elizabeth’s younger cousin – Elizabeth has recognized her as the ‘mother of my Lord’.  This changes everything!

Many years later we see a similar transformation in the relationship of the sons of these two women. Jesus and John were cousins. John’s calling in life had been ordained before birth, “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17b).  As a grown man,  John proclaims: “He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie “ (John 1:27). “You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ  but am sent ahead of him.'  The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:28-30). Both Elizabeth and her son John walked in the humility of their calling.

Elizabeth and God

The defining role in Elizabeth’s life was as a follower of God.  I believe that this was the very foundation on which the human relationships in her life were built. As I already said, our introduction to Elizabeth in Luke 1:6 tells us that she was upright in the site of God.

Elizabeth did not love God just because of what He could do for her. We know that Elizabeth struggled with bareness most of her married life and suffered disgrace because of this. Despite this painful circumstance Elizabeth remained faithful. There is no indication that her heart was bitter or angry towards God.

We also know that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  She was sensitive to His voice as He revealed to her that Mary would birth the Messiah.  Elizabeth and Zechariah raised John according to the instructions of the Lord “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel”  (Luke 1:80).

Like Elizabeth, we play many roles in our lives based on our relationships.  We may be a wife, a mother, a mentor, a friend…to name a few. These relationships need to be built on the foundation of our relationship with God.  That’s why we do what we do in Women’s Bible Study! As we learn about God by studying the bible and hide His Word in our hearts we are being transformed from the inside out. It is a supernatural transformation!  As we learn about God we can’t help but love Him more.  As we love Him more we are able to love those around us with His love.

“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,  asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.   I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance” (Eph. 1:16-18, NLT).

"What's the Scoop on.....Mary, the Mother of Jesus"

As we are now in the midst of the advent season, Mary, Jesus’ mother was the timely subject of this week’s lesson by Janet.  There are so many wonderful things to touch on regarding Mary….so many things we could learn!  In the Bible Mary is introduced to us as mere girl of about 13 years old.  Interestingly, her name itself means ‘loved by Yahweh’.  Her life was like no other woman who walked the face of the earth.  She witnessed the birth, death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Messiah. The child she bore changed human history for all time into eternity!

Mary’s story begins with the visitation of an angel. Could you imagine??  There was nothing remarkable about what she was doing – probably going about the routine of her day. When the angel appears he gives her a special message from the Lord.  This in itself incredible. In scripture there are only a handful of times when angels appear to people.   

The message from the angel to Mary was very specific and deliberate.  His words were rich in meaning. They would alter the course of her life, and our lives as well.  The angel told Mary some very important things regarding the birth of her Son. Let’s look at what the angel told her:

“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30).

What does it mean to be highly favored by the Lord?  The word for highly favored is based on the word grace.  The only other place in scripture is used in Ephesians 1:6, “to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves“. God had bestowed upon Mary a special measure of His grace, blessing and favor. These words would provide comfort in what she was about to hear but also would be something she could hold on to in the future .

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus”   (Luke 1:31).

The angel tells Mary that she will name the baby Jesus.  This name is translated from the Hebrew Joshua which means ‘Yahweh is salvation’.  In their culture names were important – they told who the person was and gave insight into their character.  How much more so for Jesus! 

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32a).

Being called the ‘Son of the Most High’ is deeper in meaning in Hebrew than it is in English.  In the Hebrew mind-set it would mean that the son would be equal with the father, a ‘carbon copy’.  The son would possess the qualities of the father.  The father that the angel meant would not be Joseph, but the Most High God. In Hebrews it says “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (Heb. 1:3).

“The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.  His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32b-33).

Looking at the genealogies in Mathew & Luke we see that Jesus is in the line of David, thus David would be His father. In the Old Testament it was prophesized that David’s kingdom would be established forever.  “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me  your  throne will be established forever.'" (2 Sam. 7:16) and in Psalms, “You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations” (Psalm 89:3-4).

The angel’s words should give us hope today. Things in the world may look bleak but we can hold on to God’s promises because they are truth. “I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.  I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure” (Psalm 89: 28-29).

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called  the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:35-37).

The only question that Mary asks after the angels words was ‘How can this be?”  As a virgin, she knows that having a child would be impossible.  The angel does not rebuke her for her question as he did to Zechariah when he was told that Elizabeth would have a son. Mary did not doubt the angel’s words. Instead, he explains to her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her.   

In our group time at bible study we discussed why the angel told Mary that nothing was impossible with God.  If you read ahead in the Gospel of Luke you will find Mary’s song, also known as the ‘Magnificant’ (see Luke 1:46-55).  From reading this it’s clear that Mary knew the scriptures and knew God’s ways. We proposed that maybe the angel was reminding Mary that God will do the impossible  - not only in the nation of Israel – but in her life as well.  It is a good reminder to us.  God works in each of our lives very personally. This too is a truth we can walk in every day.

As I was thinking about Mary’s encounter with the angel and its implications I was reminded of a BibIe study I have been doing on life’s interruptions.  God interrupted Mary’s life.  With the angels words, Mary knows that the future she had planned will look entirely different than what she had thought it would be. Her response?  "I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38a).  After Mary heard what the angel had said, her reply speaks of the depth of her faith and her relationship with God.

Like Mary, I’m sure we all have had plans for our lives. Could it be that when God interrupts those plans it is actually a privilege and not punishment?  Mary accepted God’s calling with humbleness and praise. While I am sure most of us don’t have the same calling as Mary, I believe that God does have a plan for each of us.  Like many of the lives we have studied in scripture, God’s plans will often times challenge us and press us into a deeper relationship with Him as we cooperate.  Mary experienced great joy and great heartache as well. It wasn’t going to be an easy road. Mary is a wonderful example for us in that not only does she surrender to His ways as impossible as they may seem to be but she also embraces the interruption as part of His plan for her as well.

“Not My will but Your will be done” (Luke 22:42b). 

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“What’s the Scoop on....... Jezebel?”

Today in bible study Sandee’s  lesson was on Jezebel.  Sometimes a name says it all. How many of us know a ‘Jezebel’?  Not too many, I’m guessing! Right from the beginning, Sandee established that Jezebel was a wicked woman. 

Many of the women we have studied thus far have shown us what it means to be a godly influence.  Some of these women were not Israelites yet God was honored through their lives. With Jezebel it was different. Her life did not honor God at all.  As I was reading the passages we covered in class and in the homework I was thinking not only about Jezebel, and her ungodly influence, but about God himself.  A question came to my mind: “What does Jezebel teach me about God?”. 

Ahab and Jezebel’s life, like our own, is one marked by choices.  Jezebel’s father was the high priest of Baal.  From everything we read in scripture, not only did Jezebel worship Baal, but her life was devoted to corrupting and destroying those who followed the Lord, God of Israel. “There was never a man like Ahab (Jezebel’s husband) , who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife” (1 Kings 21:25, emphasis mine).  Ahab freely chose to marry this woman.  Last year we learned in our study of Ezra and Nehemiah that inter-marriage with foreigners  displeased the Lord greatly.  Going back to Solomon  (1 Kings 11), God warns of the danger of being led astray by wives who worships foreign gods.

In His mercy, God continually makes His presence known in their lives. In 1 Kings 18, God reveals His presence in a miraculous way.  There is a competition of sorts between the 450 prophets of Baal and Elijah.  At Mount Carmel,  the holy ground of Baal,  his followers construct an altar to their god.  From morning until evening they cry out to him, becoming increasingly frantic. This yields no results.  

Elijah then prepares a sacrifice to the Lord.   As an added challenge he saturates the offering with water. “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench” (1 Kings 18”37-38).  The people present fell on their faces acknowledging the Lord.  The 450 prophets of Baal were killed. Ahab then went to Jezebel and reported what had happened.  She had another choice to make. She could have recognized God’s power yet her heart remained hard, as did her husband’s.

In 1 Kings 21 we again see the fruit of wickedness in the lives of Ahab and Jezebel.  Ahab desired a vineyard owned by Naboth, an Israelite.  When Naboth refused to sell the land Jezebel had him falsely accused which led to his brutal murder. After his death she seized his property.  Following this incident, God sent his prophet Elijah to pronounce judgment on the couple.  They were met with another choice. Ahab and Jezebel could choose repentance or continue along the path of destruction.   

“When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son” (1 Kings 21:27-29).  There is no sign that Jezebel did the same. Ahab died a few years after the incident with Naboth yet Jezebel lived for many years.

In Jezebel’s life it is clear that her own choices led to her destruction but it didn’t have to be that way.  We can apply 2 Peter 3:9 to Jezebel’s life, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”.  Elijah was a constant reminder to them of God’s presence. Although God does judge sin He is also a God of mercy. “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ez. 18:23). 

The character of God is so complex!  He is just. He is merciful. He is all-powerful.  The sum of His attributes make up who He is – they don’t exist independently. One of His attributes does stand out above the others. In John 1:4 and 8 the bible says “God is love”.  Some of us have seen Beth Moore’s ‘Measureless Love’.  She makes the point that God is very, very specific when it comes to measurement yet He says His love for us is measureless.  In Ephesians 3:19 Paul says that God’s love surpasses knowledge.  Beth also said that God goes to great lengths to make himself known to us.  God went to great lengths to make himself known to Jezebel because of His love.  “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” (Eph 2:4-5a). How terribly sad it is to reject that choice.

We study the character of God to learn who He is. As we look to Him I am sure it is our desire to be transformed into His image.   So how can we do this as we go about our lives? “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

"What's the Scoop on.....Rahab"

(Editorial note: Last year, the weekly blog post was basically a recap of Tuesday‘s teaching. This year, the weekly column has been more from my perspective on the ‘Woman of the Bible’ taught that day rather than strictly class notes.  Because many of our ‘regulars’ were not able to be here today, I think it would be helpful to give you a recap of the teaching on Rahab rather than my perspective.) 

As we looked at the full account of Rahab, we learned the answer to the following question: ‘What’s faith got to do with it???’ But before addressing this question, we were faced with a more germane one that would be foundational to this account regarding Israel’s conquest of Jericho.  Why were the Israelites attacking Jericho?  Were they just bully’s?  Were they just picking on the inhabitants of this city?

Read Psalm 105:8-11.

"He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.  He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant; ’To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.’”

Consider this time line.

In Genesis 12:2-3, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, promising unconditionally to give a land, a posterity, and spiritual blessing to the patriarch and his descendants. 

In Genesis 13:15, the Lord said he was giving the land to Israel forever!

In Genesis 15:18-21, the boundaries of the land were then given to Abraham.

Lastly in Genesis 17:19-21, God affirmed that the rightful heirs to the promised land were Isaac (Abraham’s son) and his descendents (that would be through Jacob).

Here is a somewhat brief history starting with Jacob.  Jacob had 12 sons and they did, in fact, live in the land that God had given them.  One of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, is kidnapped and brought to Egypt.  Famine comes to the land and Jacob and his family are forced to relocate to Egypt to get food.  It isn’t long after they get into Egypt that Egypt gets into them and they stay.  Fast forward about 400 years and we find the nation of Israel is under intense oppression by the Pharaoh of that time.  The people cry out and God sends a deliverer in Moses.  Moses does deliver them through signs, wonders and the parting of the Red Sea.  They journey to the Promised land, the land that God originally gave them, and they can not enter because of unbelief.  They are forced to wander 40 years in the desert until that generation died out.  Now they are back on the precipice of the Promised land once again prepared to enter the very land that the Lord had given them and they have a new leader, Joshua.  God is giving them their inheritance but they have to fight for it. (A parallel Arlene emphasized….in the same way that the Israelites had to fight to gain what was promised, we are also in a battle. Satan wants to keep us from walking in what God has promised us.)

Looking back at Israel’s history and ahead to Rahab’s story Arlene pointed out there were decisions made that affected the course of events.  The same is true in our own lives today.  She described three resources that we too may lean on to make these decisions through this biblical account.  

1) Our confidence in making decisions can be influenced by what we see around us. 

We are introduced to Rahab in Joshua 2.  In this passage Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to get a clear picture of what they would face as they attacked the city.  Before attacking Jericho, Joshua would need to have complete intel about this fortress – it’s gates, fortified towers, military force and the morale of the people.  Surrounding Jericho were two parallel walls that were each five feet thick, 12-17 feet high with a ditch surrounding them 27 feet wide and 9 feet deep.  It would seem to anyone living within the confines of those walls that they were safe.  But listen to Rahab’s declaration to the two spies. "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you….. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:9,11). Despite the strong fortress of Jericho, she is not moved by what she sees. 

Arlene asked us what is it that we see around us in our lives today that may influence our decisions.  A few of the things might be: the strength of our country, our bank accounts, our health, our educations, or maybe what everyone else is doing.  Where do we put our confidence?

2) Our confidence in making decisions can be influenced by looking at ourselves.

As you might recall, Joshua 2 is not the first time that spies were sent into the Promised Land.  In Numbers 13 we read, “The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders." So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites” (Numbers 13:1-3).   Two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua came back with a favorable report.  “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it”“(Numbers 13:30).  

The other 10 spies spread a bad report – one filled with fear. “But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them”  (Numbers 30:31-33, emphasis mine).

“We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” ?   Really?  They looked like grasshoppers to them.  Who told them that?  Arlene pointed out that we tend to think other people see us the way that we see ourselves.  If I think a certain way about myself, I perceive that that is probably the way everyone else sees it as well.  The ten spies were dealing with the one thing, that all of us face, that was going to keep them from their inheritance…insecurities.  Arlene spoke about ‘trash talk’ – this is how we talk to ourselves about ourselves (i.e. ‘you’re weak, you’re going to blow it’).  Satan can also use trash talk by putting thoughts in our head that prey on our insecurities.  Satan knows the very things that will trip our insecurity button and he isn’t bashful about filling our heads with them.  Arlene gave us several reasons why it is imperative that we deal with our insecurities:

A) We make bad decisions based on them.  How many bad decisions did we make in our pasts that were driven along by our own insecurities?  It keeps the focus on us and our weaknesses instead of on the greatness of God.

B)  Our insecurities affect others. In Numbers 14:1-4 we see that these insecurities caused them to dissuade all the Israelites from entering in.  Commentators tell us that the Israelite population had swollen to roughly a million strong at this point.  That is some hefty negative influence. 

C) The promised land is an Old Testament picture of what is often referred to as the abundant life in our New Testament theology. These insecurities will keep us from the abundant life God has for us.  Arlene described this life as one meant to be lived to the full…a life devoted to God and overflowing with the power of His presence.   It is our natural life with a spiritual component added to it. 

  

D) Lastly, and probably the most sobering reason to deal with our insecurities, is that God does not take them lightly. They are not an excuse for unbelief.  “Not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-- not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it” (Numbers 14:22-23).

Going back to the story of Rahab, she certainly did not let her insecurities get in the way of her actions. 

3) Our confidence in making decisions can rest on God.

This is the place where we all want to be. Clearly Rahab’s confidence was in the Lord. “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Heb. 11:31).  ‘By faith’ – believing that the God of the Israelites was God Almighty – she hid the spies and directed their escape route for the promise of deliverance for her and her entire family.  Her focus was on who God was and not on who she wasn’t.  She says in Joshua 2:9a, “I know that the LORD has given this land to you”.

In Hebrews 11:31 ‘by faith’ is contrasted with ‘disobedience’.   Arlene brought us to Hebrews 3:12-19 to clarify what is meant by ‘disobedience’ regarding the Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt.  God calls an unbelieving heart ‘sinful’.  “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed.  So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” (Hebrews 3:18-19).

While the people of Jericho were looking to their own defenses, here is a youtube clip that Arlene played that portrays what Rahab was looking at.  Take a moment to watch it.  While they were like the baby bear looking at the mountain lion, Rahab had her eyes fixed on momma bear. 

Arlene pointed out that our actions will reflect what we believe.  Rahab’s actions were the proof of her faith.  “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:25-26).  Arlene gave us six evidences of Rahab’s faith: she hid the spies and lied for them, she gave them good ‘intel’, she verbalized her faith (Joshua 2:9a), she put out the scarlet cord, she had her family join her, and finally she aligned herself with Israel.

The final outcome of Rahab’s actions are found in Joshua 6.  “Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house. But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho--and she lives among the Israelites to this day” (Joshua 6:22-25).

Arlene pointed out the following verse in regard to Rahab: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).  She asked the class how Rahab was rewarded.  The answer can be found in Matthew 1:5a “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab”.  The family of Rahab was saved and grafted into the Israelite community. She was the grandmother of King David and the ancestor of Jesus.

Arlene closed by asking us if it was ok for Joshua to send the two spies into Jericho.  Was Joshua acting in unbelief by sending them to scout out the situation?  After all, God didn’t tell him to do that as He had in the first account under Moses’ leadership.  So what gives?  If we are learning about faith and God’s word is consistent why didn’t God deal with Joshua the way that He dealt with the first group? 

Could it be that God saw the heart of one woman who given the opportunity would follow God with everything that she had?  Could it be that God sent the spies into Jericho whose sole purpose was really to rescue this one woman and her family?  Would God really do that?   While the spies were seemingly sent to secure valuable information regarding the city’s fortifications, in God’s mysterious ways maybe they were sent to rescue a sinful woman who had a heart of faith. How awesome is that!!  Consider the lengths that God would go to rescue one woman today who would have the courage enough to believe Him.

Arlene concluded her lesson by asking us if we have the faith to believe God in whatever our current situation might be.  She also pointed out that sometimes God is asking us to do something and sometimes He is asking us not to do something but to just trust Him.  Each one of us has something that we need to believe God for and we were each given a scarlet cord to tie around our wrist to a remind us that faith has EVERYTHING to do with it.  Will you do the same?

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:11-12).

The God of My Choices

By Cinda Adams Gaskin
After reading about Lot’s wife in Genesis 19, it was clear to me that the reason she turned into a pillar of salt was simple—she disobeyed God. And, since it’s always easier to see someone else’s shortcomings, reading about her this time was pretty much like all the other times—except for one new twist. God seemed to be highlighting, underscoring, and putting a bull’s eye on top of my own relationship to the word obedience.

In the past I had been completely capable of letting those pricks and twinges that this word evoked in my heart pass, like a mild case of indigestion. This time, though, the Lord wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. I couldn’t get the picture of Lot’s wife frozen as a pillar of salt out of my head. For about a week after reading the account, Lot’s wife stood before me as a timeless cautionary tale of what I was not to do when God speaks clearly to me concerning obedience.

What had made the word obedience so unsettling to me was its inherent air of dominance. I mean, really, a 21st century woman does not willingly take orders that come packaged as “musts” too easily. It’s too much like a threat, which we highly personally-developed, professional, and well-read women don’t stand for. Not one bit. Perhaps that was how Lot’s wife felt. No, she wasn’t a 21st century woman, but even in her day, would she allow herself to be told what she could or couldn’t do? Not likely. And even though I saw the similarities between my own stiff-necked disobedience and Lot’s wife, I still felt that she was somehow more disobedient than I had been—as if disobedience comes in degrees.

And, since I was keenly aware that a public admission to my Christian friends that I choked hard on the word obedience would hurt my alpha woman status, I simply kept it to myself. But, God knew my heart. And, of course, He knew that I was in desperate need of a triple bypass regarding my secret aversion to obedience.

First Bypass

The first step God led me through toward transforming this blockage in my heart was to show me how smug I had become about judging Lot’s wife. I mean, for goodness sake, why couldn’t she have simply listened to the angels and not looked back? That seemed like an easy enough request. Her choice to look back or not didn’t come close to half the things I had struggled with in obeying God over the years. Something like tithing, and I’m talking cheerful, full-on 10 percent tithing, had to be much harder than not looking back at two burning cities! And refraining from willful sins and not forgiving others were the biggies, right? All Lot’s wife had to do was to not look back. How could she have messed that one up? But, while I arrogantly measured my really “tough” struggles with obedience against what seemed like the easiest choice in the world for Lot’s wife, the Holy Spirit brought me face-to-face with His truth.

I suddenly became profoundly aware of how much God has to say about obedience in His Word. Scriptures on obedience began chiming in my mind. Specifically, the Scripture in I Samuel 15:22, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry” began repeatedly ringing, clanging, and eventually gonging within my heart.

Second Bypass

Next, the Lord led me to move beyond the painful acknowledgement of my distance from the word obedience, towards action. I considered what it would be like to actually turn the reins of my life over to Him. Could I fully obey God to the point of giving every area of my life over to Him? Well, by now my heart was tenderized enough to begin slowly yielding some of my most difficult issues to Him. And, one-by-one, I relinquished all the previous justifications and rationalizations I had used for my disobedience.

I used to believe that obedience was an Old Testament model that only radically legalistic Christians fully adhered to. But, Lot’s wife—Old Testament figure that she is—was the tool God used to bring my free-willed New Testament heart into alignment with God’s desires.

I wondered, ‘What made her look back? What was so important to her that she willfully chose that thing over doing what God said to do?’ Was she looking back at the loss of her possessions, her status, her recreational activities, and her friends? As I pondered these questions, I realized that my own concerns about losing these things were the same reasons I disobeyed God. My heart began to break as I remembered all the times I chose disobedience over honoring God because obedience would have meant giving up a prized possession, jeopardizing what I perceived as an important status, changing my recreational habits, or having my friends ridicule me about my new choice.

Ultimately, I made the choice to obey God and much to my stunning surprise I didn’t lose a thing! In fact, I gained so much from obedience that the choice to disobey Him—with all the pain, fear, and distance from God those choices had cost me—seemed utterly ridiculous.

Third Bypass

In the final analysis, what I learned was that obedience is not some Old Testament, do or die, ego-assaulting, gloom and doom concept that I previously thought it to be. Allowing God to become the God of my choices has given me peace—freedom from fear because I know that I can trust God’s choices for my life so much more than I can trust my own. Handing the reins of my life over to the Lord has given me joy—that inner ‘Hallelujah!’ that expresses my unbridled happiness of knowing that my life pleases Him. Finally, giving God full rights and the title deed to my choices has caused my journey with Him to become a wonderful adventure of sonship—actually, “daughter-ship” in my case— that has beautifully crystallized His Lordship over my life. And for that I can rejoice without even one grain of salt.

“What’s the Scoop on…….Jael”

A few weeks ago we were first introduced to Jael as we studied Deborah (see "What's the Scoop on Deborah").  You might remember that Deborah was a judge of Israel – a woman of godly influence.   Today Jan gave us ‘the rest of the story’ that began with Deborah.  It ends with Jael - a woman available for the Lord’s use. And what a story it is!!  

Here is the recap.  Deborah was the civil Judge of Israel when the nation was being oppressed by the Canaanites.  King Jabin of Hazor ruled the Canaanites and Sisera was the commander of his armies.   After 20 years of oppression the Israelites called out to the Lord for help.   He raised up Deborah and Barack. 

Deborah was the civil leader of Israel as well as a prophet of the Lord. Barak was the military commander of the Israelite forces.  He insisted that Deborah accompany him to the battle.  "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh”  (Judges 4:9). The Canaanite forces were subsequently destroyed except for Sisera.  He fled and sought refuge in the tent of Jael.  

According to Judges 4: 17b Sisera went to Jael “because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite”.   As Sisera expected, Jael opened her tent to him with hospitality and safety. “But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died” (Judges 4:21).

As women, we are sometimes critical of other women.  From our 21^st century perspective Jael’s actions were barbaric.  I admit in our group discussion we spent some time critiquing Jael’s perceived faults, we couldn’t understand why she did what she did. After doing a little research while writing this post, I saw Jael’s actions from a different perspective. 

As a group, we were assuming that Jael worked against her husband’s wishes. This was probably not true.  There is something important to consider regarding Jael’s loyalties. Her husband, Herber, was a descendant of Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law).  Although their clan was not of Hebrew descent they did have ties to the Israelites.

We don’t know the exact reasons behind Jael’s actions from what re read in Scripture. It does seem that she was confident in her relationship with her husband.  She was also able to act decisively in Heber’s absence.  According to ‘Every Woman of the Bible’ (Richards, 1999) Jael’s actions pointed to the fact that she was not just a possession of her husband (which was how women of the times were viewed) but as a participant in their marriage.  It goes on to say that Herber trusted Jael to act in his absence and she trusted him not to be angry or change her decision. This reminded me of Proverbs 31:11-12, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”

Based on scripture, Jael’s actions were clearly God’s will.  When Deborah initially told Barak what he must do, he objected yet Jael acted.  Back in Judges 4:9, Deborah prophesies that the victory would go to a woman. Something  was pointed out to me about Jael that I hadn’t considered. Not only was Jael a woman – she was also a pagan. How awesome it is that God will use any person who makes herself available to him! Chapter 5 of Judges is a song that both Deborah and Barak sang after the victory:  “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women” (Judges 5:24).  If God is calling her ‘blessed’, then so she is!  That is how God wants us to remember her!

A word that kept coming to my mind as I studied Jael was ‘complacent’ because this was so opposite of her actions.  Jael lived in a time of warfare.  She acted courageously. She used the skills she had to accomplish the will of the Lord and is celebrated because of that.  What about us?  We are in a battle. Many of us are dealing with serious issues that threaten our families and our faith.

I wonder if these very issues were wrought from our own bent towards complacency.  I can’t help but think what a difference we might make for the Kingdom of God if we would collectively and individually arise from that complacency and take a stand.  I wonder how God would respond.  As Jael had opportunity to make a difference, I pray that God would give us courage to take a stand against the oppression that surrounds us as well.     

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen; to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6).