Tag: Bible Study

Proverbs 1-9: Wisdom

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(1) What is the purpose of the book of Proverbs in v1-6?

To which three groups is the book written?  Why?

(1, 4, 8) What does wisdom teach us (1:1-4, 4:11, 8:1-8)?

How are wisdom and righteousness related?

(1-3, 8-9) How is the fear of the Lord related to wisdom (1:7, 1:29, 2:5, 3:7, 8:13, 9:10)?

(2) Where do we find wisdom in v1-6?

What value does wisdom offer in v7-15?  Can you think of some current or recent examples?

(9) Describe wisdom (v1-6) and folly (v13-18).  How are they similar?  How do they differ?  What lessons can we learn?

(2, 5-7) What wisdom is highlighted in these passages (2:16-19, 5:1-23, 6:20-35, 7:6-27)?

What are the results of failing to follow this wisdom?

What further truth is presented in 5:21 to deter us?

(3, 9) What does wisdom teach us in the following verses?  What would it look like to apply this wisdom to our lives?

3:5-8 –

3:9-10 –

3:11-12 –

9:7-9 –

(4) What challenge is laid out in v5-9?  How will you respond?

I Kings 6-10: The Temple

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(6-7) The Picture: How would you describe the temple building and its furnishings?  What is it supposed to convey about God?

(6, 9) The Promise: What promise does God make to Solomon regarding the temple in 6:11-13 and 9:4-9?  How do we see this play out in later history?

(8) The Presence: What happens after the ark is brought into the temple (v10-11)?  What does this tell us about God?

Where does God dwell according to v13, 27, & 30?  What twin truths does this tell us about God?  How should we respond?

(8) The Prayer: What is the repeated request in Solomon’s prayer (v28-53)?

What does this prayer tell us about our nature and our need?

Describe the interplay between God and people as it relates to our hearts (v39-40, 57-58, 61).  How should we respond?

(8) The Purpose: What is one important purpose of the temple (v43, 60)?  How well did Israel fulfill this purpose?  How well do we?

(6, 8) The Preview: How does 8:19 point forward to Jesus and a greater temple (see Ephesians 2:19-22)?

How do 6:11-22 preview a final temple in Revelation 21?

I Kings 1-5: The Call to Faithfulness

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(2) God wanted David’s descendants to walk before Him in faithfulness with all their heart and soul (v4).  What does faithfulness to God look like in the context of v3?

Why does faithfulness require us to pay close attention to ourselves (v4a)?  Do you?

Why is the phrase “with all their heart and soul” so significant to being faithful?  How would you describe your heart?

(2) David charged Solomon to be strong (v2).  Why is being strong essential to being faithful to God?

In what specific situations in your life do you need to be strong?

What hinders you from being strong?

Where does strength ultimately come from (Ephesians 6:10)?

(3) Solomon answered the call to faithfulness – loving the Lord and walking in His ways (v3).  How do “loving” and “walking” relate to each other (see also John 14:15)?

(3) God offered Solomon anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom.  Why is wisdom essential for faithfulness to God?

(3-4) Despite Solomon’s overall faithfulness, he followed the way of the world in two ways – he married Pharaoh’s daughter as part of a treaty (3:1) and amassed many horses for his army (4:26, see Deuteronomy 17:16).  From the world’s point of view, why do both of these things make sense?  What spiritual dangers do they bring?

In what ways are we tempted to follow the way of the world today instead of being faithful to God?

What principles from this study do we need to apply to our lives to help us overcome these temptations?

Psalm 119: Get Into The Book!

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(119) List the things we are to do with God’s Word.  Try to break your list into several summary categories.

How do your categories relate to each other?

(119) Read v2 and v10.  Why is a heart for God the necessary starting point for all the things we are do with God’s Word?  What happens if it isn’t our starting point?

(119) What value does God’s Word have for us (v9, v11, 24, 28, 50, 98-100, 105)?  How could remembering its value spur us on to delight in God’s Word?  Learn it?  Obey it?

(119) How does this psalm describe God’s Word (v89, 96, 128, 151, 160)?  Why is this important if we are going to trust it (v42)?

Why is trust essential if we are learn and obey God’s Word?

(119) What different ways does the psalm mention for learning God’s Word?  What are you doing to learn God’s Word?

What keeps you from learning God’s Word and why?  What will you do about it?

(119) As we learn the Word, we must also obey it.  What might keep you from obeying God’s Word?  What will you do about it?

Psalms 141-150: What God Does

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(142-143) Read 142:3a.  When your spirit is faint, how does it help to remember that God knows our way?

How does 142:3 relate to 143:8?

Why is it important to hear in the morning of God’s steadfast love?

What can we do to remind us of his love each morning?

(145-147) Read these psalms noticing who God is and all the many things that he does.

Which verse especially speaks to you and why?

(142-143, 145-150) As we consider how our God is for us, how should we respond to the Lord according to the following verses?  Why?

142:1, 143:1 –

143:6 –

145-150 (main idea) –

 

Psalms 130-140: Approaching Our God

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(139) What do you learn about our great God in each of these passages, and what does that mean for our lives?

V1-6 –

V7-12 –

V13-18 (138:8) –

In response to God, how does David view God’s enemies?  How should we view God’s enemies?

What does he recognize about himself (v23-24)?  Do you pray these words?

(136) This psalm celebrates God’s love in his creation (v4-9), his redemption (v10-16), and his preservation (v17-25).  How do we see God’s love in each of these actions?

How should we respond to his great love (v1-3, 26)?  What keeps us from responding more in this way?

(130-134) These psalms are the final songs of ascents, sung as the people went to Jerusalem to appear before God.  From these psalms, how should we approach our great loving God?  Why?

130 –

131 (138:6) –

132 –

133 –

134 (135:1-3) –

(130-140) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?

Psalms 120-129: Our Helper

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(120, 123, 124, 129) In what difficult situations does the psalmist need help in these psalms?

In what ways do you face similar situations today?

(120-121, 123) To whom does the psalmist look for help?

What picture does the psalmist paint in Psalm 123?  How is this a helpful picture?

(121, 124) Where does our help come from (121:1-2, 124:8)?  Why is it important for us to grasp this?  Where else might we look?

What does the psalmist say about his helper in those verses?  Why is that important?

(121) In what ways does God keep us according to this psalm?  How have you experienced this?

(125) Not only does God help and keep us, but he also surrounds us (v2).  How is this a helpful picture?

(122) What help does the psalmist seek for Jerusalem?  Why?

What reasons do we have to be glad to go to the house of the Lord today?  Were you glad to come today?

(127) What help do we need from God in our work (v1-2)?  What lessons can we learn from this truth?

What help do we need from the Lord in our families?  How does this recognition affect our view of children?  How does this recognition compare with our culture’s various views?

(120-129) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?

Psalms 110-118: All Glory To The One True God

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(115) When are we tempted to glory in ourselves (v1)?  Why?

(115) How does the psalmist respond to the nations’ taunt in v2-3?

How does God’s ability compare to the nations’ idols (v3-7)?

How would you define an idol (see v8 for a hint)?

What are some modern idols in our culture today?  Which idols are you tempted to follow?

What does the psalmist mean when he says people become like their idols (v8)?

(115) Unlike the idols, our God can act.  How does God act towards his people in v9-15?

(111, 113-114, 118) What further examples of God’s actions toward his people do you find in 111:5-9, 113:7-9, 114:1-8, and 118:13-16?

(115) Why then should we glory in God and not ourselves (v1)?

(115) How should we respond to God’s actions toward us?

v9-11 (118:8-9) –

v18 (111:1, 113:1-3, 117:1-2, 118:28-29) –

v11, 13 (111:10) –

(110, 118) How do the following passages point to Jesus?

118:22-24 (Matthew 21:42) –

118:26 (Matthew 21:9) –

110:1-3 (Matthew 22:41-45) –

110:4 (Hebrews 5-7) –

(110-118) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?

Psalms 101-109: The Love Of God

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(102, 104) How would you describe God according to 102:25-27 and 104:1-35?

(103) How would you describe people – morally (v6-12) and physically (v13-18)?  How does this contrast with God?

How does God respond to us (v8, 11-12, 17)?

(105-106) God demonstrates his love towards his people by remembering his covenant with them (106:45).  Trace the ways he remembered his covenant (105:7-11) to Israel in these two psalms.

How are his actions towards Israel good examples of love?

How should God’s people respond to his love (105:1-6, 45; 106:1, 47)?  What might this look like in our daily lives?

(107) For each of the following passages, describe the situation, God’s loving response, and how we should respond:

v4-9 –

v10-16 –

v17-22 –

v23-32 –

(101, 108, 109) How should we further respond to God’s love in 101:1-8, 108:1-5, 109:21-26?

(101-109) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?

 

Psalms 81-90: Our Great God

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(86, 89) How does God compare to other gods (86:8-10, 89:5-8)?

How should we respond?

81:8-10 –

82:1-8 –

83:18 –

86:9, 89:5 –

(90) How does God compare to people (v2-4)?

How should we respond (v12)?  What does that mean?

(85-86, 89) What attributes of our great God do you find in 85:10-11, 86:5 & 15, 89:14?

How should we respond?

85:1-7 –

86:1-4, 16-17 –

89:1 –

(84, 89) Our great God is present with his people.  How should we respond to his presence (84:1-12, 89:15)?

(89) Describe the covenant our great God made in v3-4, 19-37.

In what ways does this covenant point to Jesus?

What does it mean for us?

(81-90) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?