Bible Study

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2 Kings: Lesson 20 — A Wasted Opportunity!

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 20 (A Wasted Opportunity!)
2 Kings 20
May 21, 2014

The Text:

  1. What happened to Hezekiah in “those days”?  What message did God send to him?  How did Hezekiah respond?
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  2. As Isaiah is leaving Hezekiah’s presence, what does God tell him to do?  What message does God give?  What does Hezekiah ask for?  What is given? 
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  3. Who came to see Hezekiah when they heard of his illness?  How did Hezekiah receive them?  What did Hezekiah show them?    
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  4. What did Isaiah ask Hezekiah?  How did Hezekiah respond?  What does Isaiah say will happen? 
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  5. What did Hezekiah think of the word of the Lord spoken to him by Isaiah?  Why?  Who succeeded Hezekiah as king?  As you look at the beginning of chapter 21, how did his son live?  When was he born?

The Application:

  1. How long do you think you will live?  What would it take to “put your house in order”?  How would you respond if God somehow delivered a message that you were about to die? 
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  2. Have you ever been given a second chance?  Why do we tend to believe bad news but want proof about good news?  Do you take full advantage of second chances you are given?  Why/why not?   
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  3. Do you ever find yourself “showing off” for the benefit of others?  Why do people like others to know what they have?  Who do people often credit for their possessions?      
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  4. Who would the people around you say you try to please most?  Is there anything wrong with telling and showing people all that you possess?  What is there about seeing something that makes people want to have it?           
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  5. How willing are you to accept current peace at the cost of future turmoil?  Are you more concerned about your life or for those who come after you?  Would you want extra time if you knew that it would result in eventual disaster?
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2 Kings: Lesson 19 — Praying to a Powerful God!

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 19 (Praying to a Powerful God!)
2 Kings 19
May 14, 2014

The Text:

  1. How did Hezekiah respond to the reports of what was said by the Assyrian field commander?  What was the message he sent to Isaiah?  How did Isaiah respond?
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  2. What report did the Assyrian field commander hear?  What did he do?  What did Sennacherib hear?  What message did he send to Hezekiah?
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  3. What did Hezekiah do with the letter brought to him from Sennacherib?  How does he address God?  What does he say about Sennacherib?  What does he ask God to do?
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  4. How does God respond to Hezekiah’s prayer?  What does God say about Sennacherib’s messages to Hezekiah?  What does God say about the things Sennacherib had accomplished?  What promise does God give Hezekiah?
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  5. What does God promise regarding Sennacherib’s intended attack on Jerusalem?  What did God do in the Assyrian camp?  What did this cause Sennacherib to do?  What happened to him?

The Application:

  1. How do you respond to news of what seems to be insurmountable difficulty?  When you feel attacked because of your faith, are you more concerned that people are talking poorly about you or about God?  How does your life reflect the victory God has promised?
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  2. What does it take to get you to change your course of action?  How often does pride keep you from backing down from your words — even when more pressing matters ought to be attended to?
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  3. What do you do with attacks and complaints against you?  Is it easy or difficult to address God appropriately when you feel threatened?  How do you view those who speak and act against God?  What does it take for you to ask God to deliver you?
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  4. Do you always feel like God hears your prayers?  Why/why not?  Do you think your words have ever insulted God?  What are some of your successes in life?  How have they happened?
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  5. What can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus?  Does knowing that mean that you always live like it is true?  Do you believe God has the power and desire to defeat all that seeks to destroy you?  How will you live because of that?

Next Week:   A Wasted Opportunity
2 Kings 20

 

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2 Kings: Lesson 18 — Standing Your Ground!

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 18 (Standing Your Ground!)
2 Kings 18
May 7, 2014

The Text:

  1. How was Hezekiah’s life like that of the kings before him?  How was it different — what did he do that others hadn’t?  How does God describe him?
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  2. What was Hezekiah able to accomplish?  What was his interaction with the Assyrians and the Philistines?  What was happening in Israel while Hezekiah reigned in Judah?
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  3. In Hezekiah’s fourteenth year of reign, what did the king of Assyria do?  How did Hezekiah respond?  Did Hezekiah’s actions satisfy Sennacherib, king of Assyria?  
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  4. What message did Sennacherib send to Hezekiah?  What did Sennacherib’s message say about his view of Hezekiah’s actions in removing the high places and altars throughout Judah?  What did Hezekiah’s men ask the messenger to do?  Why?  What was the response? 
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  5. What message did Sennacherib’s commander want the people of Jerusalem to hear?  What did he offer them?  What did he say about Hezekiah’s message to the people that “The Lord will deliver us.”?  What did the people do?  Why?

The Application:

  1. Are there things in your life, or the life of your family, which have become accepted that God would want you to remove?  How do/would you know?  What would it take in your life for God to say (in a good way) that there is none like you? 
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  2. How much credit do you give to God for any success that you have?  Would you do anything different in/with your life if you believed God would make those efforts successful?  How do you feel when you see people around you fall to the enemy? 
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  3. When you face attack or hardship, do you consider you may have done something wrong?  How likely are you to make an attempt of peace with those you have wronged?  Does your best efforts of peace mean peace will happen?         
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  4. Have people ever misunderstood your worship of God?  Are there times when people seem to think you ought to worship God in a way that is different that what God says?  Have you ever spoken things publicly in order to intimidate/humiliate someone when you should have talked to them privately?      
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  5. Are there people around you who try to make you doubt God’s ability to save?  Are there times the enemy tempts us today with ease and comfort if we just go along with him?  How do you respond?

Next Week:   Praying to a Powerful God
2 Kings 19

 

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PRAY Like a Mom!

Study guide to prepare for the Deer Run Church of Christ Mother’s Day sermon.

If you have, or have had, a godly mom, you were given one of the greatest gifts a person can receive!  What lessons have you learned from your mom?  What do you wish you had learned?  What do you hope to still learn?  What character qualities do you think are most important for a mom to have?  What “Mom” from the Bible do you learn the most from?  What is it about her life that helps you to grow in your faith?  In our study this week, we will look at several Bible moms as we consider lessons we can learn from them about prayer.

 Something to think about…

Monday (May 5)  Read 1 Samuel 1:9-20.  Who was Hannah?  What was causing so much sorrow in her life?  What did she request from God?  What did she promise to do in return?  What did Eli the priest think of her prayer time?  How does she explain what was noticed?  What is his response?  How did this change her?  What should you do when you are filled with sorrow and “bitterness of soul”?  Have your expressions of prayer ever been misunderstood?  Have you ever judged someone’s actions differently than what they were actually doing?  What does it take for your prayers to be genuine?

Tuesday (May 6)  Read 1 Kings 3:16-28.  What dilemma exists in this passage?  Who was supposed to solve the problem?  What did each party want?  How did the king propose the problem be solved?  What request (prayer) did one of the mothers make to the king?  What was his response?  Do you ever go to God asking that He sees things your way — to your benefit?  What are you willing to give up in order to save someone?  How does giving up your will change the way you pray for people?

Wednesday (May 7)  Read Matthew 20:20-25.  What does the mother of James and John request from Jesus?  Does Jesus think she understands the nature of her request (prayer)?  How does He reply?  Do you make bold requests on behalf of others?  When you pray, do you think about others being put first?  How do you respond when you discover that what you had been praying for requires more from you than expected? 

Thursday (May 8)  Read John 2:1-11.  What problem came up at this wedding where Jesus and His mother were guests?  Who did Jesus’ mother address about the problem?  How does He respond?  What does she do anyhow?  What happens?  Do you keep a mental list of things that you should go to Jesus about and things you shouldn’t?  If so, how do you decide what makes either list?  When you take your requests to God, do you trust He can do something about it?

Friday (May 9)  Read Acts 12:5,11-17.  What did the church do when Peter was imprisoned?  Who was gathered at the home of John Mark’s mother?  Why?  What were they doing?  What happened?  How earnestly do you pray for people who are being persecuted?  If people were wanting to gather and pray about a serious issue, would they come to your house?  Are you ever surprised when God answers your prayer?

Saturday (May 10)  Read 2 Timothy 1:3-7.  Who is Paul praying for . . . how often?  Who is Paul reminded of that planted the seeds of faith in the life of Timothy?  What were those seeds to produce?  Are there people whom you lift up in prayer “night and day”?  How often do you think of your faith being planted in the lives of those who follow you?  

Sunday (May 11)  Read Matthew 15:21-28.  Why did a Canaanite woman come to Jesus?  How did Jesus initially respond to her request?  What did the disciples want done?  Does she give up?  What does Jesus do for her, and then say about her?  When you pray, do you think you deserve a response from God?  How persistent are you when the answer to your prayer doesn’t arrive on the schedule you expect?

 

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2 Kings: Lesson 17 — Enough is Enough!

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 17 (Enough is Enough!)
2 Kings 17
April 30, 2014

The Text:

  1. How is Hoshea’s way of life described . . . Is it good or bad?  Why did the king of Assyria set out to attack Hoshea?  Who had Hoshea turned to?  What did the king of Assyria do?  How long did it take?  What was done with the people of Israel?
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  2. Why did the things from the first question happen?  What were some of the specific things the Israelites had done?  How had God warned the people?  How did the people respond?  Who did the people use for an example of how to live?
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  3. How did God feel about Israel following the example of other nations?  What did he do about it?  What influence had Israel had on Judah?  How did God respond to that?
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  4. What did the king of Assyria do with the towns of Samaria after he had taken the Israelites captive?  What did God do to the people living in the towns?  Why?  What conclusion was told to the king of Assyria?  What response did the king have?
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  5. Even after being taught to worship the Lord, what each national group that was brought into Israel do?  Did they follow the instruction given on how to worship the Lord?  What did they do?  Who does this sound like?

The Application:

  1. How good is “good enough”?  How do you know?  Have you ever made a commitment that you later changed your mind about?  Would God think there are times when you have turned to others even after you’ve given your allegiance to Him?  In what ways?  What should we do?
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  2. How much attention do you pay to God’s Word when you go about your daily activities?  Are there warnings in God’s Word that you know you ignore?  Why do we tend to justify and keep doing things we know God has said not to?
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  3. Are you different in the way you act and talk according to who’s around you?  Does the misbehavior of fellow Christians influence what you determine is appropriate and right?
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  4. When you remove something inappropriate from your life, do you pay attention to what takes its place?  Do you ever suffer simply because you didn’t know better?  What should be done in those circumstances?
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  5. Where do you get your instruction on how to worship the Lord?  Are we more likely to look at how others worship, or look at how God wants us to worship?

 

Next Week:   Standing Your Ground
2 Kings 18

 

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2 Kings: Lesson 16 — I Don’t Care

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 16 (I Don’t Care)
 2 Kings 16
  April 23, 2014

The Text:

  1. Who followed Jotham as king of Judah? How did his lifestyle compare to that of David and to God’s standards? Who did he pattern his actions after? What were some of his detestable practices?
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  2. What did the king of Aram and the king of Israel join together to do? Were they successful? Who did Ahaz turn to for help? What did Ahaz give and what was accomplished?
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  3. Where did Ahaz go to meet the king of Assyria? What did Ahaz take notice of? As a result, what was sent to the priest, Uriah? What did Uriah do?  
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  4. When Ahaz returned from Damascus, what did he do? What did he do with the bronze altar to the Lord? What instructions were given to Uriah the priest? How did Uriah respond?
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  5. What changes did Ahaz make to the furnishings of the temple and to the temple itself? Why?

The Application:

  1. Do you like the idea of being an example to someone? Why/why not? Do the wicked practices of others make it seem easier to do wrong? Why/why not? Are there things you have seen others do that you have said you never would, but found yourself doing at some time?
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  2. Does it ever feel like there are multiple forces joined together against you? How do you respond? What happens when you fight evil with evil?
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  3. When you visit a place, what kinds of things catch your eye? Do you ever see things that make you think you are missing out on something? Do the objects and practices of others ever make you think your worship of God is lacking something?        
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  4. Why do you worship God in the way that you do? Have you ever changed in the way you worship? What criteria did you, should you, use in making such a change?      
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  5. Do the people around you approve of the way you worship God? Are there times you are tempted to hold back, or change, your worship for the sake of someone else? Should you? Why/why not?

 

Next Week:   Enough is Enough
     2 Kings 17

 

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2 Kings: Lesson 15 — Reaping What You Sow

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 15 (Reaping What You Sow)
 2 Kings 15
April 16, 2014

The Text:

  1. Who followed Amaziah as king of Judah? How old was he and how long did he reign? How was his life viewed from the eyes of the Lord? Where did he reign from? Why? Who had charge of the palace and the “governing” responsibilities? When that person comes to reign at the end of this chapter, what do we learn about this current king?
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  2. For another view, check out 2 Chronicles 26. What does that tell you about the reason for this king’s condition? Was the condition preventable? What other significant event happened at the end of this king’s life?
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  3. How did Zechariah live as king of Israel? How long was he king? How did his reign end? Who followed him? What ended with the end of Zechariah’s reign? Why?  
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  4. How long did Shallum reign as king of Israel? How did the end of his reign compare to the beginning of it? Who followed him as king? What enemy came against him? How did he deal with it? What was the outcome?
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  5. How did Pekahiah become king? How did he live according to God’s view? What relationship did Pekah have to the king? What did Pekah do? What happened during Pekah’s reign? How did his reign end? 

The Application:

  1. Is it easy or hard to change your actions from what you grew up with? Why? Who would you want to be your “stand-in” if you weren’t able to be in public? Why? Are you known differently by different groups of people? Why?
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  2. Why does pride seem to be such a hard sin to avoid? What are some consequences of pride? Can we avoid them? How? What are some advantages to longevity in a role?
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  3. When you look at the way people live, do you think they believe sin has consequences? How about if you look at the way you live? Does God’s promises to you give you hope for future generations?        
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  4. Do you believe that people today tend to reap what they sow? Are there times that you try to bribe the enemy rather than face it? Are there times you should?  
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  5. How well do you know the people you trust? What makes them trustworthy? What compromises are you willing to make in an attempt to live in peace? Are they worth it? 

Next Week:   I Don’t Care
    2 Kings 16

 

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2 Kings: Lesson 14 — A Measure of Obedience . . . And Pride

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 14 (A Measure of Obedience . . . And Pride)
 2 Kings 14
April 2, 2014

The Text:

  1. Who followed Joash as king of Judah? How did God view his actions? Who did he follow, who did he not follow?  
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  2. What did Amaziah do after he was firmly in place as king? How did he limit that action? Why?
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  3. What notable thing had Amaziah done? After that, what message did he send to the king of Israel? How did Johoash respond? What did he say had happened to Amaziah? 
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  4. Did Amaziah listen to Johoash? What did he do instead? How did that turn out for Judah? How did Amaziah’s life end? Who succeeded him as king of Judah?
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  5. Who became king of Israel while Amaziah was king of Judah? How did he live according to God’s sight? What positive things did he do? Why did God use Jeroboam to rescue the people of Israel?

  The Application:

  1. How would you describe the way you live? When describing your way of life, do you find yourself comparing it to that of others? Who? In what ways could that be helpful? In what ways could that be harmful?
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  2. Is there a difference between judgment and justice? If so, what? How do you feel about suffering the consequences for what someone else does? Do you think people sometimes suffer consequences because of your actions?
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  3. Is it easier to handle success or failure? Why do you think people tend to give themselves credit for success and try to find someone to blame for failures? How do you avoid letting pride take you down a wrong path?    
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  4. Why is it so hard to listen to advice when it comes from unwanted sources? Have you ever done something just because someone said you shouldn’t or couldn’t? Should what they say matter one way or the other?     
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  5. Are there people that God could/would never use? How do you know? Does God using someone to accomplish His will say more about them, or Him?

 

Next Week:   Reaping What You Sow
   2 Kings 15