3/13 1 Samuel 15 - Saul Serves Himself
Key Chapters of the Bible
When God gives a command, sometimes we only half-heartedly obey. Today in our study of 1 Samuel 15, we’ll see that this is exactly what Saul did, and he was condemned for it too! Join us as we look at Saul’s heart and learn how to bring our own into wholehearted submission to God. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What was the Lord’s command, through Samuel, in verse 3? What reasons did the podcast give for why God would have given a command such as this? How does verse 33 shed light on the Amalekites? 2. What was the outcome of this battle? Did Saul obey...
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3/12 1 Samuel 13 - The Sin of Impatience
Key Chapters of the Bible
Life does not always go according to our schedule. Today we’ll look at an account from King Saul’s life where he took matters into his own hands, and ultimately was lost his kingdom because of it. Join us in a challenging reminder to trust God and wait on Him. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. How was Saul’s army chosen in verse 2? What kind of pressure with the support on Saul to have victory in these early battles? 2. What was the size of the Philistine army in verse 5? How does this compare to Israel’s army back in verse 2? 3. What were the...
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3/11 1 Samuel 10 - The Fearful King
Key Chapters of the Bible
God calls all of us to trust Him and step out in faith. Today we read the account of when Saul was chosen to be king. We’ll build upon the principles yesterday (regarding Saul’s reluctance) and see that his reluctance was really about a lack of faith and trust in the Lord. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What were the circumstances from 1st Samuel 9 that led to the events of 1st Samuel 10? 2. What did Samuel do to Saul in verse 1? What did this signify? 3. In verses 2-7, what were the signs that Saul would see? What were...
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3/10 1 Samuel 9 - The Reluctant King
Key Chapters of the Bible
Life has a way of not going exactly has we planned. Today we'll look at 1st Samuel 9 and see that a simple search for some farm animals brought Saul to a divine appointment, and it ended up completely changing his life. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. In verse 1, what tribe was Saul from? What tribe did the Lord say would produce the kings back in Genesis 49:10? 2. What was Saul’s father like, according to verses 1 & 2? How might this have influenced the people to want Saul to be their king? 3. In verses 3 to 17, how did the Lord prepare...
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3/9 1 Samuel 8 - Trying to Copy the World
Key Chapters of the Bible
There are times when the world seems to have all the glitz & glamor and we can be tempted to follow their ways. Today we’ll see that this attitude motivated the Israelites to seek a king. Although the Lord gave them their request, it was not without stern warning. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. The podcast opens with the social context of this chapter. How might the Philistine’s success have tempted the Israelites to copy the ways of the nations? 2. How old was Samuel at this point? What was his plan for the succession of authority after him? How was that working out? 3. In...
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3/8 1 Samuel 4 - Rabbit's Foot Theology
Key Chapters of the Bible
Sometimes people try to manufacture good luck through some kind of “rabbit’s foot” thinking. It might be through an actual item or perhaps some ritual or deed. Today we’ll see that when the Israelites treated God like a “rabbit’s foot”, it didn’t go so well. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Who were the Israelites battling in verse 1? How did their battle go in verse 2? How is that different from their previous battles that we’ve looked at over the past several months? 2. What did the people decide to do in verse 3? What did this...
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3/7 1 Samuel 3 - The Call of God
Key Chapters of the Bible
What kind of heart is God’s servant supposed to have? Today as we study 1st Samuel 3, we’ll read about God’s call of Samuel and we’ll look at how Samuel responds. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What did we learn yesterday in our study of 1st Samuel 2, about Eli and his sons? How do you think that contributed to the spiritual condition of Israel during this time? 2. What was Samuel doing in verses 2 & 3? Why was he doing that? 3. Who spoke to Samuel in verse 4? Was this an audible voice? Why didn’t Samuel recognize...
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3/6 1 Samuel 2 - Praying or Playing
Key Chapters of the Bible
One of the most common accusations against Christians is that they’re “hypocrites”. While this accusation is often not justified, sometimes it is. Today we will look at 1st Samuel 2, which is a study in contrasts. We’ll see the contrasts between a godly woman, hypocritical leaders, and a godly young man. Join us for another practical study in God’s Word. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. In our study, yesterday, of 1st Samuel 1, what did Hannah pray? What did she do with Samuel when the Lord answered her prayer? 2. Verses 1 to 11 contains one of the longest...
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3/5 1 Samuel 1 - Broken-Hearted Faith
Key Chapters of the Bible
There are times in life when God answers our prayers in ways that are slower than we’d like. Today, we’ll look at 1st Samuel 1, and see how Hannah trusted the Lord as she waited for Him to answer her prayers. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What did the podcast say about the religious stability of the people of 1st Samuel during these opening chapters? What led to this condition? 2. In verse 2, Elkanah has two wives. Although this was technically permissible in the Old Testament, what kinds of problems did the podcast explain that these...
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3/4 Judges 2 - Struggling to be Faithful
Key Chapters of the Bible
Sometimes we struggle in our faith, and today in our study of Judges 2, we will see that the people wavered in their faith and struggled in fellowship with God, and suffered the consequences for it. We’ll also see that their struggles lay out key principles for living a life of faith today. Join us for another key study in God’s Word! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Who is addressing the people in verse 1? What in verse 1 helps us decode who this is? Why is this important to understand? 2. What did the people fail to do in verse 3? What was the Lord’s...
info_outlineThe story of Jacob is well-known to students of the Bible. What may not be as well known is why God would bless a man whose character, at first, was so clearly out of sorts with godliness. Today we'll learn about the path the Lord used to bring Jacob to a place of faith, trust and obedience. Join us in this face-paced look at Genesis 28, which also will skim Genesis 25, 26, & 27!
DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS:
Genesis 28 1. When was there a time in your life where you consciously made a life decision in light of your standing as a member of God’s people? What was the outcome of that decision?
2. Take a moment to evaluate your personal commitment to the kingdom of God. On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed are you to reflecting God’s kingdom now and investing in God’s kingdom to come? Why did you choose that number?
3. Why do you think that the Lord allowed Isaac and Rebekah to not be able to have children until later in life? What impact would this (or should this) have on the spiritual lessons they would teach their children? Did it?
4. How would you describe the family dynamics in Isaac’s household? What kind of problems did their favoritism create? Who was responsible to rectify these problems? What are some possible reasons for why these problems weren’t properly addressed?
5. In Genesis 25:23, what was the Lord’s promise to Rebekah about the twins she was bearing? How is this promise important as the story of Jacob’s life unfolds?
6. What were God’s promises to Isaac in Genesis 26:3 and 4? How was this similar to the Lord’s promises to Abraham? What would these promises also indicate about Isaac’s role as the patriarch of his family? What would these promises mean for the role one of his sons would have over these future descendants?
7. In Genesis 25:27-34, why do you think Esau sold his birthright to Jacob? Was this a true “sale”? Was the birthright his to “sell” anyway? How does this set the tone for the unraveling of Esau’s role as firstborn?
8. In Genesis 26:34-45, Esau marries two Hittite women. What significance might his marriage have on the direction of his leadership over the descendants of Abraham?
9. Esau didn’t cherish his birthright because he didn’t cherish God’s promises. If he did, what would that have looked like in his life? What does it look like, in our world today, to cherish God’s promises and live in light of them? Why is this sometimes difficult to do?
10. Although the study didn’t address very much from Genesis 26, you have probably read it by now. As you reflect upon the events of Genesis 26, what do they show you about the quality of Isaac’s faith? Why do you think his faith was like this?
11. The Bible often reminds us that although we are to walk in God’s ways, it’s not to curry His favor, but rather to glorify Him. Both Abraham and Isaac show us that God uses imperfect people. Why do you think that is? What encouragement does this give you if and when you struggle in your walk?
Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon!
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