Category Archives: Bible Study

This section contains posts related to new and current Bible Studies.

The Great Story – Week 10: The Rise of David (1 Samuel 16-31)

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David was the youngest among his brothers. He spent his youth as a lowly shepherd. He had no expectations of wealth and power, yet the Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Saul had defied the commands of God. The Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, and the kingdom would soon follow. Saul, the people’s choice for king, was beginning a downward spiral from which he would never recover.

Samuel was sent to find a man who would replace Saul. Unlike Saul, the new king would be chosen by God. This new king would lead Israel into a time of unprecedented prosperity and loyalty to the Most High God.

David entered Saul’s service as a harp player and armor bearer. When Saul was being afflicted by a tormenting spirit, he would call upon David to play his harp and he would be relieved. Because of this relationship, David had the ability to visit Saul at will. This is an example of God’s Providence as David was able to go into Saul and petition him to fight Goliath.

David’s success against Goliath and his numerous victories over the Philistines made him very popular among the people. At the same time, Saul became jealous David’s popularity and sought to kill him. He attempted to kill David by throwing his spear at him, twice. Later, Saul pursued David through the wilderness in two separate attempts to kill him, but failed. Saul never got the chance to harm David, but rather David spared Saul’s life in both of these attempts because he refused to harm the Lord’s anointed.

Saul’s dynasty was cut short by the Philistines. His sons were killed while retreating from battle. Saul, who was severely injured by an arrow, resorted to falling on his own sword to avoid being captured. With his death, Israel was left without a king.

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The Great Story – Week 09: Samuel and The King (1 Samuel 01-15)

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Samuel was a great man of God. Before he was even born, his mother had already committed him into the service of the Lord. The Bible records that as soon as he was weaned, he was sent to the house of Eli (the judge and High Priest of the day) to live. Even when he was a child, the Lord spoke to him and he prophesied. As the last judge of Israel, he was the shining example of obedience to a wayward people.

As Samuel grew older, the people rejected his rule along with the sovereignty of God. The people demanded to have a king placed over them. Because the people had rejected God, God allowed them to have king of their choosing. This man was taller and more handsome than any other. By any human standard, he was the clear choice. Yet, the choices of man rarely meet the standard of God, and this case was no exception. The new king’s name was Saul.

The Lord told Saul and the people that if they would only follow His commandments that he would be with them. Yet, as the cycle of disbelief continued in Israel, Saul disobeyed the Lord two distinct times. First, he performed sacrifices that were forbidden for him because he failed to wait on Samuel. Then he spared the king of the Amalekites and let the livestock live when he was told to destroy everything. These two offenses were enough for God to reject Saul as the king, but Saul’s downward spiral was just beginning.

God always has plan. When we lose our faith and try to do things on our own, things very often turn out badly. Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths. Saul would have benefitted greatly, if only he had listened to the Lord.

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The Great Story – Week 08: The Judges (Judges 01-21)

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It was a dark time. It was a time of chaos. It was a time where men did what was right in their own eyes. Every manner of idolatry and wickedness was practiced, and the nation was being lost. Israel had lost their faith and God had given them over to foreign oppressors.

The time of the Judges began after the death of Joshua. The people, realizing their grievous sins, would cry out to God for repentance and deliverance. God would hear their cries and respond by raising up a Judge to lead them. Yet this newfound faith was short-lived as after the Judge died, the people very quickly returned to their sinful ways. God was faithful to His covenant when His people were faithful.

Week 08: Judges reminds us that we never go so far astray as to be irredeemable by our infinite God. When we cry out, our God hears us. When we place our faith and trust in Him, He will respond in kind and fight our battles for us.

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The Great Story – Week 07: Joshua (Joshua 01-24)

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Joshua was a man of faith. When he was sent as a spy, only he and Caleb kept their faith in God and encouraged the people to move take the land that God had given them. Because of his faith, Joshua was spared death in the wilderness and allowed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Joshua was the appointed leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He was a great general and lead the armies of Israel to many military victories. In Joshua 24:15, he declared, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The success and prosperity that Israel enjoyed under the guidance of Joshua was a tribute to his faith and obedience to God.

If only Israel had continued to honor God and worship Him as the one and true God, they would have continued to prosper. This prosperity was not to last though. When Joshua died, the faith of the people went with it.

Week 07 of the Great Story describes how powerfully God’s power can be demonstrated when He is revered and worshipped in the way that He commands. When the people keep the Commandments of God, God is faithful to them.

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The Great Story – Week 06: The Wandering People (Num 01-27)

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“All that the Lord has spoken we will do” is what they said. God was on their side. He had sent a prophet to them and he had led them out of captivity. The Egyptians were destroyed when they attempted to pursue. Hungry in the desert, the Lord had fed them. God had given them His holy ordinances and the people knew that God was dwelling in the tabernacle and leading them wherever they went. How is it that when everything seems to be going so well that sin enters the picture and begins to corrupt?

The Israelites were tired of the free food that God supplied every day. They yearned for the meat and produce that was available while they still in captivity. Forgetting all the hardships they endured in Egypt, they desired to be out of the wilderness and return to their life as slaves just so they could eat some different food. They questioned whether Moses was the one that God actually chose to lead them or even whether he was fit to lead. They doubted God when they saw the might of the people living in the Promised Land. A lack of faith in Israel characterizes much of the book of Numbers.

God had a plan for Israel. If Israel would have followed the commands of God, they would have been blessed endlessly. Instead judgment befell them and they spent an additional forty years wandering the desert. Even Moses had a lapse that forced him to stay outside of the Promised Land. Submission, Trust, and Obedience are the things that God demanded, but the Israelites were a stiff-necked people. Sometimes judgment is necessary before repentance can begin.

Week 06 of The Great Story tells of the predicaments that Israel got themselves in to during their forty years in the desert. The cycle of sin, judgment, and repentance continues throughout the book of Numbers. Listen and Learn from the missteps of the Israelites.

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The Great Story – Week 05: The Ten Commandments and Wilderness (Exo 15-40)

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At the time when the Ten Commandments were given, the Israelites were living a time of great miracles. They witnessed the plagues of Egypt, they saw the Red Sea part and Pharaoh destroyed by God, but yet their faith still wavered. When God spoke, they did not obey. They quickly forgot about all that they had seen and regressed to their ways that were practiced in Egypt. Through much of Israel’s history, they struggled with idols and foreign gods. Had they only listened to God from the beginning of their journey from Egypt, how much better and stronger would their nation had been?

A Relationship…that’s what God desired to have with the nation of Israel. He delivered His people from captivity in Egypt as a fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. Then, God told the people of Israel that if they would obey His commandments that He would establish them as a holy nation, a nation of priests. God gave His Commandments as a basis for a relationship with Him. Israel declared that they would do all that the Lord had commanded, but they failed. Knowing that man could not keep the Commandments perfectly, God allowed for sacrifices and offerings to temporarily make a covering for their sins. Only in Jesus do we have permanent forgiveness.

Romans 3:19 tells us that the Law was intended as a way to hold man accountable to God. As Christians, we are not saved by our adherence to the Law, but rather in our belief that Jesus died for the remission of our sins. We therefore are not saved by works, but by the grace of God. Yet, understanding that we are saved by grace, because we love the Lord, we strive to obey His commands. Even when we fail, the love of the Lord will always be sufficient.

Visit “The Great Story” page to download your weekly study guide or listen to the audio version of the study: The Great Story

Visit the CallUponTheLord YouTube Page for the Complete Blog Archive!

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