Stiff-Necked or Devoted
2 Chronicles 36:11-21 - New International Version (NIV)
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he
reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 He did evil in the
eyes of the Lord his God and did
not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. 13 He also
rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God’s
name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore,
all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,
following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple
of the Lord, which he had
consecrated in Jerusalem.
15 The Lord, the God of
their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again,
because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But
they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets
until the wrath of the Lord was
aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He
brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men
with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women,
the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He
carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and
small, and the treasures of the Lord’s
temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They
set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all
the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.
20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the
sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of
Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath
rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were
completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord
spoken by Jeremiah.
How
old was Zedekiah when he became king (verse 11)?
What did Zedekiah refuse to do “before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the
word of the Lord” (verse 12)?
Who did Zedekiah rebell against (verse 13)?
What did the “leaders of the priests and the people do” (verse 14)?
Why did “the
Lord, the God of their ancestors” send word to the people “again and again” (verse 15)?
In your opinion, whey did God’s people despise
His words and scoff at His prophets (verse
16)?
Who did God give His people to (verse 17)?
Where did all the “articles from the temple of God, both large and small” get carried
to (verse 18)?
What happened to God’s temple (verse 19)?
What did the “remnant, who escaped from the sword” become (verse 20)?
How long did the land rest (verse 21)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of
this passage?
Zechariah
1:1-6 - New International
Version (NIV)
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son
of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:
2 “The Lord was very
angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people:
This is what the Lord Almighty
says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord
Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord
Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the
earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord
Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they
would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. 5 Where are your ancestors now?
And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my
words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your
ancestors?
“Then they repented and
said, ‘The Lord
Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he
determined to do.’”
When
did “the word of the Lord” come to
the prophet Zechariah (verse 1)?
Who was the Lord “very angry” with (verse 2)?
What does the Lord promise to do if the people
return to Him (verse 3)?
In your opinion, why did the people’s
ancestors not listen or pay attention to God
(verse 4)?
How did the people’s ancestors respond when
God’s words and decrees overtook them (verse 6)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of
this passage?
In your opinion, why might the people that
Zechariah is talking to in Zechariah 1:1-6 respond differently to God than
their ancestors responded to Jeremiah’s message from God in 2 Chronicles
36:11-21?
John
1:9-14 – New
International Version (NIV)
9 The true light that gives
light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was
in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not
recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but
his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and
made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and
only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Who
“was coming into the world” (verse 9)?
What did the world not do (verse 10)?
In your opinion why did “that which was his own” not receive Him (verse 11)?
Who did He “give the right to become children of God” (verse 12)?
How were these “children of God” not born (verse 13)?
What did the Word become (verse 14)?
Where did the Word dwell (verse 14)?
Who came from the Father, “full of grace and truth” (verse 14)?
In your opinion, what is the basic
message of this passage?
In your opinion, how is Zedekiah, the king of
Israel in 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 an example of the way “the world” and “his own”
reacted to Jesus according to John in John 1:9-14?
In your opinion, how is the
opportunity that God gave the people in Zechariah 1:1-6 to “return to me . . . and I will return to you” similar to what Jesus
gave in John 1:9-14 “to all who did
receive him”?
Titus
3:3-8 – New
International Version (NIV)
3 At
one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds
of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating
one another. 4 But when the kindness
and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he
saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his
mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy
Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on
us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so
that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope
of eternal life. 8 This is a
trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who
have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.
These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
In your opinion, who is the “we” in Paul’s statement that “we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived
and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (verse 3)?
Who does Paul say had “kindness and love” (verse 4)?
Why did God save “us” (verse 5)?
How did God save “us” (verse 5)?
How was the Holy Spirit “poured out on us generously” (verse 6)?
In your opinion, what does it mean to be “justified by his grace” (verse 7)?
What are those “who have trusted in God” to be careful to do (verse 8)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of
this passage?
In your opinion, how is the reaction of
Zedekiah to God in 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 different from the reaction of the “foolish, disobedient, deceived and
enslaved” that Paul is talking about in Titus 3:3-8?
In your opinion, why doesn’t the statement of
Zechariah 1:1-6 that “the Lord Almighty has
done to us what our ways and practices deserve”
not apply for the “foolish, disobedient,
deceived and enslaved” of Titus 3:3-8?
In your opinion, what does Titus 3:3-8 teach
us about Jesus and those who received Him in John 1:9-14, “to all who did receive
him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God”?
In your opinion, what do these passages from 2
Chronicles, Zechariah, John and Titus teach us about the reactions of people to
God?
In your opinion, how can each, individually, devote
ourselves to “doing what is good”?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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