Diligent Humility
Numbers 12:1-15 – New International Version (NIV)
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against
Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has
the Lord spoken only
through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And
the Lord heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble
man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and
Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of
them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at
the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them
stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord,
reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and
he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the
tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron
turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and
he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we
have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a
stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her
face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her
outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought
back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for
seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
Why did Miriam and Aaron begin to “talk against Moses” (verse
1)?
In your opinion, what do the questions “has the Lord spoken only
through Moses” and “hasn’t he also spoken through us” reveal about
their real complaint (verse 2)?
What was Moses (verse 3)?
Who called Moses, Aaron and Miriam to the tent of meeting (verse 4)?
Why did Aaron and Miriam step forward (verse 5)?
How did the Lord reveal Himself to a prophet (verse 6)?
How did the Lord reveal Himself to Moses (verses 7 and 8)?
What burned “against them” (verse 9)?
What was revealed “when the cloud lifted from above the tent”
(verse 10)?
Who did Aaron ask “not to hold against us the sin we have so
foolishly committed” (verse 11)?
How did Moses respond (verse 13)?
Where was Miriam to be confined for seven days (verse 14)?
What did the people not do “till she was brought back”
(verse 15)?
In your
opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your
opinion, what does this passage teach us about greatness “in the kingdom of
heaven”?
Matthew 18:1-5 - New International
Version (NIV)
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is
the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I
tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore,
whoever takes the lowly [humble]
position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me.
Who came to Jesus (verse
1)?
What did they want to know (verse 1)?
Where did
Jesus place the little child (verse 2)?
What did
Jesus say the disciples needed to do to “enter the kingdom of heaven” (verse
3)?
Who will be
the “greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (verse 4)?
What does the one who “welcomes one such child in” Jesus’s name do
(verse 5)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your
opinion, what does this passage teach us about greatness “in the kingdom of
heaven”?
In your
opinion, How does Jesus’s instruction to become like “little children” in
Matthew 8:1-5 help us understand why the Lord’s anger “burned against”
Miriam and Aaron in Numbers 12:1-15?
Romans 16:17-20 - New International Version (NIV)
17 I urge you, brothers and
sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your
way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from
them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord
Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone
has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want
you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will
soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Who does Paul want his Roman “brothers and sisters” to watch
out for (verse 17)?
What are these people serving (verse 18)?
How are “the minds of naïve people” deceived (verse 18)?
What does Paul want them “to be wise” about (verse 19)?
What does Paul want them to be “innocent about” (verse
19)?
What does Paul want to be with them (verse 20)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about
greatness “in the kingdom of heaven”?
In your opinion, who are the people in Numbers 12:1-15 that
Romans 16:17-20 urges us to “watch out for”?
In your opinion, what does Romans 16:17-20 help us
understand about the question, “who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven” in Matthew 18:1-5?
Hebrews 6:1-12 - New International
Version (NIV)
1 Therefore
let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken
forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts
that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction
about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of
the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God
permitting, we will do so.
4 It is
impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the
coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought
back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of
God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land
that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to
those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But
land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being
cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9 Even
though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things
in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God
is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as
you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We
want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you
hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you
to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised.
What are Christians to
“be taken forward to” (verse 1)?
What are the “elementary
teachings about Christ” (verses 1 and 2)?
Who cannot “be
brought back to repentance” (verses 4, 5, and 6)?
What does “land
that drinks in the rain” and produces a useful crop receive (verse 7)?
What is “land
that produces thorns and thistles” in danger of (verse 8)?
What are the “better
things” for the “dear friends” (verse 9)?
What will God
not forget (verse 10)?
Why are Christians
to continue to show “diligence to the very end” (verse 11)?
Who should
Christians “imitate” (verse 12)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about
greatness “in the kingdom of heaven”?
In your opinion, what can we learn from Numbers 12:1-15
about the land that produces a “useful” crop and the land that produces “thorns
and thistles” in Hebrews 6:1-12?
In your opinion, how do you reconcile the teaching of Jesus
to become “like little children” in Matthew 18:1-5 with the instruction
to be “taken forward to maturity” in Hebrews 6:1-12?
In your opinion, how
do the instructions of Hebrews 6:1-12 help us avoid being the “naïve people”
that Romans 16:17-20 warns will fall prey to smooth talk and flattery?
In your
opinion, what do these passages from Numbers, Matthew, Romans, and Hebrews teach
us about how our humility changes as we mature in our relationship with God?
In
your opinion, how do we show diligence today?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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