January 12, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Chosen By God

Chosen By God

Daniel 2:24-30 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

²⁵ Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

²⁶ The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

²⁷ Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, ²⁸ but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

²⁹ “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. ³⁰ As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

What had Arioch been “appointed” to do (verse 24)?

What did Daniel tell Arioch (verse 24)?

When did Arioch take Daniel to the king (verse 25)?

What did he tell the king (verse 25)?

What was Daniel “also called” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, why was it important that Daniel answer the king’s question about the dream by saying “no wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery” (verses 26 and 27)?

Who “reveals mysteries” (verse 28)?

Who showed the king “what is going to happen” (verse 29)?

Why was the mystery revealed to Daniel (verse 30)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the challenges those chosen by God may face in the world?

Matthew 2:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When did the “Magi from the east” come to Jerusalem (verse 1)?

What did the Magi ask (verse 2)?

What had the Magi seen (verse 2)?

Who was disturbed (verse 3)?

Who did Herod ask about “where the Messiah was to be born” (verse 4)?

Where was the Messiah to be born (verse 5)?

Who will come “out of” Bethlehem (verse 6)?

What did Herod secretly find out (verse 7)?

Why did Herod ask the Magi to report to him when they find the child (verse 8)?

How did the Magi find “the place where the child was” (verse 9)?

What did they do when “they saw the child with his mother Mary” (verse 11)?

How were the Magi warned not to go back to Herod (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the challenges those chosen by God may face in the world?

In your opinion, what do the revelation to king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:24-30 and the revelation to the Magi in Matthew 2:1-12 have in common?

Acts 13:5-12 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

What did they do “when they arrived in Salamis” (verse 5)?

Who did they meet in Paphos (verse 6)?

Why did the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, send for Barnabas and Saul (verse 7)?

Who opposed Barnabas and Saul (verse 8)?

How was Saul filled (verse 9)?

Who did Saul say that Elymas was (verse 10)?

What was going to happen to Elymas “for a time” (verse 11)?

How did the proconsul respond to this (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the challenges those chosen by God may face in the world?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the motivations of Daniel in Daniel 2:24-30 and Bar-Jesus (Elymas) in Acts 13:5-12?

In your opinion, why would King Herod in Matthew 2:1-12 and Bar-Jesus (Elymas) in Acts 13:5-12 both reject people who worship God?

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Who does Paul want to “think of what you were when you were called” (verse 26)?

How many were “wise by human standards” (verse 26)?

Why did God choose “the foolish things of the world” (verse 27)?

Why did God choose “the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not” (verse 28)?

Who can boast before God (verse 29)?

What has Jesus “become for us” (verse 30)?

What is written (verse 31)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the challenges those chosen by God may face in the world?

In your opinion, how is Daniel in Daniel 2:24-30 an example of the foolish, weak and lowly people that 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says that God choose?

In your opinion, how does the reaction of King Herod and “all Jerusalem with him” as contrasted with the Magi in Matthew 2:1-12 help us understand the difference between those who are viewed well by human standards and those who 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 indicates are chosen by God?

In your opinion, how is Bar-Jesus (Elymas) in Acts 13:5-12 an example of those not chosen by God as described in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, Matthew, Acts and 1 Corinthians teach us about being chosen by God?

In your opinion, how can we who are chosen boast about God today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 4, 2024 – Isaiah in the New Testament – Boasting in the Unexpected

Boasting in the Unexpected

Isaiah 42:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

In whom does God delight (verse 1)?

What will God put on His Servant (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what can we learn about the way God’s Servant will bring justice when we find out that “He will not shout or cry out” (verse 2)?

What will God’s Servant not break (verse 3)?

How will He bring forth justice (verse 3)?

What will He complete without faltering or being discouraged (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does this passage reveal an unexpected Savior and/or the unexpected saved?

Matthew 12:9-21 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. ¹⁶ He warned them not to tell others about him. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸ “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
    the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out;
    no one will hear his voice in the streets.
²⁰ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
²¹     In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Where did Jesus go (verse 9)?

Who was there (verse 10)?

Why did they ask “is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath” (verse 10)?

How did Jesus answer (verses 11 and 12)?

What happened when the man stretched out his hand like Jesus ask him to (verse 13)?

How did the Pharisees react (verse 14)?

What happened to all those who followed Jesus who were ill (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how does this situation fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah (verse 17)?

What will God’s Servant not do (verse 19)?

What will God’s Servant not “snuff out” (verse 20)?

Where will the nations “put their hope” (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does this passage reveal an unexpected Savior and/or the unexpected saved?

In your opinion, how does Matthew 12:9-21 placing the prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-4 right after Jesus’s confrontation with the Pharisees about the healing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath help us have a more complete understanding of the prophecy?

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Who does Paul want to “think of what you were when you were called” (verse 26)?

What did they (mostly) have in common (verse 26)?

Why did God choose “the foolish things of the world” (verse 27)?

Why did God choose “the weak things of the world” (verse 27)?

Why did God choose the lowly, the despised and the “things that are not” (verse 28)?

Who may boast (verse 29)?

How are we “in Christ Jesus” (verse 30)?

How should we boast (verse 31)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does this passage reveal an unexpected Savior and/or the unexpected saved?

In your opinion, how is the upside-down picture of the Servant of God as portrayed in Isaiah 42:1-4 continued by the people who are called in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31?

In your opinion, how does the man with the withered hand in Matthew 12:9-21 fit into the people that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31?

2 Peter 1:16-21 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Why did Peter not need to follow “cleverly devised stories” when he told about the coming of Jesus Christ (verse 16)?

Who did Jesus receive “honor and glory” from (verse 17)?

What did the voice “from the Majestic Glory” tell Jesus (verse 17)?

Where was Peter when he heard that voice (verse 18)?

What does Peter have that “you will do well to pay attention to” (verse 19)?

Where does “no prophecy of Scripture” come about by (verse 20)?

How do prophets speak (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does this passage reveal an unexpected Savior and/or the unexpected saved?

In your opinion, what does 2 Peter 1:16-21 reveal about the “chosen one” prophesied by Isaiah 42:1-4?

In your opinion, how does the combination of prophecy, mentioned by 2 Peter 1:16-21 and quoted in Matthew 12:9-21, and the eyewitness testimony of both Matthew and Peter, give us something that we “will do well to pay attention to”?

In your opinion, how does being “carried along by the Holy Spirit” as described in 2 Peter 1:16-21 transform and enable us to “boast in the Lord” as Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Peter help us understand God’s Chosen One, ourselves, and the relationship between ourselves and the Chosen One?

In your opinion, how can we, who are chosen, boast today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)