November 16, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Let Them Hear

Let Them Hear

Jeremiah 5:18-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy you completely. ¹⁹ And when the people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’

²⁰ “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim it in Judah:
²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
    who have eyes but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:
²² Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
²⁴ They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.

What will the Lord not  do “in those days” (verse 18)?

How is the question, “Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?” to be answered (verse 19)?

Where is the message to be proclaimed (verse 20)?

How are the people who “have eyes but do not see” described (verse 21)?

Who made the “sand a boundary for the sea” (verse 22)?

What have the people with “stubborn and rebellious hearts” done (verse 23)?

What do they “not say to themselves” (verse 24)?

What have their sins deprived them of (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

Matthew 13:10-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

 

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

What did the disciples ask Jesus (verse 10)?

Who had been given the “knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (verse 11)?

From whom will “even what they have will be taken from them.” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says, “though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (verse 13)?

Who prophesied “you will be ever hearing but never understanding” (verse 14)?

What do the people hardly do “with their ears” (verse 15)?

What would happen if the people turned (verse 15)?

Why are the disciples blessed (verse 16)?

Who “longed to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

In your opinion, how does Jeremiah 5:18-25 help us understand the problem that causes Jesus to say that “though hearing, they do not hear or understand”?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Who will “judge the living and the dead” (verse 1)?

What is the charge that Paul gives to Timothy (verses 1 and 2)?

What kind of teachers will people “gather around” themselves (verse 3)?

How will people respond to “the truth” (verse 4)?

What does Paul want Timothy to “keep” in all situations (verse 5)?

When is the “time for” Paul’s departure (verse 6)?

What has Paul finished (verse 7)?

Who will receive “the crown of righteousness” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

In your opinion, how could what Jeremiah is saying in Jeremiah 5:18-25 be a model for Timothy as he tries to apply Paul’s instructions given in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

In your opinion, how are the people with calloused hearts in Matthew 13:10-17 like the people with itchy ears in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

Revelation 3:14-22 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Whose words are these (verse 14)?

What is known about the deeds of the Laodicean Church (verse 15)?

Why are they about to be spit “out of my mouth” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, how can they view themselves as rich while actually being “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (verse 17)?

What is the counsel (verse 18)?

How does God treat those whom He loves (verse 19)?

What will happen to those who hear Jesus’s voice and open the door (verse 20)?

Who will sit with Jesus on His throne (verse 21)?

What should those with ears hear (verse 22)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

In your opinion, how are the people that Jeremiah is warning in Jeremiah 5:18-25 like the people that Jesus is warning through John in Revelation 3:14-22?

In your opinion, what does Revelation 3:14-22 help us understand about why some people in Matthew 13:10-17 have blessed eyes and ears?

In your opinion, how does 2 Timothy 4:1-8 help us understand how the people of the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 could be lukewarm and about to be spit out?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Jeremiah, Matthew, 2 Timothy and Revelation help us understand about the blessings of hearing God?

In your opinion, how can we hear God more clearly today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

May 6, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Being Stirred or Sound

-            The

Being Stirred or Sound

Joshua 9:7-16 - New International Version (NIV)                

⁷ The Israelites said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty with you?”

⁸ “We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.

But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”

⁹ They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰ and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’ ¹² This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. ¹³ And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”

¹⁴ The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. ¹⁵ Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

¹⁶ Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.

Why did the Israelites think they could not make a treaty with the Hivites (verse 7)?

Who ask the Hivites “who are you and where do you come from” (verse 8)?

Whose fame had the Hivites heard of (verse 9)?

In your opinion, why is what the Lord had done to the “two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan” important to the Hivites (verse 10)?

Who sent the Hivites (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why did the Hivites show the Israelites the moldy bread, old wineskins and worn out clothes and sandals (verses 12 and 13)?

What did the Israelites not do (verse 14)?

Who ratified the peace treaty that Joshua made (verse 15)?

What did the Israelites hear three days after the treaty was made (verse 16)?

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

Mark 3:20-30 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

What did the crowd keep Jesus and His disciples from doing (verse 20)?

Why did Jesus family go “to take charge of him” (verse 21)?

Who said that Jesus was “possessed by Beelzebul” (verse 22)?

How did Jesus speak to them (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus mean by the statement that “if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” and “if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (verses 24 and 25)?

What will happen if Satan opposes himself and is divided (verse 26)?

When can a strong man’s house be plundered (verse 27)?

What can be forgiven (verse 28)?

What “will never be forgiven” (verse 29)?

Why did Jesus say this (verse 30)?

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

In your opinion, how were the statements of the Gibeonites to Joshua and the Israelites in Joshua 9:7-16 similar to the statements of the teachers of the law about Jesus in Mark 3:20-30?

Acts 6:8-15 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

¹¹ Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. ¹³ They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

How did Stephen perform “great wonders and signs among the people” (verse 8)?

How did the “members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen . . . Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia” oppose Stephen (verse 9)?

Why could the opposition not stand up to Stephen (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why did they secretly persuade some men to say “we have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God” (verse 11)?

What did they do to Stephen (verse 12)?

What kind of witnesses did they produce (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why did they say “we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place” (verse 14)?

Who saw that the face of Stephen was like the “face of an angel” (verse 15)?

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

In your opinion, what are the differences between the Israelites as they accepted the lies of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9:7-16 and Stephen as he “performed great wonders and signs among the people” in Acts 6:8-15?

In your opinion, how are the teachers of the law in Mark 3:20-30 and the “members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen . . . Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia” in Acts 6:8-15 similar?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

In whose presence does Paul give Timothy “this charge” (verse 1)?

How is Timothy to “preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage” (verse 2)?

What will people not put up with in the time that will come (verse 3)?

What will the “great number of teachers” say to the people (verse 3)?

Where will the people turn to (verse 4)?

What four things are Timothy to do (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says he is “already being poured out like a drink offering” (verse 6)?

What three things has Paul done (verse 7)?

Who will award Paul the “crown of righteousness” (verse 8)?

Who else will be awarded the “crown of righteousness” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, how does Joshua and the Israelites being deceived by the lies of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9:7-16 demonstrate how it is possible for us to turn our “ears from the truth and turn aside to myths” as Paul warns Timothy that people will do in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

In your opinion, how does Jesus’s response to those who said He was driving out demons because He was in cahoots with the prince of demons in Mark 3:20-30 help us understand what Paul means when he tells Timothy to “preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the discussion of Stephen and those who opposed him in Acts 6:8-15 that will help us to understand the difference between those who “will not put up with sound doctrine” and those who fight the good fight and keep the faith like Paul in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 2 Timothy teach us about the difference between being stirred up and being corrected, rebuked and encouraged?

In your opinion, what is “sound doctrine”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

September 4, 2016 – Teachings from the Rock – Clever Stories or Eyewitnesses

Clever Stories or Eyewitnesses

1 Kings 19:8-18 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Where did Elijah travel to (verse 8)?

What came to Elijah as he spent the night in a cave (verse 9)?

How does Elijah contrast his behavior with the rest of the Israelites (verse 10)?

Why was Elijah to “go out and stand on the mountain” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why was the Lord not in the powerful wind, or the earthquake, on in the fire, but in the gentle whisper (verses 11 and 12)?

What did Elijah do when he recognized the Lord in the gentle whisper (verse 13)?

What did the Lord ask Elijah (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why does Elijah answer God in exactly the same way in verses 10 and 14?

Who is Elijah supposed to anoint king over Aram (verse 15)?

Who is Elijah supposed to anoint king over Israel (verse 16)?

What position is Elisha to be anointed to (verse 16)?

What were these three people supposed to accomplish (verse 17)?

Why are the seven thousand special (verse 18)?

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

Mark 9:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

² After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

What will “some who are standing here” not taste before the “kingdom of God has come with power” (verse 1)?

Who went with Jesus up a high mountain (verse 2)?

What happened to Jesus there (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Jesus clothes “became dazzling white” (verse 3)?

Who else appeared and talked to Jesus (verse 4)?

What did Peter suggest to Jesus (verse 5)?

Why did Peter not know what to say (verse 6)?

What did the voice from the cloud say (verse 7)?

Then, who did they see when they looked around (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus order them not to tell anyone what they had seen “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (verse 9)?

What did the disciples discuss (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, why did Elijah go to Horeb, the mountain of God, to meet with God in 1 Kings 19:8-18 and Jesus take Peter, James and John up on the mountain to meet Moses and Elijah and hear the voice of God in Mark 9:1-10?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Who does Paul give Timothy a charge in the presence of (verse 1)?

What is Timothy to preach (verse 2)?

When was Timothy to be prepared (verse 2)?

What will people not put up with in a time to come (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what will their “itching ears” want to hear (verse 4)?

What was Timothy to do “in all situations” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says he is “being poured out like a drink offering” (verse 6)?

What three things has Paul done (verse 7)?

Who will award Paul the crown of righteousness (verse 8)?

Who else will receive the crown of righteousness (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, will the people in the time to come that Paul talked about in 2 Timothy 4:1-8 listen to the Father in Mark 9:1-10 who said “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”?

In your opinion, what is the difference between Paul and Elijah that lets Paul in 2 Timothy 4:1-8 appear to welcome “being poured out like a drink offering” and Elijah in 1 Kings 19:8-18 to be so upset that he is the only one left and they are trying to kill him too?

2 Peter 1:12-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

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.

In your opinion, why would Peter “always remind you of these things” even though “you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have” (verse 12)?

How long does Peter think it is right to “refresh your memory” (verse 13)?

What will Peter soon do (verse 14)?

When does Peter expect his efforts to help the readers “remember these things” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between following “cleverly devised stories” and being “eyewitnesses of his majesty” in telling about the coming of Jesus Christ in power (verse 16)?

What did Jesus receive from God the Father (verse 17)?

What did the voice from the Majestic Glory say (verse 17)?

Where were they when they heard the voice (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, why would the people that Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” prefer the “cleverly devised stories” instead of eyewitness accounts that Peter talked about in 2 Peter 1:12-18?

In your opinion, what does Peter understand about Jesus being transfigured on the mountain when he writes the passage in 2 Peter 1:12-18 that he did not understand when he, James and John witnessed the transfiguration in Mark 9:1-10?

In your opinion, how does Elijah in 1 Kings 19:8-18 hearing God in the gentle whisper, but not the mighty wind, the earthquake or the fire and Peter hearing the voice of God saying “this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” when Jesus was transfigured help us to understand today to be firmly established in the truth about God today?

In your opinion, what do these passages from 1 Kings, Mark, 2 Timothy, and 2 Peter tell us about the truth about people and God?

In your opinion, what do these passages show us about ourselves today?