October 20, 2024 – A Study of Matthew – Serve Him Only

Serve Him Only

Deuteronomy 6:10-19 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵ for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. ¹⁷ Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. ¹⁸ Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, ¹⁹ thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

Who is going to bring the people into “the land he swore to your fathers” (verse 10)?

What do the houses, wells, vineyards, and olive groves have in common (verse 11)?

Who had brought the people “out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (verse 12)?

Who are the Israelites to serve (verse 13)?

Who are the Israelites to avoid (verse 14)?

Who is jealous (verse 15)?

Where did the Israelites put God to the test (verse 16)?

What are the Israelites to keep (verse 17)?

Who determines what is “right and good” (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about worshipping God in this passage?

1 Chronicles 21:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. ² So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”

³ But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴ The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

⁶ But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. ⁷ This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

⁸ Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

Who “rose up against Israel” (verse 1)?

What did David tell Joab to do (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why did Joab think this would “bring guilt on Israel” (verse 3)?

What “overruled Joab” (verse 4)?

How many fighting men did Joab report were in Israel (verse 5)?

Why did Joab not include “Levi and Benjamin” (verse 6)?

How did God view the command (verse 7)?

What did David say to God (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about worshipping God in this passage?

In your opinion, how is David demanding a census of the Israelites in 1 Chronicles 21:1-8 a failure to be obedient to the commands of Moses given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:10-19?

Matthew 4:8-11 - New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Where did the devil take Jesus (verse 8)?

What did the devil show Jesus (verse 8)?

What did the devil promise Jesus (verse 9)?

What did Jesus have to do to receive the promise (verse 9)?

Where did Jesus tell Satan to go (verse 10)?

Who did Jesus say was to be worshiped (verse 10)?

What happened after the devil left Jesus (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about worshipping God in this passage?

In your opinion, how does Jesus’s reply to Satan in Matthew 4:8-11 put into action the commands of Deuteronomy 6:10-19? 

In your opinion, how is Satan’s incitement of David to sin in 1 Chronicles 21:1-8 similar to his temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:8-11?

Revelation 14:6-13 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” ¹² This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

What did angel “flying in midair” have to “proclaim to those who live on the earth” (verse 6)?

How are “those who live on the earth” to respond to God (verse 7)?

Who does the second angel say has “fallen” (verse 8)?

Who says “if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand” (verse 9)?

What will the people who receive “its mark on their forehead or on their hand” drink (verses 9 and 10)?

How long will the “smoke of their torment” rise (verse 11)?

What is called for “on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus” (verse 12)?

Who is “blessed” (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about worshipping God in this passage?

In your opinion, how do the warnings of worshipping gods other that the Lord that Moses gave the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:10-19 show up as consequences in Revelation 14:6-13?

In your opinion, how is the futility of David relying on the numbers in 1 Chronicles 21:1-8 revealed in Revelation 14:6-13?

In your opinion, how does Revelation 14:6-13 warn us that the temptation Jesus received to worship Satan in Matthew 4:8-11 is still offered to people today?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, 1 Chronicles, Matthew, and Revelation teach us about what interferes with our worship of God?

In your opinion, how can we serve only God today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

October 13, 2024 – A Study of Matthew – The Testing Test

The Testing Test

Deuteronomy 6:10-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵ for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. ¹⁷ Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. ¹⁸ Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, ¹⁹ thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

²⁰ In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” ²¹ tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²² Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. ²³ But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. ²⁴ The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. ²⁵ And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

Who did the Lord swear to about the promised land (verse 10)?

Who are the Israelites to “be careful” not to forget when they “eat and are satisfied” (verses 11 and 12)?

How is the Lord described (verse 13)?

Who are the Israelites not to follow (verse 14)?

Where is the Lord (verse 15)?

What did the Israelites do at Massah that they’re not to do now (verse 16)? (if you are interested see Exodus 17:1-7 to read about Massah)

Why were the Israelites to “do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight” (verse 18)?

How are the Israelites to answer the question “what is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you” (verses 20 and 21)?

Where did the Lord send “signs and wonders” (verse 22)?

What did the Lord give the Israelites (verse 23)?

When would the Israelites “always prosper and be kept alive” (verse 24)?

What will be the Israelites “righteousness” (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about testing?

Psalm 91:9-16 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

Why is the first word crucial to understanding everything that follows (verse 9)?

What is the Lord (verse 9)?

Where will disaster not come (verse 10)?

Who will the Lord command (verse 11)?

Why will the foot not strike the stone (verse 12)?

What will the foot tread on (verse 13)?

Why will the Lord rescue and protect (verse 14)?

Where will the Lord be “in trouble” (verse 15)?

What will the Lord “show him” (verse 16)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about testing?

In your opinion, what is the difference between putting “the Lord your God to the test” that we are warned not to do in Deuteronomy 6:10-25 and taking refuge in the Lord in Psalm 91:9-16?

Matthew 4:5-7 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Where did the devil take Jesus (verse 5)?

Where did the devil have Jesus stand (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why is the first word in verse 6 crucial to understanding everything that follows (verse 6)?

What was Jesus to do if He was God’s Son (verse 6)?

What was the devil’s point when he quoted “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that your will not strike your foot against a stone” (verse 6)?

How did Jesus answer the devil (verse 7)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about testing?

In your opinion, how does Deuteronomy 6:10-25 give richness and strength to Jesus answer to the devil in Matthew 4:5-7? 

In your opinion, what can we learn about the devil’s deceit in quoting part of Psalm 91:9-16 to encourage Jesus to jump off the highest point of the temple in Matthew 4:5-7?

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

What did “our ancestors” pass through (verse 1)?

What were they all “baptized into” (verse 2)?

What did they  all eat (verse 3)?

Who was the “spiritual rock” that they all drank from (verse 4)?

How did God feel about “most of them” (verse 5)?

Why did these things occur (verse 6)?

How did Paul demonstrate that some of the people were idolaters (verse 7)?

What happened to those who tested Christ (verse 9)?

Why were people killed “by the destroying angel” (verse 10)?

Why were these things written down (verse 11)?

When should we “be careful that” we don’t fall (verse 12)?

What kind of temptation has fallen on us (verse 13)?

What will God provide (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about testing?

In your opinion, what can we learn from Moses’s instructions in Deuteronomy 6:10-25 to those who were going to enter the promised land but were also descendants of those who 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 says are examples to us?

In your opinion, how is saying “the Lord is my Refuge” with the Psalmist in Psalm 91:9-16 a part of the “way out” that 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 says that the Lord will provide?

In your opinion, how is the command to not test God in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 made more difficult by the devil twisting Scripture as he did in Matthew 4:5-7?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Psalms, Matthew, and 1 Corinthians help us understand about “testing God”?

In your opinion, how can our relationship with God help us grow stronger when we are tested and also help us avoid the temptation to test God?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)