Speak up!

Week 25: Discovering the Character of God through Thomas

25.1 Invite the group to quickly look over a complex math equation and assess whether it's possible to solve eg:

(12x + 3y)² = (7x/5) - 4x³ + xy(3x5y) + x(2x(2x-y)) + xy + 3

When they (hopefully!) realise that it isn't easy, offer them the value of x/y (just the offer is sufficient to make the point!) to help. Sometimes life can be like this: seemingly confusing until we ask for help or it is offered. From the little that we know of him, we can discover that Thomas lived his life in much this manner; often confused or cautious, but unafraid to request clarification.

25.2 Invite the group to picture the following scene:

After three years together, Jesus and His disciples are eating their final meal together, though the disciples do not know it. This is the night Jesus will be betrayed; the night before He will dies. The men with Him have witnessed incredible events: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead live. During the last three years, Jesus has spoken often of the Kingdom and now, over dinner, He talks of His death. He has spent the last hour ('chapter') or so speaking of how they must serve one another, how He will be betrayed and, now, that He is to leave them. Finally, He says that 'after He goes, He will return to take His disciples with Him.'

It is here that Thomas interjects with one of his rarely documented outbursts. Read John 14:1-6. You would think that, after three years of following Jesus, His followers would have a full understanding of everything He says but, here, Thomas shows that there is still much to be confused about.

Return briefly to the math equation and consider it in a classroom setting; there, there are those of us who, in our confusion would simply ask for help. On the other hand are those who stay silent, fearing being thought stupid because 'we should know the answer'. In much the same way, we could be forgiven for thinking Thomas might opt to remain silent, given the amount of time he's previously spent with the Saviour. Instead, however, he is quick to speak up.

• If we were in Thomas' shoes, which would we do? Speak up, or not say a word?
• What can we learn of Jesus' nature from the way He responds to Thomas? (He does not criticise Thomas for asking for clarity)

God welcomes our questions - even if they seem silly or awkward to us. He longs for us to communicate with Him and for us to enjoy a sincere, intimate relationship with Him. Open, honest questions are a natural part of that relationship and He will not criticise us or push us away for asking them.

25.3 Rewind a few chapters and we'll see just how Thomas, once he has things clear in his mind, is unfazed by obstacles - even death.

Read John 11:7-16 and discuss the unfolding events, Thomas' words and his motivation.

We see in this brief exchange a surprise: having learned last week of Peter's strong faith and love for Jesus - and, of course, his habit of being quick to speak, slow to think - we could easily expect him to be the one ready to follow, and die with, his Master. Yet, here, it is Thomas speaking. His devotion and fearlessness are overflowing and reveal a valuable insight: Peter's love for Jesus wasn't unique. Anyone enjoying that 24/7 intimate relationship with Jesus could not help but love Him and be inspired to adoration, courage, faithfulness and fearlessness. Jesus manifests and matures these things within us.

25.4 Thomas' most infamous moment must, of course, be examined, for it teaches us much about Jesus. Read John 20:24-29.

Notice, first, that Thomas is not with the other ten disciples when Jesus appears to them. Discuss the implications of this (what we miss out on when we're not in fellowship).

Second thing to notice is Thomas' response. try to imagine why he was so determined not to believe the others' reports of Jesus' resurrection.

Finally, notice Jesus' reaction - and compare with last week's discussion of Jesus' response to Peter in John 21:15-19. Yet again, we discover the beautiful, astounding, character of Jesus: He doesn't condemn Thomas; He neither rejects nor punishes him; there is no demand for repentance for doubting. Instead, Jesus offers peace, shows patience and gently brings reassurance. With a single, simple command, He restores Thomas.


Week 25: Summary

For Thomas to have so little written about him, we can learn surprisingly much about Jesus through him...

• He invites questions
• He inspires love, devotion and courage
• He is patient with us
• He doesn't condemn us when we doubt
• He reassures us

One Foot in the... Mouth

Week 24: Discovering the Character of God through Simon Peter

24.1 Invite the group to share times when they've 'put their foot in it'. I.E: having said or done something without thinking it through first.

• Did they regret it?
• Wiish they could have retracted it?
• Did they learn from it?

This week's study focuses on someone who was a master of speaking first, thinking second, regretting third and learning from it... after doing it a few more times: Peter.

Enquire if the group know anything of him and, if so, to share.
*Likely that the 'walking on water' will be mentioned, as, probably, will be Peter's denial. In both instances, invite those who volunteer these to turn up the passages for later use (Matt 14:25-32 and Luke 22:54-62, respectively).

24.2 Just as with our own lives, there is far more to Peter than these incidents and, through them all, we learn a lot about God. In fact, we see through all of Peter's mess-ups a whole lot about God's grace. Through this ordinary man, we discover an extraordinary God.

Read Mark 1:16-18 and Luke 5:4-8 to see - and discuss - just how ordinary Simon Peter was. Go on to discuss what these brief passages show us of God's nature (clue: doesn't look for perfect people!).

24.3 Read the passage bookmarked earlier of Peter's 'walk on the wet side' in Matthew 14:25-32.

• Invite the group to imagine themselves in this situation. Where would they place themselves in the story?
• Zoom in on Peter for a moment; why was it that he began to sink? What about Jesus' response: why didn't He help sooner?
• Notice that He goes straight to the heart: 'Your faith is small.' What would they imagine Peter might have replied?

24.4 Peter always seemed to have one foot lodged securely in his mouth, but his heart was usually in the right place. Read Matt 16:13-23 and Matt 17:1-7. Within 6 days, he goes from having it so right to being so wrong before settling somewhere in the middle.

Break this period and passage into the three stages and discuss each. If the group is large enough, split into three groups to deal with each section. In each case, look for one thing to learn about Peter's nature (see if they can see how we might identify) and 2 things about God.

24.5 Perhaps Simon Peter's most infamous moment came on the passover night where he denied all knowledge of Jesus - however, many don't even realise that the 'story' doesn't end there. Read Luke 22:54-62 (bookmarked earlier). Again, put ourselves in Peter's shoes: would we really fare any better?

Move forward in our imaginings: if we had been the ones denying Jesus, and then He came back from the dead, what reaction would we expect to receive from Him?

Go on to read John 21:15-19. Note that Jesus neither judges nor condemns; nor does he demand repentance or reject Peter based on his actions. No, Jesus' overriding concern is how Peter would respond to the bigger question: 'do you truly love me?' Jesus knew that repentance and changed lives follow from a 'true love' for Him. He also knew that Peter had spent long enough beating himself up over what he'd said; now, the key was to focus on loving Jesus instead of dwelling on the mistakes of the past, so that God would be able to use him.


Week 24: Summary
Peter is perhaps one of the figures of the Bible who we can most closely identify with. We, too, spend most of our lives with one foot firmly in mouth; we, too, can start out with bold, secure faith yet in the next moment our circumstances can come crashing around us and draw our attention from the Saviour. Yet, there is hope. Jesus questions us in that same, gentle manner as He did, Peter; not condemning, but inviting sincerity and a fresh start based on our reply to his question: 'Do you truly love me?'

Various characteristics discovered of God's character this week include:

• He uses ordinary people and gives them purpose
• He invites us to trust Him but won't do everything for us
• He restores us
• He doesn't condemn us
  

The Final Signpost

Week 23: Discovering the Character of God through John The Baptist

23.1 Pose two questions to the group for their thoughts and discussion:

• How do they think they'll be remembered? What might people say about them?
• How do they want to be remembered? What do they want people to say about them?

This week, we're studying God's character through John the Baptist and what better way to begin than by looking at what Jesus had to say about him? As a group, read Matt 11:7-11. Discuss the implications of verse 11a: John is greater than Moses, Jacob, Abraham... everyone the Jews had ever held in high esteem and considered their route to God, Jesus was now saying John surpassed them all. In a moment, we'll see what it is that sets him apart but for now let the thought linger in the background!

23.2 As a group, read John 1:19-37. Part of what made John unique lies not only in what Jesus said about him, but in what he said of himself. Invite the group to share and discuss John's replies when questioned about who he was; notice what he's more interested in drawing people's attention to (Jesus). So, on the one hand, we have Jesus saying: 'John the Baptist is greater than any other person ever born,' while, on the other, John says: 'Who I am doesn't matter - it's insignificant in light of who I point to. I'm just a signpost.' Invite the group to share their thoughts on the juxtaposition of these two statements: can they complement each other, or do they completely contradict each other?

The truth is that the smaller we make ourselves in our own eyes, the more God increases our worth in His eyes. Check out Matt 23:12; God requires - and blesses the humble.

23.3 John wasn't just humble; he was also honest and direct. This was as much (in fact, probably more so), the Holy Spirit within him as it was his nature. Read Luke 3:3-14 and discuss, as a group, these essence of John's message in this passage (faith accompanied by action).

Stress to the group that John is not saying 'Your acts are going to save you.' Ephesians 2:8-10 make it clear that we cannot earn salvation.

Drew McClure tells the story of a husband coming home to his wife one day with a bouquet of flowers. As he gives them to her, her face lights up, and she gets so excited: "What made you do this? I mean, it’s not my birthday, it’s not Christmas; it’s not Valentine’s Day. Why’d you bring these to me?" "Well, I heard that there's a manual somewhere that says that this is what husbands are supposed to do, so… here it is." Imagine how quickly those flowers would fall drop from her hands. How quickly would all the joy be taken from her? By contrast, imagine the same scene, with the husband, the flowers and all the questions only this time, the husband's reply is, "I just wanted to do something nice for you,'cause I love you."

The actions in our lives should be a response to God's love, grace and mercy... not an effort to earn them and this is John's point. John is saying (quite bluntly): our actions should be an outward indication of the change that has gone on inside of us. The fact that the Jews weren't living fruitful lives gave John reason to challenge their motives: were they willing to change their lives out of changed hearts, or were they simply there because they were worried that they were missing out?

23.4 Our last glimpse into John's life teach the consequences of being obedient and living that transformed life. Read Luke 3:19-20 and Mark 6:17-29. John's fearlessness in speaking the truths of God's Law offended people. But it didn't silence him; he was unafraid of man (compare Psalm 56:3-4). he was full of the Holy Spirit and willing to endure whatever price he must for the Gospel.

His ministry had a cost. All ministry has a cost. Jesus told his followers to 'take up their crosses' and later stated that 'the world would hate' them. God calls us to put the things - the fears and desires - of the flesh to death in following Him.

Can the group think of anything God has asked/may be asking them to sacrifice?

23.5 We end this week by returning to the question of what set John apart. Was it his fearlessness? His honesty and bluntness? His humility? No, it was something more.

All of the Old Testament prophets - in fact every person who had gone before - only knew God from a distance. He was a God who 'lived in a box'*, behind a curtain, that only priests could access. Now, God had become a man and John could literally point people to Him. Re-read John 1:36-37. John had the very first privilege of introducing people to intimate relationship with the Messiah. He was not just a signpost; he was the final signpost.
*Andrew Wilson (Mission:Worship '09)


Week 23: Summary
This week's study has been a deeply challenging one; moreso than any of our previous sessions and it is perhaps fitting. No longer can we look at God through the telescope of the Old Testament men and women; no, Jesus has come and, just like John: we are encouraged to get serious about knowing him. Some of these challenging characteristics of God include:

• God requires - and blesses - humility
• God wants our hearts, not our actions
• He calls us to a costly ministry

Expect the Unexpected

Week 22: Discovering the Character of God Through Mary (Mother of Jesus)

Coming Soon!

A New Hope...

Week 21: Discovering the Character of God through Zechariah

21.1 We left the Old Testament seeing God really showing His heart to Israel; that He loved them, wanted to be a husband to them and was jealous for them. Of course, we know from our earlier studies that Israel didn't really listen and ended up getting invaded and captured by Assyria. Not long after, Judah went down the same road away from God and were eventually invaded and captured by Babylon. As we learned in our study of Jeremiah, Judah was captive for seventy years before they were allowed to return to their land.

Our study of Ezra and Nehemiah showed that the Israelites did return and they began to rebuild their city, their homes and their lives. For a while, things went okay but, as time passed, the Israelites began to slip back into their old ways and, if anything, they got worse. Divorce, adultery and abuse of the poor were prevalent and, to cap it all off, the people abandoned their faith; going through the 'religious' motionsof worship instead of sincerely following the Lord.

The New Testament is the 'What Happens Next' part of history; but first, there were 400 years where God remained silent.

• Invite the group to share their thoughts on what it must have been like; suddenly seeming like God was no longer answering or even hearing their prayers.
• Discuss as a group what it might be like to be the first person God speaks to when He breaks His silence. How might we feel? What would we think?

21.2 Read Luke 1:5-17 to see the moment where God breaks His silence, who it was he spoke to and what He had to say. Invite the group to discuss why they think God chose Zechariah and, more importantly, the message the angel brought (hope/new beginnings/joy/peace/reconciliation etc).

21.3 Read Luke 1:18-23 and discuss Zechariah's response and the consequences it brings. Compare this passage with Genesis 18:9-16. Invite the group to share their thoughts on why the Lord treated the two situations so differently (for Abraham and Sarah, a rebuke; for Zechariah, the loss of speech and, most likely, hearing).

• Can they put themselves in Zechariah's shoes? Elizabeth's? The crowd's?
• Who would they most identify with in this scene?

21.4 At the end of this chapter, we see just what happens to Zechariah. Read Luke 1:57-66. Already, we're seeing a God who has not changed from what we saw of Him in the Old Testament: He still keeps his promises and carries out his warnings. Do the group have any thoughts on this passage (especially verses 63-64)? The very moment Zechariah gets his speech back, he worships God. this has a knock-on effect on the people around him.

God is laying foundations for what is to come; softening and preparing the Jews for the gospel. It's a wake up call for the Jews: although God hadn't said much for a while, He never abandoned them... nor did He intend to, as Zechariah went on to foretell.

21.5 Read Luke 1:67-79 and summarise the message that God spoke through Zechariah to John: everything the Lord has promised during the previous millennia was about to come true and this child, John, would herald it in.

• As a group, reflect on this and see if we can find anything new of God's character here.
• How can we be encouraged by Zechariah's prophecy?

Week 21: Summary
The New Testament takes us on a new journey. No longer were the Israelites to struggle to earn God's favour, for He was about to give them the most incredible gift and it all begins here. One man's unbelief reminds a nation that God has not forsaken them but rather is at work in powerful, mysterious ways. God's character is clearly evident in the little glimpse we have into Zechariah's life:

• He gives us new beginnings
• He restores us
• He hears us
• He never abandons us
• He reconciles us to Him

...to name but a few!

To Israel, With Love...

Week 20: Discovering the Character of God through Hosea

20.1 Invite the group to reflect on recent weeks and see if they can put together an overview of what a prophet is from all they've learned (someone who speaks to God's people on God's behalf; messages of both hope and judgment, etc). Handout To Israel With Love for the group to read in their own time but highlight the mention of 'parables' halfway down and invite them to define /give an example of a 'parable'. The handout mentions that Hosea was to be a 'living parable' to Israel and we'll see just what this meant for him - and for the nation - as we work through this week's study.

20.2 Read Hosea 1:1 to see the period in which this is set. Hosea is preaching to the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the rot is really beginning to set in as they turn further and further away from the Lord to follow other gods. at the same time, Isaiah is preaching to the Southern Kingdom, Judah, warning them not to follow Israel's example. Read 2 Kings 15:26 to see just how bad the situation was in Israel. It is also worth noticing the wording of the verse: although Israel was deliberately disobeying God, He saw their underlying hurt and confusion at being ostracized from God - as result of their own actions. This was where Hosea entered the picture. God chose and called him to show the people His heart - that it was broken because of their unfaithfulness, yet He loved them still and wanted them to return to Him. Read Hosea 1:2-3 to see what God asks Hosea to do.

• As a group, discuss Hosea's obedience. Could we respond in the same way?

20.3 Read Hosea 2:1-13 and discuss what's going on (God determining to stop Israel from running away, back to her other gods - note, in particular, verse 7). Go on to Read 2:14 and invite the group to share their thoughts on why God took/led the Israelites into the desert/wilderness (again!) to deal with them. Compare with Luke 4:1 where we see the Jesus led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit; look at the differing attitudes and invite the group to see what we can learn about 'wilderness experiences' from these two events.

20.4 The Israelites weren't keen to give up their ways, as chapter 5, particularly verse 4, reveals. Read the chapter as a group to see just how determined the Israelites were to remain unfaithful to God.... and see what God has to say about it.

20.5 Finally, as a group, read Hosea 11:1-11. Here, we see God love for Israel overflowing in spite of their sin and his previous words. Discuss God's message to Israel in this chapter and invite the group to see for themselves the wealth of God's characteristics evident in this chapter.

Week 20: Summary
We began this session recognising Hosea as the 'Prophet of Love' yet, through him we discover something bigger - and better: a God of Love. And there is there is even more that we have found - and continue to find - out about this God through Hosea:

• He is a Father to us
• He leads us into the wilderness
• He wants us to know Him
• He brings hope

No Hiding Place

Week 19: Discovering the Character of God through Jonah

19.1 As a group, watch i, Robot (from 17:10 to 24:25) and discuss how Det. Spooner relentlessly pursues Sonny until he finds him. As we read through Jonah, we will discover a God who relentlessly pursues us in a similar fashion; One who loves us, wants us and calls us and, while never forcing himself on us, never gives up on us.

19.2 Read Jonah 1:1-4:11 (all of the book, in other words!) and invite the group to point out particular points of the book where these very traits of God's character are clearly evident; particularly, his pursuit of us.

19.3 Handout maps and background info on Nineveh and discuss just how horrific the situation was in Nineveh.

In Jonah 1:1-8 we see that Nineveh was in a bad way and God prompted Jonah to go there. However, Jonah went in the opposite direction on a ship to Tarshish. While he was on the ship, he made himself cosy in the cabin and fell asleep - during which time a huge storm started up. The captain woke Jonah up and asked him to pray to ask God to stop the storm. The sailors knew someone on board was responsible for the disaster and found out that Jonah was the culprit.

• Sometimes when we do wrong things, our sins can drag others down too. Invite the group to share times when they've been disobedient and others have suffered the consequences.

In verses 9-13, we go on to read of how the sailors tried rowing to shore to get away from the storm but made no progress. They were trying in vain to fix gthe situation themselves as the only other solution would be to thrown Jonah overboard and they didn't want to throw him overboard. The sailors thought that if they threw him overboard, God may punish them for it. However, they were so scared that they ended up throwing him into the sea anyway. as the sailors could see the immediate calmness of the sea they believed straight away.

• It's difficult doing as God says, especially if you think that it may offend others around you ie: not going somewhere your friends want you to go or refusing doing something they want you to do. Again, invite the group to share experiences like this they may have been in. What was the outcome? How did God reward them?

As we already read in Chapter 2, Jonah didn't think he'd ever see God again. He felt bad and very far from God. However God was gracious to him and heard his prayer to save his life.

Jonah really feared God. He felt really bad for not doing as he'd been told to do. We can be like this too; we can feel very distant from God if we have made a choice to disobey God. When we have known the closeness of God and then we do what we want this is not God's will for our lives and we can grieve the Holy Spirit and feel very distant from God. This can be God's way of making it really clear to us that He does not want us to go down a certain path.

• Invite the group to share if they have known a time when God has been disappointed with a decision they've made? (eg: dating non-believers, etc)

19.4 Read Nahum 1:1 and, as a group, discuss how Jonah's refusal to obey God meant that God used someone else until Jonah returned. His message was of such a great importance that He couldn't wait for Jonah to get his act together; someone else had to step in and do the work in the meantime. Who else have we studied who experience this? (Moses, Deborah (Barak)) If time permits, discuss whether this is relevant in today's society/church?

19.5 As a group, read Jonah 3:1-10 and discuss Jonah's change of attitude, the Ninevites' response and God's actions. What can the group see of God's character here? Note in particular verse 10. It is interesting to read of the sincerity of the Ninevites' repentance; they 'turned from their evil ways' (NIV) and that, 'When God saw [this] he had compassion... on them...' We talk often of God's love being unconditional - and it is - yet fail to mention his forgiveness is conditional: our repentance must not be just from our lips but must be sincere. It must first come from our hearts and then transform our actions. Empty 'sorrys' are worthless and an abuse of grace. Verse 10 is a challenge to us to be truly repentant in light of what we have learned here about God's nature.


Week 19: Summary
Flying through the book of Jonah hasn't stopped us from learning a lot about God's character this week. The lesson has reinforced much of what we have already learned, yet more attributes of God's character have revealed themselves, too, including:

• God pursues us
• His salvation is for all
• His forgiveness is conditional

Accept No Imitations

Week 18: Discovering the Character of God through Daniel
18.1 Invite the group to share and discuss who they most admire/influential people and why, ie: looks, acting ability, singing voice, intelligence, etc.

18.2 Read 2 Chronicles 36:5-7,15-21 and refer to last week; notice again how Jeremiah's prophecy came true. We see in this several aspects of God's character (as touched on last session): He shows who He is (the true God) by fulfilling prophecy, He carries out His threats and we can only push Him so far.

This is the scene we've been anticipating for a few weeks, now, as we've watched Judah go steadily downhill and witnessed God warn them over and over that there will be painful consequences for their actions. It's against this bleak backdrop that we encounter Daniel, one of the captured Jews.

18.3 Read Daniel 1:1-6 and notice how Nebuchadnezzar chooses a specific group of people to learn his language and history and to become his servants.

• What could his intentions have been?
• Why not choose the less well-educated, the poor and the underdog?

Maybe Nebuchadnezzar recognised that to exert his influence over the captive Jews, this would be best achieved by using their own men; particularly those who were already influential in their own right because of their looks, families, knowledge, etc. However, what he didn't count on was that they took their faith far more seriously than his rules; they were fast recalling God's instruction not to compromise their faith.

18.4 Read Daniel 1:8 and, as a group, think what food it could have been that Nebuchadnezzar was trying to force Daniel and his friends to eat (non-Kosher) and put ourselves in Daniel et al's shoes:

• Could we resist?
• Given the choice between going hungry and honouring God, which would we honestly choose?

Daniel, as we discover in verses 9-20, refuses to eat the King's food; asking instead for a diet of vegetables and water. God makes one of the guards compassionate toward Daniel and co., and he agrees. At the end of the period, Daniel and his friends are stronger and fitter than the other men Nebuchadnezzar had had in mind as servants so the King employs Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego) instead. God has cared for his people because of their obedience. Not only has he cared for them; He also rewards them. In verse 17, we see God gives them knowledge, understanding and learning and well as Daniel's gift of understanding dreams and visions.

It's important to notice that these Jews were not trying to earn God's favour; they simply knew that, in light of God's mercy they could not - and would not - compromise their faith and salvation for food. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul tells the church that we are saved by '...grace alone; not by works so that no-one can boast...' Just like Daniel, we need to remember we cannot earn God's grace; it is a gift. However once we recognise this, we should find our hearts changed; we ought not to want to sin or compromise our faith and salvation. When God sees this attitude of refusing to compromise out of sheer love for Him, we may find He rewards us with gifts, just like Daniel.

18.5 That's not to say that God necessarily makes everything easy (Jesus said that the road would be tough; long, narrow and steep!). Read Daniel 3:1,13-23 and share our reactions to Nebuchadnezzar's behaviour. Again, would we have that same uncompromising heart that Daniel's friends have? Without reading ahead, invite the group to guess/discuss what they think/know happens next.

Read verses 24-29 to see what actually does happen and again invite the group to share their thoughts on these events:

• Are they fair?
• Are they realistic?
• Where was God when all this was going on?
• Why did God allow this to happen?

As a result of Shadrach's, Meshach's and Abednego's suffering, one key event occurs: Nebuchadnezzar recognises God and the true God and calls his people to acknowledge this, too. God is glorified in this and therefore the persecution and suffering of these Jews has a positive outcome.

Over and over, scriptures show us that God glorifies Himself through our sufferings, and as a result, others get saved. We can learn a valuable lesson from this: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to be '...joyful at all times... thankful in all circumstances...' and, no matter what we are enduring, one thing we can be sure to give thanks for is that God will be glorified through our suffering.

18.6 We are all familiar - to some extent - of the 'story' of Daniel in the lions' den; lets take a closer look as we finish our study and see how God glorifies himself there, too.

Read Daniel 6:29-31. Daniel has had a privileged position in the royal household for many years and is now established as third highest ruler in Babylon. He has served two kings: Nebuchadnezzar and his son, Belshazzar and now, Darius takes the throne. By this time, the people have turned away for any interest in God that Nebuchadnezzar had previously recommended and now Daniel is again at odds with the Law and the question of 'should he compromise?' comes into play again. Read Daniel 6:1-18, where we see an almost-identical situation to that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; Daniel also refusing to compromise/break God's law in order to please a man (compare Galatians 1:10) and consequently being punished/persecuted for it. Just like his friend's earlier situation, it seems that God is nowhere to be seen; yet, again, He actually has everything under control and is, in fact, again glorified through Daniel's suffering. He protects Daniel who survives his ordeal unscathed and King Darius is converted due to God's protection and Daniel's witness. Read it all in Daniel 6:19-23, 25-27 and share any final thoughts.

Week 18: Summary
So much of the first 6 chapters of Daniel leave us thinking that God's out of the picture but, in fact, He is constantly at work and there is much we can learn about His character through these captured Jews:

• He shows He is the True God by fulfilling prophecy
• He provides, cares for and protects His people
• He rewards obedience
• Everything He does is for His glory

Before You Were Born I Knew You!

Week 17: Discovering the Character of God through Jeremiah
17.1 Show the group an ultrasound photograph and, as a group, discuss:

• what the picture can tell us - or an expert - about the foetus, eg:size, age, sex, heartbeat, abnormalities, etc
• any extra information that we might want that picture to tell us but it can't, eg: eye colour, blood group, inherited genes, mental health, behaviour, giftings, etc.

In Jeremiah 1:5, God says, 'Before you were born, I knew you.' (NIV, paraphrased).

• What do we think God might know about us in the womb that a scan can't tell us? (# hairs on our head, giftings, career, marriage, etc)

17.2 Jeremiah in context: Read Jeremiah 1:1-5. Reading our earlier statement in its full context shows God appointing Jeremiah, a young man probably no older than 20, as a prophet to Judah, God starts by telling Jeremiah that this is what he was created for. Invite the group to consider what it must have been like for Jeremiah to receive this message; bring it into today's culture: how would they feel if God told them to speak to their whole city, let alone country?

This speech came to Jeremiah during Josiah's reign (invite the group to label whether Josiah was a good/bad king and add him into the 'kings handout' table). Josiah was the last great king of Judah. After him, Judah had four evil rulers before finally being invaded and captured by Babylon. It was during these dark days that God used Jeremiah to speak to the people. See if the group can recall Isaiah's ultimate message (hope) and contrast Jeremiah; his message is quite different. There is hope, but we catch only glimpses of it between pleas for repentance, warnings of judgment and grieving for the state of the nation (Jeremiah 8:21).

17.3 Returning to chapter 1, read only verse 6 and see if anyone can think of someone else we've studied who made excuses to try and get out of their calling (Moses)? Can they remember what happened (God used him anyway)? The exact same thing happens to Jeremiah. Read on through verses 7-9. Discuss what happens and what we can see of God's character.

If time allows, go on to read verses 11-19 and discuss how God can seem confusing sometimes, but he does make clearer but explaining the confusion. Refer also to last week's message of encouragement and compare with this passage - particularly the latter verses; what else can we learn here about God's character?

17.4 Staying with confusing things, later in his ministry, Jeremiah is told to wear a yoke (might need to explain what this is) as a symbol representing the pain and discomfort of being captured by Babylon. While Jeremiah is wearing he is also giving a message to Judah and the surrounding nations about accepting their fate and not trying to avoid it by looking elsewhere for answers, such as: trying to tell the future, explain dreamsor listen to false prophets - and there were plenty of them.

Read Jeremiah 28:1-17. Contrast Hananiah's prophecy with actual events (Judah was captive for a total of 70 years). The peace that Hananiah prophesied didn't happen; certainly not in two years - in fact, in chapter 29, Jeremiah tells the captives , "build houses and settle in the land"! God then gives Jeremiah a prophecy against the nations and, more specifically, against Hananiah. the latter is fulfilled 2 months later and shows that, in fulfilling His word about the the small things, God shows He can be trusted to keep His word about the big things. He gives clear indicators to show that He is the true God.

17.5 One of these big things that the Jews - and we - can trust God to fulfil is a promise He gave them while they were in captivity. Read 31:31-34. These verses form part of a chapter that promises an amazing future for Israel and Judah reunited. Discuss the elements of this promise (new covenant, direct relationship, forgiveness, etc). In some ways, this promise has already been fulfilled; in others, it hasn't (eg: Israel/Judah unity), but we hope in faith for it because we've seen God keep so many promises before. Any final characteristic the group wish to add?

Week 17: Summary
Another week rich with God's character. Through Jeremiah, we learn:

• God knows every detail of our lives
• Where we feel unable, God equips us
• He gives clear indicators to show He can be trusted and that He is the true God.

The Encouragement Business

Week 16: Discovering the Character of God Through Isaiah
16.1 As a group, discuss the times when we've felt that God seems distant. What is it that usually brings us to that place? How do we get out of it? Do we question God? Ourselves? Do we ever get a sense of foreboding/warning that it's coming?

16.2 Isaiah in context: Read Isaiah 1:1 and 2 Kings 15:1-4 and add Isaiah to the Kings handout - noting the Kings who reigned during his lifetime. At the start of Isaiah's ministry, Judah is still 'treading water'. They've messed up but, for the most part, their kings are still doing ok. Uzziah - aka Amaziah - is doing pretty well as king, except for not removing the high places. At the same time, the Israelites are in their final days; they've had horrendous leaders and finally they end up in a situation where the Assyrians attack and 'take them out'. Judah - and more significantly, Isaiah - saw this happening and God gave Isaiah a message for the people. Its intensity was to make the people squirm and bring them to repentance under the conviction of their sin. However, its also full of passages that teach us that God wants the best for His people - even if that includes judgement. In fact, the book starts with God blasting the people of Judah for their sin and warning them of this coming judgment but mercifully*, He also promises hope. (*Can anyone remember the definition of 'mercy'?) We're going to start a couple of chapters into the book, after God has already given Judah a couple of stark warnings.

16.3 Read Isaiah 6:1-10 and discuss what appears to be going on. This passage is saturated with glimpses of God's character, invite the group to share their impressions. Some ideas to help... He reveals Himself, cleanses us, doesn't force us, purifies us, is holy, is sovereign*, is worshipped, makes us one with Him/atones* us [NIV] (*Define Sovereign and Atonement).

Go on to discuss why God reveals Himself - and these characteristics - to Isaiah right at the beginning of his ministry (times were going to get tough; it was encouragement that God was in control). Can anyone think of someone we've studied who had a similar reassurance from God at the beginning of their ministry... 4 times? (Joshua)

God is in the business of encouraging us. We see this over and over in Isaiah and it goes beyond a personal message to being a word for the nation.

16.4 Read Isaiah 43:1-7. The situation has progressed dramatically since chapter 6. God had spoken through Isaiah giving terrific messages of hope and warnings to the people - and also prophecies about the surrounding nations. Now, it's about 200 years later; the Jews have been captured by the Assyrians and kind-of-freed. They're ruled by the Persians (anyone able to name a Jew who lived in those days? Esther, maybe?) and are beginning to rebuild their lives. It's still hard and it's still painful and they still face opposition to their very existence bot God comes along with this continual message of encouragement to remind them that He has it all under control and that He's not going to leave them. Discuss any further characteristics of God that we can see in this passage.

16.5 Final stop on our whistle stop tour is Isaiah 50... well, actually 50-56 (we won't read them all though!). Just a spattering of verses to read: 50:1; 51:1-3; 52:7-9; 53:4-6,11-12; 54:7-8; 55:6; 56:6-8.

A quick summary of this fleeting overview: 'Israel, you sinned; you grieved God's heart but remember where you came from and the promises God gave you. Now, God is making a way for you to be put right with Him: He is giving you a Saviour who will justify* you by bearing your sin. God is having compassion on you so come; receive it, seek Him and repent before He changes His mind! And God will increase your numbers; He is making himself accessible to everyone! (*define justify/justification)

Chapter 53 is very famous - but were it elsewhere it may have lost some of its impact and significance to Israel. God had to convict them of their sin before revealing the Saviour; if we don't think we're sinful we would shun the very idea of needing a Saviour. They also needed to know about this Saviour and their need for Him before God could reveal His glorious promises of chapter 54; they needed to know that the only way that they could enjoy these promises of 54 would be to allow God to deal with the sin He convicted them of in 52 through 51-52 through the servant/Saviour promised in 53.

Week 16: Summary
The book of Isaiah is saturated with glimpses and revelations of God's character with a beautiful message of hope arcing over them all to shine through as the book's ultimate message. Just a handful of the characteristics of God that we've seen are:

• God reveals Himself to us
• He is in the 'Encouragement Business'
• He is Holy
• He is Sovereign
• He loves us

A Risky Business

Week 15: Discovering the Character of God through Esther
15.1 Invite the group to share times when they've taken risks - either generally or for God. What's the biggest rick they ever took? Take a mini-poll; Does taking risks make life more: interesting? Fun? Exciting? Dangerous? Scary?

When we say something is 'risky', it means that there is no certainty of things working out; we have to trust in someone/thing/circumstance that it'll all come good. If something's 'risky', it's generally costly.

15.2 Esther was a Jewish girl who became a queen and went on to take a huge risk - probably bigger than any of us have ever done. We'll start at the beginning of her story. She lived in the days after the Jews returned to their land from their exile.. At the same time a guy called Xerxes was King over a land called Persia (Modern day Iran - Persia (Map in YB)). He had a wife called Vashti who was exceptionally beautiful - think Angelina. She had a very sexual, physical beauty and he liked to show her off. One day he commanded her to come and pose for his people and she disobeyed him. Naturally, as King, he figured that no-one had the right to disobey him - not even his wife. So he ditched her. A few years later, his servants suggested that he replace her and so, like Prince Charming looking for the wearer of the glass slipper, they organised a city-wide search for a 'beautiful young girl' to be the next queen. Read Esther 2:5-9 and 15-18 to see how Esther fits into the story.

15:3 Notice that Esther had a 'very pretty figure and face'. The writer of this book takes great pains to point out the difference between Vashti's and Esther's beauty. In fact, the writer uses two very different Hebrew words to emphasise this: the word for Vashti's beauty, yophiy, was, as said, a very physical, outstanding beauty. She was good, she was pleasing to look at. Towb, the word used to describe Esther, on the other hand, is better translated 'comely'. That is, she was physically attractive both in her figure and her general appearance but there was something else; something that naturally drew people to like her. She had a warmth, a loveliness; an inner beauty that radiated out of her. All of this made her attractive to the king's servants and maybe we can be challenged by this: what do our attitudes say about us? What do we miss out on by having bad attitudes, being rude or unkind? After all, if Esther had been physically unattractive or had had a bad attitude, the king's servants would never have noticed her - let alone the king!

Another thing to note about Esther's looks is that God had made her that way for his purposes. It can be easy to criticise - or boats of - our looks, but it is so important to remember that it is God who makes us the way we are - and He generally has a good reason for doing so. Just think: way, way before Xerxes ditched Vashti, before Esther was even born, God was planning on how He would create her on order to best use her for His kingdom. Invite the group to think of someone we've studied who ended up in a royal household through God's choosing and doing - not their own? (Joseph, Moses, David) It's clear to see from each of these lives that God is always at work behind the scenes.

15.4 During our earlier reading, we missed out some verses. Read Esther 2:10 and also 2:20. Here we see Mordecai instructing Esther not to tell anyone who she is. Invite the group to share their thoughts on why this might be.

Scripture doesn't make the reasons for this secrecy clear but, given the time that this was set in, there may have been some lingering fears amongst the Jews in general not to antagonise their enemies. On the other hand, Modecai's thinking may simply be, 'Think of the influence you could have; a powerful position - if you keep your bias secret - you could drop suggestions into the king's ear.' Whatever his reasoning, it is clear that it was God-inspired as that wisdom helped protect Esther when things kicked off. Read 3:1-6, 8-11.

15.5 During their time of exile, the Jews seemed to really learn a few lessons; one of them being not worshipping false gods. Mordecai shows a really godly attitude when Haman insists on people bowing him; instead of being quick to obey, Mordecai remembers that God said 'Worship me only' and knows it would be wrong to bow to - and worship - Haman. (remind you of anyone? Daniel, perhaps?) As a result, Haman develops a fierce hatred for the Jews. He thinks he's bigger and better than God and that he deserves their attentions and honour so, in his proud and vengeful heart, he develops a plot to destroy all the Jews. What is didn't count on was God. A God who hates pride (Proverbs 6:16-17) and who prtects his people over and over.

Read Esther 4:1-17. Here we begin to see and appreciate more fully God's purposes for Esther. By guiding her life so that she ended up a queen, God put her in a position where she could make a difference. And in this, we return to that concept of risks. In approaching the king at all, Esther recognised the possibility that she could lose her life. By telling him that she was a Jew she knew that she was putting her life on the line but, as we just read, this didn't deter her. She was willing to take the risk - to lay down her life - for the sake of her people. See what happened in 7:3-4, 8:5-8 and 8:16-17.


Week 15: Summary
Esther teaches us a lot about the way God sees us and what He requires of us - such as attitudes and willingness to obey, even at great personal cost. It also teaches us a lot about who God is - despite the fact that He isn't even mentioned once.

• He creates us uniquely, for His purposes
• He is always at work behind the scenes
• He hates pride

Your Heart is Where Your Home is?

Week 14: Discovering the Character of God through Ezra and Nehemiah
14.1 Invite the group to define MERCY (not getting what we deserve) and GRACE (getting what we don't deserve)

14.2 These two words are possibly the most commonly used to describe God - and these characteristics are particularly evident in the period between the end of the days of the kings and the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. In fact, we can learn much about God's character simply by studying what happened in between these two periods. Handout overview and list of characteristics. Invite the group to circle words as they get impressions of God's character while reading the history of the exile.

14.3 A closer look at Ezra: Ezra is first introduced in Ezra 7. Read Ezra 7:1-6a (good luck with the names!). Lists were really important to the Jews - they lived very much by the old adage, 'it's not what you know, but who you know.' This is most obvious in Matthew's gospel. He was writing to the Jews and in order to prove to his readers that Jesus is the promised Messiah, he opens his gospel with a list of names showing that Jesus is Abraham's descendant. Back to Ezra 7 and this is exactly what the writer (Ezra) is doing. The names show that God hasn't forgotten Israel during their exile; nor the promises He made to them centuries before. It's not by chance that the man He is now using to restore His people and His temple is a direct descendant of Aaron - one of the two brothers God used to deliver His people out of Egypt. God is finishing what he started.

14.4 Read Ezra 7:6b-10 the impact of Ezra's heritage was great and significant however it wasn't enough for him. He could have sat back on his laurels and said, 'You know what? My great-great-great-great.......-granddaddy was Aaron the Priest, so I've got it sorted.' But he couldn't - and wouldn't - cling to the faith of his family; instead he discovers God for himself. Verse 10 shows us how Ezra 'devotes himself' (NIV) to the 'Law of the Lord' - not, 'His parents' teachings'. We can't get to get heaven on the others' faith: our parents, friends, boy/girlfriend will not save us. Only Jesus can do that. This is the relationship that Ezra had with God and the relationship God wants with each of us: direct and intimate - not through a third party.

14.5 The intimacy that Ezra has with God is something that he has in common with Nehemiah. Read Nehemiah 1:1-4. Before we're even five verses into the book, Nehemiah is found weeping - but not for himself; for Jerusalem, God's people. This is the profound effect of intimacy with God. The more we know God's word, the more we devote ourselves to is - and Him - and the better we know how God has worked in the past like Ezra and Nehemiah did (check out the rest of Nehemiah 1), the more in tune we end up being with Him. We know His heart, because by being in that intimate relationship with us, He is able to share it with us. We find ourselves rejoicing in what pleases Him and grieving for what breaks His heart.

Week 14: Summary
From the beginning of our studies through to Solomon, the theme has appeared strongly to be 'Sin and Consequences'. With Josiah, Ezra and Nehemiah, the message seems now to be 'Get to Know Me.' Knowing God's character is to know Him. Some of the characteristics we've learned this week include:

• God is merciful
• He gracious
• He doesn't forget us
• God wants a direct relationship with us.
  

‘Discovering Your Roots’

Week 13: Discovering the Character of God through Josiah
13.1. Invite the group to share about how ‘easy’ it is to follow God when they’re not in the church; when at school, home, or even just walking through town. Do you find that the world pressures you into living its way instead of God’s? How does that make you feel?

13.2. Today’s study looks at Josiah, who faced the pressure of following God as an 8-year old king and throughout his reign in a situation where his immediate predecessors had been amongst the worst kings that Judah had ever had. Handout map and time line and read 2 Kings 22:1-2. when faced with that choice of being like the bad kings Judah had before or following God and making a difference, it was no-brainer. God came first. As a result, great things were in store for that nation. Can the group think of anyone else who brought great things to a nation because of the way they put God first? (Abraham, Joseph, Deborah, Ruth, etc)

13.3. Read 2 Kings 22:8-13. Before discussing the text, invite the group to share their opinions on what scripture is for. Also read Romans 3:20 and if it hasn’t already been mentioned (of, if it has, re-iterate it!), discuss how scripture/the Law is there to convict us of our sinful nature and our need for a Saviour - Jesus. Too often we have the attitude that ‘The Bible’s great; it’s a really cool book of stories that teach us what God did in the olden days’ instead of really soaking it up and letting it convict us of our sin and consequently search it for how to get right with God. Josiah could have had that first indifferent attitude when Hilkiah came to him with the Law, but instead he allowed it to do what God created it to do: convict him. And, not only was Josiah convicted; he responded… and his response was infectious. Check out 2 Kings 23:1-3 to see how the whole of Judah repented and re-established their covenant with the Lord.

13.4. As well as all of this, Josiah also brought back a lot of traditions and feasts that had been long forgotten by the people of Judah due to the dodgy leadership they’d been under. Tradition isn’t necessarily a bad thing - certainly not in this case. In Revelation 2:4-5, God says to one of the churches, ‘You have forgotten your first love… Repent and do the things you did at first.’ (NIV). Very often, when we’re new Christians, we are so full of Joy and of Jesus that we can’t stop talking about him; can’t stop singing and praying and reading the Bible. As the years go on and we hit difficult patches it can be easy to get a bit rusty at these things, especially when there are easy distractions like television, computers and relationships. And it’s then that we need to go back to what we did at first and get to know Jesus and fall in love with Him all over again. This is exactly what had happened to Israel. Read 2 Chronicles 35:1-19 and notice verse 18: ‘The Passover had not been celebrated like this in Israel since the prophet Samuel was alive.’ The Chronicler is saying that the last time Israel was in love with the Lord and flourished as a nation - keeping all the old traditions and feasts of remembrance - was when they were under the Judges, that is: the rule of God. The minute that they turned their back on God and asked for a king, everything went downhill. Through Josiah’s obedience and re-establishing of the covenant, the people essentially rediscover God and reconnect with Him.

Note also the number of times the writer says that Josiah or one of his men, ‘gave willingly’. None of his actions are efforts to earn favour from the Lord; his actions are a natural, worshipful response to the conviction that he’s received.

It may appear that we’re looking at the character of Josiah this week, rather than the character of God; but if we really think about the overall picture we can see the character of God at work through Josiah’s life. God is continually using Josiah - working through him - to restore His people to what He called, and created, them to be. God always sees the end goal and wants to get us there.

13.5. As we can see from the handout, Josiah was a bright spot during Judah’s darkest years and he did a lot of good. He wasn’t perfect though - none of us are, but God - and we see this right at the end of his life; how he slipped up a just a little, but it was enough to cost him his life. Ask the group if they understand what the phrase, ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ means and, if they don’t, explain. This, unfortunately seems to be the attitude that Josiah has developed. It is possible that Josiah had familiarised himself with the law and obeyed it completely but that didn’t mean that he necessarily knew the Law-Giver all that well. When Neco of Egypt stated that ‘God was on his side’, it’s possible that Josiah’s response was a result of thinking that God would favour him instead after all that he’d done - and especially in light of that covenant. Read 2 Chronicles 35:21-24 to see how Josiah’s plans backfired spectacularly. Today, we, too, have to be so careful that we don’t go down the same route. We can go to church every week, read our Bibles dutifully every day and sing the same old songs out of habit, but that doesn’t mean we know the one who established the church, wrote the word or inspired the lyrics. We can live ‘perfect’ lives, but not intimately know the one who made us. He wants us to be so in tune with Him that when someone else says, ‘God is on my side, don’t fight God.’ that we listen for Him to say quietly to us, ‘That guy’s right. Don’t fight me. Walk away.’ Instead of thinking we know God so well that we must be right and the other person in the wrong.

Get to know the Law? For sure. Better still, get to know the Law-Giver. Know Him intimately. Don’t try to fight him.



Week 13: Summary
Characteristics of God are all over this week’s study and include:

• His word convicts us
• He restores us
• He created us for a purpose
• We can’t fight him.

Wisdom, Wealth and Women

Week 12: Discovering the Character of God through Solomon
12.1. Watch Finding Nemo, scene 5 (11:28) to scene 6 (14:54). As a group, discuss Nemo’s behaviour: his attitude, the rules he broke, the consequences and why, ultimately, those rules were in place. David’s son, Solomon, is not so different; even after his father commanded him on his deathbed to ‘Obey the Lord’ and even after God himself reinforces this, Solomon still breaks God’s rules and suffers the consequences. But life isn’t all bad for Solomon. In fact, it starts out quite well…

12.2. Read 1 Kings 3:4-9. Before examining this passage further, give the group a brief overview of Solomon’s story so far:

As David’s firstborn, he was heir to the throne but his brother Adonijah tried to make himself king instead in a secret ceremony. Luckily for Solomon, David’s advisor, Nathan, found out and - together with Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother - exposed Adonijah’s plans. David dealt with Adonijah and Solomon king.

On his deathbed, David then gave Solomon a bunch of commands to follow in order to be a good leader and the blessings that he would enjoy if he kept them (2:3-9). Solomon took his throne, executing some of these commands and was in full control of Israel by the time we arrive at chapter 3.

The verses that we’ve just read say a lot about the man that Solomon was at the beginning of his reign. Note verse 3.

• Discuss the ‘thousand’ sacrifices in verse 4.

Solomon goes all out for God. He wants to live up to his father’s legacy : having the same relationship with God and being respected by the people by - and for - following God’s wisdom, rather than his own.

12.3. Read 1 Kings 3:10-14. Discuss God’s response to Solomon’s sacrifices and request. Notice that God gives abundantly more than Solomon asks for, because he has the right attitude.

• Can the group think of anyone else we’ve studied who experienced this? (Ruth, Joshua, etc).

Also note verse 14: the promise is conditional.

12.4. All through the Bible, we see this continued theme of God’s conditional promises.

• Invite the group to name a few form the people we’ve looked at so far.

Solomon has more than one encounter with the Lord where he discovers this attribute of God.

12.5. Sadly, Solomon’s obedience didn’t last long; just like his father, it was women who led him astray. Read 1 Kings 11:1-6, 9-10 to see what happened and then read 1 kings 11:1-13 to learn of the consequences of his actions. Again and again, we have been witnessing people suffering consequences for sin as hopped through the Old Testament and this, perhaps, is what most distinguishes the Old Testament form the New: the Old Testament is all about sin and its consequences, while the New Testament is all about a Saviour who took on our sin so that we wouldn’t have to endure the consequences.


Week 12: Summary
Lots of characteristics of God this week - including:

• God established rules for a reason
• He gives abundantly more than we ask
• God’s love is unconditional but His promises are conditional

‘The Unlikely Lad’

Week 11: Discovering the Character of God through David
11.1. David is perhaps one of the most famous of the Old Testament characters. Almost everyone, at some stage, will have heard of the ‘story’ of David and the Goliath. But what else do we know? Invite the group to share their thoughts.

11.2. To understand David’s story fully, we need to go back to the beginning. Read 1 Samuel 15:22-23 and give the group a brief overview of Saul’s behaviour as king: his adding to the law and his disobedience. God’s rejection of Saul shouldn’t have come as a surprise; God foresaw Saul’s disobedience and warned him of the outcome. We can read about this in 1 Samuel 13:13-14. Consequently, Saul’s behaviour was more than just disobedience; it was an ‘ostrich’ response – ignoring the warnings and determining to cling onto his kingdom. As we have already read, his efforts were in vain. God already had a particular person in mind to take over Saul’s throne; one who is ‘after God’s own heart’.

11.3. Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13. Much of what we have learnt about God’s character is re-established in/through David (ie: how he carries out his threats, that He chooses unlikely people, etc). here, we learn something new: God says to Samuel that he ‘doesn’t see the same way people see.’ In a way, that’s a comfort: God is not worried about how posh or made-up we are, or even if we’re filthy and in rags. However, it should also be a challenge that leaves us slightly uncomfortable and keen to put ourselves right with God. He ‘looks at the heart’. He looked at David’s heart and was pleased with what he found. What if He were to look at our hearts?

11.4. All sin has consequences; sometimes we’re quick to blame Satan for our predicament in a desperate attempt to avoid taking responsibility for our actions but we could learn a valuable lesson from David. Read 2 Samuel 12:11-19. Here, Nathan – David’s advisor – comes to him with a word from the Lord; passing judgment on David’s actions and setting out the punishment he must suffer as a consequence. David sets an example for us in the way that he responds. He does not blame Satan. Instead, he fasts and prays.

11.5. Verse 20 then tells us that David worships after the child dies. That ‘worship’ is not what we 21st Century Christians might imagine. There was no big band or choir, no jumping up and down, clapping to lively songs or raised arms. David’s worship is quite different and we can see what it looked and sounded like by reading Psalm 51. The word ‘worshipped’ in 2 Samuel 12:20 in Hebrew is shâchâh, and means ‘to bow down/to fall in reverence.' So, essentially, David’s ‘worship’ is a prayerful response where he falls to his knees in reverence and repentance.

Week 11: Summary

Some of God’s characteristics are clearly evident in David’s life:

* He sees our hearts and actions
* He convicts us of our sin
* His conviction brings repentance

‘A Voice in the Night’

Week 10: Discovering the Character of God through Samuel
10.1. Invite the group to discuss whether they believe if God audibly speaks to people.

• What do they think it’s like?
• Hand out ‘Hearing God’s Voice’ and read/discuss.
• Any changes of opinion?

10.2. Ask the group if they have ever heard of Samuel. If so, to share what they know. Read 1 Samuel 1:5, 10-11, 20, 27-28 and 2:18, 21, 26 to learn a little about Samuel’s unusual birth and childhood.

10.3. Something yet more unusual was to happen to this young man. Read 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and note3:1; the context of Samuel’s story is the time of the Judges.

• Why do you think God chose to speak to Samuel? (read 1 Samuel 3:11-18 for further insight)
• Why didn’t Samuel recognise his voice?
• How would we react in that situation?

10.4. As a result of Samuel’s prayerful, obedient response, he gained recognition as a ‘true prophet’. Read 1 Samuel 3:19-4:1. However, this didn’t stop the people from kicking off against him when they saw that they faced a bleak future. Samuel’s sons were appointed as judges, but they didn’t behave in a godly way, as their predecessors had and, rather than live under their rule, they fought for a different leadership system. Read about it in 1 Samuel 8:4-9 and the consequences of the Israelites’ request in 1 Samuel 8:19-22. As a group, discuss how God gives the people not only what they want, but what they deserve.

10.5. As Samuel ages and finally passes his authority over to the new king, Saul, he still shows God’s heart for the Israelites: not giving up on them despite their sin and still interceding for them. Read the last part of his final public address in 1 Samuel 12:20-25. What part of this speech means the most to you and why?


Week 10: Summary
This week’s characteristics of God include:

• He chooses to communicate with us and share His heart with us
• He gives us what we deserve
• It pleases Him to make us His people

‘The Pain Game’

Week 9: Discovering the Character of God through Job

9.1. Do we ever feel like our lives are part of some supernatural game of chess? Does it sometimes feel like, just as we seem to be advancing, something huge, unexpected and possibly painful comes along and blocks our path – or worse, knocks us off the board completely? Invite the group to discuss times when they may have felt like this.

9.2. Read Job 1:1 and 1:6 – 2:10. Imagine that we are Job.

• How would we feel/react to the news that he receives?
• Is he right to react the way he does?
• How is he able to react with such faith? (reread verse 1:1 if necessary)

9.3. Despite his initial refusal to blame God, Job’s three friends are keen to show him that someone must be to blame. After all, ‘God rewards the righteous and punishes the sinners.’ (4:6-9). Instead, however, Job questions God and begins complaining, as we discover in 7:11-16. He carries on like this for another 3o chapters (!) and amidst these, we see that he does in deed begin to blame God. Read 16:6-14.

• What do we think about that response?
• How do you think God will react?

9.4. Read 38:1-4; 40:1-2 and 40:6-14. Discuss the way the Lord responds to Jobs whinging and accusing. God does not say that Job is wrong to question His purposes, but does make it clear that he should never have blamed Him, or tried to say that God was being unfair. We have no right to ‘usurp’ God.

9.5. Finally, read 42:1-6, 10. Here, Job is rightly, genuinely repentful – and the Lord rewards the sincerity of his response.

Week 9: Summary

Three characteristics of God this week include…

• God allows our faith to be tested.
• He allows us to question his purpose but not his fairness.
• He wants for us to really know Him.

‘Seek Ye First…’

Week 8: Discovering the Character of God through Ruth
8.1. Read Matthew 6:33 and discuss; what do the group think this verse means? Is it true? Have they experienced this? This verse is perhaps the best one-line summary of the book of Ruth, which we’ll discover as we read through it. Hand out ‘Ruth’s Story’.

8.2. Read Ruth 1:1-8, 16-18 and 4:13-22. We see Ruth putting her own needs and desires on hold – but not denying them – as she makes the God of Israel her first priority. All the blessings in her life: her marriage, children and legacy (see Matthew 1:5), result from putting God first. Compare this with Psalm 37:4.

8.3. Read Deuteronomy 23:3 and discuss how Ruth’s pursuit of the Lord meant that she would have to cut off all relations with her people – the Moabites – and their beliefs. Try to imagine how she might expect to be treated by the Israelites because of her past. Read Ruth 2:5-14 and discuss how events actually turn out really differently to any of our expectations: Boaz accepted Ruth despite her past and welcomed her. Reflect on the picture that is painted here of Boaz foreshadowing Christ and Ruth portraying us.

8.4. Staying with this picture of Boaz foreshadowing Christ, read Ruth 3:1-11. When a woman laid at a man’s feet and ask him to cover he with his garment/robe, it was essentially an engagement ritual. Instead of today’s practice of trying to be as inventive and romantic as possible with expensive meals and flashy rings, this was the ancient Hebrew way of proposing. Note that it was the woman who was asking, not the man! When the man covered her, this was how she knew that he accepted. Read Ezekiel 16:8 and see how God shows the Israelites his love for them: He ‘gets engaged’ to His people. That relationship between God and Church still applies today. New Testament writer John gets a vision of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as His bride in Revelation 21:2.

8.5. There are lots of other illustrations of Christ and His love for the church throughout the book of Ruth. Quietly read through Chapter 4 and invite the group to share any of these illustrations that they might come across.



Week 8: Summary
Three characteristics of God this week...

• God wants us to make Him our first priority
• He accepts us despite our past
• He loves us and sees the church as His ‘bride’