I can almost imagine David’s exuberance as he “danced before the Lord with all his might” after the ark of the Lord returned (2 Sam 6:14). Obviously, this shows that dancing is a legitimate way to worship individually before the Lord, but what about dancing together before the Lord in community worship? The ESV study [...]
Archive for the ‘Daily Bible Questions’ Category
15 Sep
DBQ: The Church Loving the Poor of the World
I am always shocked when I read the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10), both because it remind me of Christ’s radical love for me and because of the radical love that he requires of me. At various times throughout the past few years I have encountered the position that the church is not [...]
14 Sep
DBQ: Eating the Scroll
My question this morning stems from yesterday’s reading in Ezekial 2-3. Why did God command Ezekiel to eat the scroll? What is the significance of the lived metaphor?
Eugene Peterson draws out this metaphor to describe our own responsibility to eat Scripture. “Christian feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the [...]
12 Sep
DBQ: Glory!
The ESV study calls the opening vision in Ezekial “inspiring and perlexing.” Our senses are overwhelmed, our imagination is stretched to the limit, and we are left with wonder, with worship. Ezekiel’s response was to fall on his face, which is what happens when we encounter God. I read this and realize that my life [...]
10 Sep
DBQ: Women following Jesus
As I was reading out of Luke 7 and 8 this morning, I was particularly interested by the list of women that Luke recorded as joining with the disciples to follow Jesus. They come from a variety of backgrounds and social classes, and even include Joanna, who Luke said was a wife of Herod’s household [...]
8 Sep
DBQ: Blessed Poor
In contrast to Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes (“blessed are the poor in spirit”) Luke records Jesus’ words as “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20). We should not be alarmed that Matthew and Luke record different words, for it is very likely that Jesus preached this [...]
3 Sep
DBQ: Prophetess
In Luke 2, Anna the prophetess is recorded as speaking to all those waiting in the temple, those “who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” What does this gift of prophesy look like in the church today, and what is the role for both men and women who are gifted by the Spirit in [...]
2 Sep
DBQ: Preservation and Faithfulness
The Psalms present a very dynamic view of God’s relationship with his people. For example, Psalm 31:23 states not just that God preserves his people, but that he preserves the faithful. In other words, the people themselves have a role in God’s preservation. The same dynamism continues into the New Testament, where Paul and others [...]
1 Sep
DBQ: The King Prophesies
1 Samuel 19:18-24 recounts a very strange occurrence of King Saul sending three sets of messengers to David, who all ended up prophesying. Then Saul went himself, and the Spirit of the Lord took hold of him and he prophesied, after stripping off all his clothes. What do you think is the purpose of this [...]
31 Aug
DBQ: Why not the King’s Food?
There are different viewpoints on why Daniel and his three friends did not eat the king’s food (Daniel 1). The ESV mentions four views:
-Not wanting to eat ceremonially unclean food
-Not wanting to eat food offered to idols
-Wanting to follow a vegetarian diet for health reasons
-Not wanting to be tempted by the luxurious lifestyle of the [...]
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