Quote from Forum Archives on September 22, 2014, 9:01 am

Posted by: info <info@...>

E-Pistle

FreeWay Foundation           September 19, 2014

 

Mining the ore of God's word

(Job 28:1-28)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

            1.  Job reflects upon the wisdom of God, comparing His word

     to a mine which man needs to explore to find rich treasures,

     vv. 1-11.

            2.  Job observes that most persons have no idea of the value

                 of the Holy Scriptures, which contain the revealed wisdom of

     God, vv. 12-19.

            3.  Job comments on the mysteries of Almighty God, which are

     hidden and concealed from most individuals, who fail to seek

     divine wisdom and understanding, vv. 20-27.

            4.  Job summarizes his meditation by examining that REVERENCE

     IS WISDOM AND REPENTANCE IS UNDERSTANDING, v. 28.

II.  Meditation:  on the hard labor of a miner

            1.  He works in the darkness, lighted only by his feeble lamp, v. 3.

            2.  He searches every "recess" (nook and cranny), v. 3.

            3.  He digs a new shaft away from people (in quiet and isolation),

     v. 4.

            4.  He courageously hangs by a rope to explore uncharted areas,

     v. 4.

            5.  He works deep beneath the surface, breaking up the flint rock to

                 overturn the mountains at the base (roots), v. 9.

            6.  He cuts out tunnels (channels) in the solid rock, v. 10.

            7.  He sees (examines) every precious thing which he has discovered,

     v. 10.

            8.  He dams up the underground streams to prevent loss, v 11.

            9.  He brings forth hidden treasures into the light, v. 11.

            10.He identifies precious metals and valuable gems, vv. 1-2, 6, 16-18.

III.  Revelation:  on spiritual truths to be learned here

            1.  God's word contains a vast treasure of spiritual wisdom.

            2.  Divine spiritual insights often lie deep beneath the surface of the

     Scripture and are not seen by the majority of people.

            3.  These "jewels" can be discovered only by hard labor in the darkness

                 (study and meditation), illuminated by the light of the Holy Spirit's

     revelation.

            4.  A miner's job is to bring forth precious resources for the benefit of

     man . . . a teacher's job is to discover precious metals and valuable

     gemstones (God's revealed truths) and to apply them to the lives of

     disciples in a personal and practical way.

IV.  Applications:  as a Christian teacher, I need to . . .

            1.  Faithfully read and study God's word daily.

            2.  Meditate upon the Scriptures, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal God,

     His will, and His ways to me, Isaiah 45:3.

            3.  Carefully examine the revealed truths of God's word, writing His divine

     revelations and personal insights in a spiritual journal.

            4.  Teach Christian Bible students the truths and spiritual wisdom which God

     has given to me, with clarity and authority.

 

 

 

 

How the gold has become dim!

(Lamentations 4:1-22)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

            1.  Jeremiah portrays the "before and after" conditions of the temple (gold; stones)

                 and of the men (precious sons):  after the Babylonians destroyed the city; gold

                 was "dim," temple jewels were scattered, mothers became indifferent to the needs

                 of their children, and wealthy citizens were reduced to abject poverty, vv. 1-6.

            2.  Jeremiah describes the Nazarites (high ranked nobles) as looking like skeletons,

                 emaciated by starvation; he relates that the mothers of the besieged city have

                 been forced into cannibalism, boiling and eating their own children, vv. 7-11.

            3.  Jeremiah blamed the unbelievably tragic conditions upon the deceptive, murderous,

                 sinful prophets, priests, and other leaders of the nation . . . who killed God's true

                 prophets (v. 13; Jeremiah 26:11) and who had looked to other nations for protection

                 (v. 17) rather than looking unto the Lord, vv. 12-20.

            4.  Jeremiah condemned the neighboring nation of Edom (the descendants of Esau,

                 Jacob's brother), predicting that they would be punished for their treachery against

                 Israel, vv. 21-22.

II.  Meditation and Revelation:  on some key verses in this chapter

            1.  "The precious sons of Zion . . . are regarded as clay pots, the work of the hands

                 Of the potter," v. 2; all persons are like clay in the hands of the Potter, Almighty

                 God, Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 18:2-6); Romans 9:21.

            2.  "The young children ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them," v. 4:  "If you

                 then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more

                 will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him,"

                 Matthew 7:11.

            3.  "The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the

                 punishment on the sin of Sodom," v. 6; persons who have greater knowledge of

                 God's truth will be held more accountable than those who have less spiritual

                 light, Luke 12:47-48; Matthew 10:15; 11:23-24.

            4.  "The adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem . . . because of

                 the sins of the prophets and the iniquities of her priests," vv. 12-13; leaders must

                 walk obediently because their sins can bring God's judgment upon a nation,

                 Proverbs 11:11; 14:34.

III.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to . . .

            1.  Yield my life to the Potter to be molded into a useful vessel.

            2.  Ask, with childlike faith, for good things from my heavenly Father.

            3.  Recognize my privilege and responsibility as an enlightened believer.

            4.  Walk with godly integrity so that my influence may benefit others.

 

A teacher asked a student to sum up Socrates' life in four lines.

Here's what he said:

1.  Socrates lived long ago.

                                                                                                                                               2.  He was very intelligent.

        3.  Socrates gave long speeches.

  4.  His friends poisoned him!

                

 

 

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: epistle2equip-unsubscribe@welovegod.org