With All Your Heart Discovery Guide: Being God's Presence to Our World
304
With All Your Heart Discovery Guide: Being God's Presence to Our World
304Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
In Exodus, God warned Israel to remember him when they left the dry desert and reached the fertile fields of the Promised Land. In this tenth volume of the series That The World May Know, you'll discover how quickly they forgot God and began to rely on themselves. You'll walk in their shoes through places like Timnah, Negev, and Jerusalem to gain a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life.
This discovery guide includes passages of Scripture explored in the DVD (sold separately); questions for discussion and personal reflection; personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions; as well as sidebars, maps, photos, and other study tools.
Lessons include:
- Build Me a Sanctuary – Filmed in Timnah
- Making Space for God – Filmed in Timnah
- He Led Them Like a Shepherd – Filmed in Negev
- By Every Word – Striking the Rock – Filmed in Negev
- With All Your Might: The Final Test – Filmed in Jerusalem
- A Well-Watered Garden – Filmed in Jerusalem
Designed for use with the With All Your Heart Video Study (sold separately).
_______________
THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW
Join renowned teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan as he guides you through the land of the Bible. In each lesson, Vander Laan illuminates the historical, geographical, and cultural context of the sacred Scriptures.
Filmed on location in the Middle East and elsewhere, the That the World May Know film series will transform your understanding of God and challenge you to be a true follower of Jesus.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780310879824 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperChristian Resources |
| Publication date: | 09/15/2015 |
| Series: | That the World May Know |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 665,662 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Stephen and Amanda Sorenson are founders of Sorenson Communications and have co-written many small group curriculum guidebooks, including the entire Faith Lessons series.
Read an Excerpt
With All Your Heart Discovery Guide
By Ray Vander Laan
ZONDERVAN
Copyright © 2010 Ray Vander LaanAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-87982-4
CHAPTER 1
BUILD ME A SANCTUARY
God's story in the Bible is framed by his desire to live with his beloved people. The story begins in a garden paradise where God walked with his people. It ends in a garden where God's people will live with him forever.
Between these scenes is human history — a story of sin, death, and the resulting broken relationship between God and his created people. But intertwined in human history is the story of God's love and his tireless work to restore that broken relationship. The enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt, their miraculous deliverance, and their exodus to the Promised Land play a pivotal role in the ongoing restoration of God's relationship with his people.
When the Hebrews walked into the desert of Sinai after crossing the Red Sea, they were at last free from enslavement in Egypt. They were not, however, free from bondage to the beliefs and ways of life they had learned in Egypt. That, in fact, was why God led them into the desert: to test them in order to know what was in their hearts and to teach them to obey his every word (Deuteronomy 8:2–3).
In the unknown chaos of the desert they faced hardship and uncertainty. As they walked the difficult path set out before them, they grumbled and at times even questioned God's presence with them. But when they arrived at Mount Sinai, God revealed himself to his people in a new way. In a cloud of glory, darkness, thunder, fire, and lightning, he descended onto the mountain and spoke. He expressed his unending love for them. He promised that if they would live by his every word he would live among them as their loving husband.
Imagine the joy the Israelites felt as they experienced the intimacy of God's presence with them and grew in their relationship with him. Imagine their amazement when God said that he would continue to accompany them on their journey to the Promised Land. No longer would God appear occasionally to a few individuals like the patriarchs and Moses; he would live among them!
To help the Israelites understand the depth of his commitment to live with them and to help them remember that he was present among them, God instructed them to build the tabernacle, a sanctuary for him. The tabernacle was a portable tent shrine that the Israelites would have recognized from the use of such shrines in Egyptian culture. As a familiar cultural form, the tabernacle conveyed a meaningful message that they understood immediately. It was a visual, physical reminder that the sovereign Lord of the universe was with them.
Through the design, construction, and function of the tabernacle, God revealed himself to be unlike any gods his people had known. This study will focus on the purpose, awe, and comfort that the tabernacle — as a symbol of God's constant presence — provided for the Israelites. And it will help those of us who follow Jesus today to better comprehend what it means for us to be the place where God's presence resides.
Opening Thoughts (3 minutes)
The Very Words of God
Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
Exodus 25:8
Think About it
All of us experience pivotal moments in life when we see as we have never seen before. These moments have the potential to change our lives — what we do, how we see the world, even who we are.
But what happens when these great moments are a few months or years behind us? What keeps these moments alive in our hearts and minds so they continue to make a difference in our lives?
DVD notes (21 minutes)
How to keep Sinai alive
The Hathor shrine at Timnah
The message of Abu Simbel
God uses the culture to convey his message
DVD Discussion (7 minutes)
1. What are you beginning to discover about the events at Mount Sinai and their long-term significance in the lives of the Israelites? In God's ongoing plan of redemption? In your life?
2. As you viewed the Egyptian temple at Timnah and the temple and battle scene carving at Abu Simbel, what sense did you gain of the importance of the message these structures conveyed to ancient people?
Why do you think God chose these physical images, and do you think they were an effective way to communicate to people in ancient times?
3. Briefly review the Israelites' experience with God at Mount Sinai. Which aspects of that experience are essential to actually living out the kind of relationship with God that he offers?
PROFILE OF A CULTURE
The Mining Settlement at Timnah
Located in the Great Rift Valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, Timnah is believed to be one of the first major mining areas in the world. The mines there produced copper, which was combined with tin to make bronze, the most valuable metal of the time. Copper production in the area peaked between the 14th and 12th centuries BC, which was roughly the time of the exodus. Copper is still mined in this region.
The Egyptians brought slaves to work the mines and smelting furnaces of Timnah. The workers dug shafts into the ground and then excavated large galleries to mine the copper. Footholds dug into the rock shafts provided access to the galleries — some as deep as thirty meters — that made up one of the most complex tunnel systems of the time. The refined copper was transported to cities along the Nile River.
The temple, or tent shrine, to Hathor at Timnah is evidence of Egyptian influence — where there were Egyptians, there were Egyptian gods. Like other Egyptian temples, the structure has an outer court, inner court, and holy of holies. In the cliff face above the shrine, Pharaoh is depicted bestowing an offering of ma'at (indicating that he had maintained harmony in the universe) to Hathor who was known as the protector of miners. As Egyptian power and influence declined in the region, the shrine became a Midianite tent shrine that was similar in design to the biblical tabernacle.
4. Using the map below, locate the cities along the Nile River from Abu Simbel to Goshen, then locate the Sinai Peninsula, the region of Jebel Musa (the traditional Mount Sinai), and Timnah. How far is it from Abu Simbel to Timnah, and what does this tell you about the influence of Egyptian culture in the world of the Israelites?
In light of the vast expanse of Egyptian influence (and with it the influence of Egyptian gods), what are your thoughts about God's desire to live among his people and the way in which he chose to express his presence with them?
Small Group Bible Discovery and Discussion (22 minutes)
The Tabernacle: A Way to Remember Sinai
The centuries-long experience of God's people in Egypt — first as foreigners, then as slaves — had shaped the Hebrews into a people who still maintained aspects of their own religious culture but in other ways had become thoroughly immersed in the religious culture of Egypt. This is not in any way a statement of blame. After all, for four hundred years the Hebrews had been bombarded by Egypt's story that was played out in the rhythm of daily life along the Nile River and surrounded them in the portrayal of Egypt's deities and Pharaohs carved into the great monuments.
Certainly God would have to act with power and drama to gain the attention of the Hebrews and teach them how to live as his chosen people in the Promised Land. And he did! The plagues, the Passover, the crossing of the sea, miracles of water and manna as the Hebrews traveled toward Mount Sinai — all demonstrated the person and character of their God. And then they camped at Mount Sinai, the capstone experience of God's revelation of himself to them.
What would happen next? How would God's people know and remember him — not just on the journey to the Promised Land but forever? Let's see where the tabernacle fits into the story and consider how it was designed to be a sanctuary for God where his presence would live among his people as an ever-present reminder of his revelation at Mount Sinai.
1. God intended far more for his people than simply ending their suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. What did he say he would do for them, and how did he describe the future relationship he wanted with them? (See Exodus 6:6–8.)
2. During their time of bondage in Egypt, the Hebrew people became discouraged and in some ways lost sight of who their God was (Exodus 6:9). What did they discover about their God through the plagues, the Passover, their departure from Egypt, and their deliverance from Pharaoh's pursuing army at the sea? (See Exodus 14:30–15:18.)
What impact did their newly acquired knowledge of God have on their hearts?
What picture of hope and their future relationship with God do you see starting to form in the minds and hearts of the Hebrews?
3. After about forty days in the desert wilderness, where God had provided for them and protected them, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. What was God's message and promise to them when they arrived at the mountain? (See Exodus 19:3–8.)
How did the people respond?
To what extent do you think they understood the kind of relationship God desired to have with them?
4. When God descended on Mount Sinai to meet with his people, it was an experience like no other! What were the physical and sensory manifestations of God's presence? (See Exodus 19:16–19; 20:18–21. You might want to list them!)
How did the people respond to God's holy presence?
How might this experience have influenced their faith and commitment to do "everything the LorD has said" (19:8)?
What do you think it would have been like to have stood at the foot of the mountain with them?
5. How long do you think the experience of God's appearance at Mount Sinai impacted the faith commitment of the Israelites? (See Exodus 32:1.)
In what ways does this help you understand God's command to build a sanctuary where his presence would live among his people always?
How would the tabernacle and its design have helped the Hebrews remember their experiences at Mount Sinai?
Why do you think it would be important for God's people to be able to take the Sinai experience — the awe-filled memory of God's glory, the power of his presence, and the fire of an intimate relationship with the God of the universe — with them into the Promised Land?
THINK ABOUT IT
As a reminder, a sensory echo of the Mount Sinai experience, the tabernacle provided a way for the Israelites to take with them the memory of how God met them at his mountain in the desert. Consider the parallel characteristics of Mount Sinai and the tabernacle, each of which was a sanctuary for God's presence.
Faith Lesson (6 minutes)
Shortly before the Israelites were finally to take possession of the Promised Land, Moses cautioned them to "watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live" (Deuteronomy 4:9). For Israel, the tabernacle that God commanded them to build as a sanctuary for his presence was part of their watching and remembering. The tabernacle helped to keep alive in their hearts the fire of meeting God at Mount Sinai.
1. What do you think God wants his followers today to do with the powerful memories of their experience with him?
What makes it more difficult for you to do this? What makes it easier?
2. If you have had a profound experience of the presence of God in your life, in the life of someone you know, or in the life of your faith community, what was it like, and how did you respond?
In what way(s) did that experience give you a new sense of God's great power, holiness, and love?
What desires and responses did that experience inspire in your relationship with God?
What is your commitment to keep the memory of that experience alive in your heart, and how much work are you willing to put into taking the memory of that experience with you everywhere you go?
3. Which specific images, experiences, or words of the Bible help you to recognize God's presence in your life?
In what ways do these heighten your awareness of God and intimacy in your relationship with him?
Closing (1 minute)
Read Deuteronomy 4:9–10 aloud together: "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, 'Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.'" Then pray, asking God to make you more aware of his presence with you always. Ask him to help you remember him, know him, and worship him with your whole heart every day of your life.
Memorize
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children."
Deuteronomy 4:9–10
Learning to live by the word and Heart of God
In-Depth Personal Study Sessions
Day One | The Tabernacle: A Practice Rooted in Culture
The Very Words of God
Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:34–35
Bible Discovery
Why God Chose a Tabernacle
God has always wanted to live in intimate relationship with his people and throughout history has worked to restore his presence with them. When the time came for him actually to live among his chosen people all the time, God communicated his desire to be with them through images and customs with which they already were familiar. He chose the visible, tangible symbol of the tabernacle, its furnishings, and its ritual to reveal his presence to his people.
Although we may need to devote some study to understanding God's desire as expressed through the tabernacle, it made perfect sense to the Israelites. God was communicating in a "language" they understood. Through the familiar metaphor of the tabernacle and the cultural practices that God reclaimed from pagan practices, the Israelites discovered how God was unlike all other gods they had known. They began to understand the relationship he desired to have with them.
1. What is the tabernacle called in Exodus 26:36?
Scholars have learned that as early as about 2000 BC Egyptian armies on the move would take a tent to use as a religious shrine. Also, the Hebrew word for "tent," ohel, that refers to the tabernacle in this passage, is believed to be an Egyptian word used to describe the tents of nomads. As you consider this historical and cultural background, what thoughts do you have about the way God chose to represent himself to his people during their journey to the Promised Land?
What connections do you think God may have wanted his people to make regarding their relationship with him and what he was accomplishing through them?
DID YOU KNOW?
A Long History of Tent Shrines
The relief of Ramses' war camp at the battle of Kadesh that is carved into the temple wall at Abu Simbel shows remarkable similarities to the design of the tabernacle. The basic structure comprises a two-chambered tent within a larger, rectangular, fenced enclosure that faces east. The smaller of the tent chambers is depicted as the throne room or residing place of the Pharaoh. Similar encampment and tent sanctuary designs are depicted in other Egyptian records.
The tomb of Hetepheres (approximately 1600 BC), wife of Sneferu and mother of Cheops (the builder of the Great Pyramid), contained a gilded wood frame covered by curtains that was assembled much like the sanctuary.
Tutankhamen's tomb (approximately 1350 BC) contained a shrine covered by linen cloth that was divided into two parts in a manner similar to that of the tabernacle.
The tent shrine to Hathor located at Timnah was originally built by Seti I (1318–1304 BC), but was intentionally destroyed by others. Egyptians repaired it but eventually abandoned it. More than a century later, the Midianites used it as a tent sanctuary for the worship of their gods.
To this day, some Bedouin nomads in the Middle East carry with them a tent-like structure made of thin boards with a tent on top. Fastened to the saddle of a camel, the structure represents the presence of Allah wherever it goes.
2. In addition to using a culturally familiar design for the tabernacle structure, God also incorporated other cultural icons into the tabernacle furnishings and rituals to help reveal himself and convey to his people the kind of relationship he desired to have with them. Consider some of these elements and how God reclaimed them from their traditional pagan use to communicate his message.
a. Ancient pagan worshipers made sacrifices of the finest foods in order to placate their gods so that the gods would view them with favor. Read Exodus 13:1, Leviticus 23:9–14, and Nehemiah 10:35, noting how God commanded his people to sacrifice to him. How is what God asked his people to do similar to and different from what pagan people believed their gods demanded?
What do you think God wanted to communicate through the sacrifices he required? (See Psalm 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26.)
b. Many ancient cultures had protective creatures, similar to cherubim, that possessed human, animal, or birdlike features and were often depicted in association with the gods. With what are cherubim identified in the Bible, and what do you think the cherubim sculpted on the cover of the ark of the covenant communicated about God to his people? (See Genesis 3:23–24; Exodus 25:17–22; Psalm 80:1; Revelation 4:2–11.)
c. In Egypt, priests conducted daily incense rituals intended to purify the image of the god and to persuade the god to enter the image. In contrast, what did incense provide in relationship to the presence of God? (See Leviticus 16:1–2, 12–13.)
d. In pagan belief, idols are representations of, or residing places for, the gods. As such, the idol is believed to take on the characteristics, abilities, persona, and power of the god it represents. Where did God say he would dwell if his people made a sanctuary for him? (See Exodus 25:8, 22.)
Did the sanctuary acquire any special power, or did God expect his people to worship it because his presence was there? Explain your answer.
What did God repeatedly teach his people about the worship of idols, and how does his presence in the tabernacle differ from what pagan people believed about idols and why they worshiped them? (See Exodus 20:3–6; 34:17; Deuteronomy 29:17–18; 32:21.)
e. The people of pagan cultures developed their own rituals regarding access to the presence of their god(s). Who decided who was allowed to enter the holy of holies in the tabernacle where the presence of God lived, and under what conditions? (See Leviticus 16:1–2, 32–33.)
What do you think God was teaching his people through this requirement?
3. Early followers of Jesus also used cultural images and customs to explain God's message in a "language" their listeners would understand. In the first century AD, for example, the apostle Paul arrived in Athens to proclaim the message of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 17:16–33). What cultural icon did he use as a starting point for his message? (See Acts 17:23.)
What effect do you think Paul's use of an actual altar and inscription had on his listeners?
For how long do you think Paul's listeners would have been reminded of what he told them about their "unknown god" whenever they walked past that altar?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from With All Your Heart Discovery Guide by Ray Vander Laan. Copyright © 2010 Ray Vander Laan. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction, 7,Session One Build Me a Sanctuary, 15,
Session Two Making Space for God, 57,
Session Three He Led Them Like a Shepherd, 99,
Session Four By Every Word — Striking the Rock, 147,
Session Five With All Your Might: The Final Test, 195,
Session Six A Well-Watered Garden, 243,
Notes, 291,
Acknowledgments, 293,
Bibliography, 297,