Finding Hope Through Discovery in Bible Study

Reflections Larry R Evans Have you ever tried to tell a story only to have someone interrupt and tell their own? I wonder if we don’t do that sometimes with God. Take the book of Genesis, for example. There is much debate today over the book of Genesis. Albeit critical issues are being debated, and we have no intention of minimizing their importance, but other critical insights for our time will remain buried if we restrict our probing to the current debate. We do lament the fact that it seems to be more of a debate than a dialogue for growth and understanding. Sometimes more is told about our Christianity by the way we defend truth than the truth we are defending. Recently I finished reading an insightful book by Marva J. Dawn entitled, In the Beginning God: Creation, Culture, and the Spiritual Life. The book’s focus is on chapter one to three of Genesis. I’ll share a few thoughts from her book as well as some personal reflections. Establishing a biblical worldview is ...

Some Thoughts for Consideration Larry R Evans "Fear God and give him glory . . . " -- Revelation 14:7 How do we give glory to God? Do we do it by being obedient? By helping others? By giving our tithes and offerings? Perhaps but not by doing these things directly. Consider the following: "'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him' (2 Chronicles 16:9). God is not looking for people to work for Him, so much as He is looking for people who will let Him work for them. The gospel is not a help-wanted ad. Neither is the call to Christian service. On the contrary, the gospel commands us to give up and hang out a help-wanted sign (this is the basic meaning of prayer.). Then the gospel promises that God will work for us if we do. He will not surrender the glory of being the Giver. But is there not anything we can give Him that won't belittle Him to the status...

"The mystery (Eph. 5:32) is this: God did not create the union of Christ and the church after the pattern of human marriage--just the reverse! He created human marrige on the pattern of Christ's relation to the church. The mystery of Genesis 2:24 is tha the marriage it describes is a parable or symbol of Christ's relation to His people. There was more going on in the creation of woman than meets the eye. God doesn't do thing willy-nilly. Everything has a purpose and meaning. When God engaged to create man and woman and to ordain the union of marriage, He didn't roll the dice or draw straws or flip a coin as to how they might be related to each other. He patterned marriage very purposefully after the relationship between His Son and the church, which he had planned from all eternity. Therefore, marriage is a mystery--it contains an conceals a meaning far greater than what we see on the outside. God created man male and female and ordained marriage so that ...

January 2010 We have reluctantly come to the decision that we will need to temporarily step down from teaching the Sabbath School class and therefore making posts of our teaching notes to this blog. I need to focus on my work responsibilities regarding preparations for the coming General Conference Session in Atlanta, June 23-July 3, 2010. I wish to thank all who have sent comments regarding the notes that have been posted. The archives of these notes from 2007 to 2009 will still be accessible. We remain committed to our thrust that "Scripture is not just for learning but for living" and that the inductive Bible study approach is a helpful way to discern God's plan for each of us. During this interim I will begin sharing/posting short provocative thoughts found in my reading as well as some devotional insights I gain from my own study. [See Below] These posts will not be done on a regular basis so you may want to check back from time to time or join as a "Follo...

December 26, 2009 Larry R Evans Reflective Introduction Does it strike you as strange, as it does me, that after wandering in the wilderness for forty years the Israelites now need cities of refuge? What’s going on here? In Numbers 32 we are given a history lesson—an important one. Here we are reminded at the outset that it was the Lord who opened the way for their escape from Egypt (vss.3,4). Then the circuitous route through the desert leading to the very edge of the Promised Land is outlined. Such memories surely must have brought some pain as their rebellious ways were uncovered once again. But with the pain also came great anticipation as they looked across the Jordan to their new home. Within a very short time God was going to give His wandering people something they had not experienced since before their captivity in Egypt—their independence. As good as that is, it isn’t doesn’t come without inherent dangers. Just ask Adam, Eve, Cain and Able how they handl...

December 26, 2009 Larry R Evans Reflective Introduction Does it strike you as strange, as it does me, that after wandering in the wilderness for forty years the Israelites now need cities of refuge? What’s going on here? In Numbers 32 we are given a history lesson—an important one. Here we are reminded at the outset that it was the Lord who opened the way for their escape from Egypt (vss.3,4). Then the circuitous route through the desert leading to the very edge of the Promised Land is outlined. Such memories surely must have brought some pain as their rebellious ways were uncovered once again. But with the pain also came great anticipation as they looked across the Jordan to their new home. Within a very short time God was going to give His wandering people something they had not experienced since before their captivity in Egypt—their independence. As good as that is, it isn’t doesn’t come without inherent dangers. Just ask Adam, Eve, Cain and Able how they handl...

December 19, 2009 Larry R Evans Reflective Introduction Will we ever learn from our mistakes? That is the dominating issue for this week’s lesson. It is a tough one because while the principles remain the same, new circumstances arise which ask the same question but in different ways. Wise is the person who can discern the real issue and apply the lessons learned from the past. We must ever bear in mind, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” (Ellen White, Life Sketches , p.196) Reflective Quiz 1. A plan for distributing the land of Canaan prior to the arrival of the children of Israel was a demonstration of faith. [Num.26:52-56] True or False? 2. The land of Canaan was to be divided among the tribes of Israel on a first come first serve basis. [Num. 26:52-56] True or False? 3. Policies were established for God’s people prior to the development of the...