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Weekly Bible Study Resources

Bible Characters for Your Weekly Bible Study

Compiled by Lt Gen C. Norman Wood, USAF (Ret), Burke, VA 22015

For week of February 2 - 8, 2009

Smith, E. James, "There's a Spirit Abroad," POEM, Christian Science Journal, Vol.3 (May 1885), p. 26.

THERE'S a spirit abroad: yea, with power increasing,

And fighting the armies of sin;

Never retreating, but steady, unceasing,

Every battle and fort it will win….

Yea, the spirit of love is fulfilling the promise —

Gathering the harvests on Calvary sown,

And yielding the sweets from Gethsemane's garden,

To strengthen the hearts of the sad and forlorn.

There's a spirit abroad, oh hearts that are troubled;

Ye souls that are fearful, be fearful no more;

Look up from the earth, the sky's full of angels —

Ministering ones from the heavenly shore.

Ye lowly in heart, and humble of spirit,

Ye trampled in dust, the earth shall be thine;

The mighty shall bow to the sway of the gentle —

By the power of God, — in the fulness of time.

RESPONSIVE READING: Jesus' Discourse on the New Birth with Nicodemus (John 3: 1-8)

TIME LINE: The Year of Inauguration (Jesus’ 1st year of ministry) in Jerusalem, 27 AD. Written c. 80-90 AD.

Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of the life of Jesus is that of his personal interviews with different individuals from various strata of society and religious backgrounds. "This scene contrasts Nicodemus' earth-bound understanding with Jesus' wide perspective on God and the Spirit." (Oxford Bible Commentary)

“The ministry at Jerusalem, though disappointing was not fruitless.” (Dummelow Commentary) “Having heard that Jesus knows the motives of the kind of person…who has placed faith in him on the basis of ‘signs,’ the reader is immediately introduced to such a person…Nicodemus. The dialog becomes an illustration of the discussion between those who apparently share the same identity (both are Jewish teachers/leaders) but do not read the ‘signs’ in the same way.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

"While some have thought that Nicodemus' visit at night [v.2] was somehow figurative of the spiritual darkness of his heart (cf. 1:5; 9:4; 11:10; 13:30) or that he decided to come at this time because he could take more time with Jesus and be unhurried in conversation, perhaps the most logical explanation lies in the fact that, as a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus was afraid of the implications of associating openly in conversation with Jesus." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

"Jesus referred not to literal water here [v.5 born of water and of the Spirit], but to the need for 'cleansing' (e.g., Ezek 36:24-27)." (Ibid)

"The wind [v.8] (Gr. Pneuma) which is the same word used for spirit cannot be seen or explained. The wind can only be heard or observed in relation to its effect." (King James Bible Commentary)

Nicodemus

[Nick oh dee’ mus](‘conqueror of the people”)

Nicodemus was "a Pharisee and a 'ruler of the Jews,' mentioned only by John." (Baker Encyclopedia) He was also a member of the Sanhedrin who probably became a disciple of Jesus. He is first noticed as visiting Jesus by night for the purpose of learning more of his doctrines, which Jesus then unfolded to him, giving prominence to the necessity of being “born again.” "In Nicodemus a noble candor and a simple love of truth shine out in the midst of hesitation and fear of man." (Peloubet's Bible Dictionary)

“Nicodemus was a wealthy, educated, and powerful man—well respected by his people and a descendant of the patriarch Abraham. He was described by Jesus as “the teacher of Israel,” implying he was well trained in Old Testament law and tradition. Jesus told Nicodemus that physical generation was not enough, nor could his descent from the line of Abraham enable him to be saved. Only as a person has a spiritual generation—a birth from above—will he be able to see the kingdom of God.” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

“The next time Nicodemus appears in the Gospel of John, he shows a cautious, guarded sympathy with Jesus. When the Sanhedrin began to denounce Jesus as a false prophet, Nicodemus counseled the court by saying, ‘Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?’ (John 7:51).” (Ibid)

“Nicodemus appears a third and final time [with Joseph of Arimathea] in the Gospel of John.” (Ibid) "After Jesus' death, Nicodemus provides an enormous amount of spices for Jesus' burial, thus implying that he was wealthy (John 19:39-40)." (Eerdmans Dictionary)

"Nicodemus functions, along with the Samaritan woman, as an illustration of the power of the Christian gospel to attract whoever might believe, regardless of education, wealth, piety, or circumstances (John 3:16; 12:32)." (Anchor Bible Dictionary) “Christian tradition has it that Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and John, suffered persecution from hostile Jews, lost his membership in the Sanhedrin, and was forced to leave Jerusalem because of his Christian faith.” (Eerdmans Dictionary)

Moss, Eugene W., “The Night of Nicodemus,” POEM, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol.68 (3 December 1966), p. 2127.

Here I am: helpless, defeated, hopeless.

In my night of doubt and despair,

I look, down through the centuries,

to Nicodemus of old, who in his night

went to Jesus.

How I love that lonely, wisdom-seeking Pharisee;

he brought my questions to the Master.

(I too am now old and scarred.)

So I listen carefully

as Jesus instructs Nicodemus and me

in the delicate art of regeneration.

Now even, but especially now in my maturity,

I must be born again—of Spirit.

I am not overpowered.

I’m not helplessly surrendering to evil.

I am deliberately and willingly yielding to Spirit,

cleansing thought in pure water,

learning to live love—even in the face of hate….

WAGERS, RALPH E. (CSB, Lecturer, Associate Editor, Normal Class Teacher, and President), “Heaven: Now or Then?,” EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol.62 (8 October 1960), p. 1783.

--As long as human thought is immersed in [a] materialistic sense of things, people will look upon spiritual life as having to do with then, not now; with there, not here.

--Our need is to overcome the belief in any presence, power, substance, or life apart from or opposed to Spirit, God.

• We do not die into heaven.

---We are born into it through spiritual rebirth.

• That is what Jesus told Nicodemus.

--In the spiritual realm--and there is actually no other--error has no place or power; divine Mind is supreme, and each manifestation of being is aware of its divine purpose in the eternal order of harmonious being.

--Soul coordinates each individual manifestation of life in a faultless master plan.

SECTION I: The Reforms of King Asa (II Chron 15: 1, 2, [to 3rd ;], 7-10, 12,1 4, 15, 19)

RELATED SCRIPTURE: I Kings 15: 11-15

TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: "Jewish tradition strongly favors Ezra the priest…as 'the chronicler'. These records were most likely recorded c. 450-430 B.C." (MacArthur Bible Commentary) The event took place during the reign of Asa, 905-874 BC.

The Spirit of God [v.1] is "an act of the Holy Spirit, common in the OT, enabling servants of God to speak or act uniquely for Him." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

Vv. 11-15: "The assembled worshipers entered into a renewed promise to obey (cf. Ex 24:1ff.) and to rigorously enforce the laws which made idolatry punishable by death (cf. Deut 17:2-5)." (Ibid)

Azariah the Prophet

[Az'uh ri'uh] ("Yahweh has helped")

Azariah "was a prophet, mentioned only here, who met Asa as he returned from the victory and spoke to him before all his army." (MacArthur Bible Commentary) He "encouraged King Asa to persevere in national religious reformation (II Chron 15:1-8)." (Westminster Dictionary)

King Asa of Judah

[Ay'suh] ('helper")

Maacah

Asa

Abijah

Asa was the "third king of Judah (c.917-876 BC), son of Maacah and brother of Abijah. His reforming energy was great and by bringing sacred articles from other shrines to Jerusalem (I Ki 15:15) he enhanced the Temple's preeminence." (Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary)

Oded/Azariah the Prophet

(the same person as Azariah, above)

House, Annie Lorena, "'Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace,'" POEM, Christian Science Journal, Vol.74 (September 1956), p. 464.

In learning God aright men are made free.

Truth, like a symphony, bestirs mankind

To seek divine acquaintanceship and find

Love's workmanship at one with harmony;

In Spirit's holy handiwork to see

Perfection imaged; to behold in Mind

Man's Godlike grace and sovereignty defined

By Mind's dominion and its majesty.

While truthful views reveal the Principle

Of spiritual being as complete, divine

Interrelation of a perfect whole

Held in accord by law invincible,

Life's focal radiancies forever shine,

Prismatically beautiful by Soul.

Moody, William E. (CSB, Associate Editor, Editor, President, 2nd Reader, and Contributing Editor; West Tisbury, MA), "Change and Reformation," EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel (1 November 1993), p. 28.

--The Science of Christ maintains that…reformation is a natural result of prayer and spiritual understanding.

--Change in our lives, whenever it is the genuine reformation consonant with a maturing spiritual sense of divine reality, is always to be welcomed.

• Many people may indeed consider that to approach life from this standpoint is a radical way of living—and it is.

---Yet, such reformation is the only thing

that brings us out of darkness and limitation;

that does away with evil thinking;

that refines the gold of our character.

• Thus, spiritually impelled change and reformation are the seedbed of all real progress, both for our individual lives and for the world.

Temperley, Geraldine, "Finding Spiritual Peace in the Midst of War," Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 43 (23 August 1941), p. 1012.

--Actually there is no war on, in the realm of Spirit, the only true realm, where our life and being are "hid with Christ in God."

• And if our true life is lived with Christ in the spiritual realm, then our expectations of good, as students of Christian Science, should not be strengthened or diminished by a belief which remains and operates only in the material world.

--But how, one may ask, can we see the unreality of war…?

--In refreshing our spiritual vision, it is therefore helpful to remember that the sum total of all the beliefs of war can never be anything more or less than the claim of animal magnetism.

• On this subject Mary Baker Eddy has written in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p.102), "The mild forms of animal magnetism are disappearing, and its aggressive features are coming to the front."

SECTION V: Healing of the Nobleman's Son (John 4: 46-53 Jesus)

TIME LINE: The Year of Inauguration (Jesus’ 1st year of ministry) in Samaria, 28 AD. Written c. 80-90 AD.

“a certain nobleman”

This miracle cannot be the same as that recorded in Matthew 8 or Luke 7, the differences are too great. “We have here a king’s officer…a father and son…a Jew…a fever…weak faith which is blamed…Jesus is asked to come…he does not go…the healing words are spoken at Cana [south of Haifa, Israel].” (Dummelow Commentary)

"Twice the narrator recalls the first sign at Cana (4:46,54)." (Oxford Bible Commentary) “The return to the wine-miracle site of Cana (4:46) brings out a literary tie with the opening of this section of the Gospel (2:1) and is designed to bring it to a close.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

“[In this story] Jesus moves out not merely into Galilee [northern Israel] but into the heathen world, where he meets with the most favorable reception of all, for without signs and wonders (48) the officer (who may be thought of as a non-Jewish officer in the service of Herod Antipas) believes at the bare word of Jesus, prefiguring thereby the conversion of the Gentile world at large.” (Peake’s Commentary)

"The time when the official's son improved [v.53 at the same hour) corresponded precisely with the time that he had spoken with Jesus." (MacArthur Bible Commentary) "Upon discovering this, the man (with his household) again believes, by which is now clearly meant he comes to faith in Jesus." (HarperCollins Bible Commentary)

“The evangelist probably records this miracle to show that the effects of faith may extend beyond the person who exercises it; perhaps also to show that our Lord’s power to heal could be exercised at a distance.” (Dummelow Commentary)

Smith, Judge Clifford P. (CSD and Editor), “Absent Healing,” Sentinel, Vol.32 (28 June 1930), p. 850.

--The first point in the comprehension of absent healing by Christian Science is that God, the infinite Mind, does the essential work.

• In this work, God must be with the healer or practitioner, but the practitioner does not need to be in the presence of the patient.

--In at least three cases, the Master healed sufferers whom he did not meet [the Syrophenician woman’s daughter] (Mark 7:24-30), [the centurion’s servant] (Luke 7:1-10), and [the nobleman’s son] (John 4:46-53).

• Oftener than otherwise he saw and spoke to the persons for whom he rendered this service, but these instances of absent healing completely prove its possibility; and there may have been other instances in his experience besides those which the New Testament writers have recorded.

--At that time, moreover, human thought attached much more importance to physical presence than it does to-day.

"Yearning for Freedom," Christian Science Monitor (2 June 1989), p. 19.

--"Go thy way; thy son liveth." [John 4:50]

• And the man's son was healed.

--How could Jesus have been so sure that the very evidence of illness and discord would be changed?

• Wasn't it his certainty that God's power could bring the needed freedom?

---Of course these spiritual issues go far beyond political considerations, which in themselves can be full of contradictions.

• But human events of every kind can urge us to look deeper than even the critical issues of current news.

---And this is essential to all of us.

--Our continuing prayer can help bring to light God's tender love for the man He has made.

• And His love ensures that the blessing of freedom will ultimately be perceived by each individual.

SECTION VII: (Acts 8: 5, 6, 8, 26-31, 35-39)

TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: In Gaza during the Period of Transition for the Early Church, 36-37 AD. Written by Luke probably before Paul's first Roman imprisonment @60-62 AD.

“After the summary description (v.4), which recapitulates the scattering motif from v.1, the ‘turn to the Gentiles’ begins with an account of the activity of Philip in Samaria (vv.5-24).” (Eerdmans Commentary)

"Samaria (v.5) may be either the region (as in RSV) or the name of its capital city (as in NRSV), which was rebuilt under Herod the Great." (Oxford Bible Commentary)

The northern portion of Ethiopia [v.27] formed the kingdom of Meroe, which for a long period was ruled over by queens, and it was probably from this kingdom that the eunuch came.

The phrase caught away Philip (v.39) refers back to "Elijah (1 Kin 18:12; 2 Kin 2:16) and Ezekiel (Ezek 3:12,14; 8:3) [who] were also snatched away in miraculous fashion. This was a powerful confirmation to the caravan that Philip was God's representative." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

"Luke the universalist delights to record his admission into that wider communion in which all races and all conditions stand on equality. This is the first example of a Gentile baptism.” (Dummelow Commentary)

Philip the Evangelist

[Fill’ihp] (“lover of horses”)

There are eight Philips mentioned in the Apocrypha and the New Testament. The one referred to in this week’s lesson is Philip the evangelist, "not to be confused with Philip the Apostle." (HarperCollins Bible Dictionary)

Philip

Daughter }

Daughter } all unmarried and

Daughter } prophetesses (Acts 21:9)

Daughter }

Philip was one of the "'seven,' called also "'the evangelist,' who were 'chosen to serve the early church because they were reported to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 8:1).” (Who Was Who in the Bible) He was appointed along with others “to supervise the daily distribution of food to the widows following the dispute between the ‘Hellenists’ and the ‘Hebrews’ (Acts 6:1-6).” (HarperCollins Dictionary) He was one of those who were "scattered abroad" by the persecution that arose on the death of Stephen. He went first to Samaria, where he labored as an evangelist with much success.

While he was there he received a divine command to proceed toward the south, along the road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. These towns were connected by two roads. The one Philip was directed to take was that which led through Hebron, and thence through a district little inhabited, and hence called "desert." As he traveled along this road he was overtaken by a chariot in which sat a man of Ethiopia, the eunuch or chief officer of Queen Candace, who was at that moment reading, probably from the Septuagint version, a portion of the prophecies of Esias (Isa 56:5). Philip entered into conversation with him, and expounded these verses, preaching to him the glad tidings of the Saviour. The eunuch received the message and believed, and was forthwith baptized, and then "went on his way rejoicing." Philip was instantly caught away by the Spirit after the baptism, and the eunuch saw him no more.

He was next found at Azotus [Ashdod], whence he went forth in his evangelistic work till he came to Caesarea. "After Acts 8 Philip's sole appearance is at 21:8-9, [twenty years later] along with his four prophetic daughters, as one of Paul's hosts on the latter's final journey to Jerusalem. Philip's designation as the 'evangelist' in 21:8 represents a commonsense conclusion based on his earlier activity in Acts." (Eerdmans Dictionary) He then finally disappears from the page of history.

"a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch"

A eunuch is "typically a castrated official in the royal courts of ancient Israel and surrounding kingdoms who is appropriate to serve the queen (2 Kgs 9:30-32; Esth 4:4-5; Acts 8:27) or the king's harem (Esth 2:14-15)." (Eerdmans Dictionary) This eunuch was the chief officer or prime minister of state to Candace, queen of Ethiopia. “The eunuch, though a believer in the God of Israel, was a Gentile." (Dummelow Commentary) He was converted to Christianity by Philip.

Queen Candace

[Can’duh see]

Candace is "an Ethiopian title for the queen and queen mother." (Eerdmans Dictionary)

"The queen of the Ethiopians whose 'eunuch' or chamberlain was converted to Christianity by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:27). The country which she ruled was called by the Greeks Meroe, in Upper Nubia. It was long the center of commercial intercourse between Africa and the south of Asia, and hence became famous for its wealth….It is probable that Judaism had taken root in Ethiopia at this time, and hence the visit of the queen's treasurer to Jerusalem to keep the feast. There is a tradition that Candace was herself converted to Christianity by her treasurer on his return, and that he became the apostle of Christianity in that whole region, carrying it also into Abyssinia." (Easton Dictionary)

Esaias/Isaiah

[I zay'yuhs] (“the salvation of Jehovah”)

(Abbreviated)

"All that is known of Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet to whom the book is attributed, is found in the book itself. He is not referred to elsewhere in the Bible apart from parallel passages in Kings and Chronicles (2 Kings 19-20; 2 Chron. 29-32). The book contains a few biographical details, which present the picture of a prophet in the traditional pattern: a glimpse into the heavenly court; the giving of symbolic names to his children; dramatic appearances at the court of kings; prophesying through symbolic actions; the performing of miracles; and the condemnation of injustice and apposition." (Oxford Guide to People & Places) He is called "Esaias in the AV in the N.T." (Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary)

Twitchell, Pierrepont E., "Philip at Jordan," POEM, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol.55 (6 June 1953), p. 986.

There is a ford where Jordan flows beside

Bethabara, and here the people press

Where John is preaching in the wilderness.

He calls us to repent. From far and wide

We come and find, when we confess

And are baptized, our hearts are purified.

Like this, I feel Esaias must have been:

Commanding us that we forsake all sin.

They point, both he and John, to times ahead

When opened hearts shall let Messiah in

To cleanse and teach and heal. The prophets said

That he would come to prove that God is near,

That every one of us is very dear

To the great heart of Love.

And, so at last

Messiah now has come. I found him here

At Jordan, and now the waiting years are past….

Clarke, Gordon R., “Arise and go—higher,” POEM, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol.85 (5 September 1983), p. 1526.

There was plenty to do in Jerusalem.

Important work. Teaching work. Healing work.

No logical reason to leave and go elsewhere.

Yet Philip heard the voice, the angel voice,

bidding him to go out on the road to Gaza.

Gaza? A desert place?

But “he arose and went”—not knowing why,

only that he was to go.

He soon found out the why.

For there his path came near the Ethiopian,

a thinker hungry to understand spiritual things.

Before long Philip was explaining, sharing—

and soon after, a bright-eyed Ethiopian

took his newborn vision home to a faraway place.

One wonders—how many others must have been touched?....

“Old Testament prophets,” WORKING WITH THE WORD COLUMN, Christian Science Journal, Vol.110 (August 1992), p. 42.

--Because of who they were, the message they proclaimed, and their effect on the spiritual development of their world and ours, the prophets have been described both as “some of the most disturbing people who have ever lived” and as “the men whose inspiration brought the Bible into being—the men whose image is our refuge in distress, and whose voice and vision sustain our faith” (Abraham Heschel, The Prophets).

--Originally called “seers” (I Sam 9:9), the prophets proclaimed the divine viewpoint, putting human experience into perspective on the basis of God’s purpose and activity.

• In a sense the Scriptures taken as a whole are largely the prophetic interpretation of history as it unfolded for the Biblical peoples.

---While more accurately “forth-tellers” of divine revelation than foretellers of human history, the prophets—proclaiming divine truth as they did—often served both ends.

"The Sacred Page," Christian Science Monitor (9 July 1992), p. 19.

--Isn't it illogical to think that God—who loves man, His own complete creation—would ever mean not to be understood?

• Nor would God want anyone to remain in ignorance about His nature as infinite Spirit and eternal, divine Love.

--There's a Bible story in Acts that illustrates this point.

• It tells how a staunch early Christian, Philip, helped an Ethiopian man understand what he was reading from the prophet Esias.

---Philip met this man on the road, but it was no chance meeting. God had directed him there.

• And help he did. As the Bible says, "Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."

---When Philip left him, the Bible tells us, this Ethiopian "went on his way rejoicing."

Bennett, Stokes Anthony, "Preaching and Practice," Christian Science Journal, Vol.28 (December 1911), p. 795.

--Seeing…that demonstration is not only our high privilege and blessing, but that it is the direct verification of our understanding and sincerity, let us as Christian Scientists go forth to our labors not with much preaching, but with much practice.

• Let us give to those who are asking a reason for the hope that is in us, a reply in deeds that shall be decisive and unanswerable.

---To those standing afar off and looking, perchance, with criticism and doubt for proofs of our profession, let us present works of wisdom and might that shall be the means of bringing them nearer to us, and consequently nearer to the divine source of all the power we possess.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

The Bibliography is provided only in the notes of the first Sunday each month.

*The weekly Bible Lessons are made up of selections from the King James Version of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

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