Study questions for tomorrow morning

We press forward through Luke 2, starting with a handful of study questions:

1. Why did including Simeon and Anna make Dr. Luke’s gospel account stronger?
2. Why did God send these extra messages to Mary and Joseph through Simeon and Anna?
3. How have you reflected on God’s promises in your heart?
4. What kind of sword has ever pierced your heart?
5. What significance is there in the mention of Caesar Augustus?
6. What is the basic function of an angel? How do they fulfill that function in their appearance to the shepherds?
7. What is the meaning of the phrase, "first born son" to a Jew of that day?
8. When Jesus became a sign of contradiction, whom was he contradicting?

Continuing Luke's first chapter

Last week we looked into vv. 1-38 of Luke's first chapter. This week, we tackle the rest of the chapter, although with the Magnificat and the Benedictus in this part of Ch. 1, one culd easily spend a lifetime thinking about that short set of verses!

We will continue to employ study questions from the Hahn/Mitch study guide, and here are a few more study questions concerning this part of Ch. 1:

1. Mary visits her coursin, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth blesses Mary. What inspired Elizabeth to bless Mary this way?
2. Can God actually stop evil? How would Mary answer that question? What about an apostle like Peter or Paul?
3. How does Mary’s response to Gabriel's announcement differ from the actions of Eve?
4. How does pre-birth John the Baptist react to the real presence of his Lord?
5. How impossible did God’s promise seem -- His promise of mercy to Abraham -- and how long did it look ahead for its fulfillment?
6. Is it okay to worship Mary?
7. What aspect of God’s promise to Abraham has the properties of the truth?
8. How has God hallowed His own name in this chapter of Luke’s gospel?

We begin Luke's Gospel this Thursday.

This week we begin the study of Luke's Gospel, including the study guide written by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Here are some questions we can use concerning this first chapter; questions from the Hahn/Mitch study guide are in italics:

1. What is the Old Testament significance of Gabriel's prophecy that John the Baptist would "drink no wine nor strong drink"? Who are some other figures who had the same commitment as John?
2. Is it fitting that Christ should have been born of an espoused virgin?
3. What considerations help us understand the meaning of the title "full of grace" that Gabriel gives to Mary?
4. Should the accomplishment of Christ's conception should be attributed to the Holy Ghost or to God the Father?
5. Was Christ sanctified in the first instant of His conception?
6. Was it necessary to announce to the Blessed Virgin that which was to be done in her?
7. Why is the angel’s use of the term "overshadow" significant? What Old Testament passage uses the term? In that passage, what was overshadowed?
8. How does Luke... portray Mary as the Ark of the Covenant?
9. Was the Blessed Virgin was sanctified before her birth from the womb?
10. Did Christ acquire His judiciary power, the power to judge, by His merits or was it due to Him, prior to any acts of merit?

Be ready for more questions on Thursday morning, as we gaze into this opening passage of Luke's gospel, seeking the Lord Jesus.

The seven great psalms

We have finished a study of these seven of the greatest psalms:

54. Psalm 54, O God, by your name save me.
19. Psalm 19, The heavens declare the glory of God.
128. Psalm 128, Blessed are all who fear the LORD.
90. Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses the man of God.
33. Psalm 33, Rejoice, you righteous, in the LORD.
126. Psalm 126, When the Lord brought Zion's captives home, at first it seemed like a dream.
18. Psalm 18, He said: I love you, LORD, my strength.

Praise, humility, obedience and delight in God's word, all in these psalms of power. As the psalmist sings, "What marvels indeed He has done for us, and how overjoyed we were!"

Psalm 18

The psalm of intense power, 51 verses full with God's grace.

What things soever are spoken in this Psalm which cannot apply to the Lord Himself personally, that is to the Head of the Church, must be referred to the Church. For whole Christ speaks here, in whom are all His members.
- St. Augustine

Let's begin with a few questions:

1. For David the king, in time of danger, what would he consider to be a band of death, a cord of death that could encompass or encircle him?
2. What band of death tried to encompass Jesus?
3. Was David ever trapped underwater or endangered by the sea? If not, who was?
4. When did David display righteousness when he was in danger?
5. Have you ever wished for a path through a dangerous place, a perfect path, where you could step and be sure not to fall?
6. Does v. 12 seem like a description, in a way, of a tabernacle?
   
   I.e., does it have properties we would expect a normal tabernacle to have?
7. What happens to hailstones when they land on the ground? How does this compare to God's admonition, as it lands in our heart?
8. What is it that enlightens our vision? And how is it that God lights a man's lamp, enlightening his vision?

Psalm 126, the psalm of freedom

"When the Lord brought Zion's captives home, at first it seemed like a dream." What noble words to begin this psalm! Only six verses, yet they are powerful.

Here are some additional questions by which to work through this psalm:

1. How did we get into captivity? Where were we captive?
2. Are we promised a return to 31.7857°N, 35.2007°E, i.e., to Jerusalem in Israel?
3. Make a mental list: How many times did Israel become captive? How many people in the Old Testament experienced captivity?
4. Was Jesus ever a captive? How about the apostles?
5. What is the nature of Babylon? How would a prophet describe it?
6. If you follow the Messiah, are you heading home from Babylon or back to captivity?
7. How easy is it to speak if your mouth is filled?
8. What does Jesus say about the things that come out of our mouth, our words? How does he rate them?
9. Literally, the psalmist says, "like torrents in the south," What is the south of Israel like, Deacon Al?
10. What do we sow, as apostolic Christians?
11. Where were the returning captives sowing seed?
12. How many times have you planeted a garden hopefully and weeds take over the garden? Big disaster.

Now we can look into this noble song and really apply it.

Questions for Psalm 33 and its source of power

St. Augustine wrote quite a bit about this psalm, and it is understandable, being as how it is loaded with God's power.

Here are a few questions to start getting your mind wrapped around Psalm 33:

1. What is the one idea you would use to describe God's Word?
2. In v. 5 of the Douay-Rheims Psalm 33, it reads "He loves mercy and judgement." Why does mercy come first rather than judgement? Does it happen that way in an earthly court of law?
3. How is it, in v. 12, that God has an inheritance? Shouldn't it be vice versa?
4. What is the Lord's dwelling place, from which He surveys all mankind? Think it over carefully.
5. What is your hope?

It is an interesting psalm to look into, and tomorrow, with coffee and some brainpower, by the Holy Spirit's help, we will start looking into this powerful psalm!

Lofty praise, profound power: Psalm 33

We will study Psalm 33 on Thursday this week, a psalm of praise,

Sing to him a new song;
skillfully play with joyful chant.

yet also a psalm of power. The earth if full of the mercy of the Lord.

Ascent to greatness, Psalm 90, prayer of Moses the man of God

Now we turn toward the truly great psalm, Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses the man of God. Here are a few of the questions to get you really thinking.

1. If the temple in Jerusalem is God's dwelling place, then how is it that He Himself is our dwelling place, as a place of refuge?
2. From everlasting to everlasting: why does v. 2 refer to God in the present tense, "you are" as if it is between eternities?
3. From what does the Lord ask men to return? Where were they?
4. Why does Moses compare time to the life of a flowering plant?
5. Is there some significance in the numbers 70 and 80?
6. Do you have an accurate, adequate understanding of God's wrath?

There are still more questions to ask, wisdom to find, in this mighty psalm. We will start on that task tomorrow morning.

Questions in Psalm 128

Of all the 150 psalms, one of the greatest is Psalm 128, even though it is a short psalm: small yet mighty.

Here are a few questions to consider while reading and studying this psalm:

1. The second verse is literally about eating the labor of your fruits, instead of the fruits of your labors. Why is man who lives from the labor of his hands greater than the one who fears the Lord (v. 1)?
2. 
   If we think of this psalm as describing the Messiah, then we must ask, who is the Messiah's wife?
3. Who is the vineyard?
4. Who then is the structure of the home, the walls or sides inside which the vineyard produces?
5. How does Matthew say that becoming a member of Jesus' family happens? It is not a biological DNA-based family, but a family indeed, but how?
6. Who can we consider to be the children in this psalm?
7. How long will you see Jerusalem in its prosperity?

There are many truths to find in this small but mighty psalm. Let's look into it on Thursday morning.