Question for Group Discussion based on Mark Scott’s Bible lesson for August 4, 2024
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1. Talk about a time when you planned carefully and worked hard for something that fell through in the end. What did you learn from your experience?
Ask two people to read aloud Haggai 1:5-15; 2:1-9, one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to briefly summarize the passage.
2. Today’s passage begins with a word to Israel from God: “Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1:5). Lesson writer Mark Scott explains that this phrase means to “set your hearts” on the right things.
- What was the nation doing that was wrong?
- What did God want from the Israelites?
3. As Israel was disobeying God, God was sending warnings to the nation (Haggai 1:6-11).
- What kind of warnings did God send?
- Do you think God warns us against disobedience today? Explain.
4. Upon hearing God’s message, the leaders and the people “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai” (Haggai 1:12). How were the concepts of knowledge and obedience linked? How are knowledge and obedience linked today?
5. Something interesting happened once the people listened to and obeyed the voice of the Lord: “So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel . . . and the spirit of Joshua . . . and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people” (Haggai 1:14).
- What role does obedience play today in the Spirit-filled life?
6. With their spirits “stirred up” (Haggai 1:14), the people began in earnest to construct the house of the Lord.
- Compare and contrast Haggai 1:14 with Haggai 1:4.
- What does this tell us about the difference obedient, spirit-filled living makes?
7. Some among the Israelites likely felt the temple they were building would be less significant than the former temple. But God allayed their concerns when he said, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (Haggai 2:9).
- How does it make you feel to know that God gives glory and honor at his pleasure, and not according to earthly standards?
8. Based on our study and discussion, complete the sentence: “I will . . .”
For Next Week: Read and reflect on Zechariah 7:4-14; 8:16-19; Malachi 4:5-6. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts and the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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