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Bible Study: Heeding God’s correction and guidance

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NASHVILLE (BP) – This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.

This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.

Bible Passages: Isaiah 7:7-14

Discussion Questions:

– How can pious actions and words serve as a cover up for a person’s unbelief?

– When is getting a sign from God a negative thing?

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Food for thought:

Have you ever been traveling and taken the wrong exit? We may even see a sign that indicates we are on the wrong path, but ignore it. We may begin to create in our mind an alternate route to our destination to keep from admitting our mistake. Perhaps we mute the GPS so others in the vehicle do not hear it call out “rerouting.”

Some of us would rather remain on the wrong path than admit our error and accept correction.

In Isaiah 7, we find the prophet offering a sign to King Ahaz that God could be trusted. Kings Pekah and Rezin had joined forces to replace Ahaz with a king that would join forces with them to take on Assyria. Word of this threat shook Ahaz, so God sent Isaiah to assure Judah’s King that God would take care of Judah’s enemies.

Ahaz covered his lack of trust with religious words. He did not want a sign because he had already decided what and who he could or would trust. Ahaz trusted in his political savvy, offering King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria a bribe and loyalty. A sign from God would get in Ahaz’s way of trusting anyone other than God.

Couldn’t the same be said of us? Do we really want God to give us a sign that He alone is worthy of our trust? Signs can expose our lack of trust in God, so we avoid them. We already have our mind made up and the truth would only confuse things, just like it would have done for Ahaz. The offer of a sign is not a test of God, but of our willingness to trust God as sovereign. We would rather remain on the wrong path than admit our error and accept God’s correction. Fortunately, God does not leave us without a sign. Ahaz was told that a virgin would conceive and have a Son. This same sign is provided for us. Jesus is the sign that God can be trusted.

<b>Explore the Bible</b>

Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible [3].

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool [4] or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores [4].