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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 June 28 – July 4, 2010

SUBJECT: GOD

B., E.A., “Finding God,” Christian Science Journal, Vol. 4 (August 1886), p. 119

--If we think to find God in something tangible to sense, we have no better reason for anticipating successful results than our many predecessors found. --If we could recognize God with our finite sense, we should not need to search for Him; we should know that He is the ever-present Principle,— that is, Life, Truth, Love, Substance and Intelligence.--No wonder that the cry reverberates, "Who, by seeking, can find out God?"

• Only as we cease to know Good through finite sense, do we discover a sense of Soul which shows us the omnipresence of that for which we make such vain endeavor, good that does not satiate.--Cease, then, ye weary ones, from this your vain endeavor to find out God through a sense capable of knowing only error, and let your sense of Soul lighten your burden and give joy to your heart.

SECTIONS I: Moses is reassured that the Lord will lead the people to the Promised Land (Ex 6: 2, 3, 6, 8) TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Attributed to Moses, and written 1445-1410 BC.

Exodus 6:2 begins a second, somewhat separate revelation, which is why it is introduced by the words “God spake unto Moses.” This formal speech both begins and ends with the words: “I am the Lord” (verses 2,8), which gives it a special solemn authority.

“God spoke to Moses and reminded him of His promises to the patriarchs [vv.2-5]. Once again, the focal point of the covenant was the land of Canaan deeded to their descendants by divine decree.” (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

Moses

[Mō’zez] (Egyp. “extraction, a son”/Heb. “drawn from the water”)

“MOSES. A corporeal mortal; moral courage; a type of moral law and the demonstration thereof; the proof that, without the gospel, — the union of justice and affection, — there is something spiritually lacking, since justice demands penalties under the law.” (S&H 592: 11)

(Abbreviated)Moses was the first and preeminent Hebrew leader, who led the people in their exodus out of

Egypt to the threshold of the Promised Land; and he was a lawgiver and the archetypical prophet. He "is the most majestic figure in the Old Testament. His role was so central that the Pentateuch was called the Five Books of Moses, and the code of religious laws, the Law of Moses." (Who's Who in the Old Testament) For all his greatness, Moses never loses his humanness, displaying anger, frustration, and lack of self-confidence in addition to his leadership abilities, humility, and perseverance….

CSDirectory.com weekly Bible Study resources http://www.csdirectory.com/biblestudy/nw-index.html1

Bible Characters for your weekly Bible study — June 28 – July 4, 2010

THE RETURN TO EGYPT

As an adult, Moses was sent to lead the people out of Egypt, and there is no question that he was a successful leader. He took a mixed multitude and under his guidance they were shaped into a national entity. Moses led the people from encampment to encampment and directed them when conflicts with other nations arose. Like most leaders, he was subjected to complaints and grumbling and even rebellions, and he was called upon to provide solutions to problems and psychological encouragement. Moses served as the link between the Israelites and God; he interceded with God on behalf of the people.

The Announcement of Deliverance. “Moses went back to Jethro and told him that he had to return to Egypt, and Jethro sent him on his way with his good wishes.” (All the People in the Bible)

Pharaoh’s Opposition. “Soon after his return, Moses stirred the Hebrews to revolt and demanded of Pharaoh, ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness (Ex 5:1).” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

People's Tasks Increased. "Aaron spoke and acted for Moses, and was the permanent inheritor of the sacred staff of power." (Peloubet's Bible Dictionary)

Moses "and Aaron produced signs and nine plagues to persuade Pharaoh to allow the Hebrews to depart Egypt, either to go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifice to God or to leave the land for good." (Oxford Guide to People & Places)….

Abraham: Abraham was the first patriarch and was founder of the Hebrew nation. He is “the earliest biblical character who is delineated clearly enough to be correlated, to a limited extent, within world history. His homeland on the Fertile Crescent (possibly at Haran) and movements southeast toward Chaldean Ur, then west to Canaan and Egypt, corresponded to known Amorite migratory and commercial routes.” (Oxford Guide to People & Places) In Jewish, Christian, and Moslem tradition, he emerges as a father-figure— dignified, firm in his faith, humane, respected by the local rulers wherever he went. He moves slowly and majestically across the Near Eastern world of nearly four-thousand years ago, from Mesopotamia [Iraq] to Egypt. The main setting for his story is the central hill country in the Land of Canaan [Israel] promised to him and his seed by God.Isaac: Isaac is the only son of Abraham and Sarah, but the second son born to Abraham. "The principle stories about Isaac are found in Genesis 21-28. Isaac is a more shadowy figure than the other patriarchs, and little if anything can be said of him as a historical figure." (Oxford Guide to People & Places)Jacob: Jacob was the second twin son of Isaac and Rebekah. He is the father of Dinah and of twelve sons whose names are those of tribes. “The Bible presents Jacob in a double light. On the one hand, he is the revered ancestor of the people of Israel, and indeed the name Israel is said to have been given him by God after he had wrestled with God himself at Penuel; on the other, he is a trickster, who deceives his brother into parting with his birthright and his father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn that should have belonged to Esau.” (Oxford Guide to People & Places)

Jehovah



“The name ‘Jehovah’ is an artificial form that rose from an attempt to translate the ancient Hebrew name of God. Since Hebrew writing originally used only consonants, the biblical name of God was written in only four letters called the Tetragrammaton (‘four-letter’). The letters were YHUH, sometimes translated as JHVH, and were believed to be pronounced Yahweh. The name is probably derived from the Hebrew hayah, ‘[I] am’ (Exod. 3:14).” (All the People in the Bible)

Leishman, Thomas L., “Moses: Leader of the Exodus,” THE CONTINUITY OF THE BIBLE, Christian Science Journal, Vol. 82 (December 1964), p. 652.

--After the institution of the Passover, the Hebrews obeyed the demand that they leave Egypt without delay (the Egyptians at last being terrified by the succession of plagues).

• So the Israelites and their leader, Moses, turned their steps toward their ancestral land of Canaan (see Gen. 12:5; 47:1).--It was indeed a great concourse of people which set out from Rameses, where many of them had served so strenuously…about six hundred thousand grown men were in the company.

• On the basis of this estimate, it has been calculated that the total number of the emigrants may have been little short of two million.--In their advance they were still protected by the pillar of cloud, for their escape was well covered by it.--Passage after passage in both the Old and New Testaments gladly recall this signal deliverance. The journey toward the Promised Land was now directly under way, and Moses’ leadership had received further vindication.

Deutsch, Henry, ARTICLES, Christian Science Sentinel , Vol. 17 (3 April 1915), p. 608. (in The Jewish Journal, Minneapolis, Minn.)

--All monotheistic religions are judged first by their fundamentals, and secondly by the results of their application as shown in the effects on their adherents, and through them upon the world, in advancing the correct knowledge and worship of God and the establishment of His kingdom. --Christian Science teaches that we all have one Father, and that true religion consists not in mere beliefs, forms, ceremonies, and rites, but in the absolute and undivided obedience to and worship of the one God and the practice of love toward our fellow men. --Christian Science revives in the Jew's consciousness the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and affords proof again of the Almighty, who forgiveth all our iniquities and healeth all our diseases,—"a very present help in trouble."

Adams, Elizabeth Challis, “The Egyptians,” Christian Science Sentinel , Vol. 26 (2 August 1924), p. 966.

--Who are the present-day Egyptians from whom we long to be freed?• In Exodus is recorded the statement which came to Moses by the voice of Truth, “Wherefore

say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.” (Ex 6: 6)

---Are not our Egyptians nothing more or less than our failures to understand man’s relation to God, or our false beliefs of a selfhood apart from God, which claim to bind us to the matter myth with all that this myth involves of pain and fear and selfishness?

• These indeed are the Egyptians we have allowed to fetter us.--As Mrs. Eddy puts it in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p.223): "Sooner or later we shall learn that the fetters of man's finite capacity are forged by the illusion that he lives in body instead of in Soul, in matter instead of in Spirit."



--The journey out of Egyptian darkness into the light of the knowledge of God may seem long, but its length will be exactly in proportion to our implicit trust in the divine Mind as the one reality, and our consequent denial of the false claims of matter.

Estes, Emma A., “Bondage,” Christian Science Journal , Vol. 12 (October 1894), p. 284.

--BONDAGE, or slavery, says Webster, is involuntary servitude. Thus a service independent of our own free-will or choice.--"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments." Ex. vi. 6.--It is not difficult for us to see that we are the children of Israel to-day journeying through the wilderness of material sense toward the promised land of spiritual freedom, but not yet entirely "out from under the burdens of the Egyptians," — the beliefs of mortal sense, — and despite our boasted claim of freedom, not yet rid of the bondage of the claims of life, substance, and intelligence in matter.

• The "outstretched arm" or mighty power of divine Truth and Love realized, alone can redeem us, through its judgments, from the bondage of the sense that tells us we are carnal creatures — "conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity."--But "ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free."

Linnell, Caroline B., “Our Heritage,” Christian Science Sentinel , Vol. 8 (2 December 1905), p. 212.

--We have too long believed that our heritage was a material one, and that we were bound by certain tendencies which came from an earthly parentage; but now we know that God is our Father, and we should look for those qualities in us which are like Him, and this is what every true Christian Scientist is earnestly endeavoring to do—to prove his heritage by overcoming whatever in himself is unlike his Father, God.

• Sometimes it is a physical ill to be overcome, sometimes a fear cast out, a wrong thought corrected, and the joy of this daily overcoming of sin and disease none but a Christian Scientist knows, for each day we are coming to know with a greater degree of certainty, that God is indeed our Father, that we are, even now, His children; and thus we are enabled to say, "Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure."

SECTION III: King Nebuchadnezzar tests Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (Dan 3: 1 [to :], 8, 12-18, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28)TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: The event occurred on the Plain of Dura; it was probably written by Daniel @530 BC.

“ Chapter 3 opens with Nebuchadnezzar erecting a giant golden statue.” (Theological Bible Commentary) He "summons to its dedication all the officials of his empire, who are commanded to fall down and worship the image at a given musical signal, on pain of being cast into a furnace (vv.1-6). They all do so, with the exception of Daniel's three friends, whose refusal is reported to Nebuchadnezzar (vv.7-12). They are summoned before the king, and persist in their refusal (vv.13-18). Nebuchadnezzar commands the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual, and the three Jewish youths are bound and cast into it, the flames slaying their executioners (vv.19-22). The king sees them walking in the fire unbound and accompanied by a divine figure (vv.23-25). He summons them forth, finds them unharmed, magnifies their God, decrees that He be held in universal reverence, and gives them further promotion (vv.26-30)." (Dummelow Commentary)

"The statue [v.1 image of gold], which the king arrogantly made, represented himself as a grandiose expression of his greatness and glory and reflected the dream in which he was the head of gold (2:38)." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)



King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon[Neb you kad nez’ur] (“O god Nabu, protect my son” or “Nebo, defend the boundary”)

(Abbreviated_Nebuchadnezzar was "the powerful king of the Babylonian Empire who captured Jerusalem

three times." (Baker Encyclopedia) He was the son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Babylon from its dependence on Assyria and laid Nineveh in ruins. "Before his reign began, he developed a considerable reputation as a field commander." (Anchor Bible Dictionary) He was "the most powerful and longest reigning king of the neo-Babylonian (625-539 B.C.) period. (HarperCollins Bible Dictionary) He married the daughter of Cyaxares, and thus the Median and Babylonian dynasties were united….

“He greatly expanded and beautified Babylon, including the erection of handsome temples and the restoration of the Great Ziggurat in the middle of the city (which tradition says was the Tower of Babel).” (All the People of the Bible)….

Shadrach[Shad’rak] (“command of [the god] Aku)

Shadrach was the Chaldean name given to Hananiah, by Ashpenaz, the chief of Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuchs. "The etymology is uncertain." (HarperCollins Bible Dictionary) He was one of the Hebrew youths whom Nebuchadnezzar carried captive to Babylon in 605 BC. In addition to refusing the “king’s meat,” he, and his two companions, refused to worship the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up (Dan 1:7; 3:12-30) on the plains of Dura. Their conduct filled the king with the greatest fury, and he commanded them to be cast into the burning fiery furnace. Here, amid the fiery flames, they were preserved from harm. Over them the fire had no power, "neither was a hair of their head singed, neither had the smell of fire passed on them." Thus Nebuchadnezzar learned the greatness of the God of Israel.

“After their deliverance from the furnace, we hear no more of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, except in Hebrews 11:33-34, but there are repeated allusions to them in the later apocryphal books, and martyrs of the Maccabaean period seem to have been much encouraged by their example.” (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible People)

“The Song of the Three Holy Children is one of the portions of the Book of Daniel that appears in the Greek texts but not in the Hebrew-Aramaic versions. Hence it is relegated in the Authorized Version to the Apocrypha; in the Western canon it is placed in the third chapter.” (www.encyclopedia.com)

Meshach[Mee'shack] (Heb. "who is what El [God] is?")

"Meshach was the Chaldean name given to Mishael, one of the three Hebrew youths who were under training at the Babylonian court for the rank of Magi. This was probably the name of some Chaldean god." (Easton Dictionary) He was one of Daniel’s companions. "Along with Shadrach and Abednego, Meshach would not bow down and worship the pagan image of gold set up by



Nebuchadnezzar. They were cast into 'the burning fiery furnace,' but were preserved from harm by the power of God." (Who Was Who in the Bible)

"The etymology is uncertain, but a relation to Marduk, the god of Babylon, has been suggested." (HarperCollins Bible Dictionary)

Abed-nego[Uh bed’knee gō] (“servant of Nebo”)

Abed-nego was "the Chaldean name given to Azariah in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court by the prince of the eunuch’s when he was chosen as one of the king’s servants (Dan 1:7; 2:49)." (Who Was Who in the Bible) "The name appears to be a preservation of the Akkadian name Arad-nabû, 'servant of Nabû' (Nebuchadnezzar's personal God). Changing the names of people in order to change their futures was a common practice throughout the ancient Near East." (Eerdmans Dictionary)

He was one of Daniel's three companions. With Shadrach and Meshach, he was delivered from the burning fiery furnace.

Sindell, Rev. Martin, “Nebuchadnezzar,” Christian Science Journal (April 1910), p. 9.

--[Nebuchadnezzar] was viewing the vastness and splendor of his earthly accomplishments, doubtless thinking with supreme satisfaction of himself as the architect of his own fortunes.

• But his pride was to be abased, for suddenly the sentence which Daniel had passed upon him entered his consciousness: "The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."

---Poor Nebuchadnezzar!---Poor deluded mortal!

• Earthly power shown to be nothing!---"Behold, how are the mighty fallen"!

--So far as earthly power is concerned, it betrays its weakness by the very methods it employs.• When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace and saw in the seven times hot flames the

unharmed Hebrew lads, he was at least partially convinced that there was but one power, and that good.

Maschke, Jeanne, "Obedience to divine law—not golden images," Christian Science Sentinel , Vol. 96 (2 May 1994), p. 20.

--All of us are exposed to laws—in our cities and towns, in our countries.• Most of the time these laws are good and helpful, but what would we do if they were not?

--The Bible tells of a case when three Hebrew men had to face [a bad law] (see Dan.3:1-28).• King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden image set up as a token of his power and decreed that all

people in his kingdom, without exception, were to worship it. Anyone who did not obey was to suffer death in a fiery furnace.--At that time there were Hebrews living in Babylon, among them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who enjoyed the king's favor and held high offices.

• Instead of obeying the king's command, they continued to pray to the one God whom they worshipped. They were informed on and thrown into the fire. Yet through their trust in God, they survived the ordeal so well that not even "the smell of fire had passed on them."

Boyd, Florence Clerihew, “Bible Times,” Christian Science Journal , Vol. 34 (May 1916), p. 94.



--Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we must place God above the golden [image], even though it may mean for us a fiery furnace; but as we put behind us the golden lure we find nothing burnt save the bonds.

• We must rise, as did Daniel, above the desire for position and power, serving God continually until this unswerving allegiance has destroyed in our consciousness anything that the lions could feast upon, leaving nothing but "innocency."

---Like Jonah, we are sometimes tempted to think that we can get away from the demands which God makes upon us. Then, when in the depths of the sea we find that God is still with us, still protecting, still urging, we say, "I will obey," and when we come to the dreaded Nineveh we find God there before us.

Thornton, Dorothy M., “The Fiery Furnace,” Christian Science Sentinel , Vol. 42 (3 August 1940), p. 968.

--On page 151 of “Miscellaneous Writings” Mary Baker Eddy writes: “God is a consuming fire. He separates the dross from the gold, purifies the human character, through the furnace of affliction. Those who bear fruit He purgeth, that they may bear more fruit.”--This reference to the “furnace of affliction” calls to mind the story of the three Hebrews related in the third chapter of the book of Daniel, which exemplifies the truth of our Leader’s statement, and reveals many helpful lessons for the student of Christian Science today.--When the relative positions of the king and the three alien officials are considered, it is plain that their decision to remain faithful to their highest sense of good must have called for a manifestation of both moral courage and unselfishness of a very high order.--Not only was their privileged position at stake, but a severe penalty, ordered by the king, was known to be the certain price of their spiritual integrity and loyalty to the promptings of conscious.

Scheetz, June Rice, “Is goodness rewarded?,” Christian Science Sentinel , Vol. 80 (16 January 1978), p. 87.

--Bible records of those who were persecuted for right-doing show a practical application of the individuals’ highest sense of good and no compromise with human will.

• They took a stand for right.---In doing so they blessed others as well as themselves.

• Goodness is blessed because it blesses.--Daniel (or Belteshazzar, as he was called in Nebuchadnezzar’s court), as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, did not eat the king’s meat—go along with the crowd, take the line of least resistance.

• Yet “their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh” than those who did.---Neither could the fires of a red-hot furnace touch Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego

when they were cast into the midst of it: not even “the smell of fire had passed on them.” [Dan 1:15; 3:27]

SECTION IV: Jesus restores the “woman, which had an issue of blood” (Mark 5: 21, 25-34)PARALLEL GOSPELS: Matt 9: 20-22; Luke 8: 43-48TIME LINE: Near the end of the Year of Popularity (Jesus’ 2nd year of ministry), in Capernaum, 28 AD.

“a certain woman, which had an issue of blood”

“On the way to the house of Jairus a woman suffering from a hemorrhage touches Jesus’ clothing hoping to be healed. Elsewhere in the Gospels people touch Jesus' clothing hoping for healing (Matt 14:36; Mark 6:56; Luke 6:19).” (Eerdman’s Commentary). Within the story of Jairus, “however, Luke, as Matthew and Mark, inserts the episode of the healing of the women with a [hemorrhage]. Lev



15: 25-30 tells how such a tribulation was not merely a physical misfortune, but that it virtually excluded her from her place within the people of God.” (Oxford Commentary) "Judaism, as well as the other ancient Near East cultures, considered a menstruant woman taboo." (Women in the NT) Remember that Mark was written first, and this is a Markan technique used previously.

The healing of the woman with the issue (hemorrhage) is an example of the way in which Jesus accepted imperfect faith in order to render it perfect. Luke abbreviates Marks’ account. For one thing he fails to say that the woman had “spent all that she had” on “many physicians” and that she “was no better but rather grew worse.” (Eerdmans Commentary) "He also “omits the hemorrhaging woman’s interior dialogue (‘If I touch even his garments….’) in Mark and adds Jesus ‘perceiving in himself that power had gone out of him,’ heightening the narrative emphasis on Jesus’ prophetic knowledge.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

The woman was superstitious. She thought that a kind of magical virtue resided in Jesus’ body, ready to flow out to heal without any act of will on his part, or any act of faith on hers. All that she had to do was to touch, and in doing so she was careful to touch that portion of his garment which to a Jew was holiest--the tassel, which every Jew was required to wear on the four corners of his cloak to remind him of Jehovah’s commands—a reminder of Israel’s obligation to the law. But since there was real faith mingled with her superstition, Jesus allowed her to be healed, only calling her back afterwards to make her faith perfect.

"Not only is she unclean, but her clothing, everything she touched, the furniture she sits on and, of course, anyone who accidentally touches her becomes unclean." (On Your Mark) By saying “Who touched me?” and insisting on a full confession, he made it clear to the woman and to others that he had healed her by his own deliberate act, and was fully aware of all the circumstances of the case.

“The importance of direct communication with God is accentuated [vv.32-34], because experiencing God’s power is not as vital as knowing Him.” (King James Bible Commentary)

“The phrase [thy faith hath made thee whole, Mark v.34] also means ‘has saved you’; the healing story has the overtones of Christian conversion, of being delivered from the world of sickness and death unto the eschatological community of salvation. Mark’s readers (and modern ones) can see the experience of the woman as a prefiguration of their own experience, in which coming to Christian faith was the event that mediated new, eternal life.” (People’s NT Commentary) However, the Oxford Bible Commentary posits that “the miracle does not generate faith; rather, faith must be present for the miracle to occur.”

Church, Maurice Mc C., "The Cause and Cure of Disease," Christian Science Journal , Vol. 56 (4 December 1954), p. 2123.

--Mark's Gospel contains the well-loved description of the healing of a sick woman who, with hope and expectation, made her way through the crowd thronging Jesus and touched his garment.

• Then, the account records (5:29), "She felt in her body that she was healed of that plague."--This woman had been sick for a long time, for twelve years.

• She had tried to get relief from many sources, "had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse."

---What happened then when she touched Jesus' garment, and how was she healed so quickly?--Christian Science answers these questions.

• And the answers it gives bring hope to the chronic invalid, to every chronic sufferer from every so-called disease known to humankind.



---To the reader who asks, “Can I also be healed in such a manner?” this Science answers, “Yes.”

French, Etta Udora, “Touching the Hem of His Garment,” POEM, Christian Science Journal , Vol. 1 (February 1884), p. 1.

"Oh! where is He, the Master, who, ye say,Hath healed so may sick and sore distress'd?

I, too, am ill: why bid me yet delay?He never can refuse my poor request.

'Have I such faith?' Yes, surely, God's own SonHath power divine to heal and cleanse the soul:

E'en healing blessings thro' His garments run.If I but touch the hem I shall be whole.

"I see His face, so radiant and divine,Above the crowd that list His gracious word.

Oh! let me nearer: I would call Him mine;Would worship at the feet of my dear Lord.

He sees me not, so many round Him pressBut I will kneel, and, stretching out my hands,

Perhaps may touch the hemming of His dress,And so receive the blessing Faith demands."….

SECTION V: The tempest stilled on the Gadarene voyage (Luke 8: 22-25)PARALLEL GOSPELS: Matt 8: 18, 23-27; Mark 4: 35-41TIME LINE: Near the end of the Year of Popularity (Jesus’ 2nd year of ministry), on the Sea of Galilee, 28 AD.

"All three Synoptics tell of Jesus stilling the storm." (Eerdmans Commentary) “Mark and Luke both place the incident after the series of parables which Matthew records in chapter 13. This is at once one of the best-attested miracles, and one of the most incomprehensible to those who desire to limit [Jesus’] miracles to those of healing. It is perhaps possible to regard the cessation of the storm as a fortunate coincidence, but it is certain that Jesus [himself] did not take this view of it." (Dummelow Commentary)

“It is rare in the Gospels for the Twelve to be the beneficiaries of an act of Jesus’ power; usually they join him in ministering to others.” (HarperCollins Bible Dictionary)

“The Sea of Galilee is more than 690 feet below sea level. To the north, Mt. Hermon rises 9,200 feet, and from May to October strong winds often sweep through the narrow surrounding gorges into this valley, causing extremely sudden and violent storms [there arose a great tempest in the sea, Matt 8:24].” (MacArthur Bible Commentary) "The narrative of the calming of the sea ([Mark] 4:35-41) is rich in OT allusions; in the OT raging waters are a symbol of chaos and ominous power (Isa. 51:9-10; Ps. 89:8-10)." (HarperCollins Bible Commentary)

In Mark v.39 "it is a pathetic kind of rationalization to explain Jesus' command Peace! Be still! as originally directed to the disciples rather than the wind." (Interpreter's One-volume Commentary) "By stilling the storm [Jesus] showed that, behind the inexorable and awful manifestation of nature, storm, pestilence, volcanic eruptions, and sudden death, which seemed to treat man’s sufferings with indifference, there is the loving hand of divine providence. In the last resort nature is subject to God’s holy and glorious will.” (Dummelow Commentary)



“his disciples”

The disciples were from the lower ranks of life, simple and uneducated; some of them were related to Jesus according to the flesh; some had previously been disciples of John the Baptist. Jesus chose them early in his public career. As the messianic proclaimer of the reign of God, Jesus gathered about himself a special circle of twelve disciples, clearly a symbolic representation of the twelve tribes (Matt 19:28) Early in Jesus’ ministry he sent them out two and two to preach repentance and to perform miracles in his name. They accompanied him in his journey, saw his wonderful works, heard his discourses addressed to the people, and made inquiries of him on religious matters. They recognized him as the Christ, and ascribed to him supernatural power, but in the recognition of the spiritual teaching and mission of Christ they made very slow progress, held back as they were by weakness of apprehension and by natural prejudices.

English, Mrs. Marian C. (CSB, Lecturer, Board of Education, and 2nd Reader; Colorado Springs, CO), “Expressing God’s motherhood—the way of healing,” LOVE’S HEALING POWER, Christian Science Journal , Vol. 102 (March 2000), p. 7.

--The bumper sticker on the car ahead said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Her.”--To consider a heightened recognition of…equality as no more than a feminist spin on the First Commandment…would be to fall far short of the standard of Christian living and practice that Christ Jesus established.

• In his teaching and healing work, his reflection of both the fatherhood and motherhood of God was marked. He expressed strong qualities that might generally be thought of as masculine. For instance, he taught “as one having authority.” [Matt 7:29] He walked fearlessly through the middle of a mob intent on destroying him. [See Luke 4:28-30] He stilled storms with spiritual strength. [See Luke 8:22-25]--But consider the mothering qualities that enriched his ministry! “Moved with compassion,” he healed the sick.

WAGERS, RALPH E. (CSB, Lecturer, Associate Editor, Normal Class Teacher, and President), “The Price of Freedom Is Self-control,” EDITORIAL, Christian Science Journal , Vol. 82 (June 1964), p. 376.

--…freedom…while divinely given, must be humanly earned.• What we have to part with in order to achieve…freedom is…the belief that we are mortal, the

belief that we are free to sin, to act contrary to moral and spiritual law.--…true freedom has to do with complete submission to moral and spiritual law--From a human standpoint…true freedom is impossible without self-control.--The remedy for any lawless, unrestrained action of evil, whether it be cancer or insubordination to constituted authority, is to invoke the power of the divine law to put an end to whatever might be arrayed against the will of God.

• Such exercise of spiritual understanding has even silenced destructive winds, as was the case when Jesus “rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24).

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bible Translations

King James Version (KJV). Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 1611 (1955 ed.) CSDirectory.com weekly Bible Study resources http://www.csdirectory.com/biblestudy/nw-index.html

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Metzger, Bruce M. and Roland E. Murphy (eds.), The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV). Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 1991.

Moffatt, James, A New Translation of the Bible. Harper & Brothers Publishers: New York, NY, 1922 (1954 ed.)

New English Bible, The (NEB). Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 1961 (1972 ed.).

New International Version (NIV): Student Bible. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 1986 (2002 ed.).

Schuller, Robert H. (ex.ed.), Possibility Thinkers Bible: The New King James Version (NKJV). Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TN, 1984.

Scofield, Rev. C.I., D.D., The Scofield Reference Bible (KJV). Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 1909 (1945 ed.)

Thompson, Frank Charles (ed.), The New Chain-Reference Bible (KJV). B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co: Indianapolis, IN, 1964.

Today’s Parallel Bible (KJV, NIV, NASB, NLT). Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2000.

Bible Paraphrased Interpretations

Peterson, Eugene H., The Message. NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO, 1993 (2002 ed.)

Phillips, J.B., The New Testament in Modern English. Macmillan Publishing Co.: New York, NY, 1958 (1973 edition).

Commentaries

Achtemeier, Paul J., Romans: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1985.

Barton, John and John Muddiman (ed.), The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2001.

Best, Ernest, II Corinthians: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1987

Black, Matthew and H.H. Rowley (eds.), Peake’s Commentary on the Bible.Van Nostrand Reinhold (UK) Co., Ltd: London, ENG, 1962.

Boring, M. Eugene, Revelation: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1989.

Boring, M. Eugene and Fred B. Craddock, The People's New Testament Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 2004.

Brueggemann, Walter, Genesis: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1982.



Buttrick, George Arthur (comm.ed., et al), The Interpreter’s Bible. Abingdon Press: New York, NY, 1953.

Cousar, Charles B., Galatians: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1982.

Craddock, Fred B., Luke: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1990.

__________, Philippians: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1985.

Creach, Jerome F.D., Joshua: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 2003.

Davies, G. Henton, et.al. (ed.), The Twentieth Century Bible Commentary. Harper & Brothers, Publisher: New York, NY, 1932 (1955 ed.)

Dobson, Edward G. (cont. et al), King James Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TN, 1999.

Dummelow, The Rev J.R. (ed.), A Commentary on the Holy Bible. MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc: New York, NY, 1908 (1975 ed.).

Dunn, James D.G. (gen.ed.), Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 2003.

Eiselen, Frederick C. (ed.), The Abingdon Bible Commentary. Abingdon Press: New York, NY, 1929.

Fretheim, Terence E., Exodus: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1991.

Gore, Charles, Henry Leighton Goude, and Alfred Guillaume (eds.), A New Commentary on Holy Scripture. The Macmillan Company: New York, NY, 1928.

Hare, Douglas R.A., Matthew: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1993.

Hays, Richard B., I Corinthians: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1997.

Henry, Matthew, Commentary on the Holy Bible (in six volumes), 1706. Reprinted by MacDonald Publishing Co.: McLean, VA.

Laymon, Charles M. (ed.), The Interpreter’s One-volume Commentary on the Bible. Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN, 1971.

Long, Thomas G., Hebrews: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1997.



McCann, J. Clinton., Judges: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 2002.

Miller, Patrick D., Deuteronomy: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1990.

Nickelson, Ronald L. (ed.), KJV Standard Lesson Commentary: International Sunday School Lessons, 2007-2008. Standard Publishing: Cincinnati, OH, 2007.

MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TN, 2005.

Matera, Frank J., II Corinthians: The New Testament Library. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 2003.

Mays, James L. (gen ed.), HarperCollins Bible Commentary. Harper: San Francisco, CA, 2000.

McKenna, Megan, On Your Mark. Orbis Books: Maryknoll, NY, 2006.

Nelson, Richard., First and Second Kings: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1987.

Newsom, Carol A. and Sharon H. Ringe (eds.), Women’s Bible Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1998.

O’Day, Gail R. and David L. Petersen (eds.), Theological Bible Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 2009..

Olson, Dennis T., Numbers: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1996.

Perkins, Pheme, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1995.

Sloyan, Gerard S, John: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1988.

Smith, D. Moody, First, Second, and Third John: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1991.

Weiser, Artur, The Psalms: The Old Testament Library. Westminster Press: Philadelphia, PA, 1962.

Whiston, William (tr.), Josephus: The Complete Works. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TN, 1998 (reprinted). [100 AD]

Williamson, Lamar, Jr., Mark: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1983.

Willimon, William H., Acts: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 1988.

DictionariesCSDirectory.com weekly Bible Study resources http://www.csdirectory.com/biblestudy/nw-index.html

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Achtemeier, Paul J. (ed.), The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Harper: San Francisco, 1996.

Brownrigg, Ronald, Who’s Who in the Bible. The New Testament. Bonanza Books: New York, NY, 1980.

Beebe, Mary Jo; Olene E. Carroll, and Nancy H. Fischer, New Testament Healings: Peter, Paul, and Friends. General Publications Bible Products, CSPS: Boston, MA, 2003.

Butler, Trent C., Ph.D. (gen.ed.), Holmon Bible Dictionary. Holman Bible Publishers: Nashville, TN, 1991.

Buttrick, George Arthur (ed.), The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (in four volumes). Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN, 1962.

Comay, Joan, Who’s Who in the Bible: The Old Testament. Bonanza Books: New York, NY, 1980.

Evans, Craig A. & Stanley E. Porter (eds.), Dictionary of New Testament Background. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 2000.

Freedman, David Noel (editor-in-chief), The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Doubleday: New York, NY, 1992.

__________, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, MI, 2000.

Gehman, Henry Snyder (ed.), The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. The Westminster Press: Philadelphia, PA, 1970.

Green, Joel B. and Scot McKnight (eds.), Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 1992.

Jacobus, Melancthon, D.D,, et.al (eds.), Funk and Wagnalls New Standrad Bible Dictionary. Funk and Wagnalls Co.: New York, NY, 1936 (Third Revised Ed.)

Losch, Richard R., All the People in the Bible. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 2008. Metzger, Bruce and Michael D. Coogan (eds.), The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues of the Bible. Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 2001.

__________, The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible. Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 2001.

Meyers, Carol (gen.ed.), Women in Scripture. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 2001.

Peloubet, F.N., Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary. The John C. Winston Co: Philadelphia, PA, 1947.

Smith, William, LLD, A Dictionary of the Bible. American Baptist Publication Society: Philadelphia, PA, 1893.



Who Was Who in the Bible . Thomas Nelson: Nashville, TN, 1999.

www.crosswalk.com, Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary.

www.crosswalk.com, Easton’s Bible Dictionary.

Handbooks

Blair, Edward P., Abingdon Bible Handbook. Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN, 1975.

Bowker, John (ed.), The Complete Bible Handbook. DK Publishing, Inc: London, UK, 1998.

Halley, Henry H., Halley’s Bible Handbook. Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapid, MI, 1927 (1965 ed.)

Unger, Merrill F., Unger’s Bible Handbook. Moody Press: Chicago, IL, 1967.

Atlases, Maps, and Geography

DeVries, LaMoine F., Cities of the Biblical World. Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody, MA, 1997 (2nd Printing Aug 1998).

Frank, Harry Thomas (ed.), Atlas of the Bible Lands. Hammond Inc.: Maplewood, NJ, 1990.

Isbouts, Jean-Pierre, The Biblical World: an illustrated atlas. National Geographic: Washington, DC, 2007.

Nelson’s Complete Book of Maps & Charts. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TV, 1996.

Then and Now Bible Map Book. Rose Publishing: Torrance, CA, 1997.

Webster’s Geographical Dictionary. G. & C. Merriam co.: Springfield, MA, 1949 (1963 ed.).

Whitney, Rev. George H., D.D., Hand-Book of Bible Geography. Phillips & Hunt: New York, NY, 1879.

Wright, Paul H., Holmon Quick Source Bible Atlas. Holmon Bible Publishers: Nashville, TN, 2005.

Time Lines

Bible Time-Line. Christian Science Publishing Society: Boston, MA, 1993.

Bible Time Line. Rose Publishing Inc.: Torrance, CA, 2001.

Grun, Bernard, The Timetables of History. Simon & Schuster: New York, NY, 1975 (3rd ed.)

Miscellaneous

Andruss, Bessie Edmond, Bible Stories as Told To Very Little Children. Coward-McCann, Inc.: New York, NY, 1937.


http://www.crosswalk.com/

http://www.crosswalk.com/


Asimov, Isaac, Asimov’s Guide to the Bible: Two Volumes in One. Wings Books: New York, NY, 1969.

Baker, Mark (ed.), The Baker Encyclopedia of Bible People. Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI, 2006.

Barber, Wayne, Eddie Rasnake, and Richard Shepherd, Following God: Learning Life Principles from the Women of the Bible, Book One. AMG Publishers: Chattanooga, TN, 2006 (13th printing)

Beebe, Mary Jo; Olene E. Carroll, and Nancy H. Fischer, Jesus’ Healings, Part 1. General Publications Bible Products, CSPS: Boston, MA, 2002

__________, Jesus’ Healings, Part 2. General Publications Bible Products, CSPS: Boston, MA, 2002.

__________, Jesus’ Healings, Part 3. General Publications Bible Products, CSPS: Boston, MA, 2002.

Begbie, Harold (ed.), The Children's Story Bible. The Grolier Society: New York, NY, 1948.

Bible Through the Ages, The. The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.: Pleasantville, NY, 1996.

Children's Bible, The. Golden Press: New York, NY, 1965.

Click, E. Dale, The Inner Circle. CSS Publishing Company, Inc.: Lima, OH, 2000.

Crossan, John Dominic, The Birth of Christianity. HarperCollins Publishing: San Francisco, CA, 1998.

Deem, Edith, All of the Women of the Bible. HarperCollins: San Francisco, CA, 1955.

Dewey, David, A User's Guide to Bible Translations. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 2004.

Essex, Barbara J., Bad Boys of the New Testament. The Pilgrim Press: Cleveland, OH, 2005.

Feiler, Bruce, Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths. William Morrow (HarperCollins Publishers Inc): New York, NY, 2002.

Getty-Sullivan, Mary Ann, Women in the New Testament. The Liturgical Press: Collegeville, MN, 2001.

Great People of the Bible and How They Lived. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.: Pleasantville, NY, 1974 (3rd Printing).

Guignebert, Charles, The Jewish World in the Time of Jesus. University Books: New Hyde Park, NY, 1959.

Haag, Herbert and Dorothee Soelle et.al., Great Couples of the Bible. Fortress Press: Minneapolis, MN, 2004 (English Translation, 2006)

Hill, Craig C., Hellenists and Hebrews. Fortress Press: Minneapolis, MN, 1992.

Howell, James C., The Beatitudes for Today. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, KY, 2006.



Kee, Howard Clark, et al, The Cambridge Companion to the Bible. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1997.

Keller, Werner, The Bible as History. William Morrow and Co.: New York, NY, 1964 (revised).

Kirsch, Jonathan, The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible. Ballantine Books: New York, NY, 1997.

Landis, Benson Y., An Outline of the Bible Book by Book. Barnes & Noble Books: New York, NY, 1963.

Lockyer, Herbert, All the Women of the Bible. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 1967.

McBirnie, William Steuart, Ph.D., The Search for the Twelve Apostles. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, IL, 1973.

Miller, Madeleine S. and J. Lane, Harper’s Encyclopedia of Bible Life. Harper & Row Publishers: San Francisco, CA, 1978.

Murphy, Kathleen, The Women of the Passion. Liguori Publications: Liguori, MO, 2005.

Mysteries of the Bible. The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.: Pleasantville, NY, 1988.

Saldarini, Anthony J., Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees in Palestinian Society. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co: Grand Rapids, MI, 2001.

Schmithals, Walter, The Office of the Apostle in the Early Church. Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN, 1969.

Smith, Wilbur M., D.D. (ed.), Peloubet’s Select Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons. W.A. Wilde Co.: Boston, MA, 1943.

Snipes, Joan Koelle, Bible Study for Children. Bible Teaching Press: Shepherdstown, WV, 1999.

Tosto, Peter (ed.), Found Volumes, Version 2007 (software). www.foundvolumes.com: Marietta, GA, 2007.

Trammell, Mary Metzner & William G. Dawley, The Reforming Power of the Scriptures: A Biography of the English Bible. The Christian Science Publishing Society: Boston, MA, 1996.

Trench, R.C., Notes on the Parables of Our Lord. Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, MI, 1948.

Van Harn, Roger E. (ed.), The Ten Commandments for Jews, Christians, and Others. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, MI, 2007.

Walker, Peter, In the Steps of Paul. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2008.

Willmington, Harold L., The Outline Bible. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, IL, 1999.

Zondervan Bible Study Library 5.0., Family Edition (software). Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2003.


http://www.foundvolumes.com/


*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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