Week 26, June 24 - 30, 2018

Sunday, June 24, 2 Chronicles 1 - 2, Acts 1

• What would you ask for if God spoke to you as He did in 2 Chronicles 1:7?  How does this compare with what God has said to you in John 15:7?
• According to 2 Chronicles 2:6, how did Solomon view the purpose of the temple?
• What is the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, based on Acts 1:5 and 8?
• Why did the apostles choose someone to take the place of Judas Iscariot?

Monday, June 25, 2 Chronicles 3 - 5, Psalm 74

• How long had Solomon been king when he started building the temple?
• According to 2 Chronicles 4:18 how much bronze was used in making the temple?
• 2 Chronicles 5:14 says, "the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God."  Why did God do this?
• Psalm 74 was written at a difficult time.  Verse 1 says, "O God, why have you rejected us forever?"  Verse 9 says, "We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be."  What should you do if you go through a difficult time when it is hard to hear from God?

Tuesday, June 26, 2 Chronicles 6 - 7, Acts 2

• According to 2 Chronicles 6:18, where is God?
• In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God said, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  How does this promise apply to our nation today?
• What did God say would happen to Israel and to the temple if they turned away to other gods?
• What languages were the believers speaking in Acts 2?  What were they saying?
• What did Peter tell the crowd they should do in Acts 2:38?

Wednesday, June 27, 2 Chronicles 8 - 11

• Why did Solomon build a separate palace for Pharaoh's daughter?
• What was the Queen of Sheba's impression of Solomon?
• Why did the people rebel against Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 10?
• In 2 Chronicles 11 who left their land to go live in Judah after the kingdom was divided?

Thursday, June 28, 2 Chronicles 12 - 13, Acts 3

• In 2 Chronicles 12:7 God said through Shemaiah, "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance."  What does it mean in verse 6 that, "The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves"?
• Why did Abijah believe that God was with him in his fight with Jeroboam in 2 Chronicles 13?
• In Acts 3 Peter and John encountered a man who had been lame from birth and who begged every day at the temple gate.  Peter must have seen this man before. Why did he choose on this day to command the man to walk?

Friday, June 29, 2 Chronicles 14 - 16, Psalm 75

• What happened in 2 Chronicles 14 when Asa cried out to the Lord?
• 2 Chronicles 15:12 says, "They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul."  What would you need to do to seek the Lord with all your heart and soul?
• There is a big difference between what Asa did in the 36th year of his reign when he was attacked in 2 Chronicles 16 and what he had done early in his reign when he was attacked in 2 Chronicles 14.  Instead of crying out to God like he did when he was younger, he paid Ben-Hadad king of Aram to help him.  Hanani, a prophet, told him, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."  Why did Asa rely on outside help when he had experienced relying on God when he was younger?
• Psalm 75:7 says, "It is God who judges.  He brings one down, he exalts another."  How does this truth impact the way you approach life?

Saturday, June 30, 2 Chronicles 17 - 18, Acts 4

• In 2 Chronicles 17, who sent out men to teach the people of Judah from the Law?
• Why did Ahab say he hated the prophet Micaiah?
• Peter said in Acts 4:12, "there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."  Why aren't other religions effective in bringing people to God?
• Why wouldn't Peter and John agree to obey the Sanhedrin and quit speaking in the name of Jesus?
• What did the believers pray for in Acts 4:29?

Week 25, June 17 - 23, 2018

Sunday, June 17, 1 Chronicles 16 - 17, Luke 21

• In 1 Chronicles 16 David appointed people to play music and praise the Lord.  For whose benefit was this ongoing praise and worship?
• How did David react in 1 Chronicles 17 to being told that he would not be the one to build the temple?
• Why did Jesus consider the widow's offering of two small coins to be more than those who made larger gifts in Luke 21:3?
• When the disciples asked about the end times, what things did Jesus tell them not to do?

Monday, June 18, 1 Chronicles 18 - 19, Psalm 72

• 1 Chronicles 18:14 says, "David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people."  How would the decisions and actions of a king influence the daily lives of people in his kingdom?
• Why was there war between Israel and the Ammonites in 1 Chronicles 19?
• In Psalm 72:2 Solomon prayed that the king would, "judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice."  Since Solomon was the king, why would he pray this way?

Tuesday, June 19, 1 Chronicles 20 - 21, Luke 22

• What happened to the six fingered man in 1 Chronicles 20?
• What was wrong with David having the fighting men in Israel counted?
• According to Luke 22:3 how was Judas motivated to betray Jesus?
• Jesus told His disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."  Why would Jesus have been eager to share this meal with His disciples?
• According to Luke 22:25-26 how is Christian leadership to be different from leadership common in the world?

Wednesday, June 20, 1 Chronicles 22 - 23, Psalm 73

• What did David tell the leaders of Israel to do in 1 Chronicles 22:19?
• How many men did David assign to praise the Lord with musical instruments in 1 Chronicles 23?
• According to Psalm 73:2-3, what caused Asaph to almost slip?
• What does Asaph say changed his perspective?

Thursday, June 21, 1 Chronicles 24 - 25, Luke 23

• Why were the priests divided into 24 groups in 1 Chronicles 24?
• For what purpose were the 288 musicians in 1 Chronicles 25 divided into 24 groups?
• In Luke 23, if Pilate could find no basis for a charge against Jesus, why wasn't he released?
• What did the man who was being crucified beside Jesus do to cause Jesus to promise him, "today you will be with me in paradise"?

Friday, June 22, 1 Chronicles 26 - 27

• Why did there need to be a search of genealogical records in 1 Chronicles 26:31 to find men capable of keeping the treasury of dedicated things?
• 1 Chronicles was written after the return from exile.  Why would 1 Chronicles 27 list the leaders of army divisions and leaders of tribes during the time of David, a few hundred years earlier?

Saturday, June 23, 1 Chronicles 28 - 29, Luke 24

• David told Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9, "the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."  Do you welcome the Lord searching your heart and purifying your motives?
• After the people made generous contributions of materials for the temple David said, "Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." (1 Chronicles 29:14)  Do you have this attitude when you give?
• How did the disciples react in Luke 24 when the women who had been to the tomb told them what they had found?
• Why were the two men on the road to Emmaus so slow to recognize that they were talking to Jesus?
• In Luke 24:49 what did Jesus tell His disciples to wait for?

Week 24, June 10 - 16, 2018

The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles have lots of names, tracing people's ancestry from Adam to after the return from captivity in Babylon.  These chapters gave people who were trying to reestablish life in Israel an awareness of who they were and where they had come from.  These chapters can be hard to read in our day because there are so many names of people we know nothing about.  Even as you read through lists of names, you'll find little insights that are helpful.

Sunday, June 10, 1 Chronicles 1 -2, Luke 17

• Of the Canaanites and Midianites, which were descended from Abraham?
• Why would Achar (called Achan in the book of Joshua) be singled out in 1 Chronicles 2:7?
• Jesus said, "Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them."  (Luke 17:4)  After seven times in a day someone saying they repent would seem insincere.  Why would Jesus still want us to forgive them?
• In Luke 17:6 Jesus describes great things that can happen through faith.  But, in verses 7-10 He explains that when we do what God tells us to do we should only think of ourselves as obedient servants doing our duty.  How can you have God do great things through your life without it going to your head?

Monday, June 11, 1 Chronicles 3 - 4, Psalm 69

• According to 1 Chronicles 3:4 how many sons did David have while he was king in Hebron?
• Why would Jabez pray to be blessed and to be free from pain in 1 Chronicles 4?
• David said in Psalm 69:9, "the insults of those who insult you fall on me."  What attitude should we have when people ridicule Christian faith?

Tuesday, June 12, 1 Chronicles 5 - 6, Luke 18

• According to 1 Chronicles 5:1, why did Reuben lose his rights as firstborn?
• 1 Chronicles 5:20 describes the tribes who lived east of the Jordan River crying out to God during the battle and God answering prayer.  When have you cried out to God in a time of need?  What was the result?
• Why does 1 Chronicles 6 give a genealogy of 22 generations from Eleazar to Jozadak?
• In Luke 18:1-7 Jesus taught us to pray with persistence.  Is there anything you should be praying about persistently that you had given up on?
• In Luke 18:13-14 what did the tax collector do to be "justified before God"?
• Why would the disciples rebuke people for bringing babies to Jesus?

Wednesday, June 13, 1 Chronicles 7 - 8, Psalm 70

• How did Ezer and Elead die in 1 Chronicles 7:21?
• According to 1 Chronicles 8, from what tribe was Saul, son of Kish?  (He became the first king of Israel.)
• David wrote in Psalm 70:4, "may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!”  What does it mean to long for the Lord's saving help?

Thursday, June 14, 1 Chronicles 9 - 10, Luke 19

• In 1 Chronicles 9:23 what was the job of the gatekeepers?
• According to 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 why did Saul die?
• Why did Zacchaeus give away half his possessions in Luke 19?
• What wrong attitude toward God is illustrated in Luke 19:20-21?
• Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem?

Friday, June 15, 1 Chronicles 11 - 12, Psalm 71

• According to 1 Chronicles 11 how did Jerusalem come to be known as the city of David?
• 1 Chronicles 12:22 says, "Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army."  What caused men to want to help David even while Saul was trying to kill him?
• Psalm 71 says, "From birth I have relied on you," (verse 6) and "Do not cast me away when I am old." (verse 9)  How can you develop a faith in God that lasts a lifetime?

Saturday, June 16, 1 Chronicles 13 - 15, Luke 20

• Why does 1 Chronicles 13:12 say David was afraid of God?
• When the Philistines heard that David had become king in 1 Chronicles 14, they went out to attack him.  Why do you think they did this?
• In 1 Chronicles 15:13, what did David say was the reason they failed to bring the ark to Jerusalem the first time?
• Why did Michal despise her husband David in 1 Chronicles 15?
• Jesus quoted from Psalm 118:22 in Luke 20:17.  Who is the "the stone the builders rejected"?
• According to Jesus in Luke 20:34-36 how will life be different in heaven?

Week 23, June 3 - 9, 2018

Sunday, June 3, 2 Kings 14 - 15, Luke 13

• Why did Amaziah fail to listen to Jehoash when he warned him not to go to war in 2 Kings 14:9-10?
• How long was Shallum king of Israel?
• What was the point of the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9?
• Luke 13:14 says that the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath.  You would expect people who witnessed a healing to be excited.  Why would the synagogue leader react this way?
• In Luke 13:23 Jesus was asked if only a few people would be saved.  He said that the door was narrow, but that "people will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God." (Luke 13:29) What was the answer to the question?

Monday, June 4, 2 Kings 16 - 17, Psalm 67

• Why did Ahaz want to have an altar built that duplicated one he had seen in Damascus?
• According to 2 Kings 17:7-20 why was Israel taken captive by the Assyrians?
• How did Samaria become mixed with various religious practices?
• Psalm 67 is a prayer.  Verse 2 says, "so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."  What needs to happen for God's salvation to be known among all nations?

Tuesday, June 5, 2 Kings 18 - 19, Luke 14

• In 2 Kings 18 why did Hezekiah break the bronze snake that Moses had made centuries earlier?
• In 2 Kings 18:19-35 the Assyrians tried to undermine the faith of those in Jerusalem, telling them not to listen to Hezekiah and not to trust in the Lord.  How can you maintain faith in the Lord in the face of attack?
• Isaiah gave Hezekiah's officials a command and a promise in 2 Kings 19:6-7.  What was the command?
• In Luke 14:8 Jesus said, "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor."  What opportunities do you have to apply this principle in places other than a wedding feast?
• According to Luke 14:33 what do we need to give up to be a disciple of Jesus?

Wednesday, June 6, 2 Kings 20 - 21

• What is the meaning of the command in 2 Kings 20:1, "Put your house in order"?
• In 2 Kings 21 what did God say He would do in response to the sins of Manasseh?

Thursday, June 7, 2 Kings 22 - 23, Luke 15

• How did Josiah react in 2 Kings 22 when the Book of the Law was read to him?
• In 2 King 23:15-17 Josiah fulfilled a prophecy that had been made about him, by name, many years earlier in 1 Kings 13:2.  If God knew far in advance that this would happen, why did it take so long for the high place that Jeroboam established to be torn down?
• In Luke 15 Jesus describes a shepherd who would leave 99 safe sheep to go find one lost sheep.  Who do you know who is a lost sheep who needs someone to go help find them?
• How would you explain to the angry brother in Luke 15:28 a different way of looking at his brother's return?

Friday, June 8, 2 Kings 24, Psalm 68

• Who did Nebuchadnezzar take into captivity in 2 Kings 24?  Who did he leave behind?
• Psalm 68:5 says "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."  What attitude should we have toward the fatherless and widows?
• Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families."  How does He do that?
• Psalm 68:19 says God "daily bears our burdens."  What does this mean?

Saturday, June 9, 2 Kings 25, Luke 16

• In 2 Kings 25 who was taken away captive to Babylon?  Who was left behind?  Who fled to Egypt?
• How can you obey Luke 16:9?
• In Luke 16:13 Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money."  What do you need to do to avoid serving money?
• What can you conclude about hell from the story Jesus told in Luke 16:19-31?