Advent #3 Study Questions
Only God Offers Peace (Peace)
Nahum 2:2 & John 1:9-13
INTRODUCTION: Nahum is called the prophet of the Assyrian destruction. What a title! And, in his short book, he lives up to it! He describes Assyria and its capital city, Nineveh, as a place that has blood flowing in the streets and dead bodies so abundant that you have to step over them as you walk (Na. 3:1-3). This is the empire that Ahaz thought would be a better ally than God. By the time Nahum is writing, the northern kingdom (Israel) will have been totally decimated, and the southern kingdom (Judah), while still technically free, will be no great place to live either. The fingerprints of Assyria will be seen all over God’s people. It is safe to say they were not living in or at peace. Yet, God speaks through Nahum, he has not turned a blind eye to his people’s suffering, and he will have justice over the Assyrians. The subtext to Nahum’s message is that if God’s people follow God wholeheartedly, they will be brought back into God’s peace. Or in other words, God will make them whole again. If we continue to read their story, they will continue to ignore God. And they will continue to experience a lack of peace. But, God is faithful and will send his son, Jesus. John will tell us that in Jesus, we are God’s children, and as children of God, we are not born of flesh or blood (Jn. 1:12). This is good news because it means that our peace is deeper than this life, and nothing in this life can take it away. In the end, Nahum’s message is fulfilled in Jesus; only God can restore our peace. And, when he does, nothing can take it away.
GETTING STARTED – Peace is a somewhat ambiguous word. In that, we use it in everyday conversation and in connection with lots of scenarios. But, when the Bible speaks of peace, it most often refers to being made whole. As a group, begin your time, talk about how that idea is different from or agrees with our everyday usage of peace.
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?