<< Return to Bible Study Topics
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
He instructed them: "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now.
I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.' "
When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him."
In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well.
He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape."
Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'
I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.
Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.
But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.' "
He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds."
He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?'
then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.' "
He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: "You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.
And be sure to say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.' " For he thought, "I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me."
So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp. Jacob Wrestles With God
Genesis Chapter 32: Verses 3 - 21
When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home.
Genesis Chapter 34: Verse 5
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed."
Genesis Chapter 34: Verse 30
"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.
This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God ?"
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." Joseph in Charge of Egypt
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way !" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt.
During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."
The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end,
and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you."
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.
Genesis Chapter 41: Verses 33 - 57
Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good.
You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him.
Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.
But select capable men from all the people,men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain,and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.
If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
Exodus Chapter 18: Verses 17 - 23
When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side,
the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead,to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.
When they went to Gilead,to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh,they said to them:
"The whole assembly of the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?
Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD!
And are you now turning away from the LORD ? " 'If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.
If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD's land, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.
When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.' "
Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:
"The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day.
If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.
"No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you,you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
"That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar,but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.'
On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the LORD.'
"And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'
"Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle."
When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community,the heads of the clans of the Israelites,heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.
And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD's hand."
Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.
They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.
And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.
Joshua Chapter 22: Verses 10 - 34
But Saul said, "No one shall be put to death today, for this day the LORD has rescued Israel."
1 Samuel Chapter 11: Verse 13
Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul's officers as well.
When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.
As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?"
And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand
and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.
Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul.
So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.
In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.
When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.
But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?"
So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.
"I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."
Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.' "
They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."
When Saul's servants told him what David had said,
Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.' " Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,
David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,
Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.
1 Samuel Chapter 18: Verses 5 - 30
Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them.
David had just said, "It's been useless,all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good.
May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!"
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground.
She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say.
May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name,his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.
"Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal.
And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you.
Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.
Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.
When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel,
my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant."
1 Samuel Chapter 25: Verses 18 - 31
David said to him, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me.
But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; I was your father's servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,' then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel's advice.
Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king's palace.
Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear."
So David's friend Hushai arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.
2 Samuel Chapter 15: Verses 33 - 37
They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
1 Kings Chapter 12: Verse 7
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings Chapter 19: Verses 3 - 4
The king got up in the night and said to his officers, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, 'They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.' "
One of his officers answered, "Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here,yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened."
2 Kings Chapter 7: Verses 12 - 13
I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through;
so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
Nehemiah Chapter 2: Verses 12 - 16
Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.
From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah
who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!"
So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.
At that time I also said to the people, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day."
Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.
Nehemiah Chapter 4: Verses 13 - 23
For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.
Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
Job Chapter 34: Verses 3 - 4
I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence."
Psalms Chapter 39: Verse 1
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Psalms Chapter 112: Verse 5
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another,
if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Proverbs Chapter 6: Verses 1 - 2
"I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.
Proverbs Chapter 8: Verse 12
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
Proverbs Chapter 11: Verse 13
He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
Proverbs Chapter 11: Verse 15
He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
Proverbs Chapter 11: Verse 29
A man is praised according to his wisdom, but men with warped minds are despised.
Proverbs Chapter 12: Verse 8
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Proverbs Chapter 12: Verse 16
A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.
Proverbs Chapter 12: Verse 23
Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.
Proverbs Chapter 13: Verse 16
The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.
Proverbs Chapter 14: Verse 8
A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.
A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.
Proverbs Chapter 14: Verses 15 - 16
The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
Proverbs Chapter 14: Verse 18
A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
Proverbs Chapter 15: Verse 5
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs Chapter 15: Verse 22
Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.
Proverbs Chapter 16: Verses 20 - 21
A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
Proverbs Chapter 17: Verse 2
A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
Proverbs Chapter 17: Verse 18
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.
A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.
Proverbs Chapter 18: Verses 15 - 16
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.
Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 2
The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
Proverbs Chapter 20: Verse 5
Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.
Proverbs Chapter 20: Verse 16
Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
Proverbs Chapter 20: Verse 18
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Proverbs Chapter 21: Verse 5
In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
Proverbs Chapter 21: Verse 20
He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
Proverbs Chapter 21: Verse 23
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verse 3
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verse 7
Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;
if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verses 26 - 27
When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.
Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
Proverbs Chapter 23: Verses 1 - 3
Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
Proverbs Chapter 23: Verse 9
for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.
Proverbs Chapter 24: Verse 6
Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
Proverbs Chapter 24: Verse 27
do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?
If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence,
or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.
Proverbs Chapter 25: Verses 8 - 10
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs Chapter 26: Verses 4 - 5
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Proverbs Chapter 27: Verse 12
Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.
Proverbs Chapter 29: Verse 8
Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise, why destroy yourself?
Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool, why die before your time?
Ecclesiastes Chapter 7: Verses 16 - 17
Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God.
Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 8: Verses 2 - 3
As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 10: Verse 1
If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 10: Verse 10
Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people,
"Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: " 'Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.'
"Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the LORD and seek his favor? And did not the LORD relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!"
(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the LORD; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did.
When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt.
King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Acbor to Egypt, along with some other men.
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)
Jeremiah Chapter 26: Verses 17 - 23
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,
but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
"Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see."
So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
Daniel Chapter 1: Verses 8 - 14
Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
Hosea Chapter 14: Verse 9
Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
Amos Chapter 5: Verse 13
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Matthew Chapter 1: Verse 19
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Adultery
Matthew Chapter 5: Verses 25 - 26
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew Chapter 7: Verse 6
and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."
Matthew Chapter 9: Verse 30
But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.God's Chosen Servant
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick,
warning them not to tell who he was.
Matthew Chapter 12: Verses 14 - 16
Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.Jesus Predicts His Death
Matthew Chapter 16: Verse 20
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.
Mark Chapter 3: Verse 7
But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles
Mark Chapter 3: Verse 12
He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Mark Chapter 5: Verse 43
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.
Mark Chapter 7: Verse 36
Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.Jesus Predicts His Death
Mark Chapter 8: Verse 30
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Mark Chapter 9: Verse 9
"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
Luke Chapter 14: Verses 28 - 32
However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.
John Chapter 7: Verse 10
Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all!
You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,
and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
John Chapter 11: Verses 47 - 54
Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.The Jews Continue in Their Unbelief
John Chapter 12: Verse 36
Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place.
Acts Chapter 12: Verse 17
But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,
Acts Chapter 14: Verse 6
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Acts Chapter 16: Verse 3
As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.In Athens
Acts Chapter 17: Verses 10 - 15
Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater.
Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.
The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people.
But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?
Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash.
You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.
If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges.
If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly.
As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."
After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Acts Chapter 19: Verses 29 - 41
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me,the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
Acts Chapter 20: Verses 22 - 25
They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.
What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Acts Chapter 20: Verses 37 - 38
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.' "
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."
Acts Chapter 21: Verses 10 - 14
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.
What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come,
so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow.
Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.
As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.Paul Arrested
Acts Chapter 21: Verses 20 - 26
Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead."
Acts Chapter 23: Verse 6
Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
Romans Chapter 14: Verse 16
"Everything is permissible for me",but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me",but I will not be mastered by anything.
1 Corinthians Chapter 6: Verse 12
But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?
So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
1 Corinthians Chapter 8: Verses 8 - 13
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake ,
the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?
If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God,
even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians Chapter 10: Verses 25 - 33
We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.
2 Corinthians Chapter 8: Verse 20
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Colossians Chapter 4: Verse 5
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
James Chapter 1: Verse 19
<< Return to Bible Study Topics