What makes you jealous? How can you best handle those feelings?

This is a very good question for me, and probably a lot of ohter people out there.  An example of something that makes me jealous is when I know someone is able to do something that I also can do, let's take singing for example, and I would be trying out along side this other person for a solo, adn I know that I did very well with it, but then, the other person got chosen to sing the solo.  When finding out this result, I would initially feel like "how dare you?" and then feel a little steamed about it for a while.  But really, the best way to handle this sort of feeling is to just do the best you can for that particular situation and hope for the best, but also, keep an open mind about the chance that the total opposite could happen, and usually I pray to God to keep reminding me about both posibilities that are at stake.

Gomer

The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel:

~Hosea 1:1

Compare this verse with Deuteronomy 18:21-22.  How could the people know Hosea actually spoke "the word of the Lord"?

• Here is what Deuteronomy 18L21-22 says:
   

  You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?”  If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed

  I would say that they knew he spoke the word of the Lord because he had prophesied before and it came true

When a minister or evangelist speaks the word of the Lord today, how can you know if it's true or not?  What can you measure his or her words against to be sure they are from the Lord?

• If some of the statements he or she makes is a little far fetched to be teh truth
• If they quote something from the bible and you might question the accuracy of their memorizatoin, you should look it up yourself

When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD.”  So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

~Hosea 1:2-3

What sin is the Lord accusing his people of committing?

• Adultery

How would you compare the people of Isreal and their sins with the nation you live in today?  How is your nation like Isreal?  How is it different?  What do you think God would say through Hosea to your nation?

• I would say that sin has not changed for the good by very much at all today. 
• I think Hosea would tell us to repent or our natoin would be destroyed without warning

Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.  In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.”

  Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them.  Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the LORD their God, will save them.”

  After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son.  Then the LORD said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

~Hosea 1:4-9

What do each of the names of Hosea's children signify?  How clear should that message have been to the people of Isreal?

• Lo-Ruhamah would signify something similar to a break-up, wherase Lo-Ammi would signify disownership
• This message should have been very clear as to what God was going to do.

How does God speak to us today?  How clear is his message?  Are we any better at understanding and following as the Isrealites were?

• It's definitely not an audible voice we can here, but I think I experience God speaking to me by the way my feelings might change when I speak to Him.
• His message should be clear to us, but there is so much that we either might not understand or might misinterpret, so I would say that we are definitely no better than the Isrealites were

“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’  The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

^]“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’

~Hosea 1:10-2:1

Put these beautiful words of God for his people in your own words.

• My people will be very numerous. You may have been told that I no longer call you mine, but now you shall be called mine once again.  Both nations will congregate and create a ruler for themselves.  You are my people and loved ones.

What do these words mean for you today?  How has God been faithful to you even when you have been unfaithful to him?

• God loves us no matter what we do
• He forgives me for my sins

The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

  So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.  Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

  For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods.  Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

~Hosea 3:1-5

In this chapter, Hosea's relationship with his adulterous wife is again compared to Gods relationship with the unfaithful Isrealites.  Did Gomer return of her own accord or did Hosea go out and seek her?

• It's not really clear, but I suppose we could assume that Gomer came back herself

Note especially the word "bought" in verse 2.  Hosea paid fifteen shekels (about six ounces) of silver, plus about ten bushels of barley for Gomer.  Just as Hosea will go to extreme lengths to get his wife back - not so much what he paid for her, but the very fact taht he paid - God will go to extreme lengths to get his people back.  What ultimate price did god pay for his people?

• He has his son, Jesus, die for our sins on the cross



Words like holiness and purity are heard in many churches today. Do you think we take God for granted and approach him too casually?

Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the LORD.

~Numbers 8:11

I think if we become full of pride, we tend to stray away from God and we think we can take care of any situation ourselves

The Shulammite Woman

Solomon’s Song of Songs.

  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.

We rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.

How right they are to adore you!

  Dark am I, yet lovely,
daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?

I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.

  Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.

  Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
and let his banner over me be love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

  Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”

  My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.

  My beloved is mine and I am his;
he browses among the lilies.
Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the rugged hills.

All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

 Who is this coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and incense
made from all the spices of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,
the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, come out,
and look, you daughters of Zion.
Look on King Solomon wearing a crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day his heart rejoiced.  

How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with courses of stone;
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle
that browse among the lilies.
Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful, my darling;
there is no flaw in you.

 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
more than any spice!
Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
¹³ Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
  nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes
and all the finest spices.
You are a garden fountain,
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.

  Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.

I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.

Eat, friends, and drink;
drink your fill of love.

  I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
I have taken off my robe—
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
must I soil them again?
My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him.
I arose to open for my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
I opened for my beloved,
but my beloved had left; he was gone.
My heart sank at his departure.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they bruised me;
they took away my cloak,
those watchmen of the walls!
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—
if you find my beloved,
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love.

  How is your beloved better than others,
most beautiful of women?
How is your beloved better than others,
that you so charge us?

  My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand.
His head is purest gold;
his hair is wavy
and black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves
by the water streams,
washed in milk,
mounted like jewels.
His cheeks are like beds of spice
yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies
dripping with myrrh.
His arms are rods of gold
set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
decorated with lapis lazuli.
His legs are pillars of marble
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as its cedars.
His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, this is my friend,
daughters of Jerusalem.

Where has your beloved gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way did your beloved turn,
that we may look for him with you?

  My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to browse in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he browses among the lilies.

  You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is missing.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
Sixty queens there may be,
and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number;
but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her.

  Who is this that appears like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?

  I went down to the grove of nut trees
to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
Before I realized it,
my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.

  Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!

Why would you gaze on the Shulammite
as on the dance of Mahanaim?

How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
  and your mouth like the best wine.

May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.
I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.
Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
let us spend the night in the villages.
Let us go early to the vineyards
to see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates are in bloom—
there I will give you my love.
The mandrakes send out their fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my beloved.

If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house—
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

  Who is this coming up from the wilderness
leaning on her beloved?

Under the apple tree I roused you;
there your mother conceived you,
there she who was in labor gave you birth.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

  We have a little sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

  I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one bringing contentment.
Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon;
he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels of silver.
But my own vineyard is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

  You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!

  Come away, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the spice-laden mountains.

~Song of Songs

Song of Songs is, of course, very different from the sorts of love poems we are accustomed to today.  However, it is very descriptive and ammorous.  Choose one or two passages you think acchrately describe the love relationship, physical and intimate, between a husband and a wife.  If you can, put these ancient words into your own words.

• Well, I'm not married, let alone in a relationship, so I'm not sure if this question exactly applies to me right now.  Even if I was, I'm not sure if my boyfriend woudl want me to exclusively release my choices on this - at least in the intimate sense of things

Many of the images used in this poem give, indirectly, the idea of lengths of time spent together: "resting" (Song of Songs 1:13); "sit" (Song of Songs 2:3); "browse" (Song of Songs 2:16; 6:2); "go," "spend the night," "go early" (Song of Songs 7:11-12).  The impression is of long lengths of time spent together quietly and intimately.  What picture does that give you of the love between this man and woman?  What does it tell you about the need for time together with the one you love?

• that they spend a lot of time together alone
• the need for time together with soeone you really love is very important in a relationship.  This is a place where you can share any of your deepest secrets you might have and you know you can trust that your significant other will not tell anyone else what that secret is.

Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

~Song of Songs 8:6-7

These verses express the undying committment of the lover and the beloved.  What do you think is required to have the love descrived in these verses?  Is it something that just happens or is it somethign that must be worked out?  Give reasons for your answers.

• I think it can go either way.  In some cases you have people taht just fall in love with someone right away, in other cases you have people taht have an interest in someone and they must test the waters to see if they will fall in love with that person

Throughout history, intimate love relationships have been shamefully distorted and profaned.  Song of Songs gives God's picture of the beauty of the relatoinship.  What can you do to foster this purer love in your own marriage relationship?

• again, this question doesn't exactly apply to me

Sometimes we think of the disciples as saints or heroes, but Mark shows their weak spots. What weak spots keep you from following Jesus as you might?

Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?

~Mark 8:18

Simplly, nowadays, I would say that my impatience is a weakness that makes me stray from following Jesus at times.

The Woman of Proverbs 31

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

~Proverbs 31:10-12

Describe the relationship between this woman and her husband.

• This is a relationship full of trust and love.  The woman cares for and obeys her husbnad's wishes, and encourages him if he is low in esteem

What aspects of this relationship do you wish were part of your relationship with your husband if you are married?  What can you do to improve your relationship in that area?

• Well, for one thing, I am not married.  I indeed hope to be someday.  But when I am, I hope to have all these aspects in my marriage

She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

~Proverbs 31:13-22, 24, 27

List some of the different tasks that keep this woman busy.  Now list how she goes about her work.

• shopping, cooking, gardening, sowing
• she goes to the merchants to buy or sell, she gets up early to make meeals for her family, she plants crops in order to make food for her family, she makes clothing for her family or to sell to the merchants at the market

What keeps you busy?  In what ways can you improve your attitude about your work?

• exercising, reading, practicing piano, helping mom with stuff online
• staying disciplined in keeping a good practice time frame, and being patient with my mom

Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

~Proverbs 31:23, 25-26

Why can the woman of Proverbs 31 "laugh at the days to come"?  Doesn't she have anything to worry about?  Why or why not?

• because she is confident that nothing will be wornged against her or her family

What worries you?  What can you do to be more like the woman of Proverbs 31 and "laugh at the days to come"?

• being alone
• trust in God that he will find me the perfect person to be with

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

~Proverbs 31:28

What do this woman's children and husband do when she comes into the room?  Why do you think they are so respectful?  What do you think the woman of Proverbs 31 has done to earn such praise from her husband and children?

• they call her blessed
• because she does most of the work around the house

Does this verse seem out of touch with reality to you?  Why?  What would you have to do or how would you have to change for the verse to be more of a reality in your life?

• maybe a little bit because may women that have children don't get much respct form their children
• I don't exactly know that I would have to change much because I would teach my children to respect me

“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

~Proverbs 31:29-31

what is the thing that is most praiseworthy in any woman?  What if she isn't much of a housekeeper or isn't handy at crafts or isn't very good looking?  What would maker her still worthy of praise?

• the fact that she is nice and careing and does her best to make everything perfect
• the fact that she tries her best at pleasing her company

What's most important to you?  Charm?  Beauty?  The fear of the Lord?  How is that evident in your day-to-day life?

• I would say out of all of these that the fear of the Lord is the most important
• knowing someone that thinks that their faith is very miportant to them and that they can't live without God's strength, is a very important aspect in a person to me

As you read Mark, what "eyewitness details" stand out to you?

He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.

~Mark 5:37

The thing that stands out to me most is that Mark gets to witness a lot of the miracles that Jesus performes first hand