QT with Bible

The Philistines seized the ark as plunder, but the Lord struck their towns and afflicted their people. 👉 Read 1Samuel 5:1 - 12 Q1. Why do you think they put the ark of the Lord in the temple of Dagon? Answers 👉 They thought their god, Dagon, was stronger so they defeated Israel. The Philistines originated from the Aegean Sea, most likely the island of Crete. Dagon was the god of the Philistines. This image shows that the idol was represented in the combination of both man and fish. The name “Dagon” is derived from ‘dag’ which means ‘fish.’ ->  https://bible-history.com/sketches/dagon Q2. Why do you think God made the idol Dagon fall and strike the Philistine? (6-7) Answer 👉 God wants to show them not because God is weaker than Dagon that the Israelites were defeated. Q3. What did the Philistines do to the ark? Answers 👉 They passed it around. They reasoned that relocating the ark to a place associated with a stronger local deity would prevent it from ...

They brought the ark of the Lord to the battlefield, expecting victory, but they were defeated and lost the ark. 👉 Read 1Samuel 4:1 - 22 Q1. When the Israelites failed in the battle, they knew (            ) had made them defeated. They said, “Let’s take with us the ark of the (                   ) of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with us, it (        ) save us.”  They took the ark of the covenant of the Lord of (                        ), who sits between (               ). Now the (             ) of Eli were there.  Answers 👉 When the Israelites failed in the battle, they knew ( the Lord  ) had made them defeated. They said, “Let’s take with us the ark of the (  covenant  ) of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with ...

The Lord called Samuel for the first time and announced imminent judgment on Eli’s house. Then, through Samuel, the Lord resumed making His word known.  👉 Read 1Samuel 3:1 - 21 Q1. There was no message from the Lord. Eli’s blindness symbolizes the spiritual (              ) of those days. (1-2) However, the Lord (           ) appeared in Shioloh and resumed revealing His words to all (            ) through Samuel. None of his prophecies fell to the ground (            ). (19-21) Answers 👉 There was no message from the Lord. Eli’s blindness symbolizes the spiritual ( darkness  ) of those days. (1-2) However, the Lord ( again ) appeared in Shioloh and resumed revealing His words to all ( Israel ) through Samuel. None of his prophecies fell to the ground ( unfulfilled  ). (19-21) But still, there is hope, for the Lord’s lamp was not off, an...

The Lord humbles Eli’s family and raises Samuel. He declares His plan to establish a faithful house that will replace and surpass Eli’s house. 👉 Read 1Samuel 2:12 - 36 Q1. What were the sins of Eli’s two sons? (three, v12-14, v15-17, v22) Answers 👉 They didn’t acknowledge the Lord’s authority They ridiculed the Lord’s offering They slept with the women who were serving the Tabernacle. Q2. While Eli’s two sons were rejected by God, Samuel was lifted by God. Find verses that support Eli’s family’s decline and Samuel’s elevation. (from v11-26) Answer 👉 Decline of Eli’s family: V12, v14, v17, v22, v25 Elevation of Samuel: V11, v18, v21, v26. The Lord blessed Hannah with five children. His purpose in allowing her temporary barrenness was not to afflict her but to prepare His prophet Samuel, through her faithful dedication—one who would bring the era of Judges to an end and usher in the monarchy, a period in which people would ultimately anticipate the fulfillment of the...

Through her barrenness and the birth of Samuel, Hannah proclaimed the sovereignty of the Lord who raises and lowers, kills and gives life.  👉 Read 1Samuel 1:20 – 2:11 Q1. Why did Hannah not accompany the family trip for the yearly sacrifice to the Lord? Answers 👉 She wanted to stay until Samuel was weaned. Verses 22-24 repeatedly say this.  Q2. What do you think Hannah has meant by naming the boy Samuel? (20, 27-28, 11) Answer 👉 “I asked (borrowed) the Lord for him.”  The Hebrew word for ‘to ask’ שָׁאַל also means ‘to borrow.’ As she planned to dedicate her son to the Lord, she had intended to borrow him for a moment to prove she was not cursed (11). After weaning Samuel, Hannah returned him to the Lord (27-28). The literal meaning of the name Samuel(שְׁמוּאֵל) is ‘his name is El (God).’ In his name, Hannah implied that Samuel came from the Lord and belonged to Him. Q3. Hannah’s song helps us to understand how Christians should interpret our life’s ...

In the days of the Judges, a time of spiritual darkness over His people, God started to intervene through a desperate prayer of a barren woman 👉 Read 1Samuel 1:1 - 20 Q1. Elkanah had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. What were their problems? (v4 – 7) Answers 👉 Hannah: no son. God didn’t give her a son. Irritation of Peninnah Peninnah: no love from her husband. Samuel is described as being from the tribe of Levi and specifically of the Kohathite clan (1 Chronicles 6:33–38). But not from Aaron’s lineage, not a born priest. Mentioning Hophni and Phinehas is to describe the spiritual darkness of those days. Q2. What are the three points in Hannah’s prayer? (v11) Answer 👉 Look on my suffering, do not neglect your servant. Give your servant a son I will dedicate him to the Lord Hannah understood that the Lord had withheld a son from her (v. 5). Her plea was driven by a deeper desire to confirm that she had not been abandoned by the Lord. This is why she vowed to dedicate ...

They felt deep regret for the Benjaminites but could not find a proper solution. Acting without seeking the Lord's guidance, their human solution led to another tragedy, justified by a poor excuse before the Lord. Read Judges 21:1 - 25 Q1. Why was the tribe of Benjamin in danger of disappearing from Israel? Answers 👉 Their oath not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjaminites left them with no hope of restoring their place as a tribe in Israel. Q2. What was the other oath they had made, which they used to justify destroying Jabesh Gilead and providing wives for the Benjaminites? Answer 👉 “whoever do not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah must be certainly be executed.” It was ironic that they imposed the death penalty on those who didn’t attend the peace offering to the Lord. Furthermore, the primary purpose of annihilating Jabesh Gilead was to obtain women for the Benjaminites, not to punish the people, as they spared the women. They offered sacrific...

The Lord punished the Benjaminites, and His judgment was severe. The Israelites were His instrument. Read Judges 20:29 - 48 Q1. The initial (         ) casualties and the retreat of the Israelites, following their two prior defeats, caused the Benjaminites to believe they were victorious, unaware that disaster was at their (        ). On that day, (        ) enabled Israel to annihilate Benjamin. Answers 👉 The initial ( thirty ) casualties and the retreat of the Israelites, following their two prior defeats, caused the Benjaminites to believe they were victorious, unaware that disaster was at their ( doorstep ). On that day, ( the LORD ) enabled Israel to annihilate Benjamin. The Benjaminites, filled with pride from their previous victories, failed to perceive the impending disaster (34, 41). It lingered at their doorstep, just outside the door—not yet inside. The Lord’s judgment often comes like a thief—unexpected...

Although all the Israelites gathered, condemned the evildoers in Gibeah, and demanded their punishment, the tribe of Benjamin refused to listen. Instead, they waged war against all Israel. Read Judges 20:1 - 28 Q1. (         ) Israel gathered at Mizpah (1 - 2). When he was asked (3), the Levite (               ) the leaders of Gibeah and narrated their deeds before all Israel (4 - 7). And all Israel announced it as a divine duty that (       ) should participate (8  - 11)  Answers 👉 ( All ) Israel gathered at Mizpah (1 - 2). When he was asked (3), the Levite ( prosecuted ) the leaders of Gibeah and narrated their deeds before all Israel (4 - 7). And all Israel announced it as a divine duty that ( all ) should participate (8  - 11)  “All” “From Dan to Beer Sheba” “from the land of Gilead” “all the people” “all the tribes” and “400,000 soldiers” All these expressions are to e...

The book concludes the stories of Israel's repeated sin—primarily idolatry—with the two episodes in which the Levite was involved. This observation alludes that the failure of the spiritual leadership played an important role in Israel's repeated idolatry. The nationwide spiritual failure deprived them of God’s reign, and thus, they said there was no king in Israel. In reality, they were refusing the divine kingship of the Lord. Read Judges 19:1 - 30 Q1. A Levite’s concubine returned to her father’s house in (        ). After four months, her husband came, and his father-in-law welcomed him. But, his father-in-law persuaded and compelled him to stay more. On the (        ) day afternoon, he finally resolved and departed for home with his concubine. As they approached (             ), the Levite refused to stay there, as it was a city of foreigners. Instead, he continued and decided to stay in (   ...

The Danites failed to acquire the land that had been allotted to them. In their quest for territory, they captured Laish, settled there, and renamed it Dan, claiming it as their inheritance. But what was wrong with their actions? Read Judges 18:1 - 31 Q1. In those days, Israel had no (         ). The Danites had not yet acuired their (         ) and sent men to find a land. When the scouts encountered a Levite in Micah’s house, they inquired of God regarding their mission. The priest said, “(            ) will be with you on your mission.” They arrived in Laish and observed that the people there lived securely, undisturbed, and (           ). Returning to their clan, they persuaded them, saying, “(                        ) —a place that lacks nothing.” (      ) hundred fully armed Danites set out an...

This passage reveals that their desire for blessings led them to misunderstand God and persist in idolatry during the era of the Judges, even while they believed they were serving the Lord. Read  Judges 17:1 - 12 Q1. Why did Micah confess he had stolen the silver?  Answers 👉 In fear of the curse. He knew that the curse by the Lord’s name worked.  Q2. They made an image and an ephod and hired a priest. This imitated the Lord’s tabernacle and the priesthood. However, one thing was missing. What is it? Answer 👉 The Ark of Covenant which contained the stone tablets of God’s words Verse 6 states, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This reflects the biblical author's assessment of Micah's self-made religion. While Micah's ephod and priestly system mimicked elements prescribed in the Pentateuch, it was fundamentally a counterfeit religion because it originated from human motivation rather than divine will. Human moti...

“He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life.” This could be a conclusion of Samson’s ministry. Read Judges 16:22 - 31 Q1. How did the Philistines interpret Samson’s fall? (23 – 24) Answers 👉 They thought their god, presumably Dagon, handed Samson over to them. The Lord had departed from him, and he lost his strength. Their attributing the Lord's deeds to other gods is a serious error. In Scripture, whenever the Lord’s name is dishonored or His servant suffers unjust persecution, it often marks the approach of divine justice and restoration. Q2. In his first and last prayer, Samson doesn’t seem to confess his wrong but only seeks revenge on the Philistines. Why do you think God answered his plea? (13:4 & 7, 16:22) Answer 👉 It is because God had planned for Samson to live as a Nazirite and to deliver Israel through him. The shaving of his hair symbolized the renewal of his Nazirite vow, and being blinded and confined in chains co...