討論問題

TAFPC Adult Sunday School Bible Study

台美團契長老教會成人主日學三年讀經運動 11/27/2005 討論問題

Question 1:  Judge Chapter 9

This chapter gives a negative portrait of how one of Gideon's son, Abimelech, attempted to establish a monarchy and eventually failed.  For achieving the goal, Abimeleh killed his other brothers except Jotham that escaped.  With a parable of trees (9:7-15), Jotham said to the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo who enthroned Abimelech, asserting that they, simply based on kinship, had chosen and made the worst person their own king and so they themselves would suffer the tragic consequence.

Learning from this story, what criteria should we use as we choose candidates to be our leaders either in church or in politics?

Question 2: Judge 11:30-40

Did Jephthah really kill his own daughter as a foolish sacrifice?

If Yes: Jephthah’s vow meant he would kill his daughter.

If No: Jephthah’s vow meant his daughter would be dedicated to God as an unmarried virgin all her life.

If you were him, is there any way out for you so that you won’t violate the Ten Commandments,  and you also won’t break your commitment to God?

Question 3: Judge Chapter 15

In this chapter; we see Samson sowed personal revenge, then he reaped the loss of his wife(6), the loss of his authority (12) and the loss of his people. Later, when he sowed the seed of faith in the Lord, then we see that he reaped the strength of the Lord (14, 18-20); he reaped the victory over his enemies; and he reaped renewed strength to Judge Israel for twenty years.

See Galatians 6:8, "For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life."  As we face many choices in our life, how can we learn from Samson's life?

Secondly question: we wonder how can Samson single-handily caught and tied 300 foxes tail to tail?

Question 4: Judge Chapter 14, 15

Samson's story in Judge paints a bazaar picture about how God's spirit and strength filled a person, Samson, who was not morally ¨regular〃 in our current view.   Familiar with the moral appeal of the Christian teaching, we tend to equalize behavioral morality with piety in our church life.  The way God helped Samson seems to on surface contradict our general understanding.  

What’s your definition of piety / sanctification?  Please share your opinions.