Steve Hunter Bible Study

Genesis 46:3  I am God (Yaweh), the God (Yaweh) of your father (Jacob referring to his lineage)," he said.  Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation t here . Let's break down this verse's greater meaning...We see Jacob's fear of Egypt in verse 3.  God removes his fear reminding him of the Abrahamic Covenant.  God has a plan to preserve and protect his lineage.  God states, "...for I will make you into a great nation there."  We see the words, "I will" which indicates one of God's Unconditional Covenants.  There is nothing that Abraham or his descendants can or will do to prevent it.  It is God's will to do this through them.  When God says, "I will", he will do it.  Why not to be afraid? A transitional contractual term is used..."For".  "For...make you a great nation...".  One last word remains..."there".  We often pass this over.  It is extremely important. 

When the Lord calls Samuel, he does not recognize the voice of God.  Instead, he runs to Eli several times thinking he is calling him.  On the third time, the Bible states in 1 Samuel 3:8 that " Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy".   As a Priest, Eli had great knowledge of the scriptures.  His delay in immediately realizing who was calling the boy may have been because he himself was not in a right relationship with God.  He may not have heard God speak to him audibly or to his heart in quite a while.  When Samuel came to Eli the third time, he may have realized that he had once learned of a similar story in Genesis 46:2-3.  In that story, God calls to Jacob.  It is possible that Eli may have told the story of Jacob to young Samuel.  This would have been a great teaching opportunity.  After this knowledge may have been imparted by Eli to Samuel, Samuel returns to bed.  In 1 Samuel 3:10, God repeats the name of Samuel twice ("Samuel, Samuel").  This was

Regarding elections and the ministry...  I have read a number of well written social media political posts and some sadly misguided and hurtful character smears. No matter what our personal feelings about candidates or issues, as a minister of the Gospel, you must be separate from all of this. I know it's really tempting to comment but don't. The minute you comment on a candidate, your audience is diminished by 50%. What do I mean? I mean that at least 50% of your potential audience now disagrees with you and has tuned out. Resist taking sides. Our message is not politics. Our message is the Gospel. We should not endorse anyone. 2 Timothy 2:4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. This verse reminds us to keep a clear focus and only one mission. Remember that we serve Him, not politics or economics. These are not our Savior. Our hope does not come from government.

God's emotion does not incapacitate Him.  Don't allow yours to incapacitate you or cause you to make an error in reaction.  Most people simply react to confront or escape without a long-term purpose incorporated in their momentary behavior.  Lay your burden upon the Lord.  When you feel the pressure, it's time to pray, consult scripture and release in a healthy way through & to Him.  Then your response will be according to & in synchronicity with scripture...  Ultimately, in alignment with God.  We cannot always determine other people's reaction, nor should we be bound by it.  We can however carefully fine tune our internal and external reaction by the infinitely wise and omniscient words of God.

Spiritual problems and their "unfriendly friends." Genesis 31:1-2 shows how Envy changed Laban's relationship with Jacob. Envy comes with several friends: 1) strife, 2) division, 3) self-seeking, 4) various sin issues and likely many more close associations. To help someone with spiritual issues, look deep for the root of the problem not just treating the symptoms (the friends). Even if these friends go away, they will either pop back in from time to time or the root will make new friends...and the root isn't very discerning when selecting them. They all end up bad! Look for the root of the spiritual problem . At one time, this root found good soil and fertilizer for growth in hurt, rejection or insecurity and now has a nice big healthy stalk feeding it every day. Chop away at that root to fix the spiritual problem in your own life.

At first, a person who is familiar with Daniel 9:24-27 "sevens" might assume that "fulfilling the week" in Genesis 29 is referring to the Hebrew grouping of 7 years.  A "seven" = 7 years.  That is what I instantly assumed.  I assumed incorrectly.  Fulfilling the week referred to in Genesis 29:27-30 refers to the Hebrew marriage week.  In Hebrew tradition of the time, the marriage was consummated on the first night of the marriage week of festivities, a 7-day week. Here are a couple examples of this wedding week still practiced later in the book of Judges... Judges 14:12  "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. Judges 14:17   She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day, he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She explained the riddle to her people. Jacob

At first glance at this scripture, it appears that Jacob has been blessed and is obedient to his father, but Esau saw how displeasing Canaanite women were to his father so he rebelled and married one.  So he reacted in vengeful spite.  Is this what the Bible is saying?  No, not at all.  This is the story we instantly assume, right!?  Sometimes our assumptions affect how we read and interpret scripture.  I had to reread the scripture and correct my thinking.  I asked myself, "How can Esau possibly be doing something to please his father who just gave away his birthright!?" Read the verses: Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “ Do not marry a Canaanite woman ,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac ; so he went to Ishmael and married Mah

Take time today to address how you are perceived by others. Are you seen as unapproachable, angry, bitter. aggressive?  Why do people see you that way?  Could you be taking steps to fix that perception? We ALL have busy and at times hectic lives.  We need to realize others are stressed too.  Nobody wants to spend time with a prickly pear or an angry pit bull person.  People who are like this repel friendships and family.  Some never return. The Bible gives all of us good perspective on this issue.  We read that we need to value others more than ourselves.  Is your behavior showing this?  We need to show patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.  Would others say we respect them? value them? Affirm them?  Are our words filled with life or random violently thrown spears of hatred? If you see a little of yourself in this description, it's not too late to make a change.  The Bible clearly teaches that out of the overflow of the heart we act.  Fill your heart with God'

 Most motivational speakers in religious, philosophical and secular motivation emphasize self-actualization, self-motivation, self-gratification, self-assurance, self-reliance, and self-love. There are many positive things that come out of these secular or religious teachings.  There are many truths, but all of these come short of "The Truth". At the core of each of these motivational teachings is an emphasis on SELF. Self-focus, self-absorption, self, self, self. The focus is on self. Self is the PROBLEM, not the SOLUTION. Self-focus is the reason you now need help. I can delude or convince myself that I am something or not something.  And I might get results for a time.  I can motivate myself to action or to overcome an issue but in the end, I truly have no assurance.  I have no real confidence.  I have no reliance upon truth or assurance upon a non-changing and reliable constant that will truly tell me who I am. Each of these motivational teachings pulls us awa

BACKGROUND TO UNDERSTAND CHAPTER 12 Genesis chapter 12 sharply contrasts with the previous chapter.  Chapter 11 was all about man's plans for rebellion at the Tower of Babel.  Chapter 12 is all about God's plans in the form of God's promise to Abraham.  God's covenant with Abraham is unique in that it is not contingent upon anything that Abraham does.  Fulfillment of most of God's other covenants with man are conditional with specific terms that man must fulfill.  These other covenants can be easily identified with words like "if" and "then".  If these terms are met then God is faithful and will do as he has promised 100% of the time.  The covenant God makes with Abraham has no terms and is also referred to as a promise.  The promise to Abraham will be fulfilled as God desires to do what he has promised to Abraham as part of His larger plan. THE PROMISE (verse 2-3)  "I will make make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will m

And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:17 UNDERSTANDING BAPTISM IN CHRIST'S DAY In Matthew 3, Jesus is being baptized by John the Baptist.  Baptism was first practiced in Hebrew culture as a ceremonial cleaning and was later adopted by Christians.  Baptism in the Hebrew customs signified a person's willingness to dedicate their lives to God in a public profession.  So it is a custom that has also become part of the Christian faith.  In Christianity, after accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, a Believer is baptized as a public profession of faith.  The word baptism in Hebrew MIKVEH means immersion.  There are some variations in how this is done in varying Christian denominations but it always symbolizes faith in Christ Jesus and immersion or filling of the Believer with the Holy Spirit.  To the Christian, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons yet form the complete being of the triune

Genesis 6 is one of the most controversial chapters in the Bible.  There are so many theories attempting to arrive at the exact meaning.  Note that all theories are just that theories and cannot be conclusively proven.  I have my own theory that I believe I can strongly support with scripture, but we will never know for sure the exact meaning of this ancient verse from the Bible.  This does not mean that we should not ponder and attempt to understand it.  God inspired this text to be written in this way knowing that it would provoke deep thought.  I will attempt to compare and contrast two of the top theories showing evidence to support the theory that I believe has the strongest evidence.  Note that there is no true winner in this debate as we cannot determine to any certainty without more information, the exact theory that fits the correct meaning. THE FALLEN ANGEL THEORY According to the Fallen Angel Theory, the words "sons of God" is assumed to be a reference to Angels

Genesis 6:3 Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal (meaning corrupt); his days will be a hundred and twenty years." AN INCORRECT ASSUMPTION BASED ON OBSERVATION Most people read this Bible verse and make a quick incorrect assumption.  Looking around and observing their current culture they assume that what God is referring to is a limitation on man's potential lifespan.  We observe that nobody in modern culture is living longer than 120 years.  So we rush to an incorrect assumption without any evidence supporting this interpretation of scripture.  Let's look deeper for evidence to find the real meaning of this verse. READING BASED ON CONTEXT To interprete this verse correctly we must look at the rest of Genesis to determine both the nature of God and how He has dealt with man in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.  We must know that the Bible states God is never changing and shows both judgement & grace

The way we share our faith today is different.  The days of just showing up at a stranger's house for a visit are almost completely past.  This can be both offensive and dangerous.  Public parks and venues are still ok.  So, what is the best way to share your faith today?  You need to decide for yourself as we are all different but relationship evangelism is one of the best ways.  With a relationship, you have a more receptive receiver and have earned the right to share.  It's very important that our relationship is one of mutual trust and authentic care for one another.  After awhile friendships move from surface to deeper things.  That is an ideal time to talk about spiritual matters.  It's weird just to launch into "I'm from the Army of God!" or "Do you know Jesus?"  Try something more subtle.  Asking questions of what they think first is better.  Ask with interest and reiterate their viewpoint to confirm understanding.  At this point, I would a

We know Jesus waited 4 days to raise Lazarus.  But why so long?  Of course, we know raising Lazarus showed Jesus's deity glorifying Jesus and glorifying God.  We also know it was good for strengthening the faith of the disciples but here is one thing many might not know... Jewish mysticism of the day was that the soul stayed near the body for 2 days after death.  The Bible contradicts that belief; however, that was a commonly held belief at that time.  In the same way, today many believe incorrectly that being a good person alone will allow them into heaven. We know this is also incorrect and contradicts scripture (John 14:6).  So, we can see some of the commonly held beliefs even of religious people of each era often have nothing to do with scripture. Jesus may very well have raised Lazarus well past that 2-day time frame so that ALL would realize that he had power over death and believe in Him.

Jesus often used examples from everyday life to show spiritual things to the disciples and others.  When Jesus washed the disciples' feet, Peter said, "You will never wash my feet."  The Hebrew word Peter used for wash meant to cleanse, usually referring to the hands or feet.  Jesus replied, "Unless I wash your feet, you have no part in me."  The Hebrew word Jesus used for wash was different and referred to cleansing the dead for burial.  Then Peter replied, "Then wash my feet and my hands and my head too."  We are cleansed of our sins through Jesus's death and resurrection.  We are washed in His blood as He is the lamb sacrificed for the world.  So, all who are already dead in our sins who accept the washing may live through Him.