I lead a Bible Study Group most Sunday mornings, except during the summer. The group loves questions. After I finish with my questions, they start in with theirs and we go from there.
How about God asking the questions? Could they handle that? I’m about to find out next January when, with some of the same folks, I’ll use Dale and Sandy Larsen’s Questions God Asks, exploring nine questions God asks of characters in the Old Testament (www.ivpress.com). The Larsens write, “While each question is only one verse, the study unfolds the larger context of the question, including immediate circumstances, background, identity of the person being questioned, the person’s response, and the apparent results.”
For instance, God asks Adam and Eve “Where are you?” They’re hiding as you will remember. Do folks hide from God today? Why? And does he come asking?
Or Jonah, in a fit because God is so merciful, hears “Is it right for you to be angry?” Well. . . . We too might get angry at God; perhaps.
This goes on with questions for Moses—“What’s that in your hand?;” Israel at the Red Sea—“Why are you crying out to me?;” Joshua—“What are you doing down on your face?;” Elijah—“What are you doing here?;” Israel again, now called Jacob in Isaiah—“Why do you complain, Jacob?;” Ezekiel—“Can these bones live?;” and Israel again, after the exile—God asks, “What about that nice house you live in while mine is in ruins?”
Come January, I’ll put some of these questions to the group and listen to their reactions—and get some questions back, no doubt. God’s questions cut to the quick, designed to help with self examination and spiritual renewal.
By the way, go back through this review and count the question marks. See how often we need to ask (and hear) questions?
—Larry Sibley
