Bible Study – why? DELIGHT and JOY

Just before Gill Rowell left last year she held a bible study course which I couldn’t wait to join again. It was one we did during the pandemic over Zoom, so to do it face-to-face with Stuart Poore coleading and other members of St Catherine’s was such a delightful and joyous course to take part in.

The Bible Course run by the Bible Society focused on how the bible as a library of books in the Old and New Testaments form one story that centres on Jesus Christ.

There were three words that stood out for me during the course: ‘Forsake’, ‘Covenant’ and ‘Believe’. Although I have read the bible through before, these particular words stood out for me on this occasion.

As they are mentioned many times in the bible a few verses struck me as being particularly meaningful, and I do not purport to have any major insight into their understanding, but something to continue to ponder and meditate on.

‘Forsake’ is mentioned in Joshua 1:5 “Noone will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Contrast this with Jesus dying on the cross - Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 and Psalm 22:1 (different context) all quoting the same words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

A ‘Covenant’ being a formal agreement between two parties links the old and new testaments or covenants. Exodus 2:

23-25 paraphrasing: “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out for help… God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”

Anyone who likes to take part in communion services knows that the word ‘covenant’ is said in similar fashion and comes from 1 Corinthians 11:25 “In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’“

‘Believe’ is a word that appears dozens of times in the Bible, however, two verses that stood out for me during the course were John 20:30-31 “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that you may have life in his name.”

This hit me so hard (metaphorically) as I was struggling a bit with my faith that they reminded me of a couple of other verses that are also so significant to me. And perhaps you as well? John 10:10 “I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Also, a very famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What’s not to like or believe in about all that?

Chris Addison