11/12/23 Who is God? God is Creator, Always Providing

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ICEBREAKERS

1. What is the most amazing plant or animal you've ever seen or heard of?
2. What part of the human body or aspect of being human amazes you the most?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
GOD IS CREATOR

1. Read Nehemiah 9:1-6.
   1. Remind each other the context of this story.
      Where are the people coming from before this moment?
      Exile in Babylon
      What happened in the books of Ezra-Nehemiah?
      Zerubbabel led some of the exiled back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Ezra the priest came later to dedicate the new temple and reestablish the Law of the LORD among the people. Nehemiah came later to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Zerubbabel is gone, Nehemiah is now governor, and he and Ezra gather the people to recommit themselves to the LORD.
   2. What are the first two proclamations made in their prayer (Nehemiah 9:6)?
      God is LORD (YHWH) and God is Creator.
   3. Why was it important that they proclaim these two things first?
   4. What were the creation and god stories of the other cultures around them?
      Babylonian "Enuma Elish" (chaos, battle, humans created to be slaves)
      Canaanite "Baal Cycle" (war, gods of different aspects of nature)
      Egyptian Mythology (similar to above, humans created accidentally)
   5. How is the biblical account of creation different from these other stories?
      Orderly, rational, clear, concise, realistic
2. The biblical account of creation presents God as not only the best explanation of creation in the ancient world; it also presents God as the best explanation for creation to the modern world, highlighting the amazing richness, depth, and inspiration of Genesis 1.
   1. How does the "Big Bang" theory support divine creation?
   2. In what ways does scientific discovery align with the biblical account of creation?
   3. How does time dilation help explain that God created the universe in BOTH six literal 24-hour days and 14 billion years? Compare this with 2 Peter 3:8 which quotes Psalm 90:4. Also notice that this isn't the same as saying that the word "day" in Genesis 1 doesn't mean a 24-hour day.

GOD IS PROVIDER

1. Review Nehemiah 9:7-37. God didn't just create the universe, the earth, and humans, then step back and say "Good luck!" God stays connected to and involved with our lives as our Provider.
   1. In what ways did God provide for the people of Israel over the years?
   2. In what ways does God provide for us today?

PRAYER
Take time to ask everyone in your group if they have any prayer requests. Then for prayer, first take turns praising God for being our Creator, for the amazing nature of creation itself, for the beauty of the earth and the universe, and the amazing intricacies of human life. Thank God for providing for us all through the years, even when we feel like he's absent and when we rebel against him. Then pray for each other.