What keeps the world from spiraling out of control? Laws! From the laws of nature to the laws we create, the purpose of law is to help us live well in God’s good world. As we begin our series looking at different genres of the Bible, we start where the Bible starts. God gave a specific set of laws to the Jewish people to help them live in a unique way. We’ll see how the laws God gave them encouraged freedom, not legalism, and reflected God’s concern for all areas of life! And we’ll also see how, through Jesus, we can honor the principles of those laws by loving God and loving others!

Group Discussion Guide

To see the leader guide for this week click here.

Introduction

Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week?

After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer.

Key Verse

Psalms 119:1
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.”

Opening

The world is a place that can sometimes feel disordered. We can feel like we might not know which way to go or how to live. God gave his people a way to thrive by giving boundaries to know how to live. The problem is that humans can be difficult and want to follow their own way. The good news is that Jesus came to show us the way to follow God again; part of how he showed us the truth of God was by living out the law perfectly so we can see the true meaning behind some of the biblical laws we read in the bible. He invited us to live our lives like him.

Big Idea For The Week
Through the lens of Biblical Law, we can see God’s goodness. 

Connect

• Which rules as a kid did you not like? Now that you’re older, do you see the value of these rules?
• What is the purpose of having laws? Are there any that you wish we didn’t have to follow?
• Why do you think there are so many laws to follow?

Unpack

To understand how we can see God’s goodness through the lens of biblical law, we will be looking at some of the laws God gave his people, the Israelites, in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Read the following verses and discuss the connected questions together:

Read + Discuss

• Deuteronomy 22:8
• Deuteronomy 19:13
• Why do you think these specific laws were given to the Israelites?
• How was God trying to take care of his people’s needs in these verses?

Read + Discuss

• Leviticus 19:16-18
• Deuteronomy 10:17-19
• What do you think the purpose of these laws was? Why would it matter that God’s people live like this?
• What do you think the underlying intention of including these laws was?

Read + Discuss

• Matthew 5:17-18
• Galatians 5:13-14
• How do these verses connect with the rest of the laws we have read tonight?
• What do these verses imply about how we should live our lives as Christians?
• How can looking through the lens of biblical law point us towards following Jesus more intently?

Apply

Take a moment to discuss this section as a group to decide what your action steps for the week can be:

• What are some practical ways you can “love your neighbor as yourself” this week?
• How can you take steps to love those around you better as a group?
• What can your group put in place to keep each other accountable in these action steps from now on?

Closing

The law was made to show people their need to rely on God and to worship him because of it. As we learn more together about this law given, we can see God’s goodness better because we know all it was fulfilled and summed up in the teachings of Jesus: Love God and Love People. Jesus then modeled what a life devoted to loving God and people looks like. This week let’s try to do our best to be actively taking steps to live like Jesus.

Daily Bible Reading

Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below.

Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.
Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?
Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned.

• Day 1: Psalm 119:172
• Day 2: Luke 10:26-28
• Day 3: Micah 6:8
• Day 4: 1 John 5:3
• Day 5: Romans 8:3
• Day 6: John 15:12