Week 1. Beginnings: the origins of Jesus' earthly life

        Welcome to the Quotations Bible Study blog. This is the initial week's posting. Each week a new set of posts will be made available. For more information on the Quotations Bible Study, see the home page.
        Below is a list of posts giving the questions posed in the first week. Feel free to respond with your own answers. Anonymous comments are permitted. Discussions are encouraged.
        So, enjoy exploring the word together.

Q1: What did God promise Ahaz in Isa. 7:1-9?

Q2: What did Ahaz have to do in return for safety? (Isa. 7:9)

Q3: Why did Ahaz not want a sign?

Q4: What does “put the Lord to the test” (AV: tempt the Lord) mean? (Deut. 6:16; the word for “test” in Isa. 7:12 is the same word used in Deut. 6:16.)

Q5: How did the Lord take Ahaz’ refusal? (Isa. 7:13)

Q6: The virgin birth is characterized as a sign. Whom is the sign for? (Hint: the “you” in Isa. 7:13 is plural) What is it a sign of?

Q7: What is promised to happen before the child is old enough to make moral choices? (Isa. 7:16)

Q8: The prophecy in Isa. 7:13,14 is addressed to the “house of David.” Who is the house of David in Matthew's time?

Q9: What does Matthew establish with the genealogy of Matt. 1:1-17?

Q10: No one ever calls Jesus “Immanuel” in the New Testament. Is this a problem?

Q11: Can Old Testament prophecies take on unexpected significance at the time of their ultimate fulfillment?

Q12: Even if Isa. 7:14 was not considered to be Messianic at the time, Matthew's audience was sufficiently interested in the fulfillment of prophecy and could be persuaded, under the right circumstances, to believe in Jesus on the grounds that His mission and ministry were foretold. How did Isa. 7:14 qualify for this purpose?

Q13: What does fulfillment of prophecy accomplish for Jesus?

Q14: Matthew's interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 as applying to Jesus affirms a continuum of God's authority throughout the entire span of Scripture (including the Gospel). What is the significance virgin birth of Jesus?

Q15: What will this leader be? Where does he come from? (Micah 5:2)

Q16: What will happen until he comes? (Micah 5:3)

Q17: How is the metaphor of pregnancy and delivery used? Is it a metaphor? (Micah 5:3)

Q18: What will the leader do? (Micah 5:4)

Q19: How will the people live, as a result? (Micah 5:4)

Q20: How will the leader defend the land? (Micah 5:5)

Q21: Given that the entire passage in Micah is clearly Messianic, is it surprising that some in Jesus’ time expected a political leader?

Q22: Do the priests and scribes believe the prophecy? (Matt. 2:5,6)

Q23: Does Herod believe the prophecy? (Matt. 2:7)

Q24: What are Herod’s instructions? (Matt. 2:8)

Q25: Do the wise men believe Herod’s intentions? (Matt. 2:12)

Q26: Does the prophecy and its application support Matthew’s case?

Q27: In retrospect, is the passage from Micah about the Messiah?

Q28: How do the predictions about the Messiah match Jesus’ actions and life? (Micah 5:3-5)

Q29: Was the prophecy of Micah believed to be Messianic in Jesus' time?

Q30: How does belief in the prophecy of Micah explain the actions of Herod, the priests, and the scribes?

Q31: Is the prophecy of Micah borne out in the subsequent life, death and resurrection of Jesus?

Q32: What is the age of Israel at the time of calling? (Hosea 11:1)

Q33: How did God feel towards Israel? (Hosea 11:1)

Q34: Does the passage correspond well to the Exodus story?

Q35: What was Israel’s response to the calling? (Hosea 11:2)

Q36: How does God feel specifically about Ephraim? (Hosea 11:3,4)

Q37: What will happen to Israel as a result of their faithlessness? (Hosea 11:5,6)

Q38: What is the purpose connected with the flight to Egypt? (Matt. 2:14,15)

Q39: Why is the Evangelist pointing out the fulfillment of prophecy?

Q40: Is “my son” Israel, or Jesus, or both?

Q41: Did the prophecy of Hosea take on an entirely different meaning in Matthew's hands than it likely had for Hosea's original readers?

Q42: There is a clue to the possible Messianic interpretation of Hosea 11:1: the reference to “my son.” Consider Psalm 2:7, part of a tableau that is clearly Messianic. Who is “my son,” according to Acts 4:25,26?

Q43: What is Mathew's attitude about the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy?

Q44: How does the Evangelist interpret the God's continuing authority and purpose?

Q45: What was Jeremiah describing in the preceding passage? (Jer. 31:1-14)

Q46: Who is speaking? (Jer. 31:15)

Q47: Who was Rachel? (Gen. 29-33, and Gen. 35:16-20)

Q48: Whom does Rachel stand for? (Jer. 31:15)

Q49: What has happened to the children? (Jer. 31:15)

Q50: What is the Lord’s counsel to Rachel? (Jer. 31:16)

Q51: Is the Lord’s counsel encouraging? What is to follow? (Jer. 31:16,17)

Q52: What caused Herod’s wrath?

Q53: What was Herod trying to accomplish? (Matt. 2:13)

Q54: What was the Lord’s response?

Q55: What is the Lord’s attitude towards earthly rulers and their plots? (Ps. 2:4)

Q56: How was the situation resolved?

Q57: One of the prophecies is clearly Messianic in the original context, one is possibly so, and the other two are not obviously Messianic at all. What does this say about the Evangelist's interpretive rule?

Other conclusions.