Read Chapters 16 - 18

"He does not afflict from His heart."  (Lamentations 3:33)

1.  As we turn now to the Old Testament, do you expect the vision of heaven's heart to dampen somewhat?  Do you think of the Old Testament as giving us a cooler or more calculating deity?  Do the opening paragraphs of chapter 15 (p. 135-136) surprise you in any way?

2.  Have you read Lamentations before?  What is your sense of the mood and tone and message of the book?  What do we find at the literary high point of the book?  (p. 136-137)

3.  What does it mean that God does not afflict his people "from his heart?" (pp. 138-141)

4.  What do you think of when you hear the phrase, "the glory of God?"  Read Exodus 33:18-19, along with 34:6-7.  How does God himself apparently define his glory?  How does a text such as Psalm 138:5-6 clarify the point?  (pp. 145-147)

5.  Have you considered before that God is said to be "provoked to anger" time after time throughout the Old Testament, but never "provoked to love" or "provoked to mercy?"  What does this mean for you right now as you navigate life?  (pp. 148-149)

6.  How is Exodus 34:6-7 fulfilled in the New Testament?  (pp. 152-153)