Was it an English Class or a Bible Study?
Four weeks ago, what Israelis call Operation Roaring Lion began. The American military calls it Operation Epic Fury. I prefer to keep it simple, with no implied claims of victory or justification: the war with Iran.
For two Saturdays in a row, despite numerous threats throughout the week, Friday night and Saturday (so far) have been blessedly quiet. I believe it’s an answer to our prayers for respite. My Messianic congregation had a small meeting in a sheltered location this morning. And for the past few Fridays, the Chinese meetings have been held via Zoom.
Yes, despite the war, I continue to have English classes for my Chinese students.
A Different Kind of Lesson
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take a quick break from our ongoing lessons in Proverbs. I knew my students were living with constant sirens, news of missile barrages, and the strain of studying on a campus shaped by the security situation, and I was in a bit of a quandary about what to teach. Continuing in Proverbs just didn’t seem appropriate, considering all the stress we’d been experiencing. Considering the options, I thought it would be encouraging for my students to do what I try to do—take the encouragement they’ve received in these hard days and pass it on to others. So I posted a new homework assignment in our WhatsApp group:
“An easy assignment for tonight. I want everybody to have a chance to practice speaking and reading. Come prepared to share a Bible verse that has been encouraging you over the past couple of weeks. You will read the verse to us in English and share what you find encouraging about it. The goal is to improve your speaking and reading skills, and at the same time encourage each other.”
Lessons in Encouragement
As our Zoom class began, I was initially disappointed: only two students had joined. But I also realized the potential for a more in-depth class: both students had good English, but shared similar weaknesses in communication. Ken and Shari (names changed to protect their identities) struggled with vocabulary analysis: trying to deduce the meaning of a word in the text was a huge challenge for both.
As usual, the class began with reading in English, determining which words or phrases they found hard to understand, working through the definitions, and only then discussing or, in this case, sharing.
Ken’s Encouragement
Ken went first. He had chosen Psalm 46:4–7 (HCSB).
4There is a river—its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
7The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
As we read the Psalm together in English, he and Shari both stumbled over the word “topple.” Rather than running to a dictionary, we did what I often do in class: we removed the unknown word from the sentence, clarified the context (who is “she”? what is happening to the city of God?), then played with opposites and word families (“top” and “topple,” “up” and “down,” “victorious” and “defeated”). Step by step, they discovered that “topple” carries the idea of being overthrown or defeated—and they got there themselves, simply by paying attention to the verse and its context.
I told them I was sure they’d never forget that word now—and privately I realized I wouldn’t either; I had been praying for God to topple the evil around us and protect the innocent.
As we concluded the portion of the lesson, I asked Ken to share with us why he had been encouraged by the passage. His response was simple, but so encouraging:
“It reminded me that God is with His people. When I am running to the shelter, I recall that God is my stronghold. He is taking care of me.”
We discussed other aspects of the passage for a minute or two. I reminded them that as believers in Yeshua, we are called God’s temple. I asked Ken how that could relate to these verses, and he responded, “God dwells there.”
“How?” I asked, and he and Shari both said, “through the Holy Spirit.”
Both their eyes lit up as they realized the depth of this passage for us. Ken clearly realized that if God is within us through His Spirit, then, as he ran to the shelter, God’s Spirit was running with him.
As we finished discussing Ken’s passage, he smiled, “Yes, I really like these verses.”
Shari’s Encouragement
Shari’s passage was a bit different. She had picked Proverbs 31:25–31. I was intrigued by her choice. In a wartime situation, what in these verses had encouraged her? The passage is a bit long, but it is well worth reading before I tell you what she said:
25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!”\
30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.
31 Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Shari had found the past few weeks challenging. Her husband was working from home, and, like other Israeli children, her two children were attending Zoom school classes from home. She struggled to meet everyone’s needs, let alone keep up with the housework. Reading these verses from Proverbs, she had wondered, how can anyone do all that? But then she had felt the Spirit guiding her to focus on verses 30 and 31.
She had paused as she read, thinking about the path God had brought her on. Yes, she did “fear” the Lord. She wanted to honor Him, and that was why she felt so bad. She didn’t think she was enough for her husband and children at this time. But the Lord showed her that if she feared and honored Him, she was more than enough. She realized no woman could be all of the things described in Proverbs 31, but that if she had the Lord, she had all she needed, and He would make her able to be there for her family.
As Shari shared, her eyes sparkled, and her hesitant English had become a flow of clear ideas as she found the words to share just how encouraged she had been.
My Encouragement
Now it was my turn. In case you are wondering, when I give an assignment to my students, I also have to complete it. I want my students to know that although I am their teacher, I am not above them or better than them. I don’t always get to share my own “homework” with them, though. But they know I did it. This time, however, we still had around 20 minutes left in our class.
Doing my homework hadn’t been easy. I had to return to my diary to see what I had written over the past few days. How could I have forgotten so quickly? I found four pages of meditation from Psalm 10—all of it using the psalm’s verses to pray—crying out to God for the nations, my people, and for this war to end. I had concluded that if David could pray these things in his battles, I could too. I shared this with my students, and then we took turns reading Psalm 10:12–18 out loud. I explained to them that the bolded verses had especially encouraged me.
12 Rise up, LORD God! Lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. 13 Why has the wicked person despised God? He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.” 14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person; call his wickedness into account until nothing remains of it.
16The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from His land. 17 LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully, 18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.
I shared that verse 14 reminded me that God was not a passive observer of what was happening anywhere on this earth. I realized that God knew exactly what was going on, including in this war, and He was already taking matters into His good hands, whether or not I saw it or understood what was happening. Verse 15 reminded me that God would indeed judge the unrepentant wicked. I could count on that because of God’s faithfulness.
Finally, as I considered verses 16–18, I was reminded that the Lord really was taking care of me and so many others. With that assurance, I could have peace. I need not let myself be disturbed by the news or by the threats of nations. God does not want His people to live in fear of what man can do to them. And in that, I felt great peace. I could pray with confidence that God would take the matters of this war into His hands and entrust my life to Him.
A Lesson to Remember
As our Zoom class came to an end, I realized how easy it is to forget the encouragement of the verses that had carried us through the week. Ken had been strengthened by Psalm 46, Shari by Proverbs 31, and I by Psalm 10—yet each of us needed to speak those truths out loud again to remember them. In sharing, they encouraged me; in teaching English, I was ministered to far more than I ministered to them.
So was it an English class or a Bible study? In one sense, it was simply another vocabulary lesson and speaking exercise. But in a deeper sense, this ordinary English class given in the middle of a war had become a place where God’s word strengthened three overwhelmed hearts. My students had expanded their English, but more importantly, they had added new Scripture passages to wield as the sword of the Spirit.
A Challenge for You
Most of you are not in Israel. But I am 100% certain this war is affecting you in one way or another, whether it is a loved one in the US armed services, rising prices, or the instability of life in general. But I am also certain that if you have been seeking the Lord, He has ncouraged you with His word.
Would you respond with a public comment—either here on the blog or on Facebook—by sharing one verse that has encouraged you in these past weeks, and how God used it to strengthen you? I am certain that your words will encourage many others, not just me.
For those of you who would like to know more about what is happening in Israel, I’ve added a new page to the blog site called “Follow the War in Israel,” with links to trusted spiritual and secular sites and commentary about what is happening in Israel. I hope they will help you stay informed.
As a personal postscript, I came across this song this week, while playing hymns from my oversized hymnal. It seemed so timely, I had to share it. Enjoy!
