Bible ReadingIsaiah 6:1-3 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’”
[01:19]Ecclesiastes 1:14 “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”
[09:33]John 4:1-26 “Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’ The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’”
[10:35]Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.”
[10:13]Psalm 63:1 “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”
[08:44]Exodus 6:6-7 “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”
[46:13]Observation questions- In Isaiah 6, what are the seraphim doing around the throne, and what exactly are they crying out about the Lord? [01:19]
- In Ecclesiastes 1:14, what words does Solomon use to describe all the works done under the sun, and what picture does “grasping for the wind” give? [09:33]
- In John 4, what details are given about the Samaritan woman’s relationships, and what does Jesus offer her instead of another temporary fix? [11:25]
- In Exodus 6:6-7, what are the specific things God says He will do for Israel, and what identity statement does He give them at the end of that promise? [46:08]
Interpretation questions- If the seraphim keep crying “holy, holy, holy,” what does that suggest about whether God can ever be fully figured out or reduced to something familiar? [01:19]
- Solomon had wealth, pleasure, accomplishments, and every kind of access, yet still called it vanity. What does that reveal about the kind of hunger the human soul actually has? [09:27]
- Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that ordinary water leaves a person thirsty again, but His living water does not. What is the difference between temporary relief and true spiritual satisfaction? [11:33]
- God tells Israel, “I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.” How does bondage distort a person’s identity, and why does deliverance need to include identity being restored, not just circumstances changing? [46:20]
Application questions- God is never exhausted. Where has familiarity tried to creep into a walk with God lately? Has prayer, worship, or Bible reading started to feel boxed in or routine? [03:22]
- Every soul has a Christ-shaped hunger. What has been most tempting lately as a substitute for that hunger being met in Jesus—approval, relationships, success, distraction, comfort, or something else? [07:03]
- God’s voice protects and often leads by one simple nudge. Can the group think of a time when peace or uneasiness helped make a decision? What helped in recognizing that nudge without forcing it? [20:34]
- Other voices can get loud—flesh, ambition, hurt, woundedness, or lust. Which of those tends to sound the loudest in real life, and how can it be brought under the Lord’s voice? [27:35]
- Knowing God changes a person’s life. Which change would be most needed right now: deeper love for people, more peace under pressure, stronger prayer, clearer priorities, greater kindness, or more boldness about Jesus? [15:43]
- God reveals Himself so His people do not run to counterfeits. Are there any “harmless” spiritual shortcuts, habits, or influences that need to be rejected more clearly and replaced with trust in the living God? [37:09]
- Christ restores identity. What labels from family, past sin, failure, or the world still try to speak louder than “you are My people”? What would it look like to resist those labels this week? [47:40]
