Encouraging More Talk in Quiet Discussion Groups

A small group leader asks: “My discussion group is quiet, and I seem to be doing most of the talking. The group members complete a workbook at home, but they’re not sharing their answers much. Do you have any ideas about how to encourage more discussion?”

Encouraging More Talk in Discussion Groups

A reminder to ask my group to summarize a passage appears in the upper right of my workbook

This is a question I’ve spent a lot of time praying about over the years! Here are twelve tips that have helped me draw quiet people out more so that everyone feels enriched by the discussion and group members help each other grow.

Before the Group

Pray for the discussion

Before the meeting, I pray that the group members will learn from God’s word, share openly and honestly, feel safe, and help each other grow. I also pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence, wisdom, and guidance.

During the Meeting

Ask quietest people to read

I mark Scripture passages and quotations in my study guide that I want read during the meeting. I ask the quietest people to read them. Often hearing their own voice is enough to prime the pump and get the words flowing. Even if not, it helps them feel like they’re participating.

Replace summaries with leading questions

When a lesson covers a Bible passage too long to read, I don’t summarize it myself. Instead, I ask the group to summarize the passage. If no one volunteers immediately, I ask leading questions until I’ve drawn out all pertinent facts. “This lesson had us read the story of Moses sending the explorers into the Promised Land; who would like to summarize what happened? … What did Moses ask them to do? … When they returned, what did Joshua and Caleb say? … How did that differ from what the other ten spies said?”

Make silence your friend

Quiet people wait for silence before talking, so you need to provide silent pauses. I ask a question and then smile as I look around the group expectantly. I let the silence encourage talking. If I see hesitation in someone’s face, I nod encouragingly. If the silence continues, I ask, “Who has thoughts on this?”—which suggests partial answers are fine and usually draws responses.

If, however, there’s more silence, I rephrase the question, perhaps breaking it into simpler parts. The original question may have been too hard or may have been worded unclearly, so if needed, I’ll ask leading questions until the group understands the question and comes to answers that satisfy them.

Say when a discussion question has no wrong answers

Opinion and personal questions usually have no wrong answers. Saying, “There are no wrong answers on this question, so what are your thoughts?” gives people the freedom to express their opinion without fear of judgment and encourages those who hold strong opinions to keep their tone soft. This builds acceptance of differences in non-essentials,  makes the group members feel sharing is safe, and encourages more talk.

Give everyone who wants to a chance to share

On questions with multiple answers, I make sure everyone who wants to share has a chance by looking back and forth between those who haven’t answered yet and asking, “Does anyone have more to add?” Making sure everyone participates who wants to lets group members know their input is valuable and encourages more sharing.

Affirm answers

Thanking people as they share and especially affirming open, insightful answers encourages more sharing. If I hear several thoughtful answers in a row, I’ll tell the group: “You’re giving great answers! Who else has something to share?” That helps everyone feel sharing is safe.

During the meeting, when I get to a question that was hard to answer, I say something like, “I had to come back to this question and really think.” This models what I hope they will do at home and encourages group members to spend time reflecting on answers so they’ll have more to share.

I seldom correct mistakes; correct answers usually come out as the discussion continues. If someone obviously misinterprets a question, I might say, “You know, I understood the question a little differently. Did anyone interpret this question another way?” (Since that’s the same thing I say if a question has multiple interpretations, no one feels corrected.)

Ask group members to share one answer each on list questions

For questions that ask for a list of answers, I ask people to share one answer each until everyone has shared.

Don’t answer non-personal questions yourself, or answer last

On fact questions or discussion questions that aren’t personal, I try to draw out all the answers from the group. If I have anything to add, I answer last.

Answer first on personal discussion questions

For personal questions I answer first to set the example of openness and brevity. I’m honest and open about my shortcomings and struggles, and this helps others to feel safe enough to do likewise. Small group members are seldom more transparent than the group leader, so this encourages open sharing.

(If I have a talkative, transparent group, though, I’ll answer first at the beginning of the discussion to set the example of how long to talk, then I switch to answering last.)

After the Group Meeting

Affirm transparency

People often second-guess sharing intimately and worry that their openness will lead to others thinking poorly of them. I call or email those who show vulnerability, expressing thanks for their transparency and assuring them that their openness will help the other group members grow and feel safe enough to share openly too.

Ask the reason for quietness during discussion

If someone talked little, I’ll privately ask, “I noticed you didn’t share much. Was there something going on?” Here are common replies and how I usually respond:

“I had a fight with my husband and was in a funk.”

People distracted by worry are always grateful for a listening ear and heartfelt prayer. And they’re so glad you asked what was happening. They’ll feel loved and accepted, essential to open sharing.

“I didn’t get my homework done.”

I assure people who didn’t finish their lessons that I’m glad they came anyway, and to always feel free on the personal questions to listen to the other answers to get their gist and then jump in with their thoughts.

“I’m new to the Bible and don’t want to look stupid.”

I tell them I’m glad they’re there and assure them everyone has felt that way at some point and can relate. In future meetings, I include some simple fact questions and look to them to answer first (without being obvious) so their confidence builds. I call a couple days before future meetings and ask if they have any questions about the homework.

***

If you’re a small group leader, what are  ways you’ve successfully encouraged more talk in quiet groups?

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How to Choose Discussion Questions

Choose discussion questions for small groups

A small group in the midst of discussion

Last week a small group Bible study leader asked me how I choose discussion questions from workbooks. These workbooks typically have chapters with five or six daily lessons that group members complete at home and plan to discuss when they meet.

You can’t ask all the questions: there isn’t time. But it’s essential to get through all the daily lessons, or those who finished their lessons will be frustrated they didn’t get to share all they learned. Additionally, people will start completing only the number of lessons they know you’ll cover and will thus miss out on important material.

So here I’ll share the steps I take to choose discussion questions that help me cover the most important questions in the allotted time.

Choose discussion questions and highlight them

I highlight only the portion of the question I’ll read aloud. Notice the faint “10” to the left of the question.

I finish the entire chapter early in the week. The day before the meeting, I grab my workbook, pencil, pen, and pink and green fluorescent highlighters. I might use blue instead of green, but never yellow (too pale to see) or purple (hard to read through). I use pink to highlight questions I want to be sure to cover, and green for optional questions I’ll ask only if there’s time.

I read through the material again carefully, doing the following as I go:

  1. Decide each question’s potential for discussing:
    • Essential: Practical application questions; questions whose answer explains the main point
    • Helpful: Questions that support the main lesson, but aren’t essential to understanding it; redundant questions
    • Unnecessary for discussion: Questions that provide background so you can answer essential questions; review questions (“What did we learn yesterday about this?”); deeply private reflection questions; most questions whose answer is a prayer
  2. Pencil in estimated minutes to discuss. I write a rough estimate of the time the question will take to discuss to the left of the question number. I ignore unnecessary questions and I put parentheses around the times of the least important helpful questions. Here are the estimates I use:
    • ½: Fact questions that can be answered by one person (“What does Titus 3:2 say?”)
    • 2: Fact questions that ask for lists (“What are the promises in this passage?”)
    • 5: Non-personal discussion questions (“Why do people find this hard to do?”)
    • 10: Personal discussion questions (“Do you find this hard to do? Why or why not?”)
    • 5: Private discussion questions that not everyone will want to answer (“With what idol do you struggle most?”)
  3. Highlight essential questions. I highlight in pink a couple discussion questions and any number of essential fact questions per daily lesson. I highlight only the portion of the question I want to read aloud, not parenthetical explanations. If the question needs a segue, I write it in pen and highlight that too. If a daily lesson is short on essential discussion questions, I might promote one or two helpful questions to essential status.
  4. Tally the minutes needed per daily lesson. I jot down the total minutes needed to cover the essential questions highlighted in each daily lesson.
  5. Tally the chapter minutes and adjust. I add the daily lesson minutes needed together and subtract the total from the time allotted for discussion. If it’s very short, I highlight another question or two in pink till I’m within ten or fifteen minutes. Then I spread the remaining difference among the daily lesson minutes. For instance, if my daily lesson estimates are 18+6+11+17+13=65 and I have 75 minutes for discussion, the difference of ten minutes I’d spread like this: 20+7+13+20+15=75.
  6. Write beginning and ending times on first page of daily lessons. At the top of the first page for the first daily lesson, I write the time period I want to spend on that lesson. For instance, if the discussion starts at 9:30 and I’ve allotted 20 minutes for the first lesson, I write “9:30-9:50.” I repeat for all the daily lessons.
  7. Highlight optional questions. I scan the un-highlighted questions with times next to them and choose the most helpful. I highlight them with the green highlighter; these will be optional questions I’ll ask only if there’s time. I choose at least two per daily lesson.
When you choose discussion questions, add segues

A segue from the previous paragraph is added to the discussion question

Now when I get to the meeting, I ask or skip optional questions so I finish each daily lesson close to the ending time I wrote down for it. The group members are satisfied they got to share what they learned, everyone is blessed by each other’s answers, and those who might not have finished their lessons see the benefits of doing so and are encouraged to do more the following week.

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New Free Resources

I’ve posted four free new resources this week for personal Bible study and for small groups:

Free resource: discussion guide for James

“James: Mercy Triumphs” by Beth Moore

‘The Story: Personal Journal’ for iPad & Kindle

There’s now a new version of The Story: Personal Journal & Discussion Guide which doesn’t require a printer. You can type answers and check off checkboxes from your computer, iPad, or Kindle Fire using the free Adobe Acrobat reader for your— I’ve provided links and instructions on the download page. Find this free resource the journal’s download page.

Supplemental Discussion Guide for James: Mercy Triumphs

Beth Moore’s James: Mercy Triumphs is an inspiring study on the book of James. However, not all women’s groups can cover a week’s worth of material in just one week. This free supplemental guide is for women’s groups that divide the chapters into two or three weeks each. It has additional discussion questions and plenty of guidelines for leading discussions. Find it on the More Resources page.

Discussion Guide for The Screwtape Letters

C. S. Lewis’s classic work, The Screwtape Letters, is a must read. Clay and I wrote a discussion guide for a Sunday school class divided into small groups. It includes quotations from the book, related Scripture, and plenty of discussion questions. This free resource is on the More Resources page.

Free resource: Discussion guide for Zoo

“A New View From the Zoo” by Gary Richmond

Discussion Guide for A New View From The Zoo

Pastor Gary Richmond’s delightful book is family fare, and is great for small groups looking for something lighter to cover during busy times. Find this free discussion guide on the More Resources page.

If you try these out, let me know how they work for you!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

 

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Make Room to Grow

Last spring I decided to grow lettuce because I was tired of tossing bags of limp leaves from the refrigerator when I was hoping to make a salad or sandwich wrap.

Young lettuce plants grow below amaryllis blooms

In April, young lettuce leaves peek from below amaryllis blooms

I knew I’d have to use clay pots near our house since rabbits would devour lettuce farther away, so I checked how many I could turn to that use. If I planted some with the arugula, gave up a pot of carrots, and mingled others with early blooming flowers, I’d have three pots—plenty!

So I headed to Plant Depot and bought a pony-pack each of romaine and red leaf lettuce. Back home, I planted the three pots, nestling red leaf lettuce among just sprouting amaryllises in one of them. I figured when the amaryllises finished blooming, the growing lettuce leaves would hide their fading leaves and within weeks take their place entirely.

All went well … for awhile.

Stunted lettuce heads grow among amaryllis bulbs

In May, lettuce growing among amaryllises hasn’t grown

But by mid-spring the lettuce tucked among the amaryllises was stunted and tough, while the other plants were round and tender.

That’s when it hit me. Amaryllises aren’t annuals—plants that completely die back after blooming. They’re bulbs, so even though what’s on the surface dies back, what’s under the soil multiplies. The lettuce roots had no room to grow and couldn’t produce good leaves.

Amused at my cluelessness, I thought, Isn’t this just like what happens when we try to add a new spiritual habit without making space for it?

After all, adding a spiritual habit doesn’t happen magically and usually requires us to give something up.

For example:

Several healthy lettuce heads grow in a clay pot

In May, romaine and red leaf lettuce grow happily in their own pot

  • Regularly spending time with God by reading the Bible and praying helps us know God and draw close to him (Joshua 1:8; Matthew 6:6; 2 Timothy 3:16). To make spending time with God a habit we might decide to give up one daily sitcom or fifteen minutes of Internet surfing. (After all, don’t we have time for what we really want to do?)
  • If I want to share the gospel better, I might memorize key verses (1 Peter 3:15). To accomplish this, I might spend ten minutes of every lunch break memorizing instead of relaxing with co-workers or a book.
  • If I’m a poor listener, perhaps I’ll spend a day listening to others and drawing them out, while giving up sharing my own stories and the advice that’s always at the tip of my tongue (James 1:19).
  • If I’m a worrier, I could commit to spending a day casting every care upon God with thanksgiving, while refusing to think about potential outcomes and solutions (Philippians 4:6-7).
  • If I decide to give more money to the poor or to missions, I’ll have less to spend on something else.

Nestling lettuce amongst amaryllises doesn’t work, so if you feel God tugging you to take on a spiritual habit of eternal value—make space for it.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ~Luke 9:23

 

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The Complaining Fast

The first sunny Saturday after two weeks of rain, I donned blue gardening gloves, grabbed  weeding fork and  pronged hoe, and headed to the backyard. I found the variegated nasturtiums I’d sown around the now gone summer annuals had sprouted nicely, but so had clumps of dark red oxalis, thick sprigs of mint, and sprays of apple-green asparagus fern.

Complaining needs mattock

Mattock

It’s not that these plants aren’t attractive, but they’re invasive intruders that send underground runners that twist around other plants’ roots, sometimes killing them. They’d have to go, but to painstakingly detangle each from the nasturtiums would take more hours than I had.

I called Clay over to show him the dilemma. He grabbed his mattock (its head is like a heavy hoe on one side and an axe on the other). Five minutes of hacking and thuds sent every plant flying … including nasturtiums. Earthy and minty scents surrounded us. With fingers and hoe, I carefully sifted the soil, removing every bit of root and tuber hiding beneath the surface. Later when we were certain the flowerbed was cleared, we planted a strong-rooted blue-flowered potato bush.

Some parts of our spiritual lives are like flowerbeds that need to have everything pulled so we can plant afresh.

For instance, take complaining. One day while thinking over “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14), I realized I’d grumbled a bit the previous few days. Maybe more than a bit—in fact, enough that I knew I needed a big change.

But the problem was some things that fall under the label of complaint are legitimate: sending back an overcooked restaurant rib eye, for instance, or carrying out Jesus’ directives to talk to those who’ve wronged us. Yet complaining is one of those things that always seem right at the moment and only upon reflection appear otherwise.

I knew if I tried to stop just the “bad” complaining, in the nanosecond of deciding whether I should pull what was approaching my lips, I’d make a lot of mistakes.

So I decided to do a 24-hour fast of all complaining, good or bad. Fasting is temporarily giving up something legitimate as a discipline and offering.

I discovered some things:

  • I wasn’t dealing with just a few little sprouts here and there, but deep running roots trying to push out shoots much more often than I thought.
  • Ninety-five percent of the complaints I yanked needed yanking. Ouch.
  • It was harder than I thought and I didn’t quite succeed, so I extended the fast one extra day for more soil sifting. That gave me a cleared plot into which I could plant what was valid.
  • For weeks after the fast I was keenly aware of when I was about to be negative, allowing me to pause and think before speaking.
  • When I did have to address something negative, I sounded less cranky.

The 24-hour complaining fast was so helpful I’ve repeated it throughout the years whenever I’ve noticed grumble weeds growing.

If you’ve never tried a complaining fast before, why not give it a try? Let me know how it goes.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ~Philippians 2:14-15

 

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‘The Story’ Guide Now More Accessible in Chapters

7/31/23 The Guide is no longer available splir into chapters, but you can download the full guide here. 

Recently, several churches told me they needed The Story: Personal Journal & Discussion Guide split into individual chapters they could post on their website and/or print weekly. I’ve posted the chapters, which could be useful to others who don’t have that particular need. Perhaps you’d like to view some of the key chapters to decide if this study guide is a good fit for your church, without scanning the entire 230-page workbook. Maybe you’ve gone through Zondervan’s The Story and now want to spend a little more time in a few topics. You might have questions about how some of the Bible books fit together but aren’t ready to commit to the entire program yet. Or you may love timelines and want to see all ten of them without scrolling through the larger book.

Picture of 'The Story: Personal Journal & Discussion Guide'

The Story: Personal Journal & Discussion Guide

I’ve posted the individual chapters and listed what extras (such as timelines) each includes so you can take a look at them. I also posted general permissions since both Zondervan and I have been getting a lot of questions on that (mostly, “May we post this on our church’s website?”). You’ll find both downloads and permissions on the Subscribers Specials page, which you can access from here.

Now, if you’re considering using The Story: Personal Journal & Discussion Guide, I recommend looking at these key chapters:

  • Chapter 1: Creation: The Beginning of Life as We Know It. This chapter shows how God’s story begins and sets the stage for themes that recur throughout the Bible, including the promise of the Seed who will be the Serpent Crusher.
  • Chapter 8: A Few Good Men … and Women. This lesson got tremendous feedback, with some saying they’d never understood the book of Judges before. It not only sets the stage for the upcoming stories from Kings and Chronicles, but helps readers apply the truths found here to their own lives.
  • Chapter 16: The Beginning of the End. Thought-provoking questions guide participants to understanding why the exiles happened and seeing how judgment was combined with hope. Practical applications include imitating Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance. A fill-in table links Isaiah 53’s prophecies to their New Testament fulfillments.
  • Chapter 26: The Hour of Darkness. The Last Supper and crucifixion are tied back to what previous chapters covered in the Old Testament, guiding the reader to understand why Jesus died.

I pray that you will find this study of God’s word a blessing.

Related Topics

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Learning from Betrayal

A young woman recently asked about betrayal:

Learning from betrayalAfter praying and fasting, I clearly felt God’s blessing on a dating relationship. But when we were about to get engaged a year later, he confessed the marriage would be a cover for his active gay lifestyle. How does one get past God letting us think he’s leading us toward something with special blessing, when He’s actually intending something completely different, knowing it’ll cause us pain? I feel God betrayed me. [ref]The question is edited for brevity and anonymity.[/ref]

 

I am so sorry for the pain this man’s betrayal caused. To discover someone we trusted and thought we knew has deceived us is quite a shock, and it’s natural to begin to doubt others’ honesty and intentions when struck like this.

I’m thankful you’re searching for answers. It will take time before you know fully what good God intends to work through this; indeed, you may not know all in this lifetime. In the meantime, immerse yourself in Scriptures. There you’ll see how others handled betrayal, including Jesus, Joseph, David, the patriarchs, and the apostles. You’ll also grow in understanding God and the big picture of what he is doing in this world.

Although there are numerous examples in the Bible of godly people who prayed and yet had life turn out differently than expected, I find Jeremiah the most helpful because of his candor as he worked through his feelings. During a time I dealt with a betrayal, I read Jeremiah repeatedly, finding comfort in knowing my experience was not unique, assurance that betrayal by people does not equal betrayal by God, and hope in God’s power to work great good through suffering.

Here are some of the things God worked in Jeremiah’s life through suffering and betrayal. You may discover God works some of these in your life as well.

God teaches us to discern his voice better

Jeremiah learning from betrayal

“The Prophet Jeremiah” from the Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo (public domain)

When God first called Jeremiah to be a prophet and gave Jeremiah a message of pending destruction if Judah did not repent, Jeremiah was confused and asked God why he had been deceiving the people by telling them through other prophets that all was going to be well with Judah (Jer. 4:10). God explained the prophets Jeremiah had been listening to had spoken falsely in his name: he had not given them the words of peace and assurance they proclaimed and which merely fit what the people wanted to hear (Jer. 5:12, 31). What Jeremiah had been told were God’s words were not, and God helped him grow in discerning what was from God and what wasn’t.

Even those without the incredible prophetic giftedness of Jeremiah can grow in discerning God’s guidance better. When I was a young Christian, some of the teaching I heard about how to discern God’s will and voice turned out to be wrong, and part of the way I discovered that was through having situations turn out differently than I expected. Since God does not lie, I knew my understanding was mistaken so I sought guidance in Scripture and from God, and I grew, just as Jeremiah did and just as you will.

God teaches us wisdom

One of the ways we become wise and grow in the knowledge of good and evil is by living through the effects of both good and evil. Sometimes when we pray for wisdom, God grants that request by allowing us to go through eye-opening experiences.

As God continued his first message to Jeremiah, Jeremiah cried out in anguish because he did not think his fellow Israelites deserved punishment. God assured him if he could find one honest person in Jerusalem, he would forgive the city (Jer. 5:1). Though Jeremiah searched, he found no one.

Even so, it was years before he understood what God meant by cordial words hiding what is hidden in the heart (Jer. 9:8). Jeremiah did not understand the depths of the depravity around him until his prophetic words tested people’s hearts and he saw their ways with his own eyes (Jer. 6:27, 11:19).

God teaches us discernment about people

Despite God’s warning to Jeremiah not to trust the people around him (Jer. 9:4-6), Jeremiah found it hard not to. When he discovered a plot against his life, his anger burst out not only against his betrayers (Jer. 11:18-20), but against God (Jer. 12:1-4). God exhorted Jeremiah to continue his work, to remember his warnings about whom not to trust, and to trust him for justice (Jer. 12:5-7). Over the 40 years that Jeremiah prophesied, he grew in discerning the wicked (Jehoiakim), the weak (Zedekiah), and the godly (Josiah and Ebed-Melech). He also learned that God was with him even when people betrayed him.

I was betrayed once by a church leader. I had seen warning signs, but wrote them off, naively thinking someone lacking spiritual maturity wouldn’t be in leadership, and that because God loves truth no one would believe the falsehoods going around anyway (I initially thought them correctable mistakes and only later learned they were intentional lies). I learned discernment the hard way. But I also learned God was with me and was teaching me important lessons. God promises to work all things for your good, and you will learn and grow through this too.

God exposes wolves in sheep’s clothing

Early in Jeremiah’s ministry, people didn’t know which prophets to believe, a situation that greatly displeased God. After Jeremiah had prophesied about three decades, the prophet Hananiah came out strongly against him, making it plain that both could not be true prophets (Jer. 28). When Jeremiah pronounced God’s judgment of death on Hananiah for making people trust a lie and Hananiah did die, God exposed the false and true prophets. Godly people knew whom to trust, while the ungodly chalked Jeremiah’s words up to coincidence.

As painful as your situation is, the deception came out before a marriage would make it even more painful. God granted wisdom and exposed a sham. Hopefully this exposure will prevent the man from hurting others.

God strengthens us

When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, Jeremiah protested that he was a child who didn’t know how to speak. God promised to make him into a bronze wall (Jer. 1:6, 18) that could withstand the attacks of the priests, kings, and people who would fight against him. Apparently, Jeremiah thought this meant he wouldn’t feel the pain of the attacks. When the persecution increased, Jeremiah cried out over his pain and asked if God had deceived him (15:18).

But God had not promised Jeremiah a pain-free ministry. Part of the reason God punishes those who act evilly is that they inflict unjust pain on others. In this instance, God rebuked Jeremiah, called him to repent of his worthless words, and reminded him of his promise to make him a bronze wall that could not be prevailed against (Jer. 15:19-20). Jeremiah had received evidence enough of God’s faithfulness and promises to deserve the rebuke, and he repented.

God did indeed make him into a bronze wall, but not by making him insensitive to pain; rather, he taught him to trust in God’s faithfulness and to endure despite hardship.

God comforts so we can comfort others

Jeremiah suffered insults, mocking, death threats, imprisonments, and beatings. Sorrow at times overwhelmed him (Jer. 5:18). But God cared deeply about Jeremiah’s pain, and he cares about your pain too.

Jeremiah grew spiritually as he saw God’s faithfulness amidst human unfaithfulness, and he came to trust God fully. When his prophecies about the fall of Jerusalem came to pass, he responded not with smugness, but with compassion. He knew by then that the pain of exile was the only way the wayward Hebrews could have hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). He tenderly ministered to the distressed people around him through Lamentations, passing the comfort God gave him on to others (2Co. 1:4).

Through the pain and sorrow, here’s what Jeremiah had learned:

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. Lamentations 3:32-33

Draw close to the God of all comfort. I’m praying for you.

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Did Joshua Cause Leap Years?

Here’s a question I hear often: Did Joshua cause leap years by praying for the sun to stop?

Christians naturally want to pass along any information that might influence agnostic friends to trust the Bible. That’s great when the details are solid, but sometimes inaccurate claims bounce around, and when we latch onto one of those, skeptics mock.

One such claim traversing the Internet is that Joshua’s prayer for the sun to stand still during a battle (Joshua 10:12) combined with Isaiah’s prayer for a shadow to retreat ten steps (2 Kings 20:11) resulted in a lost day that has to be made up for with leap years.

Sometimes this claim is combined with the debunked urban legend that NASA found Joshua’s lost day: See NASA discovers a “lost day” in time? and NASA and the Missing Day in Time.

So did Joshua cause leap years?

Joshua commanding the sun to stand still did not cause leap years
“Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still on Gibeon” by John Martin, 1816 (public domain)

No.

We don’t periodically add a day to February because of an astronomical anomaly three millennia ago—that would be like saying a train was late once in 1842 and Amtrak has to adjust all its train schedules every few years to compensate.

Why we have leap years

We have leap years so our seasons will start on about the same calendar date each calendar year. If we never observed leap years, we’d eventually celebrate the Fourth of July in the middle of winter and Christmas in summer.

The technical explanation

Our seasons begin when the earth is at specific points in its orbit around the sun. The earth takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds to orbit the sun—a period of time called a tropical year.

A calendar year tracks only full days, so after four calendar years, that nearly six-hour lag behind the tropical year accumulates to almost twenty-four hours. We add a day to the calendar year to synchronize it with the tropical year.

Leap years synchronize calendar years to tropical years. Here's how. Share on X

This allows us to keep the solstices (when the sun is farthest from the equator, causing the shortest and longest days of the year) always near December 21 and June 21, and the equinoxes (when the sun crosses the equator, causing day and night to be nearly the same length) always near March 20 and September 22. Summer and winter start on the solstices; spring and fall start on the equinoxes.

Baranof Island, Alaska, on Did Joshua cause leap years
In parts of Alaska, the summer solstice brings 24 hours sunlight and the winter solstice 0! Knowing the date to expect them is vital.

Even if you don’t live in the parts of Alaska where the sun doesn’t rise on December 21 and doesn’t set on June 21, you probably find planning easier knowing which months are hottest and which are coldest. (Unless you live near the equator where day lengths don’t vary much—Hawaii’s longest day is 13.5 hours and its shortest 11 hours.)

Leap days and leap years

The extra calendar day is added to the end of February and is called a leap day. A year in which we add a leap day is called a leap year. We have leap years about every four years. But because a leap day overcompensates by 11 minutes and 14 seconds, we skip adding a leap day three times over every four centuries.

For those who like such things, here’s how to figure out which years are leap years. Years evenly divisible by four are leap years except for years also evenly divisible by 100 but not by 400. Thus 2020 and 2000 are leap years, but not 1900 (2020 is evenly divisible by 4, but not 100; 2000 is evenly divisible by 4, 100, and 400; 1900 is evenly divisible by 4 and 100, but not 400).

Test everything. Hold on to the good.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
UPDATED 2/10/2020
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Telescoped Genealogies: Was Rahab the Mother of Boaz?

In a discussion about the Bible’s book of Ruth, this question came up: Was Rahab the mother of Boaz? Rahab, you may remember, was the Canaanite prostitute who hid the Israelite spies.

In the book of Ruth, the young Moabitess Ruth cares for her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi. Both are destitute widows. Ruth accompanies Naomi to Bethlehem, even though she’ll have little prospect of finding a husband to rescue her from poverty. There, she gleans grain in the field of a rich man named Boaz, who provides food and protection. Later he plays the part of kinsman redeemer by marrying Ruth and giving her a son who can inherit for her dead husband.

The question about Boaz’s relationship to Rahab comes up because it could help explain his extraordinary care for Ruth during a time Israel and Moab were on unfriendly terms, even though a closer relative refused to be a kinsman redeemer.

Was Rahab the mother of Boaz, shown in this painting of Boaz and Ruth

“Ruth in Boaz’s Field” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1828

Matthew 1:5’s genealogy in the New International Version says, “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab.” The more literal New American Standard Bible reads, “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab.” That should settle it, right?

Not quite.

Rahab Being the Mother of Boaz Presents a Problem

The problem is Matthew lists five generations from Salmon to David, but between Rahab’s meeting the spies (traditionally 1406 BC) and David’s birth (1040 BC) stretch 366 years, making the average age of the dads up where what little hair remains turns white and giving extra meaning to Boaz’s claim not to be young: [ref]Some scholars argue for a later date of 1250 BC for Joshua’s invasion. If Rahab gave birth ten years after, then the three men fathered their sons at an average age of 67 if Matthew has not telescoped between Rahab and David—more doable, though still short.[/ref]

Year BC

 Person

Estimated Age

 Event

1406

 Rahab

20

 Meets Israelite spies

~1376

 Rahab

50

 Bears Boaz

~1264

 Boaz

112

 Fathers Obed

~1152

 Obed

112

 Fathers Jesse

1040

 Jesse

112

 Fathers David

Although it’s possible Boaz, Obed, and Jesse were bearing sons as centenarians, there’s another possibility: Matthew may have skipped some names—just as he skipped three in verse 8 and one in verse 11. [ref]Verse 8 skips Ahaziah (2 Chr. 22:1), Joash (2 Chr. 22:11), and Amaziah (2 Chr. 24:27) between Jehoram and Uzziah (Azariah). Verse 11 skips Jehoiakim (2 Chr. 36:5) between Josiah and Jechoniah (Jehoiachin). Matthew 1:1 is even more telescoped: “Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.”[/ref]

Translation Issues and Ancient Customs

According to scholars, there are both translation and custom issues involved. The Greek word translated “was the father of” could also mean “was the grandfather of” or “was the ancestor of.” Additionally, unlike today, ancient Jewish writers often telescoped genealogies—that is, shortened them to the most important names.

New Testament scholar D. A. Carson explains:

Therefore approximately four hundred years (Gen 15:13; Exod 12:40) are covered by the four generations from Perez to Amminadab. Doubtless several names have been omitted: the Greek verb translated “was the father of” … does not require immediate relationship but often means something like “was the ancestor of” or “became the progenitor of.”

Similarly, the line between Amminadab and David is short: more names may have been omitted. Whether such names properly fit before Boaz, so that Rahab was not the immediate mother of Boaz (just as Eve was not immediately “the mother of all the living,” Gen 3:20), or after Boaz, or both, one cannot be sure. [ref]D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” Matthew, Mark, Luke, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Regency, 1984), 8:65. [/ref]

So was Rahab the mother of Boaz? She was his mother or grandmother or ancestress, and one of the people God used to mold Boaz’s extraordinary tenderness for the foreign widow Ruth.

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We Will Bear Fruit

Oil painting of grapesJesus taught us he is a vine and we are his branches.[ref]John 15:1-8.[/ref] As long as we remain in him, we will bear fruit, for we have a heavenly Father as vinedresser, pruning and caring for us. It may take time for a branch to bear fruit, but our Father knows what he’s about, and as long as we remain in Jesus, we will bear fruit, fruit that will show we are Jesus’ disciples: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.[ref]Galatians 5:22.[/ref] We remain in Jesus by obeying him.[ref]John 15:10.[/ref] Jesus explains why he tells us all this: that his joy may be in us and that our joy may be full, complete, missing nothing.[ref]John 15:11.[/ref]

There we have it. Jesus means for us to have joy, and we will, if we stick to him. As his life flows through us, buds one day appear, and then the blossoms of desire. The beauty of the flowers delights, but doesn’t last. This should not discourage us, however, for falling petals are a part of the fruiting process. If the branch stays attached, underneath where the flowers once were, the fruit begin to swell and grow until one day they abundantly fill the branches.

Excerpt from Philippians: Steps to Joy & Peace (forthcoming).

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Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 5

Part five of a five-part message accompanying chapter 2 of The Story

What happens when we know what’s right to do, but doing it is a struggle? I resonate with Jacob’s seven courageous steps as he returned home despite his brother’s vow to kill him. In earlier posts, I mentioned that Jacob in faith immediately started on his way. When circumstances worsened, he prayed and repeated God’s promise to him. He arranged to repay the debt he owed his brother. Then he risked losing everything dear to him by sending his family and all his possessions across the river where Esau advanced. We come now to Jacob’s final two courageous steps.

Wrestle in Prayer

Ruben's painting of Jacob and Esau reconciling
Peter Paul Rubens, “The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau,” 1624

Several years ago I wrestled in prayer late into the night seeking wisdom. Finally, at 2:00 a.m. the answers came clearly, I understood the situation in a new way, and realized what needed to be done, and was at peace.

The next morning I turned to a Psalm, and there found a verse declaring God’s attitude towards the type of situation I faced. Marveling at God’s continued guidance, I scribbled notes in my Bible’s yellowing pages and pondered over how often it seems that effective wrestling prayer happens at night. Paul talked about “wrestling in prayer … that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Colossians 4:12). Wrestling prayer is transformational and especially suited for finding God’s will and standing firm in it.

From there I turned to Genesis and read that just as I’d wrestled through the night as I prepared to meet my situation, so Jacob wrestled through the night as he prepared to meet Esau.

After Jacob sent his loved ones and treasures across the cold river in the darkness of night, he remained behind. By the river’s banks in an outward struggle that mirrored the conflict within him, he wrestled with a man through the night (Genesis 32:24). It turned out this was no ordinary man: the Divine had appeared in a physical form that allowed Jacob to interact.

Jacob wrestled until daybreak, when the man touched Jacob’s hip, wrenching it and making obvious the man was no human and could have disabled Jacob at any time. Now Jacob lost the physical strength on which he depended, and would be unable to fight if his brother attacked.

The man commanded Jacob to let go of him, but Jacob refused, entreating the man to bless him first. The man then said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome (Genesis 32:28).

Wrestling through the night transformed him from Jacob—“he who supplants”—to Israel—“God struggles.”

Just as Jacob wrestled until he was transformed, so we wrestle in prayer until we’re transformed and God blesses us with the understanding and peace we need.

The man disappeared and Jacob had just one step left.

Just Obey

As the sun arose, Jacob crossed over the river and limped ahead of his family to meet his brother. He bowed seven times before Esau.

Limping, weak, and tired, he courageously faced that day’s challenge.

In so doing, he showed his changed character. He advanced first before his family, not holding back in case he needed to escape. He bowed to Esau and called him lord, thus respecting him as older instead of trying to supplant him. He humbly acknowledged all he had came from God instead of greedily grasping for greater. He made restitution, and when Esau refused it, he insisted on repaying his wrongs.

God gave Jacob the covenant blessing. It was a gift, not a treasure taken by treachery. His character was transformed. And God delivered him as promised, for unbeknownst to Jacob God had already changed Esau’s heart: “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And he wept” (Genesis 33:4).

By humbly and courageously obeying God, Jacob had allowed God to change him.

***

Do you have before you a task which takes courage? Here are the seven ways Jacob courageously obeyed:

Start on the way
Be still and pray
Promises say
Try debt to pay
Risk come what may
Wrestling pray
Then just obey

Related posts

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 1

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 2

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 3

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 4

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Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 4

Part four of a five-part message accompanying chapter 2 of The Story

How do we courageously obey God when obedience is risky? I find help in Jacob’s seven courageous steps as he returned home despite his brother’s vow to kill him. In earlier posts, I mentioned that Jacob in faith immediately started on his way when God told him to go home; that when circumstances worsened, he prayed and repeated God’s promise to him; and that he arranged to repay the debt he owed his brother. We come now to Jacob’s fifth step of courage: risking all to obey the God he trusted.

Risk Come What May

Ruben's painting of Jacob and Esau reconcilingPeter Paul Rubens, “The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau,” 1624

At eighteen, I worked for a secretarial agency during a bad recession. Business was scant. One day the owner excitedly told me she had an idea on how to increase income by restructuring rates, and she asked me to call competitors, say I had a large job, and ask for quotes. I thought, “She’s a Christian and an adult, and she thinks it’s okay. Besides, who could it hurt?” I complied, but was dismayed when a competitor excitedly asked for details. I realized I’d raised the hopes of someone desperate for work. Convicted because I knew the Bible forbade lying, I committed to never do this again.

Years later, that commitment was tested. I’d been at a new job only a couple months when a successful and driven sales VP asked me to make a similar call. I prayed for alternatives, and then offered to see if my assistant would take the assignment directly from him and, if not, to call the competitor and ask for pricing directly, explaining that as a Christian I wasn’t comfortable lying. His pricey pen froze midair as his deep-set eyes glared under thick gray eyebrows.

My assistant declined, so the next morning I prayed for God’s help, called the competitor, and requested pricing. When he asked from what company I was calling, I told him honestly. Sounding surprised, he gave me the numbers and said they were public knowledge anyway. I passed them on to my still angry boss. He didn’t fire me, but he did pile on unpleasant work for a couple weeks, apparently testing whether I would refuse anything else. It took time, but we eventually had a good working relationship.

A year later he told me what happened. He had gone home that night furious and told his wife he was firing me the next day. She asked him why he would fire someone he’d just learned he could trust even at the risk of losing her job. He grudgingly delayed firing me, and finally decided having an honest employee was valuable.

We all face times when obeying God brings risk. That’s what Jacob faced as he stood at the bank of a cold river in the middle of the night. On the other side was the home to which God commanded him to go. But also on the other side was danger, for his brother Esau was advancing with 400 men.

Working in darkness, Jacob trusted in God’s promise and sent his entire family and all his possessions across the water that separated him from Esau.

It’s one thing to pray as he had earlier, “God, all that I have is undeserved.” It’s another to actually obey knowing we may lose what’s dear to us. That takes courage.

The willingness to suffer the repercussions of doing right, to accept loss as a possible part of God’s plan, and to embrace an uncertain future as being part of the trustworthy plans of a just and good God requires recognizing that we are servants of the most high God. It’s where we do what’s right despite the potential cost. It’s where the mother releases her college-bound child, the husband his financial security, and the grief-ridden their beloved into the hands of God. It’s where we let go and trust.

We leave our story now with Jacob still on the safer side of the river, knowing God wants him to cross over and face his brother. The next post brings us Jacob’s final two courageous steps.

Related Posts

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 1

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 2

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 3

Courage: Jacob’s Example Part 5

 

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