The Karez Project Library Volume 3karezproject.org/Bible Studies_files/The Dreamers.pdf · sayings, he taught them godly virtues. In the following study, we find that each virtue

THE DREAMERS A STUDY IN CHRISTIAN VIRTUES

FROM THE BEATITUDES

The Karez Project Library Volume 3.0

T H E D R E A M E R S

© 2006 The Karez Project 2

TO THE STUDENT

The “deadly sins” – it sounds so serious, and it is. From the very beginning, the

followers of Jesus have been confronted with how to live a godly life. Many teachers

have taught believers to shun the deadly sins of pride, greed, envy, sloth, revenge,

lust, wrath, and gluttony.

When Jesus taught his followers through the Sermon on the Mount, he began with a

set of sayings we call the Beatitudes (found in Matthew 5:3-12). Through these

sayings, he taught them godly virtues. In the following study, we find that each virtue

is an example of the opposite behavior to one of the deadly sins. By practicing these

virtues we can avoid the deadly sins.

In the following pages we will read about a family that is trying to live a life of virtue.

In their story, we find that they have dreams that lead them to study the Bible. Not

everyone has dreams like these. In fact, very few people have dreams like Farid and

his family. But all of us have the same access to God’s truth when we, like them, turn

to study God’s word in search of a virtuous life.

CONTENTS

BLESSED ARE …

CHAPTER 1 THE POOR IN SPIRIT 3

CHAPTER 2 THOSE WHO MOURN 8

CHAPTER 3 THE MEEK 13

CHAPTER 4 THOSE HUNGRY FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS 17

CHAPTER 5 THE MERCIFUL 22

CHAPTER 6 THE PURE IN HEART 27

CHAPTER 7 THE PEACEMAKERS 32

CHAPTER 8 THOSE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS 37

APPENDIX FACILITATOR’S GUIDE 40



CHAPTER 1

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

arid sat up in bed, sweat pouring down his face. It took him a minute to

grasp that he was in his own bed. His wife, Fouzia, was still asleep. “Thank

God, I didn’t wake her,” he thought, running his hands through his hair. He

was not so much worried that she would have been disturbed but that he would have

to explain his nightmare.

The dream had seemed so real. He could feel the sand beneath his feet. He felt his

heart stop beating as he watched with horror the hammer crush the man’s skull. He

could still smell the blood that, despite attempts to hide the deed, oozed up through

the sand.

“I have never seen anyone murdered,” he thought to himself. “I hope I never do.”

He got out of bed and made his way into the next room for some water. He could hear

Mehran’s heavy breathing. It gave him a sense of comfort to know that those he so

dearly loved were safe.

As he poured out a cup of water he surveyed his family’s meager possessions. “A two

room flat today, but in years to come we will own a house in Wazir,” he thought.

“Not too big or ostentatious, but nice, with a garden. And I’ll grow the most beautiful

and fragrant roses in all of Kabul. I wonder what my co-workers will think of me

then?”

Mehran gave a snort in his sleep and turned over. Farid put his glass down and

thought, “I really am a dreamer,” and went back to bed.

****

He felt odd out in the noonday sun in his bedclothes. But the old man before him was

wearing a robe, its colors bleached by the sun and smelling of sheep. He walked with

a staff in his hand toward a gap in the side of the mountain, and Farid followed at a

safe distance. Some sort of glow was emanating from the gap as if a gas furnace was

burning.

Before he entered the gap, the man turned and looked straight into Farid’s eye. At

once Farid recognized the eyes. They were softer now, but there was no mistaking

them. They were the eyes of the man who had crushed the skull of a fellow human

and hid him in the sand.

He motioned to Farid to wait where he was. More than anything, he wanted to follow

into the gap between the massive stone walls. He longed to see the source of the

unusual light. But he knew that that place was not for him. The old man turned,

removed his sandals, and then slipped into the gap.

****

F



“How did you sleep last night?” Farid asked when Mehran had come back with the

morning nan.

“Ok, I guess. I was a little restless. I had some strange dreams, I think. But I can’t

remember them now. How did you sleep?”

“Good,” his father said, not being totally truthful.

They dipped their nan into the sweet milky tea. They had become accustomed to a

hint of cardamon in their morning tea after spending so many years in Islamabad.

Farid’s family picked-up more customs than they would like to have admitted during

their years as refugees in Pakistan. Some of them were benign, none really bad, others

quite good. For instance, Mehran had become a reasonable spin bowler in cricket. He

was watching with interest the formation of a national cricket team and dared to

dream that he would one day be captain.

The entire family had learned English. This had served them well on their return to

Kabul. Both Farid and Fouzia had good paying jobs at international agencies in the

city. This meant that Mehran could study full time without any need to work until his

university education was completed.

But one custom they had taken on had become truly life changing. While his wife and

son finished their breakfast, Farid reached up to the top shelf of the bookcase. From a

wooden box he drew out a small green book wrapped in a special cloth that Fouzia

had lovingly embroidered.

“We have been reading from the Gospel of Matthew,” Farid began. “I’ll continue

reading from the first section of chapter 5. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the

mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth

and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the

meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall

receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the

peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are

persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are

you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you

falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so

they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”

“Father,” Mehran said. “I have a hard time taking in all of what Hazrat Jesus was

saying in this teaching. Maybe my brain is tired from all my university studies. I

wonder if we might just look at the passage line by line? It may help us to remember

the meaning better.”

“Noorzia Jan and her children have memorized this whole passage,” Fouzia noted. “I

think that we should do the same thing. I felt a bit ashamed when she told me about

their scripture memorizing on Friday. I wished that we too had been doing the same.”



“Alright then,” Farid concurred. “We will slow down, and we won’t go on to the next

verse until each one of us can recite the verse we have just studied. But, I want to add

one more thing. We should not go on until we can not only recite the verse, but also

be able to tell how God has made that verse real in our life in some way.”

“Asher is always saying in the Friday meetings that we need to do more than just read

God’s Word. He says that we must also think of how we can apply it in our lives,”

noted Mehran.

“Good. Then it is agreed,” Farid continued. “Let’s look at the first verse. Blessed are

the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What is our Master saying

here?”

“I think he means that the poor will be rewarded in the end somehow,” Mehran

offered.

“But is it just the financially poor?” Farid asked.

“I think he is talking about humble people,” Fouzia said. “That’s why he mentions the

poor in spirit. He means those who are not so proud.”

****

The thunder was so loud, Farid was sure that everyone would wake up. But when he

opened his eyes, he was not at home. He was in the middle of a storm. Dark clouds

surrounded him and he felt a rock wall beside him. Somehow he knew he was on the

side of a great mountain, but Farid could not get his bearings. He dared not move for

fear that he would fall to his death in the darkness. Lightning pierced the night

followed by a clap of thunder so loud that it could bring down the mountain.

In the fraction of time that light filled the sky, Farid saw him in the distance. It was

the old man from his other dreams. When the next bolt of lightning lit up the sky, the

old man was standing right in front of him. In an instant Farid could see the worry and

concern that filled the man’s heart. In the darkness again, it seemed as though his face

was now glowing. He reached out and took Farid by the hand, leading him to a gap in

the side of the mountain.

The wind and storm subsided. Within the gap an ethereal light from a source not seen

illuminated the rock walls. His guide released his hand and continued on alone. Farid

knew that he could go no further. He saw the man remove his sandals and bow in the

direction of the light. He could only hear the man’s response in the conversation that

followed.

“Lord, you used your mighty power to bring these people out of Egypt. Now don't

become angry and destroy them. If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought

your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them. Please don't be angry

with your people. Don't destroy them!”

****



“Asher, the dreams keep coming before I have a chance to figure out what they

mean.”

A boy with black curly hair and a blank look on his face dropped two plates of pilau

and nan in front of the men. They paused a moment for a silent prayer of thanks, and

then began to eat. Two pots of green tea and cups laden with sugar followed.

When their plates were clean and the tea was poured, Farid began again.

“I feel as though the man I see is someone important.”

“Oh, yes my friend. He is an important man,” Asher responded. “You have been

seeing the prophet Moses in your dreams.”

“No, Asher, it can’t be. I saw him as, a younger man, murder someone. God’s prophet

cannot be a murderer.”

“I’m afraid he was. You see, Moses was born to a Hebrew woman, but the Egyptians

in his day were killing the Hebrew boys off. So, his mother hid him in a basket and

floated him in the river near an Egyptian princess. She heard Moses cry and took him

into her home, raising him to be an Egyptian prince. When he became a man, and

learned about his true identity, he longed to help his own people who by that time had

been forced into slavery. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave one day and

took matters into his own hands. He killed the man, and when his crime was found

out, he had to escape to the desert.”

“I’m not sure I knew all of this story before.”

“Oh, but there is more, much more. Do you have a copy of the Old Testament?”

“No.”

“I will find you a copy. You can read all these stories in the book of Exodus. You

should get the scriptures and read for yourself what happened.”

“Yes, I guess you’re right Asher Jan. Maybe then I can unlock the message that God

seems to be trying to tell me.”

“Yes, it is always wise to go to the Scriptures in order to confirm what we believe

God is telling us. I have friends who will get dreams, or an idea will come to them,

and then, without checking it out in Scripture, will say God told them to do this or

that. You have to be careful, Farid Jan. Always go back to God’s word and check

things out. That’s the only way you can be sure.”

“Asher, I have a question about something else unrelated to the dreams. What do you

think Hazrat Jesus means when he says blessed are the poor in spirit?”

”What makes you think that these things are unrelated? It was Moses’ pride that led

him to kill the Egyptian. But, in the desert, herding sheep for forty years, he learned



humility. He became poor in spirit. No, I think Jesus’ words are directly related to

your dreams. I have to get you that copy of the Old Testament.”

YOUR TURN…

Now it’s your turn to study the scriptures. Read the passages below in your group and

then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your answers out to be

checked later.

1. Read Exodus 2:11-15 and answer the following questions.

a. What kind of attitude did Moses have toward the Egyptians?

b. What kind of attitude did Moses have toward the Hebrews?

c. Was Moses trying to lead people God’s way or man’s way? Why do

you say that?

2. Read Exodus 3:1-12 and 4:1- 18 and answer the following questions.

a. How had Moses’ attitude changed over the years? Was he still looking

to be a leader?

b. What did God do to try to encourage Moses to return to Egypt and free

the Hebrews?

c. How did God finally convince Moses to do his will?


a. Why did the people ask Aaron, Moses’ brother, to make an idol?

b. What was God response to their idolatry?

c. What was Moses’ response to God’s threat? What does this teach us

about Moses’ character?

FROM THE PEN OF THE PROPHETS…

Memorize the verse below and be prepared to discuss it in your next session.

How was the humility described in this verse seen in the life of Moses? What did it

take for Moses to reach that place? What would it take for God to work such humility

into your life?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3



CHAPTER 2

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN

arid felt the warmth of the fire on his face even as a cool breeze of the desert

night air blew upon the back of his neck. He found himself in the company

of shepherds, rough characters who were used to living in the open.

A light was glowing in a tent under the spreading palms of the oasis. The men kept

glancing at the tent. There was a sense of foreboding in their eyes. They would always

return to the subject of the quarrel that seemed to demand the attention of the entire

camp.

“I say that we just forget this land and return to the lands south. There was plenty of

pasture land there.”

“You forget. The combined herds have nearly doubled since our time in the south. We

would have the same problems there that we have here.”

“Sell them off then, I say. Be rid of the sheep and we’ll be rid of our worries.”

“And then we’ll be rid of our work, you fool.”

“Maybe that would not be such a bad thing if it would mean being rid of you.”

“Why you…”

“Silent! Our master Lot returns. Let’s see what the chiefs have settled on.”

****

The bus jerked forward and Farid was pushed into the schoolboy standing in front of

him. “How many souls can they cram into these things,” he thought. The bus stopped

again and more passengers piled in, and on, the bus.

Through the window Farid could see a sleek new white Land Cruiser glide past the

bus and hasten down the road.

“Why can’t my office have vehicles like that?” he thought. “I deserve better than this.

In the time of Najibullah I had a driver. In those days my education and abilities were

appreciated. Now, I am relegated to riding the bus to and from work with school

children, laborers, and smelly villagers from the countryside.”

A few blocks from his stop, Farid began to push through the crowd on the bus toward

the door. Being careful to not tread on anyone, Farid squeezed through the open door.

He had to be quick to avoid landing directly into the jui as he exited the bus.

Coming out the shop in front of him was one of his neighbors. After exchanging

greetings, Farid noted the box the man was carrying.

F



“Oh, this? It’s a new DVD player. You know the VCD will soon be obsolete.

Anyway, this plays VCDs as well. When we get it set-up, come over and have a look.

Are you going home now? Let’s walk together.”

“No, my friend. I have some shopping to do. I’ll come over later to see your new

player. Go with God.”

“Go with God.”

Farid walked into a shop a few doors down to avoid the beggar at the door of the shop

in front of him, even though he knew that prices were a bit higher. “I guess they have

to pay for the fancy new front with the shiny new green tinted glass,” he thought.

“We have a new brand of coffee that has just come in,” the shopkeeper said. “Its from

Germany; the best quality.”

Farid’s family had picked up a taste for coffee while in Pakistan. The German coffee

cost a bit more than he usually paid. But he deserved it. And, anyway, it wasn’t nearly

as much as that DVD player cost. “I bet he doesn’t even own any DVDs,” he thought

to himself as he left the store.

As he stepped through the door, the beggar he had been avoiding was standing before

him. Farid had to step around him to get past. But the old man was persistent. He held

on to Farid’s arm, beseeching alms. “The pushy kind,” Farid thought to himself.

He had fully intended to not give the beggar anything. He did not like to encourage

pushiness. But then he saw it, his own reflection in the store’s window. The picture

was complete. The unfortunate old man in rags, the blessed man in fine clothes. The

poor in need of bread, the rich toting the latest brand in coffee.

Farid pulled ten afs out of his pocket and shoved it into the old man’s calloused

hands.

He looked down at the street in a numb stare as he walked home. He could not get the

picture of his reflection in the window out of his mind. “Who am I?” he asked

himself. “Was that proud arrogant man on the bus really me? Why was I so unhappy

with my neighbor’s purchase of a DVD player? Who was that stingy man I saw in the

window, unwilling to share with a poor beggar?””

****

The warm sun would have made their exposure on the mountain top unbearable if it

were not for the breeze rising from the green plains below. Farid was standing among

the shepherds from his previous dream, all eyes fixed on the two tribal chiefs

surveying the scene before them. They were too far away for anyone to hear what

they were saying, but after a few moments the man Farid recognized as Lot embraced

the other chief and returned to the men. For just a brief moment, a sly smile passed

across his face as he told the men the news.



“We have been given leave by Master Abram to occupy the fertile lands in the Jordan

Valley below. He and his men will not follow us there.”

Farid looked across at Abram standing on the brow of the hill, a solitary figure. But,

somehow he did not seem alone.

****

Fouzia brought a hot cup of German coffee to Farid and Mehran as Farid was opening

the Bible. He looked into the cup, lost in his thoughts for a few moments, before he

began.

“Our verse for today is, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’

Before we think about this verse, we agreed that we would go back and talk about the

previous verse to see how God might be using it in our lives. What about the verse on

the poor in spirit.”

“Do you remember how I mentioned before about how the verse may be talking about

those who are in poverty?” Mehran asked. “Well, I think it could be something like

that, but when you think of the poor, you think of humility. Aren’t we as followers of

Jesus to be humble? I mean, I think I heard Asher one time mention that God resists

the proud but is gracious to the humble.”

“Yes, I think he did,” Fouzia said. “I remember him saying something like that. At the

time he said it I thought, ‘I’m glad I’m not proud’. But, just as I said that, I knew that

that thought was full of pride.”

“On the night before we looked at this verse, I had a dream, “Farid said. “I saw a man

kill someone. It was awful. Then I saw that same man, but many years later, on a

mountainside going into a place I knew was holy. He was entering into the presence

of God. I had a third dream. I saw the same man later on at the same mountain,

entering God’s presence, but this time praying for the people of Israel, that God

would not destroy them.”

“Father, you said that this man was a murderer and then you saw him go into God’s

presence.”

“Yes,” Farid responded, “I know it seemed unlikely. But then I went and spoke to

Asher about it. He showed me that it was actually a dream about the prophet Moses.

He had, in fact, murdered someone. But, God still used him.”

“Do you think that this has anything to do with this verse; with pride?” Fouzia asked.

“Yes I do. Asher warned me against making too much out of a dream without first

checking God’s word, to see what the Bible says about it. He gave me a copy of the

Old Testament so that I could read those stories. As it turns out, I think that it was

pride that had become a part of Moses in his youth that led Moses to him kill. I also

saw that it was humility that had been built into Moses by God over his years as a

humble shepherd that led Moses to pray for the people.”



“Can we study those passages as well?” Mehran asked.

“Yes, of course. But first I want to tell you how I discovered pride in myself, much

like what happened to your mother when she heard Asher speaking. This week on my

way home on the bus, I began to feel sorry for myself. I actually thought that I was

better than anyone on the bus, and I was angry that my office did not provide

transportation for me. I thought that I was too important a person to ride the bus. But,

God showed me through a beggar how my pride was leading me to even more sin,

just like the pride that Moses had led him to the terrible of sin of murder.”

“Farid Jan, did you murder a beggar?” Fouzia cried out in jest.

“No, no, no. You don’t understand. Just let me finish,” Farid said comforting his wife.

“You see this coffee. The reason why I bought this more expensive coffee was

because our neighbor had just bought his new DVD player. I thought that I deserved

something special too. In fact, as I thought about it later, I realized that I was quite

unhappy that he was happy. I don’t know if I’m making sense.”

“Father, are you saying that when you bought this coffee you were sinning?”

“Son, all I can say was that my heart was growing darker somehow. My pride was

wounded and I was trying to mend it, but not in God’s way. At the same time, I was

having another set of dreams. This time it was about men who were fighting over

land. It seemed that there was not enough land for two tribal chiefs to share for their

livestock, and so they decided to separate. The older of the two allowed the younger

cunning chief to choose what land he would take and he chose a fertile valley.”

“Now I’m even more confused,” Mehran stated. “How does this dream connect with

the coffee?”

“Patience, son. You will see. I went to the Old Testament and read about the story in

my dream. What I learned was that the older man was the prophet Abram who was

later named Abraham by God. Even though he gave up the best land to his nephew

Lot, God promised him that all the land would be his. You see, rather than make sure

he got the best land for his flocks, he was willing to give the best land to another

because he believed God’s promises. When I saw the attitude the prophet Abraham

had, I thought of how, unlike him, I had mourned over my neighbor’s blessing. That’s

when I saw a connection to today’s verse. Jesus’ words challenged me to put away

my greed, mourn with those who mourn, and be happy at another’s good fortune.”

“I can see all that Farid Jan,” Fouzia said. “The pride you saw in yourself led you to

mourn another good fortune. I’m still not clear about where greed comes in, and you

have not told us about the beggar.”

“And the coffee. What about the coffee?” Mehran persisted in asking.

“Ok, I’ll start again at the beginning. But Fouzia Jan, my coffee has gone cold. Can

you warm it up?”



YOUR TURN…

Can you help Fouzia and Mehran out? How would you retell Farid’s story to show

why he saw both pride and greed in his life?

In your groups, can anyone share how God has used last week’s study to teach them

more about Christian virtues?

To mourn with another in their sorrow is to show that you feel their feelings along

with them. In the same way, when we rejoice with those who rejoice, we show the

virtue of graciousness.

Now it’s your turn to look at the story about Abram and Lot. Read the passage below

in your group and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your

answers out to be checked later.

Read Genesis 13:1-18 and answer the following questions.

a. When there was trouble between Abram’s men and Lot’s men, who

was it that initiated a solution to the problem?

b. Even though the valley seemed to be a good choice, what kind of

people lived there? What does this teach us about how we should make

our choices – based on appearances or on the potential consequences?

c. After the two men separated, what did God say to Abram? How did

what God say comfort Abram in the light of Lot’s separation from

him?

d. What was Abram’s response to God?

e. How is Abram’s life an example to us to mourn with those who mourn

and rejoice with those who rejoice?



Greed has been defined as sorrow over another persons blessing. How could God use

the verse below to guard us against the sin of greed?

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4



CHAPTER 3

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

he first thing Fouzia noticed was the light. When she looked in the direction

of its source she realized that she was not in her own room. Moonlight

poured through a roughly hewn window illuminating the stone walls of a

simple room and came to rest upon a young women asleep on a mat.

The moonlight seemed to flicker like a candle and grow brighter. A cool breeze

poured through the open window and the girl woke with a start. Pulling her simple

woven blanket to her chin, Fouzia could see the fear in her eyes as she pulled herself

back towards the wall.

Her eyes were fixed on something, or someone. Fouzia could not tell for she saw

nothing. Yet, somehow the light had changed, as though it were not of this world. It

was then that Fouzia noticed that fear had left the girl’s face and was replaced by a

sense of awe and wonder.

And then the girl spoke.

“How can this happen? I am not married!”

Silence, at least for Fouzia, followed. The girl seemed to be intently listening to

someone. Then, bowing her head she spoke one more time.

“I am the Lord's servant! Let it happen as you have said.”

****

“I’m going to spend more on this dress than anyone else in Kabul ever has before,”

Noorzia boasted. “It will be the grandest dress ever seen, so much so that no one will

even look at the bride.”

“Not if I spend more on my dress,” laughed Fouzia. “It will be the most breathtaking

dress you or anyone has ever seen.”

The two women laughed and locked arms as they entered Kabul’s fabric market.

Of course, they had been joking. But when the shopkeeper brought out the most

wonderful brocade in the world, both women audibly gasped. Fouzia was shocked

that she had paid three times what she had expected to pay. Noorzia bought the

lavender brocade without thinking twice. Fouzia bought the cream brocade knowing

that she had only done so out of envy.”

****

The smell of burning sacrifices was strong in the air. The smoke rising from the altar

mingled with the morning sun to formed shafts of light between the massive columns

while worshippers queued before the altar with their sacrifices.

T



Fouzia felt unsure in the strange surroundings and pulled her chador over her head.

Then she saw a familiar face. The girl in her dream was joining the queue. There was

a man with her holding two pigeons and she held a newborn baby in her arms.

An old man with a full grey beard pushed past Fouzia and approached the family. He

asked if he might hold the baby. The young woman placed her infant in the unknown

man’s gentle arms without hesitation. He looked to the morning sky and called out so

that all in the temple could hear.

“Lord, I am your servant, and now I can die in peace, because you have kept your

promise to me. With my own eyes I have seen what you have done to save your

people, and foreign nations will also see this. Your mighty power is a light for all

nations, and it will bring honor to your people Israel.”

The prophet handed the child back to his radiant mother. He began to say more about

the baby, but Fouzia could not hear it all. She stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the

mother’s face. She now could hear the prophet’s final words.

“Many people will reject him, and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been

stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking.”

Fouzia watched as Mary’s expression changed and it seemed as though decades were

added to her life. The baby in her arms vanished. Tears poured down her face as she

looked up. They were no longer in the temple. They were standing in dim light on a

windswept hill beneath the cross of Jesus.

****

“Today we think about what Jesus means when he said, ‘Blessed are the meek, for

they shall inherit the earth.’ Before we go on, does anyone have more to say about our

last thought on those who mourn?”

Fouzia excused herself for a minute and came back into the room with a bundle

wrapped in paper and string. Her face was serious as she put her hand on the package.

Her eyes began to water as she spoke.

“We had only been discussing those words of Jesus that very morning when Noorzia

and I went shopping for material for a new dress. You know Fatima’s daughter is

getting married and we have been invited. I knew I could not wear an old dress.”

Her voice began to crack as she continued.

“When I heard you mention the coffee and the neighbor’s new DVD player and the

beggar, in my heart I judged you harshly. But I could not see what a proud woman I

was. I too was sad when I saw Noorzia buy the most fantastic fabric. I had to have the

same.”

Fouzia took a pair of scissors and cut the string. The parcel flopped open exposing the

beautiful cream brocade. A tear now flowed down Fouzia’s face. She collected it in a



handkerchief and took a deep breath.

“It was envy. My pride led to envy. I did not need to have this wonderful fabric. But I

was too proud to let my best friend look better than me at the wedding.”

Fouzia sat down hard into her seat, her confession over. The look of anxiety on her

face was replaced with an expression of relief.

Farid and Mehran looked at each other dumbfounded. Neither one knew what to say.

Farid retrieved the Bible from under the folds of packaging that had engulfed it while

Mehran busied himself pulling the cups of coffee away from the fine brocade.

“There’s more,” Fouzia said having regained her composure. “I too have had a dream.

I have seen Mary the mother of Jesus in my dream. And it has been her example to

me that has shown me my pride and envy.”

“What was it like?” Farid asked. “Did it seem real to you?”

“Yes, it seemed very real. And yet, it could not have been for time passed very

quickly.”

“How did you know that it was Mary?” Mehran asked.

“The stories were familiar to me. We have read them many times before. But I saw in

my dreams a different side to Mary than I had ever seen before. This morning before

you both woke I got up and read the stories again by lamplight.”

“So you did go to the scriptures rather than just trusting the impressions from your

dream?” Farid asked.

“Yes. I had to see for myself if Mary really was like what I saw in my dream. And she

was. The impression I had of her was that she was submitted to God in all things. An

angel visited her with news that she would become pregnant by a miracle even before

her wedding day, and she accepted that. She must have known that her reputation

would have been ruined. Yet, she still submitted to God’s will.”

“Did you see any other story beside the coming of the angel?” Farid asked.

“I also saw the time she took Jesus as an infant to the temple. A man took the holy

baby and blessed him with a prophecy. He then spoke a message to Mary telling her

of the pain she would come to know. I was there. I saw the pain in her eyes as we

stood together at the foot of the cross. I know that I will never forget that moment for

the rest of my life.”

No one spoke for some time. Finally Farid broke the silence.

“Mary truly was an example of meekness. She was submissive to God’s will. She was

content with the life God gave her. I think that it should be our prayer that God gives



us that sense of contentment so that we will not always seek the finer things of this

world.”

Just as he said those words, every eye looked at the cream brocade on the table.

Fouzia stood up and pulled the parcel back together. Mehran held the paper together

while his mother retied the string.

“I will return this and exchange it for something more modest,” Fouzia announced. “I

won’t get its full value back. That will be the price I pay for my foolish pride and the

envy it bred in me.”

She picked up the parcel and carried it into the other room. Mehran looked at his

father and said, “Does this mean that we have to take the coffee back?”

“Well, since we have already drunk most of the jar I don’t think that the shopkeeper

will want it back. I just think we’ll all try to buy things from pure motives from now

on.”

YOUR TURN…

How is Farid’s family trying to live by God’s word? In what ways have you been

challenged to live closer to God’s ways?

Share in your group some of the things that you have been learning from these

lessons.

Now it’s your turn to look at Mary’s story. Read the passages below and answer the

questions. You may want to write your answers out to be checked later.

1. Read Luke 1:26-38 and answer the following questions.

a. Why was Mary confused about the message the angel gave her?

b. When the angel answered Mary’s question, what was her response.

c. How did Mary’s response indicate her character traits?


a. How did God fulfill his promise to Simeon?

b. What things did Simeon say about Jesus and his ministry?

c. What did Simeon tell Mary about her own future? What do you think

that he was referring to?



Mary showed her meekness through her willingness to do God’s will no matter what.

How can we today exhibit meekness in our own communities?

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5



CHAPTER 4

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

he day was still young but the bright sun was already hot. Three women

huddled together under the shade of a poplar tree, and Fouzia could tell that

they had been crying. Finally, one of them broke away from the embrace of

the others, gathered a small bundle, and slowly walked away.

Fouzia moved under the shade of the tree for protection from the sun, but also to hear

what the two remaining women were saying. The older woman spoke first.

“Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and to her gods! Why don't you

go with her?”

“Please don't tell me to leave you and return home! I will go where you go, I will live

where you live; your people will be my people, your God will be my God. I will die

where you die and be buried beside you. May the Lord punish me if we are ever

separated, even by death!”

As the two women collected their meager belongings and began to walk in the

opposite direction, the sun seemed to flash brightly and then diminish again. Fouzia

found herself standing in a barley field. The gatherers had collected most of the stalks

of grain, but the young woman she saw under the tree was following behind, along

with some other women, collecting overlooked stalks of grain.

Suddenly a man stood before her. She stopped her work, pulled her chador over her

face and looked down at the man’s feet.

“I think it would be best for you not to pick up grain in anyone else's field,” he said to

her. “Stay here with the women and follow along behind them, as they gather up what

the men have cut. I have warned the men not to bother you, and whenever you are

thirsty, you can drink from the water jars they have filled.”

The woman replied, “You know I come from another country. Why are you so good

to me?”

“I've heard how you've helped your mother-in-law ever since your husband died. You

even left your own father and mother to come and live in a foreign land among people

you don't know. I pray that the Lord God of Israel will reward you for what you have

done. And now that you have come to him for protection, I pray that he will bless

you.”

****

“Fouzia Jan, thank you so much for telling me that you were returning that wonderful

material,” Noorzia said as they came into the house. The two women put their

shopping bags down and Fouzia set about making tea.

T



“I don’t know what we were thinking when we paid that price,” Noorzia continued. “I

think that it must have been my vanity. I’m not as young as I used to be and the

mirror has become unkind to me lately. Yes, the brocade was wonderful.” She untied

the bundle before her. “But this material will do just fine,” she said holding it up to

examine the pattern in the light.

“I know what it was for me,” Fouzia began. “It was envy. I was envious of you. If you

had it, I wanted it too.”

The two women were quiet for a few moments giving room for their confessions.

“But, God has forgiven us,” Noorzia said. “He has shown us where we had sinned, we

have confessed it and asked for pardon and now we know that he has forgiven us

through our Lord Jesus. That’s the end of the matter.”

“You are right, Noorzia. That is the end of the matter. But I think that there is

something more. I’m not sure I should say.”

“Oh, do tell. It’s not like you to keep secrets from your best friend.”

“Well, do you remember that I told you that I knew that I had sinned because of the

verses our family has been reading and memorizing?”

“Yes, I remember those words of Jesus too. We memorized them while we were still

living in Islamabad.”

“But there was something else. There were dreams too.”

“You never told me this.”

“Yes, there were dreams then, and I’m having more dreams now.”

“Oh, you must tell me about them. I won’t leave until you do.”

“Well, I’m not sure that they are finished. Both Farid and I have had dreams over the

past week since we began our study in the Bible. And as it turns out, what we have

seen in our dreams actually comes from the Bible. Except, I don’t know about the

dream I had last night. At least it is not in the New Testament as best as I can tell. I

looked there early this morning and could not find it.”

“Does Farid have an Old Testament?” Noorzia asked.

“Yes, Asher gave him one so that he could read about the stories of Abram and Moses

that he had dreamed about.”

“Go and get it, and let’s see if we can find your story in it.”

Fouzia reached up to the top shelf and brought down a Old Testament wrapped in a



fine linen cloth.

“Tell me a bit about your dream,” Noorzia said. “Maybe I’ll recognize it.”

“Well, its about three women, and one returns to her people, but the other goes with

her mother-in-law back to her home land. And there is the gleaning of barley…”

“Ruth!” Noorzia exclaimed. “You’ve been dreaming about Ruth. I remember the

story well. While we were still living in Islamabad a number of the women got

together to study the Bible and pray together. How good those times were. We read

the story of Ruth. I remember being very encouraged during those times.”

“Oh, Noorzia Jan. Let’s do that here. Why don’t a few of us women get together and

study this story, just like what you did in Islamabad.”

“I suppose we could,” Noorzia said flipping through the pages of the Old Testament.

“Here it is. It’s not a long story. Should I read it to you?”

Fouzia poured another cup of tea and made herself comfortable on the towshack while

Noorzia began to read.

“Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the tribe of Ephrath lived in the

town of Bethlehem…”

****

“Before you read today’s verse,” Fouzia said, “I want to tell you about a dream I

had.”

“You had another dream?” Farid asked. “We will have to see if it is from the

scriptures.”

“Noorzia and I have already done that yesterday. She knew the story was from the

Old Testament when I told her some of what I saw. It is the story of Ruth. Noorzia

read to me the whole story. It’s not too long. And what’s more, I think that this story

has to do with today’s verse. I think that God is helping us understand more about

each verse through these dreams.”

“Tell us the story, then,” Mehran said.

“I won’t tell all the details. You find those by reading the story for yourself. Ruth was

a woman from a people who were idol worshippers. She married an Israelite man

when his family had come to live in her homeland. Later on he died, as did all the

men in the family. Her sister-in-law returned to her people but Ruth would not go

back to the idol worshippers. She wanted to worship the one true God. So she pleaded

with her mother-in-law, Miriam, to allow her to return with her to the land of the

Israelites.



“And so the two women returned to Miriam’s home town, Bethlehem. They came

back with nothing, much like so many refugees have returned home here, with

nothing. But, Ruth trusted in God and for this she was not disappointed. While she

was gleaning in a field, she met the owner who showed her kindness and protection.

This man later took steps to marry Ruth and she bore him a son. When her son grew

to be a man he too had a son, and that son was the father of the prophet King David.”

“Now I can see why you wanted to tell Ruth’s story before we read today’s verse,”

Farid said. “The verse says, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’ Ruth is a good example of that. She sought

after the one true God. She came with nothing, and yet God gave her a full life.”

“Yes,” Fouzia agreed, “you can see that even more when you learn about the details

of Ruth’s life.”

“I think that story is very nice for you and Noorzia Jan,” Mehran said. “You are

women. The story is about women. But I’m not sure that it really has anything to say

to me in my life.”

“So, what do you think,” his mother replied, “when I hear about Moses or Abram?

They are men. Do their stories have anything to teach me?”

“Of course,” Mehran said. “They are great examples of faith.”

“And Ruth is not a great example of faith because she’s a woman?”

“Careful here, son,” Farid interjected. “I’ll have to agree with your mother here. Ruth

is an example to all of us. She was a person who sought after God, and she found him.

Many people on earth never bother to look for God; they’re too busy with things of

this world. We were once like that. But when we were refugees, we started to ask

questions. Most important of all we asked questions about God and began to seek

him. Don’t forget that, Mehran. We were all like Ruth, and like Ruth we have found

the way to God through Jesus, and we are now satisfied.”



YOUR TURN…

What do you think about Mehran’s question? Do you think that men can learn from

the godly lives of women?



Now it’s your turn to look at the story of Ruth. Read the passage below in your group

and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your answers out to

be checked later.

Read the whole book of Ruth and answer the following questions.

a. In chapter 1, how does Ruth show her devotion to Naomi and to

Naomi’s God?

b. In chapter 2, Boaz prays that God will bless Ruth for her faithfulness

to Naomi. How does he become the answer to that prayer in the rest of

the story?

c. List all the ways in which God has satisfied Ruth and Naomi by the

end of the story.

d. We are sometimes like Naomi at the beginning of the story. Her life

had been bitter. But by the end she was very fulfilled. What does this

teach us about trusting God today?

e. Do you have a story about God satisfying someone who sought after

Him?



Sloth is the sin of not seeking after God. By merely seeking God, we overcome sloth.

When we are not seeking God, we are like a boat on a lake tossed about by the wind.

But if we hunger and thirst after God, we will be satisfied.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall

be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6



CHAPTER 5

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL

ehran opened his eyes. The expanse of the moonless night sky was

flooded with one million stars. He felt the cold ground beneath him. He

could make out the sickly sweet smell of smoke as it rose from the dying

embers of a campfire.

Mehran quietly raised himself up on one elbow. He tried to make sense of the scene.

Two men slept beside him. The taller of the two had what looked like a spear thrust

into the ground beside his head. At his side lay a roughly fashioned water jar. As he

looked beyond the men, he realized that dozens of men lay sleeping on the ground

around him, that he was surrounded by warriors.

Slowly and silently he lay back down for he could make out the sound of footsteps

approaching in the darkness. He shut his eyes as though asleep, and it seemed as

though he dreamed a dream in that split moment.

“Shall I play a tune for you my king?”

Mehran was standing in the corner of some great hall. A young man was playing an

instrument Mehran thought reminded him of a dutar. The youth’s voice was soothing

and he sang a hymn to the one true God.

Seated at the head table was a tall man, not unlike the man asleep beside him in the

camp. His eyes darted this way and that way; they looked as though they were on fire.

He pushed himself away from the table and grasped a spear leaning against the wall.

Turning in fury, he cast the spear with a mighty throw at the youth who only just

managed to dodge it and avoid being pinned to the wall.

Mehran was back in the camp. He felt the cold ground again, and he heard someone

whisper.

“His spear.”

The voice was of the young man he had just seen singing. Another voice now spoke

again in a whisper.

“This time God has let you get your hands on your enemy! I'll pin him to the ground

with one thrust of his own spear.”

Both intruders were standing right at Mehran’s head; he dare not open his eyes. Then

the first voice whispered again.

“Don't kill him! The Lord will punish anyone who kills his chosen king. As surely as

the Lord lives, the Lord will kill Saul, or Saul will die a natural death or be killed in

battle. But I pray that the Lord will keep me from harming his chosen king. Let's grab

his spear and his water jar and get out of here!”

****

M



“You must be mad, Mehran Jan. Or maybe you’re really not an Afghan.”

The two young men walked at an agitated pace down a shaded path on the Kabul

University campus.

“Of course I’m an Afghan. Why do you say such foolish tripe, Hamed Jan?”

“Because you won’t take revenge. Your honor has been call into question, and you

won’t take revenge.”

“I think that Professor Ansari Khan knows that I was the one that wrote that paper. I

must not have deleted the file from the computer I was using at that Internet café and

Farouq went on after me. All he changed was my name, and I’m proud of him for at

least getting that right. Heaven know, he’s cheated his way through school and now

university so it’s a wonder he knows how to spell his own name.”

Hamed stopped and held Mehran by the arm, imploring him face to face.

“But why should you have to rewrite the paper? You were not in the wrong. At least

do something to regain your honor.”

“I am. I’m going to rewrite that paper and it will be my best effort. And I’m going to

write it this time on your computer. Come on; let’s go to your house. I don’t have

much time.”

****

Mehran woke with a start. There was a sense of danger in the air as men around him

began to stir. Then off in the darkness the voice came again, loud and strong. It was

the voice of the young singer warrior.

“Abner! Can you hear me?”

Rising to his feet, one of the men beside Mehran called back.

“Who dares disturb the king?”

Again the voice called out in the darkness.

“Abner, what kind of a man are you? Aren't you supposed to be the best soldier in

Israel? Then why didn't you protect your king? Anyone who went into your camp

could have killed him tonight. Look and see if you can find the king's spear and the

water jar that were near his head.”

Abner looked about their campsite in disbelief while the other man beside him stood

and called out.

“David, my son, is that you?”



“Yes it is, Your Majesty. Why are you after me? Have I done something wrong, or

have I committed a crime? Why should the king of Israel hunt me down as if I were a

bird in the mountains?”

“David, you had the chance to kill me today. But you didn't. I was very wrong about

you. It was a terrible mistake for me to try to kill you. I've acted like a fool, but I'll

never try to harm you again. You're like a son to me, so please come back."

Silence followed for a moment, and then David called out again. Mehran thought that

he could detect a sense of anguish in his voice.

“Your Majesty, here's your spear! Have one of your soldiers come and get it. The

Lord put you in my power today, but you are his chosen king and I wouldn't harm

you. The Lord rewards people who are faithful and live right. I saved your life today,

and I pray that the Lord will protect me and keep me safe.”

The king called back into the darkness.

“David, my son, I pray that the Lord will bless you and make you successful!”

****

Farid reached up onto the top shelf and pulled down the green book.

“Well, I haven’t had one of my dreams for several nights now. Fouzia Jan, what about

you?”

“No more dreams for me right now.”

“It was me,” Mehran said. “The dreams came to me this time.”

Farid smiled and both he and Fouzia looked at each other. “We will want to check

your dream in the scriptures, unless, like your mother, you have already done so.”

“I came in very late last night. I had to rewrite a paper for Professor Ansari Khan. I

was tired and fell asleep quickly. But after my dream, I arose in the night and found

the story in the Old Testament. It was a story about the prophet King David. And I

know why it was given to me.”

Fouzia poured coffee for everyone and then found a comfortable place to sit and hear

the story.

“First tell us the story of David,” Farid said, “and then tell us why you think you were

given this dream.”

“David was chosen to be king while Saul was still ruling. Saul was jealous of David,

and sought to kill him. So David escaped to the wilderness. But Saul did not rest. He

went after David with his army. One night while in pursuit of David, king Saul was

sleeping when David and one of his companions sneaked into the camp. His friend



told David that he should now kill the king, but David would not do it. He would not

seek revenge by killing the king that God had chosen before him. So he took the kings

spear and water jug and slipped into the darkness.

“When David and his friend were a safe distance from Saul’s camp, he called out to

Saul and his companions. They were astonished that the very man they sought had

come into their camp under the cover of darkness and yet did them no harm. The

proof of their deed was evident in their possession of the king’s spear and water jug.

But moreover, David’s deed was a proof of his righteous heart; a heart that would not

take revenge.”

“What an amazing story,” Farid said. “Did you say that David had already been

chosen to follow Saul as king?”

“Yes, he had been selected by God through the prophet Samuel.”

“It is even more amazing then that David did not try to take what he could have

claimed as his right to rule. He waited for God’s timing for the throne. He would not

shorten that time by raising his hand against the king.”

“And David’s behavior is an example of today’s verse, isn’t it father?”

“Yes, today’s verse is, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.’”

“Well, I just pray that Professor Ansari Khan will show me mercy,” Mehran

continued. “Just like David’s companion, Hamed Jan wanted me to take revenge.”

“Revenge?” Fouzia cried. “For what?”

“A student in my class must have gone into the Internet café to the computer I used

right after me and printed off the paper I had written, putting his name on it first.

When the professor saw the two identical papers, he confronted both of us and tore

them up in front of us. We had until this morning to submit a new paper.”

“Who did such a thing?” Fouzia asked.

“It doesn’t matter, mother,” Mehran replied. “I’ve written a new paper and will turn it

in in just a few hours.”

“But, it so unfair that you had to write something else. You wrote the first paper. This

other person is the one who deserves to be punished.”

“In a way, you’re right. But as I said to you, and to Hamed Jan, and I’ll say to anyone

else who asks me, ‘it doesn’t matter’. At least I’m not dodging spears and on the run

like some outlaw.”



YOUR TURN…

How did Mehran show the same kind of merciful attitude that David showed to Saul?


lessons.

Now it’s your turn to look at the David’s story. Read the passages below and answer

the questions. You may want to write your answers out to be checked later.

1. Read I Samuel 18:6-11 and answer the following questions.

a. What was behind Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David?

b. How did David behave towards Saul?


a. How was it that David and his companion were able to sneak into

Saul’s camp?

b. Why did David not want to kill Saul?

c. What was Saul’s reaction to David’s mercy?



Can you think of an example of how you might be able to show mercy to others in

your own life?

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5:7



CHAPTER 6

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

he sun was low in the sky casting red hues against the Judean hills. Mehran

looked across the city from the rooftop garden of the palace to the hills

beyond.

The king was sleeping under the shade of a pavilion while a boy gently fanned him.

Slowly he awoke and sat up stretching.

Walking to the edge of the roof, the king surveyed his domain. He cast his eyes down

below him, and after a moment of consideration, called his servant to his side. He

pointed out something to the boy who replied in tones too low for Mehran to hear.

The king whispered something into the boy’s ear, dispatching him with great speed.

The king continued his gaze at the source of his attention while Mehran watched

uneasily. His heart was racing. He wanted to look as well, more than anything in the

world. But somehow he knew he shouldn’t. Just one look. What would be the harm?

The sun set behind the hills and darkness spread across the land.

****

“I don’t know why you are so upset,” Hamed said. “It was harmless.”

“It was not harmless, my friend,” Mehran replied in earnest. “What we watched on

Yakub’s computer was not harmless. I feel filthy, like I’ll never be able to be clean

again. I don’t know if those images will ever be erased from my memory.”

“Why would you want them to be? All men look at these things. You are a man,

aren’t you? You do want to have a woman one day, don’t you?”

“Yes, I will one day marry. But I want to do so in purity. Not with those images

running through my mind.”

“Then why didn’t you leave when the film began? Why did you stay through the

whole thing?”

“I don’t know, Hamed Jan.” Mehran stopped and thought about it for a moment. “I

guess I found out something today about myself I never knew before. I’m ashamed of

myself. I wish I could go back to yesterday and live there forever.”

****

“Nathan, I’m so glad to see you. It has been too long since your last visit.”

Mehran watched as the king embraced the old man. A small group of advisors

followed the two venerable men into the garden. No one seemed to notice that

Mehran had joined the company.

T



“Yes, it has been too long. I’m afraid I bring ill news. A matter has come to my

attention that calls for your wise judgment.”

“Tell on, my friend. I will judge as best I can,” the king replied.

“A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. The rich man owned a lot of

sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and

raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his

plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own

children.

“One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any

of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's little

lamb and served it instead.”

When Nathan finished his report, the king erupted.

“I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this deserves to die! And because he

didn't have any pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb

was worth.”

The old man took the king by the shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. His

voice was stern and clear.

“You are that rich man! Now listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you: ‘I

chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul and even gave you his

house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I

would have given you much more. Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible

thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by having the Ammonites kill him, so you

could take his wife.

‘Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will

never live in peace. Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble,

and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He

will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. What you did was in secret, but I

will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see.’”

The king fell to the ground at the prophet’s feet and cried out, “I have sinned against

the Lord.”

“Yes, you have!” Nathan answered. “You showed you didn't care what the Lord

wanted. He has forgiven you, and you won't die. But your newborn son will.”

****

Mehran closed the Old Testament just as his father came through the door.



“Where’s your mother, Mehran Jan?”

“She went for some things from the market. She’ll be home soon.”

“Why didn’t you go for her?”

“I offered to, but she said that she wanted to see what the vegetables look like these

days. Anyway, I had something I had to do, or rather read.”

“I see you have the Old Testament. Have been dreaming again?” Farid sat down

beside his son. Mehran’s manner seemed sad.

“Yes, I have father. But the story has not been so encouraging this time.”

“Really? What was the story you dreamed about?”

An unnatural silence followed for a few moments. Then Mehran answered in a quiet

voice.

“David’s sin with Bathsheba.”

“I see.”

Farid turned away from looking at his son and fixed his eyes on a pattern in the carpet

at his feet. Again, silence followed. Finally Mehran spoke in a low voice.

“Father, I watched a filthy film at a friend’s house the other day. I am ashamed to be

called your son.”

Farid began to say something several times, but each time he stopped himself. Then,

after a few minutes had past, he reached over and picked up the Old Testament. It

took him a few moments to find what he was looking for. When he found it he read

aloud, first in a voice cracking with emotion, but in the end strong and clear.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your

abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!”

Tears poured down Mehran’s face.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not

away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the

joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

Mehran wiped his face with his sleeve.

“Do you know who wrote this, Mehran Jan?”



He shook his head.

“It says here at the beginning of this psalm that David wrote this prayer when the

prophet Nathan confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba. God did not reject David

then, and both He and I won’t reject you now,” Farid said embracing his son.

The next few minutes were timeless for both father and son, a time that rarely

happens, a time when people who love each other say what they really feel. It seemed

strange to Mehran that something so awful as his sin and his painful confession could

result in such a moment.

“When I saw the story of David before, I thought that he was so godly to not seek

revenge. But, now I wonder. How could he have let sin have such a hold of his life

after serving God so faithfully all those years?”

“Your question is a good one, “Farid said, “and I’m not sure I have an answer for it.

But the fact that he wrote the prayer I read after his sin shows that he was still seeking

after God. David’s life can serve as both an example, and a warning to us.”

“Father, do you remember what our next verse says? It says, ‘Blessed are the pure in

heart, for they shall see God.’ I know that I am not pure in heart, but I sense that I

have seen God today in a clearer way than I ever have before.”

“But God has cleansed your heart, son. God has heard your confession and prayer for

forgiveness and you have been cleansed. Pity those who do not know this wonderful

grace God has made known to us.”

Mehran thought of Hamed and said a silent prayer for him.

The door flew open, Fouzia stepped into the room, her arms laden with shopping, and

time returned to Farid’s humble home.

“The tomatoes are too soft and the kharbuzas are too hard. Why can I never get good

fruit and vegetables in this city?”



YOUR TURN…



Now it’s your turn to look at the story of David and Bathsheba. Read the passages

below in your group and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write

your answers out to be checked later.

1. Read II Samuel 11:1-27 and answer the following questions.

a. What was it that led David to sin?

b. How did his sin lead to even more sin?

c. What was God’s impression of David’s sin?


a. How did Nathan the Prophet bring up the subject of David’s sin

with Bathsheba?

b. How did David end up condemning his own actions without

realizing it?

c. What were the consequences of David’s sin?

3. Read Psalm 51 and answer the following question.

How did David’s response show that his repentance was real?



Purity of heart is not only related to sexual sins, but to any impure thought or

motivation within us like greed or hatred. Psalm 119:9 says that we can keep our

hearts pure by meditating on God’s word.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8



CHAPTER 7

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

arid wondered at first if he was in the old city of Kabul. Warm sunlight

bathed the stone walls along the narrow lane. Children played in the

shadows and an old woman made her way down the street with her

shopping.

Suddenly, the serenity of the early morning was broken. At first a few shouts could be

heard in the distance. Then an angry crowd poured down the street. Farid tried to

move out of the way, but a large man pushed him up against a wall grazing his arm.

The only one not shouting and hurling abuses was a tall young man in the center of

the crowd. He seemed to be the focus of everyone’s wrath. For someone in his

position, he certainly seemed unconcerned. All around him men were beating their

chests and a few men ran with their fingers in their ears as if to stop some unutterable

words from penetrating their consciousness. Others simply tried to reach in and slap

the young man’s head as they drove him down the street.

Local residents, interrupted from their routine duties, emerged from their homes and

shops to see what the commotion was. Fearful, and yet interested, they dropped what

they were doing and followed the crowd that was growing by the minute. Farid

decided to join them.

When the mob spilled out of the city gates, Farid knew for sure that he was not in

Kabul. Collecting in an open area obviously used for dumping rubbish, the young

man was made to stand in the center, his arms and legs now bound.

A man on one side appeared to be in charge of the operation. Men both old and young

came and placed their outer garments at his feet and then proceeded to gather rocks

from the open area. Some younger men, you might even still call them boys, collected

their rocks with glee. You could tell that they were enjoying themselves. But most of

the men were dead serious about their task.

“This can’t be happening,” thought Farid.

Farid stopped a man collecting rocks and asked, “What has this man done?”

The man paused for a moment and looked into Farid’s eyes. Farid had never before

seen such vengeance and hate pour out of a person. His answer was incoherent.

“He has arrgh…”

It was as if he could not even speak. The man broke off from Farid’s grasp and went

back to collecting rocks. Then he heard it; the sound of a sickening thud. Farid looked

up in time to see the young man reel back and forth from the impact. Blood began to

seep through his clothes from his chest. The crowd was completely silent. The young

man’s face was radiant as he spoke with the voice of an angel.

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

F



Another rock slammed into his back, forcing him to the ground. He cried out with a

loud voice one last time.

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

The eyes of the mob turned to the man in charge. Farid looked his way too, seeking

for some reprieve. Certainly sanity will prevail. This young man could not have

committed any crime worthy of this punishment.

The man in charge stood with arms crossed like a statue, anger set as if in stone on his

face. He gave a nod. A volley of stones found their mark. Farid turned his eyes away

in horror.

****

“I’m weary of war, Asher.”

“We’re all weary of war, Farid Jan.”

“Not everyone in this country is weary of war.”

“Yes, you’re right. For some who have known nothing else but hatred and killing,

there never seems to be enough of it.”

“Did we do the right thing coming back? Maybe if we tried harder, or prayed harder,

we could have gone to Canada.”

“Oh, I suppose your life would have been better in many ways. Do you feel different

now? Do you think that you should have continued to try and immigrate?”

Farid thought for a moment and said, “No. No, this is my home. We’re back here for a

reason. Though we may live in a land at war, we can still follow our Prince of Peace.”

“May he show us how to be peacemakers in this place,” Asher said.

Farid was silent. He was thinking about his dream. He was recalling the look of hatred

on the face of the man who oversaw the murder of one of his brothers in Christ. But

his imagination did not remain there. Another face flashed before him. It was the face

of the young martyr as he prayed for his murderers. “He looked like an angel,” Farid

thought to himself.

****

“I can’t believe that you brought him here. You know what he has done. You know

what he is capable of doing.”

Farid stood huddled together with three other men in a cool hallway. Standing in the

courtyard was a solitary figure, the object of the men’s attention. He was not an

impressive man, short and balding. Yet he was an intense man. Farid could see that as



he watched him pace back and forth in the courtyard. From time to time he would

look toward the men meeting together in the dark hallway. He would then pace some

more and look up into the sky, and then down at the ground. Farid thought that he had

seen him before. When he looked toward the hallway again he remembered his face.

“How could I forget?” Farid thought. It was the same man who had presided over the

stoning of the Christian martyr.

“This man is dangerous,” another of the three spoke up. “He had one mission and one

alone when he went to Damascus; to destroy the fellowship there. Now you say he is

one of us. How do we not know that this is some ploy, a way that he can get into the

group and destroy us from the inside? Brother, you know that we have the

responsibility to protect the flock. We must know for sure.”

“Let’s not stand here in the hallway. Come, let’s sit in the other room and talk these

things over.”

The two men posing their objections were ushered into the adjoining room. They sat

together while Farid watched through the open door.

“You are right. He was sent to Damascus with orders to arrest followers of Jesus.

However, on the way he was stopped by a vision. A bright light blinded him and he

fell to the ground. He heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

He called out, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said to him, ‘I am Jesus, who you are

persecuting. Get up and go into the city and you will be told what to do.’ Those with

him could also hear the voice, but they could not see anyone.

“When he stood up, he was blind and had to be led into the city. He remained there

taking neither food nor water for three days. After that time a prophet in the town

came to him with a message from God. He told him, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus

who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may

regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ At that moment something like

scales fell from his eyes and he could see. He got up and was baptized.

“From that time he entered the fellowship in Damascus. True, they had not seen first

hand the kinds of thing that he was capable of. Only we here have seen that ourselves.

But he was so bold in his witness to our Lord in Damascus that his own life was in

peril and he had to escape.”

Farid looked back to the man in the courtyard. He was now leaning against a wall

under the shade of a grape arbor. He seemed lost in his thoughts. He brightened as the

men rejoined him in the courtyard. They each embraced him, and as they took turns

shaking his hand Farid could see clearly into Saul’s eyes. “The same eyes, yet not the

same eyes,” he thought to himself. “The same man, but not the same man.”

****

“Today’s verse is, I think, very important for us,” Farid began. “Jesus says, ‘Blessed

are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.’ I had a dream over the past

few nights about a story that we have all heard before. My dreams were about the

stoning of the first Christian martyr, and the conversion of Saul, who later became



known as Paul.”

“Its coffee this morning,” Fouzia said as she passed out the cups. “Yes, I think that we

have heard these stories a number of times. But I can’t see how they relate to this

verse about peacemakers.”

“That’s where my dreams helped me. When I went back and read the stories again, I

noticed something that had been there all along. It was the connection that others had

to Paul. For example, Stephen forgave those who killed him. He asked that God not

hold their sin against them. In a very real way, he was praying for Paul.”

“For that, I’m thankful,” Mehran replied. “What letters I have read from Paul have

always been an intellectual challenge to me. I sometime wonder why I’m spending so

much time studying things of the world at university when I could be learning more

about God.”

“Well, maybe we should talk about those ideas sometime,” Farid offered. “But you

know that in your studies you can also learn much about God, how to live for him and

witness to His reality in your life.”

“Yes, you’re right father.”

“But I also had another dream about the time that Barnabas defended Paul before the

elders in Jerusalem. I had never thought of it before, but there Barnabas was playing a

major role in encouraging the man who would later write most of the New Testament.

Some wanted to write-off Paul. But Barnabas stood up for Paul, making a way for

him to be included in the Jerusalem fellowship.”

“So, do you see Barnabas as a peacemaker, then?” Fouzia asked.

“Yes, I do. And I wonder how his example can be followed by us here, today.”

“I know that every time a new person comes into our fellowship, I’m suspicious,”

Mehran said.

“I think we all are, Mehran Jan,” his mother replied.

“I’m sure that that is the only example we should think about,” Farid continued.

“Barnabas took the time to find out about Paul. He didn’t just listen to what other

people had said. He got to the bottom of the story and, all the while, was looking for

the best part of the story. In that way, he truly was the ‘Son of Encouragement’, which

is what his name means. His real name was Joseph, but he was called Barnabas

because of his character.”

“I wonder what name I would be given if people just looked at my character,” Mehran

said. “I’m not sure I want to know.”



YOUR TURN…

What name do you think people would give to you if they looked at your character?


lessons.

Now it’s your turn to look at the stories of Stephen, Saul and Barnabas. Read the

passages below and answer the questions. You may want to write your answers out to

be checked later.

1. Read Acts 7:54-8:3 and answer the following questions.

a. How was Stephen’s behavior different from the men who accused and

killed him?

b. What gave Stephen the strength to endure his suffering?

c. Do you know of others who have suffered for their faith? Can you tell

a bit of their stories?

2. Read Acts 9:1-30 and answer the following questions.

a. What job did God tell Ananias He had for Saul?

b. How did Saul demonstrate that he truly was a follower of Jesus?

c. Why did Saul have to leave Jerusalem?



The wrath that was shown by the men who killed Stephen is the opposite of the way

Barnabas approached Saul. Stephen’s killers did not want to know anything about

him. He was righteous, but they considered him unrighteous. Saul, for his part had

been unrighteous, but Barnabas looked for, and found, the good in Saul’s life. What

are you looking for in the lives of others? Are you a peacemaker?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9



CHAPTER 8

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS' SAKE

ehran felt something hard and damp beneath him. He had awoken into

darkness; at least he thought that he was awake. He sat up slowly and

dared not move. The air was thick with the dampness and the smells of

body odor and human waste. He covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve to filter

the air.

After a time, his eyes began to adjust. A very dim light was radiating from somewhere

in the darkness. It was not enough to give definition to his immediate surroundings.

But what he could see caused him to break out in a cold sweat. The dim light revealed

the prison bars.

“Oh no,” Mehran thought. “It’s happened. I’ve been arrested and thrown into Puli

Charkhi dungeon. I wonder who turned me in. Maybe it was Yakub, or Hamed. No,

not Hamed.”

It was at this moment that a light in the middle of his cell began to glow. It was a dim

blue at first, and as it increased in intensity, Mehran could see those around him.

There was a bearded man in his cell and he was attached by chains to two sleeping

prison guards.

When Mehran looked back at the light, a person was standing there in the midst of the

cell. Light was coming from somewhere, but Mehran could not tell where. The person

reached down to the sleeping prisoner and shook him awake.

“Get up quickly,” he said. “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.”

His chains fell off and the man stood. Mehran stood with him.

“Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

The man with the strange glow about him led the way and the prisoner and Mehran

followed. All the guards were asleep. And when they came to locked doors, they just

opened on their own.

“When did they install automatic doors at Puli Charkhi,” Mehran thought to himself.

Soon they were standing in the open air. Like emerging from a cave the fresh air was

the first thing they noticed. Then they saw the stars above them. When Mehran looked

about he realized he was not in Kabul and their deliverer was gone. The prisoner

pulled his cloak up to cover himself and slipped into the darkness.

****

“I can’t believe you won’t join us.”

Hamed looked truly annoyed. Mehran could see Yakub and some other young men by

the gate to the university.

M



“Come on, Hamed, Mehran. You know what’s waiting,” Yakub called out while those

around him broke out in a gale of laughter.

“You know I can’t. I won’t, Hamed Jan. You know that God finds this kind of thing

displeasing.”

“They’re right. You have lost it. You used to be great fun Mehran. But lately, you’ve

become a real drag. I don’t know where our friendship is anymore.”

“Hamed!” Yakub called out again.

“I’m coming!” he replied. Turning back to his old friend he said, “It’s that Jesus

thing, isn’t it. I thought that it was harmless at first, but its not. It really has changed

you Mehran, and I don’t like the changes.”

Hamed turn on his heels, jogged down to his waiting companions, and never looked

back.

****

Mehran woke up back in prison. But it was a different prison than before. There was a

window to the outside and the room was simple, but tidy.

An old man sat hunched over a table writing something. He was talking to himself

while he wrote, as if he were talking to the person he was writing to. “Maybe he was

used to dictating,” Mehran thought. He noticed the trouble the old man was having

with his eyes. He stopped from time to time to rub them and was constantly adjusting

the simple lamp he was using, always trying to get the best light from it.

Unnoticed, Mehran step closer to him in order to hear what he said, being careful to

not startle the man.

“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has

come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the

righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who

have loved his appearing.”

Mehran found himself repeating the old man’s words to himself, “…and not only to

me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Do I love and long for the Lord’s

appearing?”

The old man continued.

“Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has

deserted me.”

“So, he too knows the pain of being abandoned by his friends,” Mehran thought.



“Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to

his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.”

Mehran smiled. “There’s no revenge in his voice. It’s up to God to take care of those

things. Yet, he’s still wise. He warns his friend about Alexander the coppersmith.”

“At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be

charged against them!”

“He has the same heart of forgiveness that Stephen had,” Mehran noticed. “I wonder

if he knew him?”

“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message

might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from

the lion's mouth.”

“Does he mean that,” Mehran thought in horror. “Certainly they would not have fed

him to a lion. He can’t mean that.”

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly

kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

“His faith is in God to the very end,” Mehran reflected. “I hope that I will see the

world like that when I’m facing my last days.”

****

“We come to the end of our verses today,” Farid announced.

“We also come to the end of the German coffee,” Fouzia said with a smile. “So,

unless your father has a change of heart regarding the purchase of such luxuries,

Mehran Jan, this is your last cup. You should savor every sip.”

“Oh, I don’t know mother. Maybe I can save up some money and get him a gift of

German coffee. I know he’ll be sure to like it.”

“Just don’t forget to give to the beggar out front when you do,” Farid said with a glint

in his eye.

Mehran looked down into his cup. He hadn’t really noticed his father last comment.

He was thinking about his dream, and their verse for the day.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven,” Farid read. “The passage continues with similar words. Let me

read those too. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all

kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward

is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The family sat silently for a few moments. For, unlike most followers of Jesus in the

world today, they happened to have personally known believers who had lost their



lives for their faith.

“My friendship with Hamed is over,” Mehran declared.

“No, it can’t be,” Mehran’s mother protested. “You have been friends from youth.

How can you say this? What has happened Mehran Jan?”

“Let me just say, that unless he turns away from some of the things he is now doing,

then we can no longer be friends. Anyway mother,” he said now looking at Fouzia,

“Hamed no longer wants me for a friend. He says it’s my ‘Jesus thing’.”

The family said nothing as they reflected on what Mehran said in the light of the

verses they had just read. Mehran finally spoke.

“I’ve had some dreams.”

Farid and Fouzia were wondering if dreams had come with this last set of verses.

“They were from the book of Acts. I saw Peter in prison for his faith, Father,” he said

looking now at Farid, “I thought that I was in Puli Charkhi prison. It was frightening.

But no, it was a dream. And I watched with awe as an angel came and set Peter free.”

“That must have been thrilling to see,” Farid said.

“Yes, it was. But when I read the book of Acts I discovered that Peter’s friend James

had just been killed. It seems that God freed some and not others.”

“Sadly, we know this truth already,” Fouzia noted.

“I dreamed again. I saw Paul, father. He was in prison too. I didn’t know who he was.

He was old and it seemed like he was in his last days. But he was still victorious. I

saw and heard him while he was writing his second letter to Timothy. His words were

a great encouragement to me when I was thinking about some of the things that

Hamed had said to me.”

“Yes, those dreams were for you,” Farid said, “and, yet, they teach us all.”

“But, mine were not the only dreams,” Mehran said.

“No, there were eight sets of dream, and there were eight verses,” Farid noted. “But

the dreams were really windows into the stories of the scriptures. They have opened

us up to other stories to see how God was working in the times of the Bible.”

“He has never stopped working,” Fouzia said. “For we have seen how closely these

verses have spoken to our own lives. And our lives are no dream; they are reality.”

“You’re right, Fouzia Jan. Our lives are reality. And God’s working in our lives is the

greatest reality of all.



YOUR TURN…

In your groups, can anyone share how God has used any of these eight verses to teach

them more about Christian virtues in their own life?

Now it’s your turn to look at the story of Peter and Paul. Read the passages below in

your group and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your



a. What did Peter think was happening when the angel led him out of

prison?

b. Why didn’t the girl Rhoda let Peter into the house?

c. What happened as a result of Peter’s escape?

2. Read II Timothy 4:6-18 and answer the following questions.

a. What did Paul mean when he said that he was been ‘poured out’?

b. Why do you think that Paul was so eager for Timothy to join him?

c. When all others deserted Paul, who stood beside him?


Memorize the verse below.

Many fear persecution because they love the world so much. But God promises His

kingdom to those who endure persecution, despising the glories of this life for the

unsurpassable glories of the life to come.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10



INTRODUCTION

The Dreamers is a story-based Bible study on Christian virtues. It studies the eight

Beatitudes spoken by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-12. A virtue

is taught through each Beatitude. In a way, these virtues serve as a cure to eight

deadly sins that can plague all people.

Throughout the study we follow the story of a family of dreamers. In each one of their

dreams, they are exposed to a Bible lesson on each virtue. In those Bible stories, we

see how God has worked in the lives of people in Bible times to bring them under the

same teachings.

Not many people have dreams like the family does in our stories. The stories about

these fictional dreamers were written in order to help us see the importance of turning

to God’s word for direction. We should guard against seeking dreams and visions

rather than seeking God, who can be found most clearly in the Scriptures.

The chart below shows the relationship between the basic elements of each lesson.

# Beatitude Deadly Sin Bible Story

1 Poor in spirit (humble) Pride Moses

2 Mourn (gracious) Greed Abraham and Lot

3 Meek Envy Mary the mother of Jesus

4 Hunger for God Sloth (apathy toward God) Ruth

5 Merciful Revenge David and Saul

6 Pure in heart Lust David and Bathsheba

7 Peacemaker Wrath Stephen, Paul, and Barnabas

8 Enduring persecution Gluttony (love of the world) Peter and Paul

CONDUCT ING THE BIB LE ST UDY

This study can be completed in eight weeks through weekly sessions of between one

and two hours. The lessons should be conducted in a small group of individuals who

trust each other and are committed to completing the course.

In the sections that follow, suggested answers are given in italics for each study

question. The facilitator should seek to guide the learners through these questions,

waiting for them to provide answers when they can. The answers given are a guide for

the facilitator. Some questions will not have just one answer.

Each session should begin and end in prayer. The facilitator should do his or her best

to give the participants an opportunity to interact with the story and the study

questions. Care should be taken to hold personal information that has been shared in

confidence. Students who can are encouraged to write out their answers. This may

help them to remember important aspects of the lessons.

May God be with you as you study these lessons. May you truly be one of those who

is blessed by God.

FACILITATOR’S GUIDE



CHAPTER 1

YOUR TURN…

Now it’s your turn to study the scriptures. Read the passages below in your group and

then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your answers out to be

checked later.


a. What kind of attitude did Moses have toward the Egyptians? He took

matters into his own hands and killed the Egyptian. This shows that

Moses thought that he was above the law.

b. What kind of attitude did Moses have toward the Hebrews? Moses

tried to settle a dispute when they had not asked him to. He was trying

to exert control that had not been given to him.

c. Was Moses trying to lead people God’s way or man’s way? Man’s

way. Why do you say that? He had elevated himself – God had not

lifted him up.

2. Read Exodus 3:1-12 and 4:1- 18 and answer the following questions.

a. How had Moses’ attitude changed over the years? He no longer

thought that he could sort out the problems that the Hebrews faced.

Was he still looking to be a leader? No.

b. What did God do to try to encourage Moses to return to Egypt and free

the Hebrews? He gave him ability to turn his staff into a snake – to

show signs that God was with him.

c. How did God finally convince Moses to do his will? God got a bit

angry and sent Aaron, Moses’ brother to be his spokesman.


a. Why did the people ask Aaron, Moses’ brother, to make an idol?

Moses had been away so long, they looked for a new leader.

b. What was God response to their idolatry? He wanted to destroy all the

people and start over with Moses and his family.

c. What was Moses’ response to God’s threat? He prayed for God to be

merciful to the people and take his life instead. What does this teach us

about Moses’ character? It shows great humility and that we can grow

more humble through the years if we will learn from God.



How was the humility described in this verse seen in the life of Moses? What did it

take for Moses to reach that place? What would it take for God to work such humility

into your life?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3




CHAPTER 2

YOUR TURN…

Can you help Fouzia and Mehran out? How would you retell Farid’s story to show

why he saw both pride and greed in his life?



To mourn with another in their sorrow is to show that you feel their feelings along

with them. In the same way, when we rejoice with those who rejoice, we show the

virtue of graciousness.

Now it’s your turn to look at the story about Abram and Lot. Read the passage below

in your group and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your


Read Genesis 13:1-18 and answer the following questions.

a. When there was trouble between Abram’s men and Lot’s men, who

was it that initiated a solution to the problem? Abram.

b. Even though the valley seemed to be a good choice, what kind of

people lived there? Very evil people in Sodom. What does this teach us

about how we should make our choices – based on appearances or on

the potential consequences? We should think about how our choices

might lead to problems later on, as they did for Lot.

c. After the two men separated, what did God say to Abram? God would

give all the land to Abram’s children. How did what God say comfort

Abram in the light of Lot’s separation from him? He knew that God

was with him and would fulfill His promises to him.

d. What was Abram’s response to God? To worship God by building an

altar.

e. How is Abram’s life an example to us to mourn with those who mourn

and rejoice with those who rejoice? Abram was thinking of what was

best for Lot and allowed God to take care of him. Rather than mourn

over the loss of the good land that Lot settled in, Abram was gracious

to Lot.



Greed has been defined as sorrow over another persons blessing. How could God use

the verse below to guard us against the sin of greed?


Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4



CHAPTER 3

YOUR TURN…

How is Farid’s family trying to live by God’s word? In what ways have you been

challenged to live closer to God’s ways?


lessons.

Now it’s your turn to look at Mary’s story. Read the passages below and answer the

questions. You may want to write your answers out to be checked later.


a. Why was Mary confused about the message the angel gave her?

She did not know how she could have a child when she had not

been with a man.

b. When the angel answered Mary’s question, what was her response.

She was totally willing to accept God’s will.

c. How did Mary’s response indicate her character traits? She showed

that in meekness she would bear with the God’s will no matter the

consequences for her reputation.


a. How did God fulfill his promise to Simeon? By allowing him to see

the baby Jesus.

b. What things did Simeon say about Jesus and his ministry? Through

Jesus a shattering of the old way of doing things would come.

c. What did Simeon tell Mary about her own future? She would face

sorrow. What do you think that he was referring to? Jesus’ death

on the cross.



Mary showed her meekness through her willingness to do God’s will no matter what.

How can we today exhibit meekness in our own communities?


Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5



CHAPTER 4

YOUR TURN…

What do you think about Mehran’s question? Do you think that men can learn from

the godly lives of women?



Now it’s your turn to look at the story of Ruth. Read the passage below in your group

and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your answers out to

be checked later.

Read the whole book of Ruth and answer the following questions.

a. In chapter 1, how does Ruth show her devotion to Naomi and to

Naomi’s God? By rejecting her own idols and family to join Naomi.

b. In chapter 2, Boaz prays that God will bless Ruth for her faithfulness

to Naomi. How does he become the answer to that prayer in the rest of

the story? Boaz takes Ruth as his wife, thus providing for her family.

c. List all the ways in which God has satisfied Ruth and Naomi by the

end of the story. They are provided food, a home, a husband for Ruth,

and a child.

d. We are sometimes like Naomi at the beginning of the story. Her life

had been bitter. But by the end she was very fulfilled. What does this

teach us about trusting God today? Even though things may look a bit

grim, God’s blessing will follow for those who trust in Him.

e. Do you have a story about God satisfying someone who sought after

Him? Answers will vary.



Sloth is the sin of not seeking after God. By merely seeking God, we overcome sloth.

When we are not seeking God, we are like a boat on a lake tossed about by the wind.

But if we hunger and thirst after God, we will be satisfied.


Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall

be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6



CHAPTER 5

YOUR TURN…

How did Mehran show the same kind of merciful attitude that David showed to Saul?


lessons.

Now it’s your turn to look at the David’s story. Read the passages below and answer

the questions. You may want to write your answers out to be checked later.


a. What was behind Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David? When

David killed Goliath, the people sang songs about his valor. Saul

wanted the glory to go to himself only.

b. How did David behave towards Saul? He sought to bring him

comfort and never did any wrong to him.


a. How was it that David and his companion were able to sneak into

Saul’s camp? God caused the camp to sleep deeply.

b. Why did David not want to kill Saul? Because he had been chosen

by God and it would have been a crime to raise his hand against

him.

c. What was Saul’s reaction to David’s mercy? He seemed to realize

what he had done and was sorry, recognizing David’s

righteousness.



Can you think of an example of how you might be able to show mercy to others in

your own life?


Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5:7



CHAPTER 6

YOUR TURN…



Now it’s your turn to look at the story of David and Bathsheba. Read the passages

below in your group and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write

your answers out to be checked later.


a. What was it that led David to sin? He saw something he should not

have seen.

b. How did his sin lead to even more sin? When Uriah’s wife became

pregnant by David, he had Uriah killed.

c. What was God’s impression of David’s sin? God was very

displeased with David’s sin.


a. How did Nathan the Prophet bring up the subject of David’s sin

with Bathsheba? Through a story about a beloved lamb.

b. How did David end up condemning his own actions without

realizing it? He saw the crime in the story before he realized that it

was really a story about himself.

c. What were the consequences of David’s sin? His baby son died

and someone in his house would turn against him.

3. Read Psalm 51 and answer the following question.

How did David’s response show that his repentance was real? To begin

with, he confessed it for all to hear about. Many of us try to cover-up

our sins. Confession shows that repentance is real.



Purity of heart is not only related to sexual sins, but to any impure thought or

motivation within us like greed or hatred. Psalm 119:9 teaches us that we can keep

our hearts pure by meditating on God’s word.


Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8



CHAPTER 7

YOUR TURN…

What name do you think people would give to you if they looked at your character?


lessons.

Now it’s your turn to look at the stories of Stephen, Saul and Barnabas. Read the

passages below and answer the questions. You may want to write your answers out to

be checked later.

1. Read Acts 7:54-8:3 and answer the following questions.

a. How was Stephen’s behavior different from the men who accused

and killed him? Stephan was at peace while those around him were

burning in their wrath.

b. What gave Stephen the strength to endure his suffering? He had a

vision of Jesus.

c. Do you know of others who have suffered for their faith? Can you

tell a bit of their stories? Answers will vary.


a. What job did God tell Ananias He had for Saul? God wanted Saul

to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. These were the non-Jewish

people in the Roman Empire.

b. How did Saul demonstrate that he truly was a follower of Jesus? By

preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen.

c. Why did Saul have to leave Jerusalem? The Jews sought his life.



The wrath that was shown by the men who killed Stephen is the opposite of the way

Barnabas approached Saul. Stephen’s killers did not want to know anything about

him. He was righteous, but they considered him unrighteous. Saul, for his part had

been unrighteous, but Barnabas looked for, and found, the good in Saul’s life. What

are you looking for in the lives of others? Are you a peacemaker?


Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9



CHAPTER 8

YOUR TURN…

In your groups, can anyone share how God has used any of these eight verses to teach

them more about Christian virtues in their own life?

Now it’s your turn to look at the story of Peter and Paul. Read the passages below in

your group and then discuss the questions together. You may want to write your



a. What did Peter think was happening when the angel led him out of

prison? He thought that it was a vision and not real.

b. Why didn’t the girl Rhoda let Peter into the house? She was

worried about security and thought that it might be wrong to open

the door. She wanted permission from the elders,

c. What happened as a result of Peter’s escape? Confusion from the

guard and murder of them by Herod.

2. Read II Timothy 4:6-18 and answer the following questions.

a. What did Paul mean when he said that he was been ‘poured out’?

He would soon be dead. There was an offering the Hebrews had

where water was poured out before God. Paul saw his life like that

kind of offering.

b. Why do you think that Paul was so eager for Timothy to join him?

He was a good companion and other friends had deserted him.

c. When all others deserted Paul, who stood beside him? God never

deserted Paul – He was always by his side.


Memorize the verse below.

Many fear persecution because they love the world so much. But God promises His

kingdom to those who endure persecution, despising the glories of this life for the

unsurpassable glories of the life to come.


Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

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The Karez Project Library Volume 3karezproject.org/Bible Studies_files/The Dreamers.pdf · sayings, he taught them godly virtues. In the following study, we find that each virtue