BibleStudyBlog - Barbara Lynn Seibel

March 23, 2025March 21, 2025

Deep Sorrow that Led to Worship

As many of you know, I am healing from a deep sorrow since losing my husband by his own choice last July and my earthly father by natural causes last October.

We expected my earthly father’s death. But my husband’s shocked all who knew him.

Thus, the journey of healing I am on is complicated.

I shared part of my experience in my first post back after a six-month break from writing.

Today’s passage was hard for me to work through because it touches on the themes of deep sorrow.

Yet, it also provides an opportunity to learn why the Lord is worthy of our worship, no matter the source of our deep sorrow.

Join me in this study of 2 Samuel 12:15-23 and portions of Psalm 51.

March 16, 2025March 16, 2025

Elkanah Returns to Worship God

Two weeks ago, I started this series on 1 Samuel 1, purposefully studying the “minor” characters instead of the usual approach to this passage.

Several of you have thanked me for this focus, stating that you had never considered that these “minor” characters could reveal so much about the Lord’s work in our daily lives.

Today, again I want us to study the next group of verses from 1 Samuel 1.

And yes, as the title suggests, we will focus in again on the minor character of Elkanah and his faithfulness as he returns to worship God at Shiloh every year.

March 9, 2025March 8, 2025

How God Worked Through Eli

Have you ever misread a person’s behavior?

I certainly have.

Or perhaps you were the one whose behavior was misunderstood?

Yep, been on that side too.

How does God work through our misunderstandings?

Last week’s post considered how the Lord provided a supportive and Godly husband, Elkanah, in 1 Samuel 1, to Hannah long before He answered her petition to have a son.

Many who read the post commented that they had never studied Elkanah’s role before.

This is precisely why I focused on Elkanah last week.

Often, we forget that the supporting characters in a scripture passage are also useful in learning more about how God works in our lives.

Today, we return to 1 Samuel 1 to explore how God worked through Eli, another supporting character who, at first, misunderstood Hannah’s behavior.

March 2, 2025March 4, 2025

Seeing God at Work Through Elkanah

One of my seminary professors once stated that, anytime, scripture highlights a barren woman to take note because the Lord is about to do something significant.

The first chapter in 1 Samuel shares the unique turn of events that brought about the birth of the prophet and priest, Samuel, through resolving Hannah’s barrenness.

I can relate to Hannah in the early part of her story in the sense that I do not have any physical offspring.

But today, I want to focus not on God resolving Hannah’s barrenness, but on how we can see God at work through Elkanah, her husband, before that resolution occurs.

February 23, 2025February 23, 2025

Finding Healing Through the Bronze Serpent–An Incorrect Statement

When you get a minor illness, where do you seek healing?

While I was unemployed several years ago, I got ill with an upper respiratory infection. It was the first time in my adult life that I recovered the quickest from this type of infection.

Then, months later, after I had resumed working full time and enrolled at seminary with a nine-hour credit load, I contracted another upper respiratory infection that lasted for months, even with multiple rounds of antibiotics.

During this time, my blood pressure also skyrocketed, prompting my primary doctor to ask me if he needed to write me a prescription to take a vacation because he felt I was under too much pressure to get well. He literally stated, “This isn’t you.”

I thanked him, but told him I’d drop one of my classes to see if that made a difference. This did ultimately help me kick the respiratory infection and reduce, but not eliminate, the blood pressure medication.

Minor illnesses are one thing, but where do we turn when something life threatening takes hold of us?

February 16, 2025February 15, 2025

Finding Your Opportunities for Boldness

How often do you rehearse what you wish you would have said after the fact?

Or maybe you have the opposite problem, you immediately speak and then wish you had remained silent?

I fall into the first camp most of the time.

Even as I was studying for today’s post, something triggered in me a tirade of anger about something that I have re-rehearsed far too many times. I sound, in my own ears, incredibly bold and powerful in this re-rehearsal of what I wish I had said.

I realize, though, that these re-rehearsals are temptations to focus on an unhealthy anger rather than a healthy boldness inspired by God.

What does this have to do with Acts 5:17-32?

February 9, 2025February 10, 2025

When Our Witness Brings Healing and Persecution

On the evening of my husband’s death, one pastor helping me inquired about what I wanted him to tell my coworkers the next day.

After a brief pause of utter silence, I looked him in the eye with intensity and said, “The truth. There’s nothing to hide here. And I did not see this coming.”

The next morning, this same pastor called to check on me and to tell me he was about to email all the staff to gather in the youth space to inform them what had happened. He wanted to make sure the email did not surprise me in the event I was checking my work email.

I thanked him and then told him I wanted him to stress to the staff that if any of them were struggling, to please seek help because that is what my husband failed to do. And he was wrong to not seek help.

Later that same day, I shared Psalm 77 on my blog and also posted on my social media that I desired to bring God Glory out of this situation.

How was I able to respond in this manner within less than twenty-four hours of learning what my husband had done?
And how does it connect with the title of this post?

Let me prepare my answer to these two questions with a brief study from Acts 4:1-13.

February 2, 2025February 4, 2025

When Easing Back into Worship is Hard

On July 22, 2024, my husband committed suicide.

I am still recovering from the shock and disappointment of that day.

It seems both real and unreal.

Many days I still feel like I’m in a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.

So many questions with few answers.

I did not see this coming.

But God did.

This brings both comfort and anguish to me.

Then, on October 12, 2024, my ninety-year-old father passed.

So, in less than three months, I lost the two most important earthly men in my life.

I knew my dad’s death was near, given he had been in a care facility for over a year in a slow but steady decline.

But to deal with losing both men so close together was not something I ever expected to have to face.

How has this affected my ability to worship God?

July 23, 2024July 23, 2024

Time to Heal From a Broken Heart

This is not a bible study post, but recent events will probably influence one in the days to come.

Why do I say this?

This past week, I have suffered a tragic loss in my family. The loss is quite deep and unexpected, and I am uncertain how long it will take to process. I do know I need to take a break from my writing and let the Lord tend to my broken heart. I am not sure for how long, but will follow His lead.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as I process my grief and make arrangements with family and friends.

In the meantime, I am meditating on Psalm 77—emphasis mine.

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

77 To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

¹ I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and he will hear me.

² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

³ When I remember God, I moan;

when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

⁴ You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

⁵ I consider the days of old,

the years long ago.

⁶ I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

⁷ “Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

Are his promises at an end for all time?

⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

¹² I will ponder all your work,

and meditate on your mighty deeds.

¹³ Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

¹⁵ You with your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶ When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side.

¹⁸ The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹ Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Blessings,

Barbara Lynn

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 77:title–20.

July 21, 2024July 20, 2024

Why Did God Choose Gideon?

I have fond memories of the wheat fields in Kansas.

Watching the swaying of the stalks in the wind is quite mesmerizing.

Although I spent time on my grandparent’s farm, I have never harvested wheat.

I recall a picture taken of me with my grandfather on his combine, but I never actually did any farming work.

Why am I talking about harvesting wheat?

It is what Gideon was doing when God called him to lead the Israelites.

What was it about Gideon that made him the right choice?