Last year for one of the men’s groups, while I was preparing, something gave me the idea to do a study on the use of the term “wall” in the Bible. This was a really cool study and thru another series of events, I was lead to another term in the Bible. Last year we studied the use of the term “fish” in the Bible. This turned out to be one of my favorite studies of all time. At the end, we even tried to answer this question, “can you get the salvation message in the Bible with nothing but verses about fish?” I think we got there with one pretty small assumption. I think after we studied the wall and fish and what we’re going to do tonight, we can pretty much say that we have an ongoing series in men’s Bible study of inanimate objects found in the Bible.
This year, while preparing for another lesson, I got the idea for another, inanament object, study, dust…
Dust is everywhere, but what is it really?
Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind, volcanic eruptions, and pollution.
Dust in homes is composed of about 20–50% dead skin cells. The rest, and in offices and other built environments, is composed of small amounts of plant pollen, human hairs, animal fur, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, burnt meteorite particles, and many other materials which may be found in the local environment.
That was from Wikipedia, but what does the Bible say about dust?
Is a good?
Is it bad?
Is it big?
Is it small?
Is it referred to a little?
Is it referred to a lot?
Does God use it?
Does Jesus use it?
Before we tear into the verses, does anyone have a story they wish to share about dust?
Mighty Mouse.
OK, let’s get started and prime the pump:
Psalms 113:7 – ESV (together with next verse)
7. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
Are we in control of our destiny?
Are successful people “self made?”
1 Samuel 2:8 – ESV
8. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord ‘s, and on them he has set the world.
This is part of a prayer said by Hannah. Hannah is Samuel’s mother.
Add verse 6 and 7
1 Samuel 2:6-7 – ESV
6. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord ‘s, and on them he has set the world.
A secular worldview will say that certain people are born into poverty. They can’t get out. The system of it is against them. However, this Bible verse says God can raise anybody up from the dust or the ash heap.
Leave the dust: (4 verses)
Matthew 10:14 – ESV (with next 3 verses Matthew, Mark, Luke, …acts…)
14. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.
Mark 6:11 – ESV
11. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”
Luke 9:5 – ESV
5. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
Acts 13:50-51 – ESV
50. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
These verses are part of Jesus’s instructions when he tells his disciples to go out two by two and share the gospel message.
What do you think this means to shake the dust from your sandals?
Jesus‘s instructions were to preach the gospel to those that were willing to listen, but if they weren’t willing to listen, they should move on.
Shaking the dust from your feet is symbolic to the Jewish people. The Jews would do this when they left a Gentile home. It meant that they wanted no part of the Gentile place to come with them, not even the dust from their home.
If they are sharing the gospel message, and they see the disciples shake dust from their sandals, this will have a deep meaning to the Jewish listener.
What does this mean for us today? How can we relate to us?
If we are ever sharing the gospel or talking about Jesus and we have a negative reaction. This message means don’t “Carry“ any of that “stuff“ from your interaction. Don’t dwell on it, but move forward. Look at this verse from Matthew 7:6. This is a reminder to not get bogged down, and keep moving forward with God’s message.
Matthew 7:6 – ESV
6. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Does this mean that God doesn’t care about those who aren’t ready to receive his message from you?
Of course not. It just means that the time isn’t right for them and you in this conversation. Sometimes it takes many, many gospel messages for it to sink in. God has not given up on them, he just wants you to move on with your effort. He will still be working on them.
Return: (3 verses)
Ever hear this at a funeral? “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”
Where is it from?
Genesis 3:19 – ESV
19. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Ecclesiastes 3:20 – ESV
20. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 – ESV
7. and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
This verse from Genesis is part of the curse that God places on Adam, and subsequently all mankind. Before sin, Adam was created to live forever. However, when he sinned, he brought death into mankind. The human body will now die. Every physical mineral that it is made out of will decompose and return to the dust.
It says that God formed us out of the dust, and I will get into that in a little bit tonight in more detail.
Part of the curse, is knowing that one day we will die. We might not think about it constantly, and it’s good if we don’t, but it’s always in the back of our mind. It’s a mystery. If we believe in Jesus and his message, we will see heaven when we die, but that doesn’t make it not scary because of the complete mystery of what happens. It can be scary, and we can have faith all at the same time.
Worthless/Small/Large/Valuable: (4 verses)
Is dust large or small?
Is dust valuable or worthless?
(Worthless)
Genesis 18:27 – ESV
27. Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
(Small)
Matthew 7:3 – ESV
3. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
(Large)
Genesis 28:14 – ESV
14. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
(Valuable)
1 Corinthians 15:47 – ESV
47. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
Curse:
Genesis 3:14 – ESV
14. The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
There is so much going on in this story. Look back a couple verses, when Adam and Eve sin, God asks them what they did. He gives them a chance to explain. When he addresses the serpent, he doesn’t ask any questions because he knows that Satan is a liar.
Do you think before this curse, the serpent had legs and was attractive?
Do you think that snakes today are evil?
Think about how a snake moves. It’s on the ground. It rigles and slithers. It hisses. This is exactly what we do when we try in connive, or trick, or step into sin. We never stand up tall, and do it like a Man, we always slumped down to the “ground” and slither like a snake. It is a really powerful imagery for us to remember.
Why does he make him eat dust? It is a reminder to Satan that he will always be trying to rise up, but he will always be beneath God, and on the ground. It is impossible to sliver on the ground and not “eat dust.”
In the Bible, is dust a good thing or bad?
Jeremiah 17:13 – NIV
Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.
Deuteronomy 28:24 – ESV
24. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
John 9:6 – NIV
6. Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud
Genesis 2:7 – ESV
7. then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Gospel thru Dust?
Can we see the gospel just thru dust? Is the Bible so succinct that we can “get to heaven” thru dust?
Broad steps to get to heaven:
1 God exists
2 I am a sinner
3 All sinners deserve Hell’
4 Jesus paid it all
5 Repent
6 Believe
1 God exists
Genesis 2:7 – ESV
7. then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
2 I am a sinner
Nahum 1:3 – ESV
3. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
3 All sinners deserve Hell
Luke 10:10-12 – ESV
10. But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11. ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
4 Jesus paid it all
Isaiah 52:2-3 – ESV
2. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3. For thus says the Lord : “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.”
Isaiah 26:19 – ESV
19. Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
5 Repent
Job 42:1-6 – ESV
1. Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2. “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6. therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
6 Believe
John 8:6 – NLT
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.???
This comes from the story when the Pharisees wanted to Stone, a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. The penalty for adultery was death.
The Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus. So they asked him if she should be put to death. Jesus gets down on his knees and starts writing in the dust. Then he says, essentially, “sure, go ahead and stone her. However… Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone…
Then he bent down, and started writing in the dust again.
What do you think he was writing?
There are theories, but nobody really knows what he was writing, unless you were standing in that scene. Some people think he was writing out the sins of the Pharisees. Some people think he was writing to keep his eyes from looking at the naked woman.
However, for the purposes of my quest, to determine if we can get to salvation through nothing but versus the deal with dust, I’m quite confident that he was writing this paraphrased of course…:
Rom 10:9-13 – That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile– the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Bonus verses:
Isaiah 29:4-6 – ESV
4. And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. 5. But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly, 6. you will be visited by the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
Micah 7:17 – ESV
17. they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall be in fear of you.
Exodus 8:17 – ESV
17. And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
Exodus 9:8-9 – ESV
8. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”