Study Guide

Study Guide Contents and General Process Suggestions

The 2012 Christian Study Guide includes six small-group sessions rooted in the content of the 2012 Hunger Report, Rebalancing Act: Updating U.S. Food and Farm Policies.

Session 1 sets the context, while the following five sessions develop particular themes emphasized in the Hunger Report.

Biblical Reflection

Read Micah 3:9-12 and 4:1-4

The prophesy of the book of Micah addresses both Israel and Judah. The prophet is critical of the leadership in these two kingdoms. In verse 3:11, he says that the leaders give judgment for a bribe, the priests teach for hire, and the prophets make predictions for money. Vulnerable people are being exploited.

Biblical Reflection

Read Deuteronomy 30:11-20

“Choose life,” exhorts the Deuteronomy passage! In English we have only one word to describe “life,” but in many other languages there are multiple concepts or aspects of “life” that each get their own word. Biblical Hebrew is one such language. The Hebrew word in this passage is “hayim”, meaning life in its fullness, health, well-being, and wholeness. "Hayim" is also the word used in connection to the “tree of life” in Genesis.

Biblical Reflection

Read James 2:1-7 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

The biblical vision of community and nation lifts up the voices of those who are vulnerable and marginalized. Even within big systems and structures, those who are marginalized need to have a voice.

Biblical Reflection

Read Psalm 72

What an amazing vision of an earthly kingdom and its king functioning as God desires! Although we are unaccustomed to life under a king’s rule, we can read Psalm 72 in light of our present reality and discern the characteristics of godly leadership. One clear characteristic is the protection of poor and vulnerable people. In verse 4 the good king is called to “defend the cause of the poor of the people,” and in verses 12-14 he “delivers the needy when he calls” and saves them “from oppression and violence.” Protection of those who are weak is an integral part of the grand kingdom vision. Justice for the poor goes hand-in-hand with the kingdom’s prosperity and abundance (v. 3 and 16), the king’s dominion over his enemies (v. 8-9), and his long life and enduring fame (v. 15 and 17).

Biblical Reflection

Read Proverbs 13:23 and 1 Corinthians 9:7-11

There are various passages in the Bible that call for decent and fair treatment of workers, acting justly toward them and not exploiting their labor.  Proverbs 13:23 suggests that injustice makes it difficult for poor farmers to benefit from what their fields produce. In the 1 Corinthians passage, Paul reaffirms the biblical principle that workers should earn an adequate livelihood from their labor. He states this within the context of addressing the care and livelihood of those called to be apostles.

Biblical Reflection

Read Mark 2:1-5 and Luke 5:17-20

Both versions of this gospel story offer a vivid image of a group working together for a positive goal. God calls us into such community. Genesis makes it clear from the beginning of creation that God intends for us to have helpers. God says of Adam, “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The biblical story continues as a description of the relationship between God and the people of God. It is a community, not an individual, called to the Promised Land. And God blesses community. In Matthew, Jesus promises the disciples, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”