Topic: Hills & Valleys
Last week we discussed baggage - what are the spiritual and natural things we need to have for
our journey to a new place in God, and what are some of the things we need to leave behind.
The instruction to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 1 was for them to abruptly move - they were
camping which means they only had their necessities. There was no space for any additional
baggage. When you camp, you cannot become complacent or sentimental about any location
that you are in. A tent is a temporary structure - your place of camp is a temporary location.
The second part of the instruction was to advance - the scripture reads “break camp AND
advance” - so they did not only need to be in a state of readiness, they needed to actually
undertake a journey. Today we look at what our journey with God entails, the hill and valley
experiences and how they refine us and draw us closer to God, and also how other distractions
can cause deviations and delays in the journey.
1. Agree to Disagree: Hills & Valleys
a. Divide the group into four teams - 2 Hills & 2 Valleys teams
b. Each team discusses Hills/Valleys in their groups:
i.
Discuss the climate type
ii. Discuss the benefits of living in the Hills/Valleys
iii.
Discuss the disadvantages of living in the Hills/Valleys
c. Each team receives a debate topic - there are two topics and each
team either argues for or against.
i.
Topic 1: Valley Climate is better for farming
ii. Topic 2: Hills are more advantageous in war
d. Once topics are revealed, before discussion of any kind, each team
member has the option to leave their group and move to ANY other
group, but you cannot discuss or ask any questions to the other
group. Once you stand up and move, you stay, without knowing their
topic/argument.
e. Debate the topics
2. Hills & Valleys Discussion
a. If anyone changed teams, ask them what motivated their decision to
move
b. When they moved to the new group, did they contribute a lot to the
discussion? Why or why not?
c. Describe what a valley is. What were some of the benefits of the
Valleys?
d. Describe what a Hill is. What were some of the disadvantages of the
Hills?
e. During the debate, was it easy to argue for Hills? Why/Why not?
f. During the debate, was it easy to argue for the Valleys? Why/Why
not?
g. Was it easy to debate in a team?
h. Did someone take the lead? Why was this necessary?
i. To the Hills group - what can you assimilate in your life to a Hill
experience (negatives & positives)
j. To the Valleys group - what can you assimilate in your life to a Valley
experience (negatives & positives)
3. Drive it home:
a. The Israelites were instructed by God to go in and possess the
mountains of the Amorites. God had given them the land, but they
rebelled against Him and chose not to. Their punishment was their
desert years and that only their children, the next generation, enter
into the promised land.
b. The instruction was to go up, to ascend and take possession. The
possession was Hill country. Where there are hills, there are valleys.
The land was described as good land, flowing with milk & honey.
What frightened the Israelites was that men who were dwelt there
were physically stronger than they were. Notice how the landscape
was not the thing that deviated their journey, but it was the
perception of the people that they had to face to get there.
c. In our current phase, we have learnt to not be so easily frightened by
the terrain. We are learning slowly to continue in our pursuit of God,
no matter whether we are on the hills or in the valleys of our lives.
d. The terrain is no longer as big of a distraction as the voices that we
allow to cause deviations in our journey through the hills & valleys.
e. In the Agree to Disagree debate, someone had to take the lead to
direct the argument appropriately. Some of you had the option to
leave when there was a point of contention, and maybe some of you
did leave.
f. Throughout our walk with Christ we will be in the hill climate and in
the valley climate - enjoying the benefits, and being refined by the
difficult aspects of each. The important thing is not to let our walk
and our journey be delayed and deviated by voices and
conversations that can easily make us run away from battles before
we even approach them.
g. Do not become reactive to your environment & distracted by the
harshness of your present reality and the conversations that happen
around you.
4. Closing: Deuteronomy 11:10-15
10 For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from
which you have come, where you sowed .your seed and watered it by foot,
as a vegetable garden;
11 But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and
valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,
12 A land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God
are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
13 And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I
command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your
heart and with all your soul,
14 Then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain
and the latter rain, that you may gather your grain, your new wine and your
oil.
15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock that you may eat
and be filled.