Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

We're going to take a break from our Bible studies during the summer, so this is the last one till the fall. Jerusalem is about to be conquered by Babylon. The nation will again be split in two. And fall will take our studies to Babylon, where Daniel and Ezekiel preach. Poor old Jeremiah gets left behind to watch things fall apart, and we'll revisit him too, and Isaiah. But for now, here's a study of an old dynasty's last days. Watch this space for other studies or stories as we wait for Fall, and thank you for following along with us.  (26) Jeremiah – A Reluctant Prophet Judah is falling apart. Cities are falling to the invading Babylonians. Refugees are crowding into Jerusalem. Among the refugees are a small tribe called the Recabites. God uses them to convey an important message through Jeremiah. 1.        The Recabites are descended from Jonadab, who appeared briefly in the story of Jehu, when God used him to oppose King Ahab of Israel. ...

The more I read about Jeremiah, the more he feels like a real person, committed, conflicted, struggling with real doubts and fears, yet always reminding himself, through prayer, to trust in God. This week's study takes him from the day he got kicked out of the Temple to the day the Babylonians camped at the gates of Jerusalem - scary times, and the whole world's falling apart. (25) Jeremiah Jeremiah wasn’t born in Jerusalem, but he probably did most of his growing up in the Temple, associating with his father and the good king Josiah. Now Jehoiakim’s on the throne and things are falling apart. After Jeremiah’s big sermon in the courtyard of the Temple, his life is threatened. A few good priests speak up for him, but he’s banned from the Temple – his home – and God sends him to preach in Jerusalem and other cities of Judah. 1.        Reade Jeremiah 11:1-5. How big a deal is disobedience? Why doesn’t this mean we have to obey the letter of Jewish di...

Habakkuk is one of my favorite minor prophets, for the not terribly spiritual reason that one of my favorite choruses is based on a verse from Habakkuk. I'll leave you to try and guess which verse. Anyway, I was kind of pleased to see we're finally reaching Habakkuk in our journey through Biblical prophets. I hope you're still enjoying the journey. (24) Josiah Falls and Judah will soon follow - Habakkuk 1.        Read 2 Chronicles 35:20-22 . What might have tempted Josiah to fight against Egypt? What might have confirmed, for him, that this was God’s will? How do we recognize God’s will? 2.        Read 2 Kings 23:25, Deuteronomy 6:5, 34:10-12 . How does the author view King Josiah? 3.        Read 2 Kings 23:28-30 . How do we feel when we think we know what God’s doing, and everything changes? 4.        Read 2 Kings 23:31-32, 2 Chronicles 21:10 . What e...

I can't quite believe this. We're finally looking at Jeremiah! Of course, we're still only halfway through Isaiah, and Nahum is the prophet this study is meant to be about. But nations are starting to fall, and it's neat to know we're really moving forward through those lists of prophets. I'm certainly still enjoying watching how the stories, characters, prophecies and history all fit together. (23) Jeremiah and Nahum In 622BC, civil war is raging in Assyria. The new king Josiah tries to clean up the temple—an act that has secular relevance as a declaration of independence, and religious relevance as a response to the calls of the prophets. Are mixed motives always wrong? Josiah’s reign is a time restored faith for the Jews, though prophets still predict dire things, and Josiah’s reforms won’t be enough. Read 2 Kings 23:26 How might Josiah have felt as prophets continued to predict dire things for Judah? The discovery of the Book of the Law in 622BC le...

Our study of prophets move forward this week into the reigns of the bad king Manasseh and the good king Josiah, via the prophet Zephaniah. At some point I'm going to have to update my tables of dates, people and events, but in the meantime I'll just keep reminding myself of which king is who, where, when and why... or something like that. Anyway, the world is falling apart again, and it's not clear even Josiah can put it back together. (22) The Prophet Zephaniah Hezekiah was a good king who made some bad mistakes. He was guided by the prophet Isaiah. He nearly died of a mysterious illness, or boils, and was healed then reigned a further 15 years. 1.        Read 2 Kings 20:20-21:1. On the surface, this means Manasseh wasn’t even born until after Hezekiah began his extra 15 years. In practice, Manasseh probably served as co-regent, starting when he came of age. He inherits an insecure kingdom in a changing world, and promptly allies with Assyria, where...

This week's study continues to tie history (through King Hezekiah) and prophecy together, looking at Isaiah, the world around him, and the events that provoke his words. Lots of references. Lot of jumping around. But it's cool how it all ties together in the end. I enjoyed preparing it and hope you might enjoy following along. (21) Threat And Counterthreat Recent History : Ethiopia/Cush has conquered and strengthened Egypt (25 th dynasty, 780-656BC). Assyria has conquered Israel, Philistia and beyond. Babylon is attacking Assyria from the North, and Egypt/Cush attacks periodically from the South. Isaiah looks at what has happened , and tells how God sees things will turn out. 1.        Read Isaiah 18:1,2,7 How does Isaiah view Ethiopia’s rising power? How do we view nations rising in power? 2.        Read Isaiah 19:1,2 Egypt , though still powerful, has split into factions.  Who does Isaiah credit with this? Who...