Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

So ... starting with Daniel ... Have you ever wondered how old he was when he was taken prisoner. Some modern commenters think he must have been around 5 or 6 - a child being raised among foreigners to be a ruler and spread the good culture. (28) Daniel Read Daniel 1:1-5 It was normal for the Babylonians to take people as well as property when they conquered a land. The young captives (think elementary schoolkids) would be brought up as Babylonians and trained to become governors back home as they grew older, thus conquering hearts and minds. 1.        In general, do you think this method of conquest would work? 2.        What if you add the religious element, training the young people to believe Babylonian gods were greater? 3.        Are there analogies in the modern world, or in relatively recent history? How do we learn from history, or fail to? The first story in Daniel i...

Starting the second year of our journey through prophets, and trying to remember where we were in the first year... The first study in Daniel will be posted tomorrow. (27) PART 2 - The End is Not The End Here’s where we were in our Minor Prophets’ study at the end of last year: The nation was split in two---Israel and Judah. Half went into exile when Israel was conquered by Assyria. And now the nation has been split again. Half have gone into exile again (conquered by Babylon). Meanwhile nothing remains to tell anyone this land belongs to God. 1.        To what extent is the land of Israel special? Ancient religions thought their gods ruled over locations. Is that what Judaism believed? Is it what we believe? How does it color our attitude to the new nation of Israel? 2.        To what extend should it be clear that a land belongs to God? Should it be written on their money, or is it more important that faith be writ...

Where did summer go? How did it get to be Fall? And if Daniel is where we left off  when  summer began, will I really be ready to study the whole of his book in just two weeks? The answer, of course, is no. But we will start on time, and we'll start in Daniel. The young man will become vegetarian and quickly grow up to reveal the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. But Daniel didn't speak his answers or his questions into a vacuum, then or now. He spoke in exile while others spoke in a city about to fall. His world had ended, but prophets in other places still listened to God's word. So we'll look at them too, at the places where they lived, and at the changing fates of all the people they led. We'll study the later parts of Jeremiah, the school of Isaiah who died (according to Jewish tradition) not all that long ago, Ezekiel with his chariots, and more, and more. Then, in the end, we just might look at the end, as told in Daniel's visions. A man, ...

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...