The Word
of the Lord
Seeing Jesus in
the Prophets
5
A 10-Week BiBle Study
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
LEADER’S GUIDE
nancy guthrie
WHEATON, ILLINOIS
The Word
of the Lord
Seeing Jesus in the Prophets
Leader’s Guide
(for use with both the book only study or the
book combined with video study)
nancy guthrie
“The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets” Leader’s Guide
Copyright © by Nancy Guthrie
Published by Crossway
Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois
All rights reserved.
Based on the book The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets (A -Week Bible Study) by
Nancy Guthrie, first printing
Cover image: The Bridgeman Art Library
“The Setting of Jonah” and “The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires” maps are taken from the
ESV
®
Study Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
®
), copyright © by Crossway.
Usedby permission.All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV
®
Bible (The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version
®
), copyright © by Crossway. Text Edition. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture references marked are from The Holy Bible, New Life Translation, copyright ©
, . Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL .
Allright reserved.
Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Contents
An Introduction to The Word
of the Lord for Leaders
Determining Your Schedule for Studying
The Word of the Lord
Making the Most of the Personal Bible Study
Incorporating the “Looking Forward” Section
Using the Discussion Guide
Ideas and Resources for Discussion
Group Facilitators
Leading Your Discussion Group Well
Using Your Time Eectively
Dealing with Common Challenges
Week 1: An Introduction to the Prophets
Discussion Guide
Week 2: Jonah
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 3: Hosea
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 4: Micah
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 5: Isaiah
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 6: Habakkuk
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 7: Jeremiah
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 8: Daniel
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 9: Ezekiel
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Week 10: Malachi
Personal Bible Study
Discussion Guide
Video Study Note-Taking
Pages for Duplication
An Introduction to
The Word of the Lord for Leaders
The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets is
an in-depth study of the Prophetic Books in the
Old Testament, with the goal of understanding
them in the way that Jesus himself taught the
disciples to read and understand the Old Tes-
tament: with him at the center. Thisguide will
equip you to plan and lead a study ofThe Word of
the Lord using either the book aloneor the book
along with the video series. Teachingexperience
or gifting is not required to lead this study—
just a willingness to organize, oversee, and fa-
cilitate a meaningful discussion time, aswell as
personal enthusiasm for knowing Christ more
deeply through the study of hisWord.
Determining Your Schedule for
Studying The Word of the Lord
This study has been put together in a way that
oers flexibility in how you use it and flexibil-
ity in how you schedule your time for working
through it. Everything that is needed by partici-
pants is provided in the book. Each week’s lesson
includes:
. Personal Bible Study
. Teaching Chapter (with a “Looking Forward”
addendum at the end of each chapter)
. Discussion Guide
It is divided into ten weeks of study. But
you may want to carefully consider dividing the
material in a way that would extend the study
over twenty weeks, giving your participants
more time to think through and talk through the
truths presented. Expanding the study may also
be beneficial when you have only one hour or
less to meet together each week and also want to
incorporate time for worship, prayer, or personal
sharing into your small group time. Following
are outlines for how the study would work for
dierent schedules.
A 10-Week Book Study—Participants would
need to have books in advance of the first week
you meet, with instructions to read the chapter
in Week , “An Introduction to the Prophets,”
before they arrive the first week. There is no
Personal Bible Study portion of the lesson for
Week . When you get together that first week,
you can spend some time getting to know each
other, communicating the format you will use,
and discussing the chapter you’ve all read, using
the Discussion Guide for Week . From then on,
participants will be asked to come to the group
time having completed the Personal Bible Study
section and having read the Teaching Chapter of
that week’s lesson (unless your group’s style will
be to read the chapter aloud as a group, which
some groups elect to do). You may want to sug-
gest to participants that they put a star beside
questions in the Personal Bible Study that they
want to be sure to bring up in the discussion,
and underline key passages in the chapter that
are meaningful or that raise questions for them
that they’d like to discuss. During your time to-
gether each week you will discuss the big ideas
of the lesson using the Discussion Guide, bring-
ing in content from the Personal Bible Study and
Teaching Chapter as you see fit.
Sample Weekly Schedule for a -Hour Study:
: Welcome, get settled, announce-
ments, maybe singing
: Open discussion using the “Get-
ting Started” question found in the
Discussion Guide, working your
way through the Discussion Guide
questions, bringing in comments
and questions from the Personal
Bible Study and Teaching Chapter as
desired.
: Take prayer requests and pray.
: Close
An 11- or 12-Week Book Study—You may
prefer to meet the first week and distribute the
books at that point, using that first week solely
to get to know each other and get organized. As-
sign the group to read the chapter in Week for
discussion the following week and then pro-
ceed as outlined in the ten-week book study. If
you want to extend the study to twelve weeks,
you might set a week following the last lesson
to come back together, asking each member to
plan to share the truths and take-aways from
the study that have been most meaningful, or
perhaps to talk through any lingering questions
from the study.
A 20-Week Book Study—There is a great
deal of material here, and you may want to take
your time with it, giving more time to discuss
its foundational truths and allowing them to
sink in. To expand the study over twenty weeks,
you would break each week into two parts. You
would spend one week on the Personal Bible
Study section—either doing it on your own and
discussing your answers when you meet, or ac-
tually working through the questions together
when you meet (which would lessen the amount
of time required outside of the group time and
perhaps diminish barriers to participation for
those who struggle with working through the
questions on their own). Then, you would ask
group members to read the Teaching Chapter on
their own before the next meeting and use the
Discussion Guide to discuss the big ideas of the
lesson the following week. If you meet once for
Week (since there is no Personal Bible Study
section for the first week), and meet for a final
week to share big-picture truths taken away from
the study, it will add up to twenty weeks.
Sample Weekly Schedule for a -Hour Study
Week A (Personal Bible Study):
: Welcome, get settled, announce-
ments, maybe singing
: Work your way through the ques-
tions in the Personal Bible Study,
looking up the answers together and
allowing various members to share
what they are writing down.
: Take prayer requests and pray.
: Close
Week B (Teaching Chapter):
: Welcome, get settled, announce-
ments, maybe singing
: Open discussion using the “Get-
ting Started” question found in the
Discussion Guide, working your way
through the Discussion Guide ques-
tions, bringing in comments and
quotes from the Teaching Chapter
and reading the “Looking Forward”
section together.
: Take prayer requests and pray.
: Close
A 10-week Book Study Using the Video—
If you’re using the book in combination with
the video series, group members will be asked
to complete the Personal Bible Study section of
each week’s lesson in the book before they come.
On the videos, Nancy presents virtually the same
content as the Teaching Chapters minus the
“Looking Forward” addendum found at the end
of each chapter. So if you are using the video se-
ries, participants have the option to:
. Read the chapter in advance as a preview of
what will be presented on the video.
. Just listen to Nancy teach the content of the
chapter on the video and read only the “Look-
ing Forward” as part of the group discussion
time or on their own.
. Go back and read the chapter after watching
the video, if needed or desired, to seal in or
clarify what was presented in the video.
When group members miss a particular week,
you may want to encourage them to go to the
website, www. Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament .com,
where they can download the video they missed,
or they can simply read the chapter in the book.
It is a good idea to encourage participants to
take notes during the video even though the con-
tent of the video is in the book. For each video
presentation, note-taking pages that you may
copy for your group members are included at
the end of this Leader’s Guide. Note-taking dur-
ing the video is a good idea because something
transpires when we process words and ideas
through a pen or pencil onto paper that aids us
in processing and retaining the words and ideas.
But those taking notes may also rest easy if they
miss something significant because the com-
plete content is also in the book.
Sample Schedule for -Hour Study
Incorporating the Video
: Welcome, get settled, announce-
ments, maybe singing
: Watch video teaching session.
: Respond to video with various
women praying as they feel led in
response to what they’ve heard (not
general prayers, but responding to
what was presented). Because the
lessons end each week in some
poignant ways, it will be helpful to
be able to be quiet and also respond
to what was presented before rush-
ing o to hallway conversation and
small group discussion.
: Break to go to small groups.
: Welcome, connecting and checking
in with each other time
: Start discussion using the Discus-
sion Guide and bring in Personal
Bible Study questions group mem-
bers want to discuss as well as points
made in the video.
: Take prayer requests and pray (be
sure that the prayer time is not only
about personal needs but also pray-
ing through the truths presented in
the passage you’re studying. This
will likely need to be modeled by the
leader and/or assigned to one of the
people praying).
: Close
Making the Most of the
Personal Bible Study
The question is often asked, “How long should it
take to complete the Personal Bible Study ques-
tions?” The answer is: there is no set time frame.
We all approach this dierently. Some partici-
pants love to luxuriate, think through, look up,
and write out. Others have the approach of sim-
ply looking for the answers and making short
notations rather than writing long answers to
questions. So how should you answer the ques-
tion, “How much time should it take?” I suggest
you say that it takes as much time as a person
chooses to invest in it. Certainly some weeks
they may have more time than others, and we all
know that we get more out of a study the more
we put into it. The depth of thinking through the
lesson is not necessarily reflected in the length
of answers written on the page or the time spent
according to the clock. What is most important is
not how much time it takes but planning a time
to work through the Personal Bible Study and
keeping that appointment. In fact, in the first
week, you might ask each member to share with
the group when she intends to work on the Per-
sonal Bible Study in the coming week. This will
help everyone to think about her own schedule
and set a time. One person’s strategy may serve
to be helpful to someone else who has not been
successful in the past in carving out time for per-
sonal study. You might ask those who have done
similar studies if they prefer to do it in one sit-
ting or to break it up over several days. Also sug-
gest they consider using Sunday, a day set aside
for God, to study God’s Word.
Included in the following pages of this
Leader’s Guide is a copy of each week’s Personal
Bible Study that includes possible answers to the
questions. This is provided for you as the leader
to assist you in dealing with dicult questions,
but it should not be provided to group members.
I also encourage you to avoid having this Leader’s
Guide open as you work on the Personal Bible
Study yourself just as your group members are
doing. We all know that it is a challenge to resist
looking for the answers to a crossword puzzle in
the back of the book while we’re working on it.
And likewise, as the leader, it may be a challenge
for you to resist working through the questions
with this resource at your fingertips. After com-
pleting the Personal Bible Study yourself, you
may want to look over the suggested answers in
this Leader’s Guide and add notes to your own
answers as desired in preparation for the group
discussion rather than having this guide in hand
during your group time, which cannot help but
imply that these are the “right” answers. You will
find what I hope will be some helpful sugges-
tions for encouraging your group members in
regard to completing the Personal Bible Study in
the “Dealing with Common Challenges” section
of this Leader’s Guide.
Incorporating the
“LookingForward” Section
I grew up in church and have spent most of my
life in the evangelical culture with lots of sound
Bible teaching for which I am so grateful. But for
most of my life I have had a very limited, and less
than fully biblical, understanding of heaven and
eternity. I thought of heaven primarily being a
place away from here where our spirits go to be
with God forever after we die. Honestly, I think I
never really thought through what the dierence
would be in that existence when what we repeat-
edly read about in the New Testament in terms of
the resurrection of the body ( Corinthians ,
Thessalonians ) comes about at the return of
Christ. Additionally, I always thought of God’s
purposes of redemption being really only about
people. I did not have an understanding of God’s
intentions to redeem all of creation, including
this earth, making it the place where we will live
forever in our resurrected bodies with Christ.
But this is clearly the future hope that all of the
Bible is directed toward. The purposes of God
are not merely about Christians going to heaven
when we die but about his intentions to restore
all things, about heaven coming down to earth,
and about living forever with God in its perfec-
tion and beauty as Adam and Eve once did in the
Garden—except even better.
I assume there are a lot of other people who
have had a similar experience to mine, and that
is why I have made the consummation a part of
every chapter in this study. To truly understand
what God is doing in the smaller bits of Scripture
we study, we have to have a sense of the big pic-
ture of the purposes of God. We must see every
aspectof Scripture in context of the Bible’s larger
story of creation, fall, redemption, and consum-
mation. To reorient how we’ve understood heaven
and eternity, we’ve got to see it not just in a hand-
ful of passages that we think of as telling us about
the return of Christ and “end times,” but rather
throughout the whole of Scripture and in fact
every part of Scripture. When we see it from all
of the various angles as we work our way through
Scripture, it completes the picture and solidifies
our grasp on what is revealed about what is yet
to come. That is one reason I’ve included it in the
“Looking Forward” section of each chapter. But
another reason I have done so is because this is
the essence of our Christian hope. Growing in our
grasp of future realities in Christ helps us to face
present diculties with confidence in Christ.
If this understanding of what is ahead for us
as believers is new to you as it was to me only
a few years ago, or if you feel you need a firmer
grasp on it, a few resources you might find
helpful are:
The Restoration of All Things (A Gospel Coalition Booklet)
by Sam Storms (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, ).
From Creation to New Creation: Making Sense of the Whole
Bible Story by Tim Chester (Good Book Company,
).
How should you incorporate the “Look-
ing Forward” section in your group time? The
“best” way is going to be whatever works best for
your group. You may do it dierently on dier-
ent weeks. It may be more of a time issue than
anything else. And it may depend on whether
your group is reading the chapters in the book
or watching the video presentation of the Teach-
ing Chapter. The video presentation is the con-
tent of the Teaching Chapter minus “Looking
Forward.” So if you are using the video, you may
be more inclined to want to include reading and/
or discussing the “Looking Forward” section in
your discussion time, perhaps working it in with
the final question in the Discussion Guide each
week (which is always about how the particu-
lar passage being studied fits in with the larger
story of the Bible). Or, since every person attend-
ing the video study will have a copy of the book,
you might simply suggest that participants read
that section of the chapter on their own some-
time after watching the video but before they go
on to the next lesson. In this way they can really
think it through and take it in, bringing together
all that they learned in that week’s lesson.
Using the Discussion Guide
Oftentimes in Bible studies in which we’re given
a series of questions to work through on our
own, our group discussions consist primarily of
sharing the answers we found to the questions.
But this study is dierent. While each week you
will want to ask participants if they have any
lingering questions from the Personal Bible
Study section, or aspects of it they would like to
talk about, the Discussion Guide for The Word
of the Lord is designed to facilitate a discussion
about the broader themes from the passages
being studied. In this way we will be seeking not
just more information but to develop deeper
understanding. As the leader, you should make
it your goal to draw out the members of your
group, creating an environment that is safe for
personal struggle, dicult questions, discovery,
and even ambiguity.
Because the discussion questions don’t al-
ways lend themselves to simple answers but
provide for more interaction with the themes
and challenges of the passages being studied,
as the leader you may want to spend some time
working your way through the questions in the
Discussion Guide prior to the group time to an-
ticipate where the discussion will be headed. You
will find each week’s Discussion Guide in the
pages that follow in this Leader’s Guide, along
with a few notes from me. Since these questions
are designed to bring out various perspectives,
there are not “suggested answers” as I provide in
the Personal Bible Study. However, where appro-
priate, I’ve made notes about issues that might
come up in the discussion or goals for particular
questions where clarity might be helpful.
You can use the Discussion Guide as a script
to lead you through the discussion time. Or you
can use it simply as a resource, picking and
choosing the questions you think will be most
eective with your group. You may also want to
plan each week to invite participants to share
something that was significant or meaningful to
them from the Personal Bible Study, determin-
ing ahead of time at what point in the discussion
you will invite those comments. On some weeks,
you will find that a question is already included
in the Discussion Guide, connecting back to the
Personal Bible Study that week.
Each week the discussion begins with a
question called “Getting the Discussion Going,”
which is designed to make people comfortable
with talking and sharing personally from their
lives. If someone does not have enough con-
fidence in their understanding of the Bible to
want to talk much on the more biblical ques-
tions, this is a question you may want to use to
invite that person’s participation. If discussion
comes to your group quite easily, or if you’ve
just watched the video presentation of the teach-
ing and sense the group is ready to dive directly
into the heart of the lesson, you may want to
skip this question. Admittedly, many of them
are very lightweight, but they are oered for the
purpose of giving those who may be hesitant to
talk about the biblical material an opportunity to
talk in the group setting. Feel free to skip it, if
you’d like, and instead head directly to the heart
of the matter. Depending on the amount of time
you have, you may want to work through each of
the “Getting to the Heart of It” questions, or you
may want to select only a few of these questions
to save time for the final two key questions.
While the bulk of the discussion questions
center around the biblical storyline and the the-
ology presented in the passage at hand, each
week there is also a “Getting Personal” question.
This is where you will want to be especially sen-
sitive to encourage a number of people to answer
and not allow the discussion to simply follow
the flow of the initial comments. Be sure to go
back to the original question at some point, ask-
ing other participants to share their thoughts
and experiences that may be dierent from
those shared first.
The Discussion Guide presents a final ques-
tion each week that will help participants to
grow in their grasp of the larger story of the
Bible and how the passage at hand fits into that
larger story. If your experience is like mine, this
is the part of Bible study that has been lacking
for most of my life. Often in studies we have
jumped quickly to personal application to the
life of faith, and we haven’t stepped back to de-
velop our understanding of the implications of
the particular passage we are studying in light of
the larger story of God’s redemption of all things
through Christ. But as we develop our under-
standing of how God has worked and is working
to bring about his plans, we find that it actually
helps us to understand and apply parts of Scrip-
ture that otherwise would be dicult to grasp.
If you want to develop more of your own under-
standing of the larger story of the Bible, you may
want to supplement your study with one of the
following books that I have found helpful:
According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the
Bible by Graeme Goldsworthy (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity, ).
Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Min-
istry by Michael Lawrence (Wheaton, IL: Crossway,
).
Far as the Curse Is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemp-
tion by Michael Williams (Philipsburg, NJ: P&R,
).
God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by
Vaughan Roberts (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity,
).
The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story by
D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, ).
The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative
by Christopher J. H. Wright (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity, ).
Ideas and Resources for
Discussion Group Facilitators
Thank you for your willingness to lead a group
through this study of these important books in
the Old Testament. I always find that when I lead,
I learn far more than I do when I’m just a mem-
ber of the group, because I know I must invest
more eort to truly “own” the material. I hope
that the extra investment in this study of these
books of the Bible will be a blessing to you as you
seek to eectively lead your group.
Leading Your Discussion Group Well
What is your goal or role as a discussion leader?
I suggest you make it your goal to guide your
group through a time of open and authentic dis-
cussion of the biblical truths presented in the
Personal Bible Study and Teaching Chapter or
video, seeking to clarify challenging concepts,
solidify the group’s grasp of the truths presented,
and apply those truths to real life. Sometimes we
have anxiety about leading or are reluctant to
lead because we know we don’t have all the an-
swers, and we’re afraid someone will come up
with a question we can’t answer or will take the
discussion in a direction we can’t handle. Don’t
allow yourself to be intimidated by the false
expectation that if you step up to facilitate the
discussion you must have all of the “right” an-
swers. Too many times in our discussions of the
Bible, someone in the group (and oftentimes it
is the leader) feels he or she must sum up every
part of the discussion with the “right” answer.
But as you lead your group, I encourage you to
avoid the compulsion to come quickly to the
“right” answer to every question. Don’t be afraid
to let some questions hang for a while or to allow
members to struggle with the issues involved
in the series of questions. Keep asking for the
input of other participants. Also, there’s noth-
ing wrong with admitting, as the leader, that you
don’t know something or don’t fully understand
something and need to do some more study on
it or want to invite someone on the pastoral sta
to help answer the question. Determine to lead
your group as a fellow learner and not as an ex-
pert who knows all. Expect God to use his Word
not only in the lives of your group members but
in your life as well!
Also be careful, as the leader, that you are
a facilitator and not a dominator. Our goal as a
facilitator is to encourage other people to talk
and discuss. Sometimes, because we are so
enthusiastic, we, as leaders, can tend to domi-
nate the discussion. For some of us, it requires
significant eort to limit our own input in the
discussion so that others will be encouraged
totalk.
While you do not want to dominate the
group, you do want to lead eectively and ef-
ficiently. I assure you that you will have group
members who will want you to lead with
strength to create an environment that fosters
meaningful discussion. As the leader, you set the
tone for authenticity and openness. You set an
example of giving short answers so that others
can talk and of being a good, responsive listener.
Being an eective leader also means that it is up
to you to bring reluctant talkers into the conver-
sation and to redirect the conversation when it
has gone o track. Few people want to be part of
a group that is inflexible, restrictive, or rules-ori-
ented, but they do want to be part of a group that
is organized and purposeful, in which expecta-
tions are unapologetically communicated and
stated guidelines are respected.
Using Your Time Eectively
As the leader, you have the responsibility for
directing how to use the time for group discus-
sion. While some participants may be very ca-
sual about how the time is used, others in your
group are very aware of the time and become
frustrated when they feel their valuable time
is being wasted. There are several issues, I’ve
found, that have a significant impact on using
the time allotted for small-group discussion
eectively:
Getting Started
So often we run out of time because we are slow
to get started. We are waiting for latecomers, or
chatting, or enjoying some food together and
simply let valuable discussion time get away
from us. All groups develop a culture; members
learn whether the group will really start on time
or not, and they adjust their sense of urgency in
regard to arrival time accordingly. Certainly you
need to allow some time for participants to greet
each other and to share their lives with each
other, but you will want to determine how long
that will last and give the group a firm start time
for the discussion. If you set a culture of starting
on time regardless of whether or not everyone
in the group has arrived and not allowing late-
comers to interrupt your discussion when they
arrive, you may find that group members be-
come more punctual. On the first day you meet,
be sure to ask members to join the group and
enter into the already-commenced discussion
as unobtrusively as possible when they arrive
after the discussion on the lesson has started.
When we stop the discussion while everyone
greets the late arriver, perhaps hearing the story
of what caused the lateness, it can be challeng-
ing to get started again. You as the leader will
need to manage this area with a blend of appro-
priate firmness and grace.
Prayer Requests
Many times, we want our small-group discus-
sion times to include a time of sharing prayer
requests, which is a meaningful way of shar-
ing our lives together and exercising our trust
and relationship with God. But we also know
that sometimes sharing requests can turn into
telling long stories and lengthy discussions as
other members oer advice or input. One way to
handle this, if the use of time for prayer requests
is a concern for your group, is to provide note-
cards for people to write down their requests
and share them at the end or simply have mem-
bers swap cards with someone else. Or you may
simply want to determine a time to bring your
discussion to a close that will allow time at the
end for sharing requests, praying together over
those requests, and praying through the truths
presented in the lesson.
Getting Stuck along the Way
So often we give too much time to earlier ques-
tions and simply don’t have time to work our way
through all that we want to cover. I strongly sug-
gest you look over the Discussion Guide before
your group time to determine how you will use
the time. Mark the key questions you must get
to. Make a note beside each question you want
to be sure to include, indicating an estimate of
how much time you want to give for discussing
that question, and then watch the clock along
the way to keep on track.
Keeping the Focus on God’s Word
People come to a Bible study for many reasons,
from many situations and struggles, and with
varying levels of knowledge of and interest in
the Bible. Sometimes our groups can easily slip
from being a Bible study group into becoming
more of a personal support group. Finding that
right balance between biblical study and per-
sonal support is a significant challenge for every
small-group leader.
I’ve sometimes heard group leaders say that
when a group member arrives with a significant
struggle or sorrow, the leader feels she must set
the study aside to listen and give input to that
hurting person. Perhaps there are situations
where this is the best thing to do, but we must
also remember that the Word of God speaks
into every need and situation in our lives. It
heals, it gives perspective, it instructs, con-
victs, restores, and renews. Be sure that you do
not assume that the advice and input of group
members has more power than your discussion
of the truths of God’s Word to help that hurting
person.
Keep in mind that while some participants
may come more for the fellowship and sharing
of their lives with each other, many other par-
ticipants are hungry to feast on biblical teach-
ing and discussion of God’s Word. If, over time,
these participants find that the Word is often
set aside or given short shrift, they may look
for another forum in which to study God’s Word
withothers.
Ending On Time
Because participants have plans after the study,
people to meet, children to pick up from child-
care, etc., it is important that you end on time
so that participants will not be slipping out
one-by-one, or be unable to focus on the discus-
sion because of the distraction of needing to be
somewhere else.
Dealing with Common Challenges
Sharing of Opinion without
Regard to God’s Word
It is only natural that group members will often
begin their input in the discussion with the
words, “Well, I think . . .” And in fact, you will
notice that many questions are phrased in a
“what do you think” manner. This is purpose-
ful, not only to get people thinking, but also to
emphasize that there isn’t necessarily a right or
wrong answer and that varying perspectives may
be helpful. But we also want to cultivate a sense
of the authority of Scripture in our discussions.
Though it is not a welcome perspective in our
culture, every opinion does not have equal value
or weight with every other opinion. The revealed
truth of God’s Word is what must carry the great-
est weight in our discussions. While you don’t
want to embarrass someone in the group setting
who states something that is clearly unscrip-
tural, it may be a good idea to gently challenge
a questionable opinion with something like,
“That’s interesting. I wonder how you would
support that from Scripture?” Or you might want
to find a time outside the group setting to dis-
cuss the issue, using biblical support to gently
challenge error.
The Discussion Gets Lively but O Track
Sometimes one person answers, and then an-
other person answers, and the discussion can
quickly get away from the original question and
onto an interesting but perhaps not directly re-
lated issue. When this happens, it may be wise
to state the obvious and then turn the focus
back to the content at hand by saying some-
thing like, “We could certainly talk a long time
about X, but we have so much important mate-
rial to discuss in our lesson this week, let’s get
back to that.” If you haven’t gotten to some of
the key truth involved in the question, go back
and state the original question again, asking
perhaps, “Did anyone see it dierently or have
another idea?”
Group Members Are Quiet
and Slow to Respond
It is important as a leader to become comfort-
able with silence, especially at first. Sometimes
people are just slow to get going in the discus-
sion and don’t want to appear to be a know-it-
all or a dominator of the discussion time. Some
people fear having the “wrong” answer or re-
vealing their biblical illiteracy, especially if they
are surrounded by people they perceive to have
more biblical knowledge than they do. One way
to deal with an awkward silence is to make a joke
about the silence without coming across as chid-
ing your group. Humor is always a great way to
diuse discomfort. I have a friend who some-
times says, “I can wait you out!” Don’t be afraid
to call on people to answer questions. You prob-
ably don’t want to do that with every question,
but some people simply don’t like to answer a
question unless they’re invited to do so. Often
these people have very thoughtful answers that
will benefit the group. You might want to turn
to the reluctant participant and say, “What do
you think about that, Joan?” or, “Is that how you
seeit, Katie?”
You will also want to develop the habit of
arming the answers and willingness of those
who share in your group. Set the example of
being a responsive and attentive listener and
commenting on their input as insightful, some-
thing you’ve never thought of before, or as
personally helpful to you. Make sure you are fo-
cusing on the person who is sharing rather than
on how you will ask your next question. Resist
the temptation to sum up or add to every answer
given, though it may be helpful to restate some
answers if you can help to clarify something that
someone may be struggling to articulate. You
can also help to generate genuine give-and-take
by asking a follow-up to someone’s statement
or by asking that person to tell you more about
what she has said.
One Person Dominates the Discussion
If you have someone who tends to answer every
question or dominates the discussion, you
might begin the next question with the state-
ment, “I’d love to hear from someone who has
not shared yet today; what do you think?” Or
you might direct your next question specifi-
cally to another group member. Sometimes,
when a participant is speaking too long, you
do a service to the group and the discussion to
discreetly interrupt, perhaps saying something
like, “What you’re saying is helpful, and I’d love
to hear someone else’s thoughts,” or summa-
rize what they’ve said in a concise statement
and use it as a transition to the next question.
Another method is to interrupt with a question
such as, “What verse or phrase helped you to
see that?” Remember, the other group members
want and need you to take charge in this situa-
tion to lead eectively. You might also want to
pull that person aside at some point and tell her
that you really want to create an atmosphere
in the group in which everyone is sharing. Ask
her if she would be willing to pick two or three
of the questions that she really wants to share
and to refrain from answering questions less
important to her, so that others in the group
might become more willing to take part in the
discussion.
Participants Habitually Do Not
Complete the Personal Bible Study
Everyone has weeks when her schedule or a sick
child makes it dicult to complete the lesson.
But when group members are habitually not
completing the Personal Bible Study, it is a prob-
lem. If you are using the video study, the content
of the lectures assumes participants have a great
deal of familiarity with the passages, as there
is not enough time to read all of the applicable
Scripture; therefore, participants will not be pre-
pared for what is being presented without hav-
ing completed the Personal Bible Study. If you
are using only the book for your study, there will
be little foundation for group discussion if the
Personal Bible Study and Teaching Chapter have
not been read prior to the group time. Be sure to
emphasize the importance of completing the as-
signments. Do this at the beginning of your time
together on the first week and again the second
week you meet. Without being rigid or lacking
in grace, you want to call participants to fol-
low through on their commitment to the study
rather than give them an easy out every time. As
humans we all need accountability, and some-
times in Bible study groups we are so afraid of
oending or embarrassing participants that we
do not fulfill our role as leaders by encouraging
faithfulness, punctuality, and full participation.
If someone repeatedly struggles to get the les-
sons done, you might:
Suggest that instead of hoping to find some
time during the week, she should make an ap-
pointment for a specific time on her calendar
to complete the lesson during the week and
then commit to keeping the appointment, as
she would for a lunch date with a friend or for a
doctor’s appointment. Maybe you can even ask
if she would like for you to check in with her to
see if she kept her appointment prior to next
week’s meeting.
Explore the possibility of her setting a time
during the week to get together personally or
by phone with another group member to work
through the questions together. Or oer to do
this with her.
Consider expanding the study to twenty weeks
so that the group does the Personal Bible Study
together every other week.
If a group member continues to be unable to
complete the work, don’t worry about it if it does
not adversely aect the rest of the group or the
discussion time. We cannot always fully grasp
what another person’s life is like, and if the best
she can do is get there, you might decide that is
enough. If it does adversely aect the group’s
morale, attitude, or discussion time, you might
ask her if it would be better to withdraw and par-
ticipate in a study requiring this level of com-
mitment and preparation at a later time when
she can devote herself to it more fully.
Disagreement with What Is Being Taught
Sometimes seeing things a little dierently can
be very productive in a group discussion. We
learn from each other as we discover and discuss
the dierences or nuances in how we see things.
There are many matters in this study that allow
for a breadth of perspectives, and there are some
matters that challenge what may be dearly held
perspectives. What is not welcome in the group
is a repeatedly argumentative spirit or combat-
ive approach to what is being presented. If areas
of disagreement come up that cannot be produc-
tively resolved in the group, you may want to say
something like, “I appreciate your perspective
on that. We need to move on in our discussion,
but let’s get together, just the two of us, or with
Pastor , and talk this through some more.
I’m sure we both can learn more about this.”
Because we are humans dealing with other
humans, we will likely have areas of disagree-
ment, dierent experiences, and dierent pref-
erences. But that never means that we cannot
have unity as we seek to submit ourselves to
God’s Word. This and every other aspect is a mat-
ter of prayer as you prepare to lead your group.
God always equips us to do what he calls us to do.
Ask God to give you the wisdom to work through
whatever may come up in your small group.
Ask him for insight into the personalities of the
people in your group and the backgrounds that
have made them who they are and shaped their
perspectives about the Scriptures. Ask God to
fill your heart with a burden to love your group
members as you lead them through this study of
his Word.
Week 1
An Introduction to the Prophets
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. Nancy mentioned several things that make
studying the Prophetic Books challenging: the
fact that we are unfamiliar with the historical
and geographical setting, that the oracles are
repetitive and confusing, and that we misun-
derstand the nature of prophecy. Can you relate
to any of those, or are there other aspects of the
Prophetic Books that you find intimidating or
challenging?
. Many of us have Bibles that include maps to
help us with the geography, and timelines of
the kings and prophets to help us with the flow
of history. Let’s take a minute to look in our Bi-
bles to see and share with each other what re-
sources we might have at our fingertips to help
us overcome this challenge to studying the
Prophetic Books. (For example, on page
of the ESV Study Bible, there is a timeline en-
titled “Activity of the Writing Prophets during
the Reigns of the Kings of Israel and Judah.” In
the back, map displays the divided kingdom,
and map displays the Assyrian and Babylo-
nian Empires that took Israel and Judah into
exile.)
Getting to the Heart of It
. While the priests in Israel were all from the
tribe of Levi, and the kings descended from other
kings, none of the prophets became a prophet
because his father was a prophet. Some of the
prophets were priests, but most were ordinary
people called by God in a variety of ways, from
a variety of backgrounds, to speak for God. Read
the following verses and note the dierent ways
God called and instructed his prophets.
Isaiah :–
Jeremiah :–
Ezekiel :–; :–; :
Hosea :
Amos :–
Jonah :
. In Peter : we read: “For no prophecy was
ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke
from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.” How does this help to explain why the
content of the Prophetic Books is somewhat re-
petitive and never contradictory, although it var-
ies in style and setting?
. Turn to Peter :–. Discuss what these
verses reveal about:
the subject of the Prophetic Books
Salvation, the grace that was to be yours in Christ
the limits to the prophets’ understanding
Didn’t know exactly who the Christ would be or when he
would come
the source of prophets’ message
The Spirit of Christ
the specifics of what was revealed
The suerings of Christ and the subsequent glories
the reason the prophets wrote down their
prophecy
To serve those who would come to faith in Christ through
the preaching of the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit
Getting Personal
. What did you read or hear in the teaching that
helps you to believe that what the prophets had
to say to the people of their day might also speak
to you today? And what do you think is required
for you to hear that message?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. We’re going to see, as we work our way
through the Prophetic Books, that much of what
the prophets said was going to happen, did hap-
pen shortly after the prophecy was given. Some
of it was fulfilled in the incarnation, ministry,
death, and resurrection of Christ. Some of it is
being fulfilled now as the gospel of Christ brings
life to peoples and nations throughout the earth.
And some of it is yet to be fulfilled, when Christ
returns to establish the new heaven and the new
earth. What does this tell us about the value of
studying the message of the prophets?
It tells us that these are not just ancient books with noth-
ing to say about the reality we live in now and our fu-
ture reality when Christ returns. These books actually
provide pictures and understanding for us of what God
is doing in us now by his Spirit and what he will bring
about in the new heavens and new earth that can help us
to persevere and endure as we live in a world impacted
by the curse of sin.
Week 2
Jonah
Personal Bible Study
To get a sense of the geography of this story be-
fore you begin to study it, find the key cities
mentioned in the story of Jonah on a map, in-
cluding: Joppa, Tarshish, and Nineveh.
Mediterranean
Sea
Caspian
Sea
Persian
Gulf
Red Sea
B
l
a
c
k
S
e
a
ARABIAN
DESERT
ASSYRIA
BABYLONIA
EGYPT
ISRAEL
JUDAH
MESHECH
ELAM
MEDIA
BETH-
EDEN
ARARAT
SYRIA
TARSHISH?
Euphrates
River
Tigris River
Asshur
Nineveh
Carchemish
Ur
Babylon
Tarsus
Damascus
Tyre
Samaria
Jerusalem
Dumah
Gordion
Ecbatana
Susa
Memphis
Arpad
Hamath
Joppa
0
0
200 400 mi
200 400 600 km
The Setting of Jonah
. Read Jonah :–. What two things did God
tell Jonah to do and why?
() Arise, go to Nineveh and () call out against it.
Their evil has risen to the level that God can no longer
tolerate it.
. Read Jonah :–. What did the captain tell
Jonah to do, and do you find any evidence that
he did it?
“Arise, call out to your god!” There is no evidence that
Jonah called out to God until he called out to God from
the bottom of the sea.
. In Jonah :, the sailors ask Jonah a series of
questions, and his answer is found in verse .
What is interesting about his answer, consider-
ing the situation he was in?
He doesn’t answer the question about his occupation be-
cause he has eectively resigned from his job as prophet.
He claims to “fear the L,” though he is running away
from the Lord and is assuming it will work. He says that
his God is the God of heaven, who made the sea and the
dry land, which is interesting since they are in the mid-
dle of the sea with a storm that has been hurled on them
from heaven and they must have been anxious to see the
dry land.
. According to Jonah :–, what did Jonah
tell the sailors to do so that the storm would
stop, and what did they do instead?
Jonah told them to “hurl” him into the sea so that the sea
would become quiet, but they didn’t want to do it and just
rowed harder.
. The sailors, who had all been praying to their
gods for help, did something amazing. Accord-
ing to Jonah :–, what was it?
They “called out to the L” asking for mercy. They
threw Jonah into the sea. They feared the Lord exceed-
ingly, oered a sacrifice, and made vows.
. If we had never read the story of Jonah before
and had no idea what would happen to him, we
might expect to read that Jonah was never heard
from again. But instead something surprising
happened. According to :, what was it, and
what or who caused it?
The Lord “appointed” a great fish to swallow Jonah.
. Jonah is written in the form of a psalm, de-
scribing Jonah’s prayer to God in his distress.
Consider that Jonah may have written this later
as he reflected on his desperate prayer and mi-
raculous salvation rather than this being a rec-
ord of the text of his prayer from inside the
fish. According to verses – write phrases that
indicate:
What Jonah did:
He “called out to the L” (v. ), “went down” to the
place of the dead (v.), and “remembered the L” and
prayed (v.).
What God did:
He “answered [Jonah]” (v.), “cast [Jonah] into the deep”
(v.), and “brought up [Jonah’s] life from the pit” (v.).
. Jonah’s prayer psalm ends with a statement
that is likely intended to be the crescendo or key
point of his entire book: “Salvation belongs to
the L!” (:). Some theologians say that this
could actually be the key point or summary mes-
sage of the entire Bible. How has this truth been
evident in Jonah and ; and, from what you
know of Jonah’s story, how will it also prove true
in Jonah and ?
God saved the pagan sailors even though they heard
about God from the world’s worst witness—a disobedi-
ent, former prophet who was unwilling to call on God
for mercy. God reached down to save that disobedient
prophet when he finally cried out to God after he had
gone as low as he could go.
God will save an entire city of wicked Gentiles through
the limited message of pending judgment delivered by a
reluctant prophet. The sailors couldn’t row hard enough
to save themselves. Jonah could not save himself from the
bottom of the sea. The Ninevites did “not know their right
hand from the left” (:) and therefore could not find
their way to God. They all needed a God who initiates,
carries out, and accomplishes salvation.
. Read Jonah :–. In these verses we have the
entire sermon Jonah preached or at least a con-
cise summary of his message. What is it?
“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
. According to Jonah :–, how did the peo-
ple of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s sermon?
They believed God (v.). They fasted and mourned their
sin (v.). They called out to God (v.). They turned from
their evil ways and violence (v.), and they hoped that
God might relent and not destroy them.
. According to Jonah :, how did God re-
spond to the real change in the lives of the peo-
ple of Nineveh, and how is this a demonstration
of the truth found in Jeremiah :–?
The people of Nineveh repented and God showed them
mercy. This is the sure character of God: when people re-
pent, God no longer plans to punish or destroy them.
. If we were writing Jonah’s story, we would
probably end it dierently from what we read
in Jonah . We would like it to end with Jonah
celebrating that God had turned away his wrath
from the Ninevites after they repented. But Jo-
nah’s response was very dierent. According to
Jonah :–, what was it and why?
Jonah was “displeased exceedingly.” He was angry be-
cause God showed mercy to Nineveh instead of destroy-
ing Nineveh—just as he knew God would do since he is “a
gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”
. How is the way Jonah felt when God showed
mercy to the Ninevites dierent from how he
felt when God showed him mercy by sending the
great fish to save him?
Jonah was grateful and full of thanksgiving when God
showed him mercy. But he was angry and full of resent-
ment when God showed mercy to people he hated.
. Read Jonah :–. What point do you think
God is making to Jonah by providing a plant for
shade and then sending a worm to destroy the
plant?
Jonah’s heart was very dierent from God’s heart, and the
experience with the plant revealed that. He cared more
about his own comfort than he cared about people, more
about a plant that perished than about , who
would have perished apart from God’s mercy.
. Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that the people of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached
but that someone “greater than Jonah” was preaching to them, and they did not repent (Matt.
:-). Let’s consider some ways that Jesus is “greater than Jonah.” Read the following state-
ments about Jonah and write a corresponding or contrasting statement about Jesus, following the
examples given for the first two. The statement about Jesus should be worded similarly to the state-
ment about Jonah.
Jonah Jesus
“The word of the L came to Jonah.” (:) John :
Jesus is the Word of the Lord who came.
Jonah was sent by God to deliver a message of condem-
nation to a people deserving judgment. (:)
John :
Jesus was sent by God to deliver a message of salvation to a
people deserving judgment.
When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah turned
and went in the other direction. (:)
Luke :–, –
When God called Jesus to go to the cross, “his face was set
toward Jerusalem.”
Because he had been disobedient to God, Jonah oered
himself up to die in the sea so that everyone on the ship
would live. (:)
Heb. :
Out of obedience to God, Jesus oered himself to die on the
cross so that everyone who trusts in him will live.
A guilty Jonah was thrown o the ship to die by sailors
who said, “L, don’t make us die [changed from “pay”]
for this man’s sin.” (: )
Matt. :; Heb. :
An innocent Jesus gave himself up to death, willing to pay
for the sins of many.
Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
nights before being vomited onto dry land. (:)
Matt. :
Jesus was in the belly of the earth three days before emerging
from the tomb.
Jonah was powerless to save his own life at the bottom of
the sea and in the belly of the fish. (:)
John :
Jesus had the authority to lay down his life and the authority
to take it up again.
Jonah preached to Gentiles who were quick to repent.
(:–)
Matt. :
Jesus preached to Israelites who refused to repent.
Jonah was angry as he looked over the city that repented
and was saved. (:, )
Luke :–
Jesus wept as he looked over the city that refused to repent
and be saved.
Jonah wanted to die rather than live in a world where
people he hated experienced God’s mercy. (:)
Ephesians :–
Jesus was willing to die so that people in the world whom
God loves can experience his mercy.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. Most of us have heard the story of Jonah
taught before, and we might have taught it to
children in Sunday school. As you think back,
what are the usual lessons that have been taught
from this story, and now what do you think is the
main lesson we are intended to learn from the
book? How might you title the story of Jonah?
As the leader, you may want to find a children’s storybook
on the story of Jonah and compare how it tells the story and
what it emphasizes with what the story is really about.
Getting to the Heart of It
. What did Jonah know about the Ninevites and
about God that made him decide to defy God’s
instruction to go to Nineveh, and what did Jonah
evidently not understand about God?
He knew the Ninevites were evil and cruel and that God
shows mercy to evil, cruel people and brings them to re-
pentance. Evidently he did not understand that nothing
can hinder God’s intentions to save and that God cares
deeply about those who are trapped in sin.
. Talk through the scene on the ship in Jonah.
What are some of the ironic and interesting
things about it?
()The storm of judgment rages and Jonah sleeps. ()The
pagan captain has to tell Jonah, the prophet of God, to pray.
The captain seems to have more faith in God’s power to save
them from perishing than Jonah does. () Jonah is sup-
posed to speak for God, but the men on the ship have to ply
him with questions to get anything out of him about God.
() Jonah says he fears the Lord, the God of heaven, but
the sailors are the ones who respond in great fear of God’s
judgment instead of Jonah. ()The pagan sailors are more
compassionate than Jonah, not wanting to throw him in
the sea. ()The pagan sailors, with little understanding of
Yahweh, call out to him to save them and seem to welcome
his sovereign power to do as he pleases. Though Jonah is ar-
guably the world’s worst witness, the sailors come to faith.
. Who are the various people who repent in this
story and what does their repentance look like?
The sailors “feared the L exceedingly, and they of-
fered a sacrifice to the L and made vows” (:).
Jonah was saved from death in the bottom of the sea and
saved from his rebellious running. The story ends with us
not really knowing how Jonah is saved from his self-righ-
teous indierence to people who don’t know how to find
God, but since we have this book, likely written by him,
the book seems to be a confession of his wrong.
The people of Nineveh believed God, called for a fast, and
put on sackcloth. The king proclaimed they should “call
out mightily to God ... turn from his evil way and from
the violence that is in his hands” (:).
. Jonah’s response to Nineveh’s repentance and
to God’s relenting is not what most of us would
like to record for posterity to read about us. Why
do you think it was important to Jonah to include
this in his book and to end his book this way?
It called on his people—and us—to examine ourselves
for the same self-absorption and lack of compassion. His
final question lingers, calling us to come to a conclusion
about the heart of God toward sinners.
. What evidence would support the suggestion
that “salvation belongs to the L” is the main
message of the book of Jonah? Why is it good
news that “salvation belongs to the L”?
See, and perhaps read together, the “Looking Forward”
section.
. Open to the page in your Personal Bible Study on
which you wrote statements contrasting or com-
paring Jonah with one greater than Jonah, Jesus.
Which of these was particularly significant to you?
Getting Personal
. In what ways do you see yourself in Jonah and
long to be more like Jesus and less like Jonah?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. When we come to the New Testament, we see
some of Jonah’s attitude in assuming that God’s
mercy is just for the Jews. Read together the fol-
lowing verses and discuss how each expands
upon the message of the book of Jonah: Matthew
:–; Acts :–; :–.
Personal Bible Study
Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom
of Israel, which he addresses by several dier-
ent names in his book—Samaria, Jacob, and
Ephraim. Each of these names emphasizes par-
ticular aspects of Israel’s sins. Samaria was the
center of idol worship, Jacob was known for his
deceit, and Ephraim, the largest tribe in Israel,
was the leader in rebellion.
. In Hosea :, Hosea lists those who were
kings of Israel during the days when he proph-
esied. While this helps us to establish the time
in which he prophesied, it also emphasizes
the spiritual climate in which he ministered.
Five of those seven kings are said to have con-
tinued in the sin of the first Jeroboam (Kings
:; :, , , ; :–). According
to Kings :–, what was this terrible sin
that Jeroboam committed?
Jeroboam set up golden calves in two cities in the north-
ern kingdom, an alternate religion to that of worshiping
Yahweh at the temple in Jerusalem.
. God’s first message to his prophet Hosea must
have been hard to hear and harder to obey. What
did God tell him to do in Hosea : and why?
He was to take to himself a wife “of whoredom” and have
children born from her whoring to be a living demonstra-
tion/illustration of the Lord’s marriage to his unfaithful
wife, Israel.
. Read Hosea :–. Each of the names in this
story is rich with meaning. The name Hosea
means “savior,” and he is presented in this story
as a picture of Christ. The name Gomer, his wife,
means “consumption,” and she represents Israel,
consumed by sin. What prophetic pronounce-
ment is made by the names of each of Gomer’s
children?
Jezreel, which means “seed of God” or “scattered”:
God will scatter his people in judgment.
Lo-ruhamah, which means “no mercy”:
God will no longer show compassion or mercy to his people.
Lo-ammi, which means “not my people.”
God will disown the people who were his own possession.
They will no longer be his covenant people.
. As is typical in prophecy, the text throughout
the book of Hosea moves back and forth between
threatened judgment for continued disobedi-
ence and anticipated restoration as a result of
repentance. What is the hope held out to God’s
people in Hosea :–?
God will fulfill his promise to Abraham of a vast number
of descendants. When they repent, they will be restored,
gathered, reconciled, and secure.
. Read Hosea :– and listen to God speak-
ing in poetic form through Hosea as an oended
husband calling his unfaithful wife to repen-
tance through threatened judgment. Note sev-
eral words or phrases that indicate how Israel
has oended the Lord.
Adultery (v. ), played the whore (v.), gone after lov-
ers (v.), idol worship (v.), burned oerings to Baals
(v.), and forgot the Lord (v.)
Note several words or phrases that indicate what
the Lord intends to do to Israel:
Week 3
Hosea
“Strip her naked” (v. ), “make her like a wilderness”
(v.), “kill her with thirst” (v.), “hedge up her way with
thorns”(v.), “build a wall against her” (v.), take back
grain, wine, oil they sacrificed to Baal (v. ), uncover
her lewdness (v.), put an end to her idolatrous rev-
elry (v.), lay waste her vines (v.), and punish her
(v.)
. Once again, this oracle of judgment transi-
tions quickly to an oracle of hope and restora-
tion. Note several words or phrases from Hosea
:– that indicate what the Lord intends to
do to restore Israel.
Allure her, bring her into the wilderness, speak tenderly to
her (v.); give her vineyards, make the Valley of Achor a
door of hope (v.); remove the names of the Baals from
her mouth (v.); abolish war from the land (v.); be-
troth her to himself forever (v.)
. What will Israel do, according to Hosea :?
Israel will call God “My Husband” meaning that she will
love the Lord exclusively.
. In Hosea : the story of Hosea and Gomer
picks up again with the Lord speaking to Hosea.
What did God tell Hosea to do this time and why?
He is to go again and love Gomer even though she is adul-
terous with another man. This is to demonstrate the Lord’s
faithful, pursuing love to Israel, who loves other gods.
. What did Hosea do, according to Hosea :–?
He bought Gomer back for the price of a common slave,
even though she already belonged to him. He insisted
that she live with him and love him exclusively.
. Just as Gomer was to purify herself by liv-
ing with Hosea without giving herself to another
man, what, according to Hosea :–, did Israel
need to do to purify herself?
She would need to return to loyalty to the Davidic king,
rather than having a king who was not a descendant of
David. She would need to abandon worshiping the Baals
through oering sacrifices, practicing magic, and having
household idols. Most of all, she needed to come, in fear,
to the Lord.
. Hosea’s pursuing, redeeming, and sanctifying love for Gomer provides us with a vivid and
moving picture of Christ’s love for us, his bride. Look up the following New Testament verses and
write a sentence about Christ and his bride, the church, that corresponds to Hosea and his bride,
Gomer.
Hosea and his bride, Gomer Jesus and his bride, the church
Hosea took to himself a bride who was altogether unwor-
thy of him and totally without regard for him. (:)
Rom. :; Eph. :–
Christ took to himself a bride who was altogether unworthy
of him and totally without regard for him.
Hosea pledged his faithfulness to his bride, Gomer, not
because he knew she would be faithful but knowing she
would not be faithful. (:–)
Tim. :
Christ is faithful to his bride, the church, not because we are
faithful but in spite of our unfaithfulness.
Gomer’s pursuit of other lovers brought her into bond-
age, slavery, and utter ruin. (:)
John :; Rom. :–
Our sin has brought us into bondage, slavery, and utter ruin.
Hosea redeemed Gomer by paying the ransom price of
silver and barley. (:)
Cor. :; Pet. :–
Jesus redeemed his bride by paying the ransom price of his
own blood.
Hosea redeemed Gomer, sanctifying her to himself. (:) Thess. :–
Christ redeemed his bride, sanctifying her to himself.
Hosea and his bride, Gomer Jesus and his bride, the church
Hosea loved his bride, Gomer, who was not pure, with
the intention of making her pure. (:)
Eph. :–
Christ loves his bride, the church, who is not pure, with the
intention of making her pure.
Out of great love for Gomer, Hosea brought her home to
live with him, where he could show kindness to her over
the years to come. (:)
Eph. :–
Out of his great love for us, God has seated us in heavenly
places with Christ so that he might show kindness to us over
the ages to come.
. Chapters – of Hosea are a cycle of ora-
cles—covenant-lawsuit oracles that detail Isra-
el’s sin, judgment oracles that describe how God
will deal with Israel’s sin, and salvation or resto-
ration oracles that describe what God will do to
save his people from their sin.
a. Note a word or two from the following verses
that detail Israel’s sin:
:– No faithfulness, no steadfast love, and no knowledge
of God; they only curse, lie, murder, steal, commit adultery,
and break all bounds; bloodshed follows bloodshed
: Priests band together and murder.
: None of the kings call on God.
: God’s law was strange to them.
: Consecrated themselves to idols and became detest-
able like the idols
: Bent on turning away from God
: They multiply falsehood and violence, make a cov-
enant with Assyria, and carry oil to Egypt.
: Against God, their helper
b. What are some of the consequences of Israel’s
infidelity found in the judgment oracles in these
chapters?
: God will forget their children.
: Israel will become a desolation.
:– God will bring them down and discipline them.
: God will send fire upon the cities and devour her
strongholds.
:– God will bereave them, give them a miscarrying
womb and dry breasts.
: The king of Israel will be utterly cut o.
c. Even though his people are unfaithful to him,
the Lord has yoked himself to Israel and will not
give up on them, just like Hosea did not give up
on Gomer, even in the face of the rampant un-
faithfulness. What does God promise to do to
restore them?
:– He will heal them, bind up their wounds, and come
down on them like the refreshing rains.
: Though they have sold themselves among the na-
tions, he will gather them together.
:– His children will return to him in trembling
when he roars; they will come like birds and doves; and
the Lord will settle them in their homes.
: The Lord will take the initiative, will heal their way-
wardness, and love them freely.
: He will be like dew to Israel, causing them to blos-
som abundantly.
. As we read about God’s promises of healing
and restoration, we need to realize that while
some of the promises may have been partially
fulfilled when a small remnant of God’s people
returned to the land after the exile, all of these
promises are ultimately and completely ful-
filled in Christ. Hosea’s prophecy presents God’s
loving commitment to preserve not solely Abra-
ham’s physical descendants but also his elect
from every people and nation—Abraham’s spiri-
tual descendants, the Israel of God. Read the
prophetic promise found in Hosea : and :.
How is it fulfilled, according to Romans :–
; :–; and Peter :?
Hosea promises that those who were “not my people,” will
be called “my people.” Peter and Paul proclaim the proph-
ecy is fulfilled not only by Jews who put their faith in
Christ but also by Gentiles who, through faith in Christ,
have become spiritual sons of Abraham. God’s people,
now made up of believing Gentiles as well as believing
Jews, fulfill Hosea’s prophecy of those who were “not my
people” being called “my people.”
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. Nancy talked about her list making in regard
to what she wanted in a human husband. What
are some aspects of Christ that make him a desir-
able divine husband?
Getting to the Heart of It
. In the Personal Bible Study, you went through
Hosea – and found specific sins that Israel
had committed. What were some of them, and
why would those particular sins break God’s
heart?
. Why do you think God would ask his prophet
Hosea to do something so dicult and painful?
If you lived in his day and observed his life, what
message do you think you would have gotten
from observing his life and hearing his propheti-
cal oracles?
Sometimes we have a hard time seeing the truth about
ourselves and seeing our attitudes and behaviors re-
flected in a story outside of ourselves can help us to see
what we need to see. That was what God intended for the
Israelites. The people of his day should have seen the of-
fensive nature of their idolatry in Gomer and the faithful-
ness of God in Hosea’s pursuit of her.
. What would it have meant to the Israelites in
Hosea’s day to hear that God will call them “Not
My People” and “No Mercy”?
This would have been a complete loss of identity and hope.
. In Hosea :– we see several aspects of the
salvation we receive through Christ illustrated
by Hosea’s saving Gomer from slavery. How do
we see: election, redemption, adoption, and
sanctification?
Election—he chose her, not for any good quality or po-
tential in her.
Redemption—though she was his, he paid a ransom to
redeem her from slavery.
Adoption—he brought her into his home, into his family.
Sanctification—Hosea set Gomer apart from all other
lovers and bound her to himself. Over a period of time he
intended to cleanse away her inclinations toward other
lovers and the impact her whoring had on her.
. The oracles in Hosea – go through cycles
of detailing Israel’s sins, predicting the judgment
to come, and promising a future restoration. In
the closing chapter, the Lord says to Israel, “I
will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them” (:). How
would you explain why God would do this when
his people clearly deserve the judgments de-
scribed throughout the book? (See Rom. :–
for help.)
God’s anger can turn away from them only because it will
be poured out on Christ. By Christ’s stripes they will be
healed. God will turn away from Jesus when he is on the
cross so that God can welcome sinners.
Getting Personal
. As you think about your own faulty faithful-
ness in relation to Christ, what does it mean to
you that he writes across your life in the red let-
ters of his own blood: “Cleansed,” “Forgiven,”
“Beloved,” “Accepted,” “Mine”?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. Read through the “Looking Forward” section
of this chapter. How does this help you to under-
stand when and how all the promises of resto-
ration and blessing described throughout Hosea
are being kept and will be kept?
Key here is the way the promises are being kept now. In
this life, we experience the newness of life in Christ, which
will come to completion and perfection in the life to come
when Christ returns, and we are purged of sin and able
to love our Bridegroom purely forever even as he loves us.
Week 4
Micah
Personal Bible Study
Micah : reveals where Micah was from, the
kings who were on the throne over Judah when
he prophesied, and who he was speaking to in
his prophecy. While the prophecy concerns “Sa-
maria and Jerusalem,” meaning both the north-
ern and southern kingdoms, we’re going to
see that Micah primarily used God’s judgment
against the northern kingdom, Samaria, through
Assyria’s invasion and imposed exile as a warn-
ing to the southern kingdom, Judah, encourag-
ing them to repent so that they would not face
the same fate.
. When we read Micah, we need to recognize
that it is not one letter or message. It is more like
a collection of excerpts from Micah’s prophetic
oracles over the course of his seventy years of
ministry. It can be divided into three sections.
Note the similar way each section begins as well
as the particular group being addressed in each
section of his prophecy:
: Hear, all the peoples of the earth.
: Hear, corrupt leaders and rulers in both the northern
and southern kingdoms.
:– Hear, God’s covenant people.
. In Micah :–, Micah describes what is about
to happen in the northern kingdom and eventu-
ally in the southern kingdom. What is going to
happen and why?
Israel is going to be utterly destroyed because of its
idolatry.
. Micah :– describes those who lie awake at
night thinking up ways to take land from their
fellow Israelites (remember that land was al-
lotted to families by Joshua when the Israelites
entered the Promised Land). What key words
describe these oppressors, and, according to
verse, what will their judgment be?
Wickedness and evil.
They will be excluded from the “assembly” of those who
are allotted an inheritance in the land when the faithful
remnant returns from exile.
. According to Micah :–, what was the es-
sence of the message the preachers in Micah’s
day were preaching?
Unprincipled prophets were telling those who corrupted
justice and oppressed the poor that because they were Is-
raelites, God would bless rather than judge them.
. In Micah :–, we have the first oracle
of hope in the book. What does God promise in
these verses?
Like a shepherd he will gather the remnant of Israel
into his protective fold and lead them like a king into
his city.
. According to Micah :–, though the civil
leaders of Judah were responsible to execute jus-
tice, their cannibalistic exploitation of the poor
and powerless revealed that they had no interest
in walking in God’s ways. What will their judg-
ment be, according to :?
Their refusal to listen to God or to the cries of his peo-
ple meant that their cries for help would not be heard
by God.
. In Micah :–:, Micah predicts what will
happen in Jerusalem in the near future and then
in the latter days. What is it?
Jerusalem and its temple will be destroyed because of Is-
rael’s sin, but in the latter days, the city and temple will
be rebuilt so that peoples from many nations will flow
into it to be taught by God and walk in his ways. In that
day there will be abundant provision and restful security
instead of war.
. How was prophecy in Micah :–: ful-
filled, according to the following verses?
John : Jesus, the true temple, was raised up from the
grave through resurrection.
John : Jesus, lifted up on the cross and now risen
and glorified, draws people from every nation to himself.
. In Micah :–: we discover that though the
enemies of God’s people are coming to destroy
their cities, defile their temple, and humiliate
their king, God is going to raise up for himself a
king in Israel who will also be a shepherd. What
are some details about this shepherd King, given
in Micah :–?
This ruler will be born, not in a place of power, but in un-
impressive Bethlehem. He will be the fulfillment of the an-
cient promises—the seed of the woman (Gen. :), the
blessing for all of the families of the earth (Gen. :), and
the son of David (Sam. :–). This ruler will rule as
a shepherd who gathers, tends, and protects his flock in the
power and authority of God himself. He will be their peace.
. How do we see this prophecy of a shepherd
fulfilled in the following verses?
John : Jesus gives his people living water.
John : Jesus feeds his people the bread of heaven.
John : Jesus preserves and secures his people.
John : Jesus loves his people by laying down his life
for them.
John : Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gathers his flock
to himself.
John : Jesus protects his people from being taken
from him.
Peter :– Jesus heals his people’s wounds.
. In Micah :–, Micah asks what God wants
from sinners, escalating from less costly to
more costly sacrifices. List the sacrifices Micah
considers.
A young calf
Rivers of oil
My firstborn (human sacrifice)
. What does Micah say that God really wants,
according to Micah :?
God wants his people to do justice, love mercy, and walk
humbly with him.
. In Micah :–, a sentence is passed on
those who engage in deceitful business prac-
tices that take advantage of the poor and weak.
What is it?
Desolation, dissatisfaction, futility, hissing, and scorn
. In Micah :–, Micah oers a prayer
on behalf of his people. What does he ask God
to do?
Micah asks God to shepherd his people with the loving
authority of his sta, feed them, work miracles among
them, and defeat their enemies as he did when they came
out of Egypt.
. According to the following verses, how was
Micah’s prayer answered?
Mathew : Jesus spoke with authority.
John : Jesus fed his sheep with food that endures.
John : Jesus worked miracles among them.
Hebrews : Jesus defeated their greatest enemy.
Hebrews : Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep.
. In Micah :–, Micah wonders how God
can pardon iniquity, pass over transgression,
and no longer be angry toward the repentant
remnant of his people. How do Romans :–
and :– help us to understand how this is pos-
sible (even more clearly than Micah could have
understood it)?
God can pardon and pass over the transgression of those
who put their faith in him only because those sins were
put upon Christ (Rom. :–). He does not retain his
anger because his wrath against the sin of those who be-
long to him was exhausted at the cross. Just as decisively
as he dealt with the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, so has
God dealt with the sins of his people through Christ so that
they are no longer under condemnation (Rom.:–).
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. The prophet Micah prophesied during a time
in Israel and Judah that was marked by bribery,
dishonesty, oppression, shameless idolatry, ju-
dicial corruption, and vain religiosity. And on
top of all of this, the Assyrians, known for their
cruelty to conquered lands, were an ever-present
threat. Imagine if you had lived in Judah during
this time. What might your life have been like?
If you’re a wealthy, powerful person, perhaps you are ob-
sessed with taking the land of others and plotting how
you will get it. If you are a less powerful or wealthy per-
son, perhaps you live in fear of having your land and
possessions taken and having no recourse in the courts
because of corruption.
Getting to the Heart of It
. Micah was clear that God was about to judge
the sin of Israel and Judah by using the Assyr-
ians and Babylonians, who would take them into
exile. But he was also clear that there was hope.
What was the hope that Micah presented to God’s
people of his day?
God would preserve a remnant that would be faithful to
him. He would bring them back and send to them a shep-
herd King who would be unlike the corrupt leaders they
had. He would forgive and remove their sin.
. Perhaps the most well-known verse of this
book is Micah :. Is this still what God requires
of his people? What does it mean?
Yes, this is what God requires, but we are unable to live
perfectly in this way. In kindness, he has made it possible
for the perfect righteousness of Christ to be transferred
to our account as we are united to Christ by faith. And
as we are united to Christ, abide in Christ listening to
his word, and are being changed by his Spirit, his righ-
teous ways increasingly become our ways so that more
and more, we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly
with God.
. Micah promised that God would come as a
shepherd, and in : Micah prayed for God to
come and shepherd his people. How was this
prophecy fulfilled and prayer answered?
See the answers to question in the Personal Bible
Study on Micah.
. Read Micah :–. What does this reveal
about how God will deal with the sin of the “rem-
nant of his inheritance”?
See answer to question in the Personal Bible Study on
Micah.
. Micah, whose name means, “Who is like Yah-
weh?” concludes his book with the question,
“Who is a God like you?” What about God is re-
vealed in this book that leads to this rhetorical
question?
God’s promises to bless his people, his commitment to jus-
tice and mercy, his ability to bring about his plans for his
history, and his willingness to pardon sin by placing it on
his own Son
Getting Personal
. Jesus is presented to us in this book as our
shepherd King. How have you or would you
like to experience his shepherding care and his
kingly rule?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. Read through the “Looking Forward” section
and then look back at Micah :–. How were
various aspects of the verses fulfilled in the com-
ing of Christ the first time, how are they fulfilled
in the era in which we now live, and how will
they be fulfilled when Christ comes again?
When Christ came and was lifted up on the cross, he
made it possible for people from all nations to come to
him, to be united to him, and to walk in his ways. Begin-
ning at Pentecost, the word of the Lord, the gospel, began
going out from Jerusalem in power bringing peace with
God and among his people and bringing the abundant
blessings that are ours now in Christ. When Christ comes
again, he will be lifted up so that all will bow before him.
We will know perfect peace and experience complete sat-
isfaction and be absolutely secure. In the new heavens
and new earth we will “walk in the name of the L our
God forever and ever” (v.).
Week 5
Isaiah
Personal Bible Study
. Isaiah begins (:) by telling us about the
kings who ruled over Judah during Isaiah’s pro-
phetic ministry. Note several things about each
of these kings from the following passages:
Uzziah (Chron. :–, –):
Uzziah ruled over Judah for fifty-two years. He did what
was right in the eyes of the Lord and “set himself to seek
God” in the days of Zechariah. He prospered. Then he be-
came proud, presumed to act as a priest in the temple,
and was struck with leprosy.
Jotham (Chronicles ):
He did what was right except that he didn’t enter the tem-
ple. The people still followed corrupt practices under him.
He reigned sixteen years.
Ahaz (Chronicles ):
He burned his sons as an oering to the Baals and made
oerings on the high places. He cut in pieces the vessels
of the house of God and shut up the doors of the temple.
Judah experienced defeats from Syria, Israel, Edom, Phi-
listia, and Assyria because of his sin.
Hezekiah (skim Chron. –; :–;
:–):
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He opened
the doors of the temple, brought back the priests and Lev-
ites, and reinstated the Passover celebration. He followed
God’s law, sought God with all his heart, and prospered.
The Lord saved Judah under him from Assyria. He became
sick, prayed, and was given more years, during which he
became proud.
. Isaiah tells us about the vision Isaiah was
given “in the year that King Uzziah died.” Since
Uzziah ruled for fifty-two years, he would have
been the only king Isaiah had thus far known.
With that in mind, why might Isaiah have needed
to see the vision, recorded in Isaiah :–, at
that time?
It was likely a time of uncertainty and anxiety about the
future. Isaiah needed to see the King on the throne of
the universe who provides his ultimate security. He also
needed to see that this divine King was holy—in fact holy,
holy, holy—unlike the human kings. The glory and rule
of this king extends, not just throughout Jerusalem or
Judah, but throughout “the whole earth.”
. Read John :–. What does this reveal
about who Isaiah saw on the throne?
John makes it clear that it was the glory of Jesus that Isa-
iah saw in Isaiah .
. Isaiah :– speaks of a king who is going to
come. “A child is born” speaks of the king’s hu-
manity, while “a son is given” speaks of his deity.
What are the four titles given to this God-man
king, and what does each reveal about what it
will be like to live in his kingdom?
Wonderful Counselor—nothing will be too dicult for
him; he will be wise and know what to do.
Mighty God—he will have the power to create, sustain,
save, and destroy.
Everlasting Father—he will be a benevolent protector,
caring for his people.
Prince of Peace—he will bring ultimate reconciliation and
blessing.
. Isaiah :– speaks of the reign of a greater
David. Think about the kind of kings who sat on
David’s throne after David. What aspects of this
greater David stand out as a welcome contrast to
the kings who had ruled over them?
This king will be wise and understanding instead of fool-
ish. He will know what to do and have the power to ac-
complish it instead of depending on advisors and having
no real power. He will know and fear the Lord rather than
ignore and disobey the Lord.
. God’s answer to the needs of his people is
not just a king to rule over them but a servant
to serve them. How will the servant serve God’s
people, according to the following passages?
:–: Empowered by God’s Spirit, he will bring justice
to the nations, deal tenderly with the weak, persevere in
his mission to bring justice until it is accomplished, draw
Gentiles into the blessings of the covenant, and release
people from bondage to sin.
:–: Set apart from his birth and uniquely equipped
for his mission, the servant is a prophet. As a weapon in
the hand of God, he will speak the truth of salvation and
judgment, he will bring Jacob (Israel) back to the Lord,
and he will be a “light for the nations” bringing salvation
to all the peoples of the earth.
:–: He will sustain the weary with his wise words,
he will not rebel (and so will be able to transfer to us his
perfect record of obedience), he will oer himself to bear
the reproach we deserve, he will be determined to be
faithful to what God has called him to do (in contrast to
our unfaithfulness).
:–:: He will take their sin upon himself, so
that they can experience God’s blessing and healing. Of-
fering himself as a sacrifice for sin, his oering will be ac-
cepted by God, satisfying God’s justice.
. In chapters – of Isaiah, we are intro-
duced to the great conqueror. What do the fol-
lowing passages reveal about the person and
work of the conqueror?
:– (understand that “him” in v. refers to King
David, and “you” in v. refers to the conqueror): While
David was a great commander over God’s covenant peo-
ple, the conqueror, the Son of David, Jesus, will bring peo-
ples from other nations, in fact from every nation, into
the covenant.
:–: He will be anointed by God’s Spirit to bring the
goodness of the gospel to those who do not have what
they need to be acceptable to God, those who have been
broken down by the eects of sin, and those bound up by
sin’s power. He will pay the debt so that all of God’s people
will receive their inheritance from the Lord. He will bring
about the Lord’s vengeance eliminating evil and ushering
in the time when there is no more crying or pain.
:–: He will come to save through judgment, accom-
plishing the Lord’s vengeance against his enemies.
. Read Luke :– and Revelation :–.
What do these verses reveal about when the con-
queror has or will fulfill the prophecies in Isaiah
:– and :–?
Jesus fulfilled the first part of Isaiah :– in his first
coming, but he did not proclaim the day of vengeance
or comfort all who mourn. When he comes again, as re-
vealed in Revelation , it will be the day of vengeance
and an elimination of mourning.
. Throughout Isaiah’s book we find the word
“behold” repeated again and again. This is an
instruction to look carefully, examine, take it
all in. For each of the verses below, write a state-
ment about what we are to “behold” and what it
reveals about Christ?
Isaiah : with Hebrews : and John ::
The burning coal taken from the altar represents an ac-
ceptable sacrifice that removes guilt and atones for sin.
Christ is the acceptable sacrifice which removes guilt and
atones for sin that all of the animal sacrifices of the Old
Testament pointed toward.
Isaiah : with Matthew :–:
A sign is going to be given to King Ahaz to strengthen
his faith: a virgin who will conceive and give birth to a
son whose name(and therefore his person) means “God
with us.” Jesus was Emmanuel, God with us, born of a
virgin, Mary.
Isaiah : with Romans : and Peter ::
Jesus is a sure foundation, the cornerstone on which God
is building his “house,” the church.
Isaiah : with Romans :–:
Jesus is the king who will reign in righteousness.
Isaiah : with Thessalonians :–:
When he comes a second time, Jesus will come with ven-
geance toward his enemies and salvation for his people.
Isaiah : with Matthew :; :–:
God’s chosen servant, Jesus, pleases the Lord and has the
Lord’s Spirit upon him.
Isaiah : with John :–; :–:
God’s servant, Jesus, was wisdom incarnate and was
lifted up—exalted in the cross, in his resurrection, and in
his ascension.
Isaiah : with Matthew ::
God’s work of salvation will be complete when Christ
comes again to reward those who have waited for him.
Isaiah : with Peter : and Revelation
::
When Christ comes he will usher in the new heavens and
new earth.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. Most of us have memories or actual pho-
tographs of an event or a person that we can’t
unsee—something or someone that shaped who
we are and the path our life has taken. What
something have you seen that you will never
unsee?
Getting to the Heart of It
. In the Personal Bible Study, you were asked
why Isaiah might have needed to see this vision
of Christ as the divine King. Why do you think
he needed to see it, and what dierence do you
think it makes for us to see it through the pages
of Scripture?
In the insecurity of his situation after the death of King
Uzziah, Isaiah needed to see the real King was not dead
and reigns on this throne. As we see this picture through
the pages of Scripture, we, too, can find comfort and
recognize our ultimate security and future is not based
on circumstances here but on Christ’s reign and rule
over all.
. How does Isaiah’s God-given vision of Christ
on the throne of the universe (Isaiah ) dier
from some of the stories we hear from people
today who claim to have had a supernatural or
died-and-came-back-to-life experience of see-
ing Jesus? How does Isaiah’s response to this
very real vision of Christ dier from the re-
sponse of modern-day people who claim to have
seen him?
Isaiah does not testify about seeing people who have died
in heaven. He doesn’t speak of Christ as a cuddly person
who takes him on his lap. His description does not center
on any peripheral things about heaven’s throne room but
only upon the one seated on the throne. Seeing Christ on
the throne made him gravely aware of his own sin and
God’s provision for his sin. It made him wholly available
to God’s service.
. In the hymn about the servant in Isaiah
:–:, Isaiah asks, “Who has believed
what he has heard from us?” (:). Looking
over the passage as a whole, what aspects of it
would the people of Isaiah’s day, and the people
of our day, find dicult to believe?
That one so humiliated will ultimately be exalted,
that one so beautiful would allow himself to become so
marred, that we rejected and refused to esteem him, that
he would be willing to carry our sorrows, that he would be
willing to be our substitute and take the punishment for
sin we deserve, that he would so silently submit to such
injustice, and that he who is life would be willing to be cut
o from the land of the living.
. The people who lived between the time Isa-
iah wrote his prophecy and the first coming of
Christ anticipated the coming of the divine King
and the suering servant Isaiah wrote about, but
they didn’t anticipate that he would be one and
the same person. How did Jesus demonstrate in
his first coming that he is both the divine King
and the suering servant?
Jesus came announcing that the kingdom of God was
among them because the king was among them. His heal-
ing ministry and other miracles demonstrated his sover-
eign authority over nature and sickness and death. His
teaching centered on how life was to be lived in his king-
dom. But Jesus also came as a servant—to humble himself
and serve even to the point of death, saying that he did
not come to be served but to serve.
. This picture of Jesus coming again as a con-
queror and doing the work of destroying his ene-
mies is uncomfortable for us. In fact, many today
want to rid our understanding and proclamation
of the gospel of this oensive imagery and real-
ity. Why is it important that we not do that?
We diminish the goodness of God and the purposes of God
if we make them simply about his blessing for those who
are joined to him and leave out his judgment on those
who reject him. We diminish his justice if we eliminate
his intentions to punish and rid this world of evil.
Getting Personal
. Isaiah called us to turn our gaze toward Christ
as the divine King, suering servant, and com-
ing conqueror. In which of these ways do you
think you most need to see and refuse to unsee
Christ today, and why?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. Like so much of Old Testament prophecy, as-
pects of Isaiah’s prophecy were fulfilled in his
day, some soon thereafter, and some at the time
of Christ, while some are yet to be fulfilled. For
each of those categories, what examples from
Isaiah can you think of?
Isaiah prophesied about the judgment of exile that was
going to come upon Israel and Judah, and the judg-
ment that would fall on other peoples in Isaiah’s time.
He prophesied about the glory of the Lord that would be
revealed in the coming of the servant who was our sin
bearer and in the gospel going out to all nations as it did
after Pentecost. But he also prophesied of a greater glory
that would come, a greater judgment than experienced
by the exiles, and a greater restoration than experienced
by the returning exiles. These prophesies are yet to be ful-
filled when Christ comes again and restores all creation
to be enjoyed by all those whose sins have been borne by
the servant, all those who have come under the loving au-
thority of the King.
Week 6
Habakkuk
Personal Bible Study
While most of the Prophetic Books are made
up of oracles or messages given to a prophet to
declare to God’s people, in the book of Habak-
kuk we get to listen in on Habakkuk’s personal
back-and-forth with God (in the first two chap-
ters) and his song to God (in the third chapter).
To understand the things Habakkuk is talking to
God about, we must know that he was a prophet
in Judah, the southern kingdom, after the north-
ern kingdom had been taken into exile by the
Assyrians but before the southern kingdom was
taken into exile by the Babylonians. Sadly, the
people of Judah have not learned from watching
their northern brothers and sisters be taken o
into exile and have continued in their rebellion
against God’slaw.
. Read Habakkuk :–. What is Habakkuk’s
question or complaint regarding the situation in
Judah in his day?
Evidently Habakkuk has been praying for God to do
something about the moral depravity, rampant violence,
ongoing conflict, and perverted justice that defines Judah
in his day. And, in his view, God is not responding by not
doing anything about it.
. Read Habakkuk :–. In the Lord’s answer
to Habakkuk’s complaint, Habakkuk discovers
that God is doing something about Judah’s evil.
What is it?
God was raising up the armies of the Chaldeans (Baby-
lonians), fierce and brutal warriors, who are going to in-
vade and crush Judah to “gather captives” (v.), whom
they will take into exile in Babylon.
. Read Habakkuk :–:. Habakkuk recog-
nizes that God has ordained to use Babylon to
bring judgment upon Judah. How would you
summarize Habakkuk’s problem with God’s
plan, expressed in verse ?
Habakkuk is trying to reconcile God’s holiness with his
willingness to use a wicked nation to punish a less wicked
nation. To Habakkuk it just doesn’t seem like the “holy”
thing to do.
. In Habakkuk :– what does Habakkuk de-
termine to do, and how does the Lord respond?
Habakkuk determines to wait and listen for God to an-
swer his question and address his complaint. And the Lord
does answer him, telling him to write down what the Lord
shows him so that others can read it and, with Habakkuk,
be willing to wait for it to come about in God’s timing.
. As is typical in Hebrew literature, we find the
key point of the book at the very center, in Ha-
bakkuk :. God is about to tell how and why the
wicked are going to perish under his judgment.
What is the contrast to the reality that God pre-
sents in this verse?
The righteous shall live by his faith.
. This key phrase in Habakkuk (:) summa-
rizes the path of life God sets out for his people
and is quoted three times in the New Testament,
highlighting a dierent aspect of its meaning
each time. Read each of the New Testament pas-
sages that quote Habakkuk : and describe
what you think is being communicated.
Romans :–:
Paul uses the words of Habakkuk to define how believ-
ers receive salvation—the glorious benefits of the gospel
of Christ. Faith is the way we enter into a right standing
before God and the way we continue to live in it.
Galatians :–
Paul quotes Habakkuk’s words to illustrate that a per-
son is declared righteous not by keeping the law but by
faith in Christ, who both lived righteously in our place
and endured the curse for disobeying the law in our
place.
Hebrews :
The writer of Hebrews quotes Habakkuk’s words to en-
courage perseverance in the life of faith in the midst of
diculty, in the time between promise and fulfillment.
. In Habakkuk :– the Lord pronounces
a series of “woes” on the wicked, describing
what their wicked ways will lead to. Try to put
into your own words the wickedness that is ad-
dressed in each woe as well as what those who
practice that wickedness can expect.
:–: Woe to him who ... abuses power to accumu-
late wealth. He will find himself abused and end up with
nothing.
:–: Woe to him who ... takes advantage of oth-
ers and then uses the money to isolate himself from the
needy. The stones in the walls of his house are going to
testify against him at the judgment.
:–: Woe to him who ... counts human life as hav-
ing little value as long as he gets what he wants, and uses
people without a thought to create his own comfort. He is
going to find everything he collected has been taken from
him and his comfort is gone for good.
:–: Woe to him who ... gets someone drunk in
order that he might take advantage of that person sexu-
ally. This woe is upon the seducer, the rapist, the pornog-
rapher and those who think their looking at pornography
does no one any harm. He is going to be the one who ends
up exposed and ashamed.
:–: Woe to him who . .. worships the business
he’s created, the lifestyle he’s bankrolled, the body he’s
chiseled, and the reputation he’s built. He will not find
life there, but only death.
. In the midst of these woes, Habakkuk is also
a prophet of hope. What hope is found in verses
and ?
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory
of the Lord as the waters cover the sea when evil is gone
for good. The Lord is in his holy temple in contrast to the
worthless idols that have no life or power.
. The third chapter of Habakkuk is really a song,
as indicated by “according to Shigionoth,” in
verse , which likely indicates the tune or tone
of the song, and the notation at the end, “with
stringed instruments” (v. ). Read Habakkuk
:– in which Habakkuk recalls and celebrates
God’s actions in the past to rescue Israel, focus-
ing especially on his saving acts when he brought
Israel out of Egypt. Notice that salvation for God’s
people is accomplished through judgment on
God’s enemies. How might recalling God’s past
salvation through judgment be helpful to Habak-
kuk and those he ministered to in his day?
Recalling God’s use of a wicked nation—Egypt—to en-
slave God’s people as well as God’s judgment on those
people while bringing about Israel’s salvation would
encourage them to believe that once again God would
punish those who enslaved his people and he would also
deliver his people from their bondage.
. The final section of Habakkuk’s song (:–
) is the declaration of a righteous person who
is resolved to live by faith. Understand that since
Habakkuk lived in an agrarian society, the fig tree
not blossoming, the olive crop failing, and the
cattle dying represent a total loss of livelihood
and a way of life. Try your hand and your heart
in expressing your resolve to trust and rejoice in
God, despite whatever may happen in the future,
following Habakkuk’s pattern in verses –.
You might begin by thinking through your great-
est fears and what it would look like to trust God
even if those fears become reality.
Though our income dries up
and our savings are gone,
Though we face a devastating diagnosis
And lose our dignity in the process,
Though our integrity is questioned
And our reputation ruined,
Yet we will choose daily to be happy in Christ;
We will smile at the future because we are
protected and provided for in Christ.
None of these things is the source of our
strength or security, but God alone.
Our confidence in Christ enables us to navigate
dangerous and dicult circumstances.
Because of Christ, we know that our future is
always and only glory.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. Though we hate to admit it, we all have certain
people we look at and say to ourselves, “I may
not be perfect, but I’m better than them.” Can
you think of people or situations in which you
struggle to understand how God could seem-
ingly give a particular person or group the upper
hand over “good people”?
Getting to the Heart of It
. Did you notice what Habakkuk did with his
frustration over God’s seeming lack of concern
and then what he did with his disappointment
over God’s seemingly unjust plan? How does this
instruct us in regard to what we should do with
our frustration and questions for God?
Habakkuk took his questions and disappointment in prayer
to God rather than turning away from God in resentment.
. When Habakkuk heard that God was going to ap-
point the Babylonians to execute his judgment on
Judah, he couldn’t reconcile how a holy God could
allow the wicked to swallow “the man more righ-
teous than he” (Hab. :). What must we come to
understand in order to make sense of this?
God, in his sovereignty, is able to use the greatest sin and
the greatest sinners to accomplish his holy purposes. The
greatest example of this is his ability to use the great evil
of the crucifixion of Christ for his salvation purposes.
. Habakkuk was given a revelation that “awaits
its appointed time” (Hab. :). What was revealed
to Habakkuk that he and the people of Judah
would have to wait to see come to pass?
They would have to wait to see God’s salvation purposes
coming to pass in the person of Christ over the course of
history.
. Habakkuk was given insight on what had hap-
pened in the past, which gave him confidence
about the future (Hab. :–). What did God do
in the past that Habakkuk anticipated God would
do again?
Deliverance from Egypt’s bondage (:), safe passage
through the Red Sea (:), defeat of Canaanite enemies
:), and establishment in the Promised Land under the
Davidic king (:). The final Davidic king, Jesus, was
yet to come.
. Habakkuk asked God to remember mercy in
his wrath. How did God answer that prayer for his
people later exiled in Babylon? How did he an-
swer that prayer when Christ died on the cross?
How is he still answering that prayer today?
Though in his wrath, God used the Babylonians to exe-
cute judgment on Judah, he showed mercy in preserving
a faithful remnant who would one day return to the land.
Through his wrath that came down on Christ on the cross,
he extended mercy to sinners. Today, though we live in
a world that is under judgment, those who are joined to
Christ are made alive and protected from the judgment
to come.
Getting Personal
. In the Personal Bible Study you were asked to
write your own version of what the prophet ex-
pressed in Habakkuk :–. Would some of
you be willing to read your personal declaration
of your intention to live by faith?
It may be challenging to get participants to read what
they’ve written, but keep inviting to get several to share,
if possible. Encourage those who have not done the exer-
cise to do so before they go to bed that night.
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. God gave Habakkuk the ability to see the day
when “the earth will be filled with the knowl-
edge of the glory of the L as the waters cover
the sea” (Hab. :). How is the earth being filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord today
in a way it wasn’t in his day? And how will the
earth be filled with the knowledge of the Lord in
an even greater way in the future?
The earth is being filled with the knowledge of the glory
of the Lord as the gospel goes out to people of every tribe,
tongue, and nation. When Christ comes again to estab-
lish the new heaven and new earth, there will be no cor-
ner of this earth that will not be filled with the knowledge
of his glory.
Week 7
Jeremiah
Personal Bible Study
. Read Jeremiah :– and list several things
you learn about Jeremiah and his call to prophesy.
He was the son of a priest. He began to prophesy in the
days of King Josiah, and his prophetic ministry continued
under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. He prophesied through
the beginning of Jerusalem’s exile in Babylon. God ap-
pointed him to be a prophet even before he was born. He
would be a prophet to the nations, not just Judah and
Israel.
. Jeremiah : summarizes Jeremiah’s mes-
sage throughout his forty years of prophetical
ministry, using six key words that are repeated
throughout Jeremiah’s book (see also Jer. :–
; :; :). What are these words, and
what do you think they mean?
Pluck up, break down, destroy, overthrow, build, and
plant
Jeremiah is going to prophesy about the plucking up of
God’s people from the land, and the breaking down, over-
throw, and destruction of Jerusalem. But he will also have
a message of hope about rebuilding and replanting back
in the land after exile.
. In addition to the six words about planting
and building, God gave Jeremiah three pictures
of what he could expect in regard to his prophetic
ministry. What do you think is being communi-
cated by each image in verses :–?
An almond branch (it is helpful to know that
buds on almond trees were the first sign of
spring in Judah):
He could be as sure that his prophecies would come true
as he was sure that the almond trees would bloom in the
spring. They would bring new life to those who listened.
A boiling pot facing away from the north:
Judgment was going to come from the north, as Babylon
came to destroy Judah.
A fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls:
Though Jeremiah would be persecuted by the kings,
priests, and people, God would protect and sustain him.
. A few years into Jeremiah’s prophetic min-
istry, something significant happened. Skim
Kings –:. Describe what happened in
two or three sentences.
The Book of the Law (Deuteronomy) was found in the
temple after being lost for sixty years. When it was read
to Josiah, the king, he launched a campaign of reforma-
tion, getting rid of idols and places of false worship and
reinstating the Passover.
. Jeremiah is representative of the message
of Jeremiah during Josiah’s reign. The chapter
begins with God’s fondly remembering the love
his people once had for him as his bride in the
wilderness. But then he begins to work his way
through all the good reasons he now has cause to
divorce his bride. Summarize his charges against
Judah, found in the following verses:
:– Since they have come into the land, they have
ignored and forgotten God, taking its good things for
granted.
:– They have stopped worshiping the one true God
and have begun to worship gods that are not gods.
:– They are going to other lands to look for protec-
tion and provision instead of going to God.
:– They said they would not serve God even
though he freed them from slavery to serve him, but they
have been willing to serve other gods in ways that en-
slaved them again.
:– Like a wild donkey in heat, Israel has gone after
the Baals.
:– They have worshiped other gods but then called
on Yahweh when they needed to be saved.
:– They have harmed the poor.
. Sadly, the reforms Josiah brought in Judah
lasted only as long as Josiah was king. When his
son took his place on the throne, Judah went back
to all of her evils of the past. What was the source
of the problem, according to Jeremiah :?
The change in Judah was mere pretense, not a whole-
hearted repentance.
. Jeremiah becomes more specific about the
problem in Jeremiah . What is the problem,
according to Jeremiah :, –?
Judah, like all of humanity, has a deceitful, sick heart. Sin
has been engraved on her heart with a pen of iron.
. In Jeremiah we have “the word that came
to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah,
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah,
king of Judah” (v.). Read Jeremiah :– and
summarize in a sentence or two what Jeremiah
says is going to happen and why.
Because they have not listened to the word of the Lord,
God is going to “send for” the tribes of the north, Babylon,
who will take them into exile for seventy years.
. In Jeremiah –, after many chapters about
the sins of Judah and the judgment to come upon
her, Jeremiah speaks of what is to come beyond
the exile, when God will act to restore his people.
How is God promising to bring restoration in
each of the following verses?
: He will bring them back to the land and they will
take possession of it.
:– He will break the yoke of slavery so they can
serve the Lord.
: He will restore health and heal their wounds.
: He will multiply them, honor them, and fill them
with songs of thanksgiving and celebration.
: He will be their God and they will be his people.
: He will restore virginity to Judah who has played
the harlot.
: He will make her fruitful.
:– He will gather them and lead them back to
the land.
:– He will make them radiant, nourished, merry,
joyful, glad, and satisfied.
:– The same God who has plucked up and broken
down, overthrown and destroyed, will build and plant.
: He will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah.
:– He will rebuild the city of Jerusalem, mak-
ing it sacred, and it will never be uprooted or overthrown
anymore forever.
. In Jeremiah :–, Jeremiah details four
aspects of the new covenant. What are they?
He will write his law on their hearts.
He will belong to them and they will belong to him.
They will all know him.
He will forgive their sin and remember it no more.
. Jeremiah says that the new covenant will not be like the covenant God had made with Israel at
Mount Sinai, when he gave them his law. This leads us to ask how it will be dierent. Work your way
through the following verses to discover what makes the new covenant superior to the old covenant.
Old Covenant New Covenant
Mediator Ex. :–; Heb. :–
Moses
Heb. :; :
Jesus
Ratification Ex. :; Heb. :–
Blood of animals
Matt. :
Blood of Christ
Obligations Deut. :
Obedience to the law
Rom. :–
Trusting in the perfect obedience of Christ re-
ceived by faith
Promises Ex. :; Deut. :–
Prosperity, national security, become God’s trea-
sured nation
Jer. :–; Heb. :,
Law written on heart, belong to God, know God,
forgiveness, redemption, eternal inheritance
Conditions Ex. :–; Deut. :–
If you obey, then you will live.
John :; Rom. :–
If you believe, then you will live.
Where written Deut. :
Tablets of stone
Jer. :
Hearts of believers
Relationship with
God
Heb. :
Through human priest, could not go near Most
Holy Place
Jer. :; Heb. :–
Through heavenly priest, can draw near to God’s
throne
Way of dealing
with sin
Heb. :–; :–
Sin was covered but never taken away, and con-
science was never clear.
Jer. :; Heb. :, ; :, ,
Conscience is cleansed, sin is put away, forgiven,
believer is perfected, sanctified.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. What do you think about Jeremiah’s observa-
tion of the human heart, that it is deceitful above
all things and desperately sick? How does this fit
with the prevailing wisdom that says people are
basically good?
Getting to the Heart of It
. In the Personal Bible Study we saw that Jere-
miah’s prophetic ministry was centered on God’s
promises to pluck up, break down, destroy, over-
throw, build, and plant. How did that happen in
Judah’s actual experience as a nation?
. What do you think about the image of sin as
being engraved on the human heart? How does
this imagery help us to grasp the impulse to sin,
the tyranny of sin, and the diculty we have in
turning away from sin?
. How would you explain the dierence be-
tween having God’s law written on tablets of
stone, which you have to impress on your own
heart, and having it written on your heart by the
Holy Spirit?
This is the dierence between rules being imposed on us
from the outside and a desire for holiness that wells up
within us.
. Imagine that you were a Jew living in Jerusa-
lem at Pentecost. You heard Peter’s sermon and
were one of those who was “cut to the heart, and
said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Broth-
ers, what shall we do?’” (Acts :). How would
your life change as you began to live as a partaker
of the new covenant instead of the old covenant?
You would stop taking animals to be oered for sacrifice
at the temple because the once-for-all sacrifice had been
oered. You could rest in knowing that your sin was fi-
nally and fully dealt with. Rather than always feeling the
weight of your own ability to live up to the law, you could
celebrate Christ’s perfect life of obedience transferred to
your account. Instead of looking at the law as an unbear-
able burden imposed on you, you would discover an in-
ternal desire to be pleasing to the Lord in this way as well
as a fresh power to obey. Instead of depending on a priest
at the temple to take your concerns before God, you could
approach God’s throne directly and personally through
prayer, knowing that you were heard and accepted on the
basis of your connection to Christ.
. While God has begun his work in our hearts,
giving us new hearts to obey him, the reality is
that we still struggle with sin. Clearly there are
still some deep impressions left on our lives by
sin that will not be completely gone until “he
who began a good work” in us “will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. :).
If we are experiencing an ongoing struggle with
sin, is that evidence that perhaps we have not ex-
perienced this miracle of the new birth? Why or
why not?
Coming under conviction of sin, desiring to forsake it, and
maintaining the battle or struggle to defeat it is evidence
of the new birth. Christians will always struggle with sin
in this life. However, when there is no struggle, no desire
to forsake, no sense of sadness over the oense caused to
God, this gives a person reason to question whether or not
he or she has experience the miracle of new birth.
Getting Personal
. Let’s open our Bibles to the Ten Command-
ments found in Deuteronomy . When you look
over this list of commands, can you give tes-
timony to the way in which the Holy Spirit has
worked in your life to write one of these on your
heart? How have you experienced God at work,
giving you the desire and the power to obey one
of these commands?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. The story of the Bible begins in the garden of
Eden where everything was good. Then Adam
and Eve sinned, and the world became filled
with dysfunction, disorder, disease, disobedi-
ence, and death. But right there in the garden
God promised that the seed of the woman would
one day crush the head of the seed of the Serpent
so that the perfection of the garden paradise
would be restored. Look back at the promises of
restoration God made in Jeremiah – that
you listed in the Personal Bible Study. How did
these predictions of the glorious state of blessing
after the exile begin to be fulfilled at Christ’s first
coming, how have they continued to be fulfilled
in part today, and how will they finally be real-
ized beyond imagination when Christ returns?
: He will bring them back to the land and they will
take possession of it. Jesus has made us coheirs of all he
stands to inherit when he returns—the whole world.
:– He will break the yoke of slavery so they can
serve the Lord. Jesus accomplished this on the cross, and
it is becoming more and more of a reality in our lives as he
does his work of sanctification in us by his Spirit.
: He will restore health and heal their wounds. Jesus
is bringing healing to our lives now to the wound sin has
left. When he returns that healing will be complete.
: He will multiply them, honor them, and fill them
with songs of thanksgiving and celebration. Jesus is
building his church, drawing people from every tribe,
tongue, and nation who will one day gather around his
throne with songs of celebration.
: He will be their God and they will be his people.
Jesus came as Immanuel—God with us—to make it pos-
sible for us to be God’s people. But when he comes again,
the fullness of all God has intended in regard to dwelling
with his people will be the reality we will live in forever.
: He will restore virginity to Judah who has played
the harlot. In the cleansing work of the new birth, Jesus
makes us a new creation. And when he comes again we
will be fully clean, no longer unfaithful to him.
: He will make her fruitful. The Holy Spirit is gener-
ating fruit in our lives now, and the harvest will be com-
plete when Christ comes again.
:– He will gather them and lead them back to
the land.
:– He will make them radiant, nourished, merry,
joyful, glad, and satisfied. Jesus is doing this work in us
now, in part. We will be utterly radiant and joyful, fully
satisfied on that day we are finally with him.
:– The same God who has plucked up and broken
down, overthrown and destroyed, will build and plant.
He is building his church made up of living stones—the
lives of ordinary believers. And one day his work will be
complete, and we will no longer be vulnerable but will be
firmly planted in the new heaven and new earth.
: He will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. Jesus established this cove-
nant with his blood on the cross. We live in the richness of
relating to God under this new covenant. All of its prom-
ises will be complete when he comes again.
:– He will rebuild the city of Jerusalem, mak-
ing it sacred, and it will never be uprooted or overthrown
anymore forever. What a great promise! Once Satan and
sin are dealt with finally and forever, once evil is ended,
the people of God will no longer live under threat but will
be secure forever in his presence.
Week 8
Daniel
Personal Bible Study
Up to this point, all the prophets we’ve studied
have been prophesying to the northern kingdom
of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah prior
to Israel’s exile to Assyria and Judah’s exile to
Babylon. The message of the prophets has usu-
ally included a call to the people to repent so that
the people would not face exile. But when we
come to Daniel, the time for that has passed. The
setting of Daniel is Babylon, where the people of
Judah are living inexile.
Daniel can be divided into two halves. The
first six chapters of Daniel tell us the story of
Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, who as teenagers were in the first
of three waves of exiles taken from Jerusalem to
Babylon. The second half of the book, chapters
through , presents to us the visions Daniel
had regarding the future. Though the two halves
are very dierent kinds of literature, each sec-
tion helps us to understand the other. The two
distinct halves of the book of Daniel combine to
show God’s people how to live as strangers and
exiles in a world that is not their home and to
reassure them that God is in control and that his
kingdom will ultimately prevail over the king-
doms of the world.
. Read Daniel :–. If you were a citizen of
Jerusalem trusting in Yahweh, what would you
find troubling about what is revealed in these
first two verses of Daniel?
The Lord, who they thought was committed to care for
them, is the one who gave the king of Judah into the hand
of the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon has taken
away the holy vessels from the temple where God dwells
to be stored in the temple to a false God in Babylon. This
would seem to be the end of the story of God’s people. It
is hard to imagine that God is in control of this or that
anything good will come of it.
. Read Daniel :–. From these verses list
four or five things the king of Babylon did and
what his strategy or goal for each of them might
have been.
(a) Took young, skilled nobility to Babylon—taking the
best and brightest would both cripple Jerusalem and
strengthen Babylon
(b) Taught them the literature and language of the Chal-
deans—so they would forget the Scriptures and replace
that cultural foundation with Babylon’s stories and myths
(c) Intended to provide lavish meals for them—so that
they would come to depend on the king, become loyal to
the king, and become addicted to the comfort he provided
(d) Educated for three years—thorough indoctrination in
Babylonian ways and values making them useful in his
kingdom
(e) Gave them Babylonian names based on Babylonian
gods—so they would lose their sense of identity as sons of
Judah and people of Yahweh, and would become sons of
Babylon, embracing the gods of Babylon
. Read Daniel :–. Why do you think Daniel
asked that he and his friends be able to eat veg-
etables instead of the king’s food? (Notice this is
a “why do you think” question, since there may
be a number of possible reasons.) What kind of
impact do you think that had on them and those
around them?
He did not want to consume or buy into everything being
served up to them in Babylon. Not eating the king’s food
would be a daily reminder of his true home and his true
source and comfort. Having the support of each other
probably helped them to persevere in being dierent from
everyone else and likely generated some respect as well
as some derision among the others being educated along
with them.
. Read the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
and Daniel’s interpretation of it in Daniel . How
would you summarize the point of the dream,
according to Daniel :–?
After Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom in Babylon would come
four other kingdoms and finally a stone that would break
all of the other kingdoms in pieces and would never be
destroyed.
. What light does the parable Jesus told in Luke
:– and the words of Peter in Acts :–
shed on who or what the “stone ... cut out by no
human hand” might be?
Jesus and the kingdom he brings is the stone that crushes
all the human kingdoms of the world that persist in re-
jecting him. He is the cornerstone, the foundation stone
of the kingdom of God, the church.
. Certainly Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
knew about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great
image that represented successive human king-
doms being crushed by the “stone ... cut out by
no human hand” (Dan. :). How do you think
that image might have played a part in their re-
fusal to bow down to the image Nebuchadnezzar
set up, as recorded in chapter ?
They saw human power for what it is—fleeting, in rebel-
lion toward God, and doomed to destruction by God—and
saw God’s power for what it is—in the coming rule of his
Messiah, represented by the stone.
. According to Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Me-
shach, and Abednego were accompanied in the
fire by one “like a son of the gods” (Dan. :)
and emerged with the hair of their heads un-
singed, cloaks unharmed, and no smell of smoke.
What does this reveal about the nature of God’s
deliverance?
God does not always protect us from experiencing trouble
or persecution, but he is present with us in it and will
deliver us through it. Their emergence from the fire un-
harmed is a picture of resurrection from the dead, deliver-
ance from death whole and unharmed.
. In Daniel we read about a new king in Baby-
lon, Belshazzar, holding a great feast, when a
human hand appeared and wrote on the wall of
the palace. According to verses –, what was
the message, and what was the result?
The message was that the days for this king and his king-
dom were numbered and about to come to an end. He had
been weighed and found wanting. His kingdom would
be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Daniel
was made third ruler in the kingdom. Darius the Mede
became king.
. Daniel was likely in his eighties or nineties
at the time of the events described in Daniel .
What evidence do you see in this story that his
determination not to defile himself and to retain
his identity as a citizen of Jerusalem (revealed in
Daniel ) has continued throughout his life?
He is beyond reproach in the way he conducts his duties
to the king. He still depends on Yahweh as his king and
God, praying to him three times a day toward Jerusalem.
Just as the kindnesses and comforts the king oered in
chapter could not corrupt him, so the cruelties of the
king in chapter could not intimidate him.
. Daniel’s experience of facing the lion’s den prefigures Jesus’s experience of facing the cross.
Write a sentence about Jesus in the second column below that parallels the sentence about Daniel in
the first column.
Daniel Jesus
Though Daniel was living in the kingdom of Babylon, he
was from the kingdom of Judah. (Dan. :–)
John :; :
Though Jesus was living in the kingdom of the world, he was
from the kingdom of heaven.
Daniel was without fault yet opposed by envious leaders
who corrupted the justice system to condemn him. (Dan.
:–)
Mark :, ,
Jesus was without fault yet opposed by envious leaders who
corrupted the justice system to condemn him.
Darius wanted to release Daniel instead of sending him
to the lions’ den. (Dan. :)
Luke :–
Pilate wanted to release Jesus instead of sentence him to
crucifixion.
Daniel is not recorded as having said anything in his
defense. (Dan. :)
Mark :
Jesus was silent before his accusers.
Daniel was placed in a den, or cave, which was sealed
with a stone so that he could not be saved by human
intervention. (Dan. :)
Matt. :–
Jesus was placed in a tomb, or cave, which was sealed with a
stone so that his body could not be stolen by his followers.
Daniel willingly faced the threat of death. (Dan. :) Matt. :
Jesus willingly died.
When the stone was removed, Daniel came out of
the den, metaphorically brought back from the dead.
(Dan.:)
Matt. :, ; Cor. :–
When the stone was removed, Jesus came out of the tomb,
literally brought back from the dead.
When Daniel emerged from the lions’ den, he came
alone. No one else was saved by God’s deliverance of
Daniel. (Dan.:)
Cor. :–
When Jesus emerged from the grave, he did so as the first of
all who belong to Christ who will rise from their graves.
All of those who opposed Daniel perished in the lion’s
den. (Dan. :)
John :; Rev. :
All of those who reject Jesus will perish in the fire.
. Daniel’s vision of four great beasts in chap-
ter parallels the dream King Nebuchadnezzar
had in chapter in its revelation of the future
course of history in regard to the kingdoms of
the world and the kingdom of God. Read Daniel
:–. Looking past the details of the vision,
what would you say is its primary impression or
message?
Kingdoms are going to rise and fall, but “one like a son of
man” is going to come from heaven to establish his king-
dom over all of the peoples of the earth, which will never
be destroyed.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. What kind of pressures does the world put on
us in modern-day life to be citizens of the king-
dom of the world?
Getting to the Heart of It
. Daniel drew a line that he would not cross in
his resolve not to be defiled by the world. In our
day Christians draw lines in dierent places.
And some really don’t draw any lines at all. What
dierence do you think it makes if we ask, Is this
wise? rather than, Is this right or wrong?
. Daniel and are similar in what they show
of dreams and visions of the rise and fall of
human kingdoms and the promised coming of a
kingdom that will bring an end to every human
kingdom. If you had been living in exile in Baby-
lon in Daniel’s day and heard about these dreams
and visions and Daniel’s interpretations of them,
how do you think it would have impacted you?
You would be less fearful of the kingdom of Babylon,
knowing that it would one day come to an end, and bolder
in your allegiance to the kingdom that will never end.
. Just as Daniel and are parallel, so are Dan-
iel and —one telling the story of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego being put in the fiery
furnace, and the other telling the story of Dan-
iel’s being put in the den of lions. Both stories
put the faith of the men as well as the deliver-
ance of God on display. What did they know that
served as the foundation for their faith and con-
fidence in God’s deliverance?
They knew from the history of God’s intervention in the
lives of their people that God is a deliverer and that he is
committed to the salvation and preservation of his people.
. When we read the stories of God’s delivering
them from the furnace and from the lion’s den,
we can’t help but also think about the Christians
who were later killed by lions in the Roman Col-
osseum as well as Christians today who are tor-
tured and killed for their faith in various parts
of the world. How do we reconcile the stories of
deliverance with the reality that God does not al-
ways seem to deliver his saints from harm?
God has not promised and does not always accomplish
a physical, here-and-now deliverance, but that does not
mean that those who perish in this life are not ultimately
delivered. The Bible makes clear that those who are perse-
cuted for Christ’s sake will be rewarded. We see through-
out the Bible God’s commitment to crush all of his enemies
who have mistreated his people. Those who put their faith
in Christ recognize that there is a greater deliverance than
being spared hardship or physical death; it is being deliv-
ered from eternal death into eternal life in his presence.
. How does the book of Daniel help us to un-
derstand more clearly who Christ is and what he
came to do?
Since the book is all about the kingdoms of the world and
the kingdom God is bringing that will overcome and out-
last all human kingdoms, it points to Christ as the King
who will accomplish the destruction of human kingdoms
and establish his kingdom that will never end.
Getting Personal
. The examples that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego set before us as citizens of Jeru-
salem living in exile in Babylon are challenging.
What are some of the ways their examples chal-
lenge you personally?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. If you had only the scroll or book of Daniel but
not the rest of the Bible, what would you know
about what God is doing in the world and how he
is going to do it?
You would know that history is not a matter of fate or
human power. Instead, you would be confident that
God is working out his plans for the world, that though
human power may be impressive, it doesn’t last, and that
he is at work establishing his kingdom in the world that
is not established through human eort but through di-
vine power. You would know that a king and kingdom is
coming that will put an end to human kingdoms, that the
kingdom will be good, and it will be eternal.
Week 9
Ezekiel
Personal Bible Study
Up to this point in our study we’ve heard from
prophets who prophesied in the northern king-
dom of Israel prior to their exile to Assyria, in-
cluding Jonah and Hosea, and from prophets
who prophesied to the southern kingdom of
Judah long before and then right before they
were taken into exile, including Micah, Isaiah,
Habakkuk, and Jeremiah. Last week we studied
Daniel who prophesied to exiles living in Baby-
lon. This week we study another prophet who
prophesied to God’s people living in exile, not
inside the city of Babylon, where Daniel was, but
just outside the city in what could be described
as a refugee camp where ten thousand exiles
from Judah were taken tolive.
. Read through Ezekiel’s first vision, found in
Ezekiel , and note a few details (not necessarily
every detail) about each of the following:
The storm (v.):
Stormy wind out of the north, great cloud with brightness
around it, fire flashing forth, gleaming metal in midst
offire
The four living creatures (vv.–):
Human likeness; each had four faces, four wings, and
straight legs; sparkled; human hands; their wings
touched; face of human; lion; ox; eagle; appearance like
torches; lightning; darted to and fro
The wheels (vv. –):
Gleaming beryl; wheel within a wheel; rims full of eyes;
went where the Spirit wanted to go
The expanse (vv.–):
Shining like crystal; spread out above heads; held up by
wings; a voice came from above expanse
The throne (vv.–):
Like a sapphire; likeness with a human appearance on
throne; fiery, gleaming appearance; surrounded by bright
rainbow
. In verse we’re told that what Ezekiel has
seen is “the likeness of the glory of the L.” If
we look back at the previous verses, we see the
word “likeness” is used ten times in the chap-
ter. What do you think this might communicate
about Ezekiel’s description of what he saw?
He is struggling to find words to capture and describe
something he has seen that he has no real categories for—
it is beyond human experience and beyond mere words.
He’s doing the best he can to describe it in terms his audi-
ence will recognize.
. Ezekiel – is primarily oracles preached
about the judgment on Jerusalem. In the midst
of these chapters Ezekiel has another vision that
reveals how God views what is taking place in Je-
rusalem. List several things that Ezekiel saw in
and around the temple, according to chapter .
Great abominations: idols engraved on the walls, elders
burning incense to these idols, women weeping for Tam-
muz (a cultic practice), and men near the altar worship-
ing the sun
. Ezekiel describes Ezekiel’s vision of the judg-
ment that will come down on all in Jerusalem
except for a small remnant of repentant people
who will be saved. Then, in chapter , the glory
of God, which Ezekiel saw in his earlier vision, is
on the move. In what way does the glory of God
move in :– and :?
The glory of God moved from the threshold of the house,
out the east gate of the house, and finally out of the city,
and stood on the mountain on the east side of the city.
. Though the people of Judah living in exile saw
themselves as far removed from God’s presence,
which had earlier been with them in the temple
in Jerusalem, what reality is revealed to Ezekiel
in :?
The Lord has been a sanctuary (or temple) to them where
they have gone. The essence of the temple—his pres-
ence—is wherever his people are.
. Ezekiel – contains a series of sermons
preached throughout the three years of Babylon’s
siege of Jerusalem, with Ezekiel stressing that
the surrounding nations will be judged in the
way Judah is being judged. According to :,
how did the siege of Jerusalem end, and how do
you think this impacted the exiles, who had been
longing to go home to Jerusalem for twelve years?
News came to Ezekiel that Jerusalem had fallen com-
pletely to the Babylonians and was destroyed, so there
was now no real home to go back to. This must have
dashed whatever little bit of hope the exiles had regard-
ing going home.
. Up to this point, Ezekiel’s message has not re-
ally communicated any hope. But as soon as he
hears Jerusalem has fallen, he begins to preach
a message of hope, assuring the people that al-
though the exile would not be as temporary as
they had originally thought, it would come to an
end. What hope is held out to the exiles in the
following passages?
:–, –: God will be a shepherd to his people;
he will seek them out from all of the places they have
been scattered and bring them home to feed and care for
them. He will set up a shepherd over them—“my servant
David.”
:–: God will cleanse his people, giving them a
new heart and a new spirit, and will put his Spirit within
them. He will bless them with abundance. He will dwell
in the land with them.
:–: God will bring them back to a renewed land
that will be like the garden of Eden and will be fortified
and inhabited. The people will increase in number.
:–: God will give them new life out of death.
:–: God will make a new covenant with his peo-
ple and will put a shepherd King over them. His sanctu-
ary will be in their midst forevermore.
. We’ve seen that God has promised a new king,
a new heart, a new spirit, a new land, and a new
life to his faithful remnant. Now, in Ezekiel –
, God promises through his prophet Ezekiel
a new temple in which the people will enjoy a
new experience of God’s presence. In previous
visions Ezekiel had seen the glory of God in the
Jerusalem temple, and then he saw the glory of
God depart from the Jerusalem temple. Now he
sees the glory of God return to a new temple that
far supersedes the old Jerusalem temple. What is
the first thing we learn in Ezekiel : about this
new temple?
It was a structure like a city.
. In Ezekiel :–, the new temple is de-
scribed as less like a city and more like something
else. What does the description of the temple
here remind you of? (You might also refer back to
Ezekiel :.)
It is like the garden of Eden with a river and trees and
fruitfulness.
. Ezekiel – details the perfectly square
structure of the new temple. Then we come to
the most important thing about the garden-like
city in the shape of a temple in :–, which is
reiterated in :. What is it?
The glory of God entered the temple from the east and
filled the temple. God said that there he intends to dwell
in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The most im-
portant thing about this garden-like city in the shape of a
temple is the Lord’s personal presence in the midst of his
people forever.
. What does Hebrews :– reveal to us about
the Old Testament tabernacle and temple?
They were a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things.”
They were designed according to the pattern God gave to
Moses so that they would accurately reflect the original or
substance, which is heaven itself.
. What do we learn from Jesus in the following
verses about the new temple Ezekiel saw?
Matthew :: “Something greater than the temple is
here,” meaning Jesus himself.
John :–: Jesus is the true temple of which the ar-
chitectural temple was only a shadow. The true temple
is Christ himself. When he rises from the grave, the new
creation will have begun as he will embody Ezekiel’s vi-
sion of the new temple.
. What do the following verses reveal about
where or what form this new temple takes in the
present?
Corinthians :–:
Individual believers are God’s temple as his Spirit dwells
in them.
Ephesians :–:
The church is being built together into a dwelling place
for God.
. Revelation :–: describes the new
heaven and the new earth. Read through this pas-
sage and list as many examples as you’d like of
aspects of the new heaven and the new earth that
reflect a garden, a city, and the temple (keeping in
mind that a whole book could be written on this!).
: It is the holy city, the new Jerusalem.
: The temple was where God dwelt with his people.
: Uncleanness and sinners are kept out just as they
were kept out of the temple.
: The glory of God is there.
:– It has a wall, gates, foundations, and dimen-
sions like a city.
: The city is a perfect cube like the Most Holy Place
was in the temple.
:– The jewels resemble Eden and also the high
priest’s breastplate he wore into the temple.
: There is no architectural temple in the city, but
there is a temple—God himself is the temple.
: The doors of the temple have been thrown open to
invite people from all nations in.
: The river of the water of life flows from the throne
as Ezekiel described.
: The tree of life like in Eden has leaves for healing as
Ezekiel described.
: This will be a place of worship.
: Worshipers will see God’s face in a way they never
have before. They will all be like priests in the Old Testa-
ment who had their Lord’s name on their turbans.
: No lampstand is needed in this temple as the Lord
is its light.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. If we think of ourselves as sons and daughters
of Adam and Eve, we realize that we all have a
longing to get back to the house that built us—
the home we once enjoyed in the garden of Eden.
How do you think that life as it once was in the
garden of Eden helps to explain the sense of dis-
appointment we have with life in this world and
how our lives have gone?
Getting to the Heart of It
. If we consider that the garden of Eden was the
first temple or sanctuary, what echoes of Eden
do we find in the design and function of the Old
Testament tabernacle and temple?
In Eden there were gold and onyx stones (Gen. :).
Gold and onyx stones were used in the design of the tab-
ernacle (Ex. :, ). Solomon adorned the temple with
settings of precious stones (Chron. :).
Eden was filled with every kind of plant (Gen. :).
Woven into the tabernacle and carved into the walls of
the temple were cheribum, flowers, and fruits (Ex. :;
Kings :). In Eden stood a tree of life (Gen. :). In
the tabernacle and temple stood a lampstand that was
designed to look like a blossoming tree (Ex. :–;
Kings :). God dwelt with his people in Eden (Gen.
:). God descended to dwell with his people in the taber-
nacle and temple (Ex. :–; Kings :–). Two
cherubim guarded the entrance to Eden (Gen. :). Two
gold cherubim were placed on the mercy seat as if guard-
ing the throne of God (Ex. :–; Kings :).
. Let’s consider Ezekiel’s first vision of the glory
of God found in Ezekiel . Imagine you were
with Ezekiel as an exile from Jerusalem. What
do you think you would have been able to learn
from that unusual vision?
God comes on the kind of royal seat a king would ride in
when he went into battle. He sees and is on the move for
his people. It is also a throne constructed of enormously
valuable stones, which speaks of his supreme royalty
reigning over even the powerful and wealthy empires of
the world. The rainbow speaks of his promise to keep his
covenants. God has arrived in power so that no other god
can stand before him and no distance or geographical
limitation can keep him away from his people.
. When news reached the exiles in Babylon that
Jerusalem had fallen, it must have been a very
distressing time. That’s when Ezekiel began to
prophesy of the new things God was going to do,
which we saw briefly in the Personal Bible Study
concerning Ezekiel –. Let’s work our way
through those passages to consider not only why
these promises would be good news to the ex-
iles but also how and when these promises have
been, are being, or will be fulfilled.
:–, –: God will be a shepherd to his people.
He will seek them out from all of the places they have
been scattered and bring them home to feed and care for
them. He will set up a shepherd over them—“my servant
David.” Jesus came as a shepherd and will return as the
“chief Shepherd” (Pet. :).
:–: God will cleanse his people, giving them a
new heart and a new spirit, and will put his Spirit within
them. He will bless them with abundance. He will dwell in
the land with them. This cleaning began at the cross; this
new heart and Spirit were given at Pentecost. Even now
God is doing these things in the lives of his people. In the
new heaven and new earth we will be perfectly clean, have
a completely pure heart, and will enjoy abundance like
never before as God will dwell with us like never before.
:–: God will bring them back to a renewed land
that will be like the garden of Eden and will be fortified
and inhabited. The people will increase in number. The
church is increasing in number day by day as people take
hold of and believe in the gospel. When Christ returns he
will open up the gates to Eden ., a new garden that will
be perfectly secure and filled with his people.
:–: God will give them new life out of death.
Through Christ, we who were dead are made alive. When
he comes again, he will give life to our mortal bodies that
are in the grave.
:–: God will make a new covenant with his people
and will put a shepherd King over them. His sanctuary will
be in their midst forevermore. Jesus is our shepherd caring
for us and our King ruling over us now and into eternity.
. Where or what or who is the temple now, and
what are the implications of that?
Jesus is the ultimate temple and all who are united to him
by faith are living stones being built up as a spiritual house
called the church. This keeps us from being lone ranger
Christians with a privatized faith. As individual believers
our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Embracing
this truth instills in us a desire to live pure lives of holiness.
. In the final question of the Personal Bible
Study, we were asked to read through Revelation
:–:, noting how the new heaven and the
new earth are presented to us as a garden-like
city in the shape of a temple. What are some of
the things you discovered?
: “The holy city, new Jerusalem”
: “I will give from the spring of the water of life.”
: “It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates.”
: “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations.”
: “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is
the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.”
: “The river of the water of life, bright as crystal”
: “The tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yield-
ing its fruit each month”
: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and
his servants will worship him.”
: “His name will be on their foreheads.” (Like priests
in temple whose turbans said “Holy to the Lord.”)
Getting Personal
. God’s covenant promise throughout the Bible
is that he will be our God and we will be his peo-
ple. Over and over he announces his intention to
dwell with his people. Does that sound like a good
thing to you? Why or why not? What do you think
could help you to set your heart on this promise?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. In the “Looking Forward” portion of the teach-
ing chapter, we read that God’s original inten-
tion was for Adam to be fruitful and multiply
and expand the borders of Eden so that even-
tually the entire earth would be filled with the
glory and beauty and abundance of the Lord that
they enjoyed in Eden. How did the second Adam
succeed where the first Adam failed? And how
does this help us to understand God’s purposes
for creation and redemption, which make up the
story of the Bible?
The work of Jesus, the second Adam, on the cross was
fruitful so that those who are joined to him by faith are
multiplying, and there will be people from every tribe
and tongue and nation who glorify him. This helps us
understand that we are not the center of things, but
God and his glory are at the center of his creative and
redemptive plans.
Week 10
Malachi
Personal Bible Study
. Malachi was a prophet in Israel after the return
from exile in Babylon. He prophesied around the
time of the events that take place in the book of
Nehemiah. In the first verse of Malachi we learn
that what follows is an oracle of the word of the
Lord to Israel by Malachi. Oracle could also be
translated as “burden.” Considering the messages
we have read throughout this study that were
given through the prophets and the message Mal-
achi is about to deliver, why do you think it could
be accurately described as a “burden”?
The message Malachi and the other prophets were given
was weighty and serious. The message came from a
weighty or glorious God and concerned matters of life and
death. It was a burden because it mattered how people
responded to it, and the prophets likely knew that many
or most would reject the message and the messenger.
. The book of Malachi is made up primarily of a
series of disputations between God and the col-
lective voice of his people as evidenced in their
attitudes toward him. In each disputation God
deals with a particular problem. Read through
the following passages in Malachi and summa-
rize the problem God is confronting in each.
:– They don’t really believe that he loves them. They
don’t recognize that he has loved them by choosing them
for salvation based on nothing in themselves. His love for
them becomes clearer as it is contrasted with those whom
he has not chosen.
:– They don’t truly honor or fear the Lord as evi-
denced by the fact that they bring lame or sick animals to
oer as sacrifices, which they would never present to any
human authority.
:– The priests are not only accepting unacceptable
sacrifices, they are breaking the covenant God made with
Levi to walk with God and instruct the people in truth.
:– The men are divorcing their Israelite wives for
no cause in order to marry foreign wives who worship
other gods and are therefore not producing children who
know and walk in the ways of God.
: They are full of complaints about how evil people
are getting away with wickedness and God is not dealing
with it.
:– They are robbing God of his due by not tithing
and contributing to the temple.
:– They are questioning whether it is worth it to
serve God and whether God is just, since evildoers seem
to enjoy more prosperity than they do.
. Malachi uses the title “L of hosts” for God
twenty-four times in this short book. To call God
“L of hosts” recognizes him as having a large
contingent of heavenly beings at his command
as well as authority throughout the earth. Con-
sidering the political situation of the people in
Malachi’s day, as well as the people’s attitudes
and actions toward God, why might Malachi have
wanted to emphasize this aspect of who God is?
It would have brought comfort to this downtrodden
people who had no army at the time as they were living
under the rule of the Persian empire. But it would have
also brought rebuke and correction to people who were
treating God with so little respect or honor.
. In Malachi :– God provides an answer to
the people’s question, “Where is the God of jus-
tice?” (Mal. :). See if you can put God’s re-
sponse into your own words.
I am going to send my messenger to get things ready, and
then I’m coming to my temple as the messenger of the cov-
enant, the Messiah you’ve been looking for. But you are
going to get more than you bargained for because when I
come in justice, some sinners—those who fear me—I will
purify and cleanse, and other sinners—those who do not
fear me—I will judge.
. In Malachi :– it appears we are read-
ing the record of the remnant who responded
to Malachi’s message. What does it reveal about
what can be expected by those who fear the Lord?
God heard them as they talked with each other about
him. Their names and the record of their fear of the Lord
were written in a book of remembrance. They will belong
to the Lord. They will be his treasured possession. They
will be spared when the wicked are punished.
. In Malachi :– the prophet describes what
will happen in the Day of the Lord, and there is
clearly a dierence between what evildoers can
expect and what those who fear the Lord can ex-
pect. What is it?
Evildoers can expect to be burned and destroyed in the
fires of God’s judgment while those who fear the Lord can
expect the sun of righteousness to bring healing and new-
ness of life.
. In Malachi :– the prophet tells us more
about the messenger he mentioned in :, call-
ing him “Elijah the prophet.” What do these
verses tell us about what he will be like, when he
will come, and what will be the hallmark of his
ministry?
He will be like Elijah, he will come before the great and
awesome day of the Lord, and he will turn the hearts of
fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their
fathers.
. After God spoke through the prophet Malachi,
he did not speak directly to his people again for
four hundred years. Then, finally, an angel ap-
peared and spoke to a priest named Zechariah,
who was burning incense in the temple. What
was the angel’s message, according to Luke
:–?
His wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a son they would
name John, and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit
and would turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord
and toward each other. He would come in the Spirit and
power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers to children
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to prepare
people for the coming of the Lord.
. In Matthew :– what insight does Jesus
provide about Malachi :?
Malachi was speaking about John the Baptist who pre-
pared the way for the Lord to come.
. In John :– what testimony does John
the Baptist provide about the aim of his ministry?
He baptizes with water that Jesus would be revealed to
Israel. He bore witness that Jesus is the Son of God.
Discussion Guide
Getting the Discussion Going
. Imagine yourself as one of the people living
in Jerusalem a number of years after the exile in
Babylon. You’ve read all the promises the proph-
ets have made, and yet life is hard. Your coun-
try is still ruled by a foreign power, the economy
is not good, and, honestly, the rebuilt temple
and the city are a bit of a disappointment. What
would you be thinking and feeling about God
and his promises and plans for your people?
Getting to the Heart of It
. Isn’t it interesting that God begins this final
message to his people before four hundred years
of prophetic silence by saying, “I have loved
you.” But perhaps even more interesting is how
he defines that love. How has he loved them, ac-
cording to Malachi :–?
By choosing them before they were born to be his, just as
he chose Jacob over Esau before they were born. This is a
challenging truth for many of us, but it runs throughout
Scripture and so must be accepted and not denied. Yes,
we must choose him. But anyone who does so does so be-
cause he first chose them.
. The priests of Malachi’s day were allowing
people to bring sickly, injured animals to oer as
sacrifices. What did that kind of oering reveal
about their hearts?
. What are some ways we dishonor God in how
we approach him in worship and in what we give
to him? What does this reveal about our hearts?
. When we hear the Lord’s indictment regarding
marriages to foreign wives and divorcing cove-
nant wives, we jump quickly to making it about
marriage and divorce in our day. And certainly
there are implications here about marriage to
unbelievers and about divorce. But as we first try
to think through what God was getting at in their
day and situation, why was God displeased?
The indictment ends by stating what God wants: godly
ospring. Once again, God intends for the earth to be
filled with people made in his image who love and wor-
ship him. This is the calling of the Israelites to love the
Lord and to be fruitful and multiply as Adam was sup-
posed to do. But by divorcing their Israelite wives and
marrying pagan women, they are not bringing up chil-
dren who will love and worship God.
. What is Malachi’s answer to the people’s de-
sire that God come and execute justice?
Malachi points out that they may not be ready for God to
come as a judge. It will be a day that those who practice
sin and have no delight in God will not be able to endure.
Getting Personal
. Malachi promises that Jesus is going to come
to refine and cleanse and heal. How has the Lord
worked in your heart and your life to refine and
cleanse and heal during the course of this study?
Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture
. One of the reasons the people of Malachi’s day
were so disillusioned with God was that they had
read all the promises of the prophets and they
didn’t see them becoming reality. What would
you want to tell them, if you could, from your
perspective of having the whole of the Old and
New Testaments?
Wait on the Lord. All of his promises prove true. Some-
times he takes a very long time to work out his plans, but
he can be trusted. He is, even now, at work bringing about
his plans even though he may seem silent or inactive.
Video Study Note-Taking Pages for Duplication
The process of taking notes is, for many of us,
less about having the notes to refer to later than
it is about the increased concentration and com-
prehension that comes to us as we hear some-
thing and process it through our pens onto paper.
Certainly your members should each have a copy
of the companion book, The Son of David, and
all of the content from the videos is included in
the book. Still, it may be helpful for some mem-
bers to take notes with an outline to help them
track along with the teaching presentation on
the video. Others may choose to take notes on
their own blank page, and some may choose not
to take notes at all. Following are reproducible
note pages for each week, with the major head-
ings as presented on the videos. You are free to
make as many copies of these note-taking pages
as needed for your group members.
Notes on Week 1: An Introduction to the Prophets
The Word of the Lord
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets ... (Hebrews:)
Who were the prophets?
The Problems with the Prophets We Must Overcome
We’re unfamiliar with the history and geography.
We’re easily bored or confused by their repetitive oracles.
We have a misunderstanding about what prophecy is.
The Message of the Prophets We Must Hear
We struggle with the same sins they struggled with.
We are subject to the same judgment they were subject to.
We also share the same hope that the people of the prophets’ day had.
We await the same Savior.
We enjoy a superior revelation than they had.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched
and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when
he predicted the suerings of Christ and the subsequent glories. (Pet. :–)
The Person in the Prophets We Must See
We’ll see the predictions that Jesus fulfilled.
We’ll see problems that Jesus solves.
We’ll see people in whom Jesus is prefigured.
We’ll see a pattern that Jesus superseded.
Notes on Week 2: Jonah
Questions God Asks
Jonah’s Rebellion
Jonah’s Resurrection
Nineveh’s Repentance
Jonah’s Resentment
Someone Greater than Jonah
Notes on Week 3: Hosea
Our Holy Husband
He Chooses Us
He Woos Us
He Loves Us
For you were bought with a price. (Cor.:)
You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things
such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. (Pet. :–)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanc-
tify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church
to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without
blemish. (Eph. :–)
Notes on Week 4: Micah
Law and Order
The Defendants
The Charges
The Coconspirators
The Evidence
The Witnesses
The Defense
The Verdict
The Sentence
The Shepherd King
Notes on Week 5: Isaiah
There Are Some Things You Can’t Unsee
Isaiah Saw a Divine King
An Accepted Sacrifice
A Shoot from a Stump
Isaiah Saw a Suering Servant
A Hymn about the Servant
Isaiah :– and –: The Servant as the World Sees Him
Isaiah :–: and :–: The Servant as God Sees Him
Isaiah :–: The Servant as Those Saved by the Servant See Him
Isaiah Saw a Coming Conqueror
Notes on Week 6: Habakkuk
Feeling Pretty Good about Myself
Bad People and Their Need for God
Really Bad People and the Holiness of God
The Only Good Person and the Requirement of God
The righteous “will live by his faith.” What does that mean?
Living by faith means not perishing in your sin.
Living by faith means believing that justice will be done.
Living by faith means expecting that mercy will be shown.
Living by faith means enduring whatever may come.
Living by faith means trusting that God will get you safely home.
Notes on Week 7: Jeremiah
I Pledge My Allegiance
God’s Law Written on Stone
Sin Engraved on the Heart
God’s Law Written on the Heart
Sin would be dealt with in a dierent way in the new covenant.
People would relate to God in a dierent way.
There would also be a new ability to obey God’s law provided for in the new covenant.
Notes on Week 8: Daniel
What You Need to Know
You’ve Got to Know Who You Really Are
You’ve Got to Know What Will Last
You’ve Got to Know Whom to Depend On
You’ve Got to Know Who Lived This Way
You’ve Got to Know How the Story Will End
Notes on Week 9: Ezekiel
The House That Built Me
The Glory Descends
The Glory Departs
The Glory Returns
The Glory Again Descended (John 1:14)
The Glory Again Departed (Heb. 13:12)
The Glory Will Again Return (Acts 1:9–11)
Notes on Week 10: Malachi
The Problem and the Promise
Malachi Demonstrates the Problem
There’s a problem with their receptivity to God’s love.
There’s a problem with the lack of respect shown in oering sacrifices.
There’s a problem with the instruction given by the priests.
There’s a problem with their rejection of their wives.
There’s a problem with their responsibilities as God’s stewards.
There’s a problem with their rhetoric regarding God’s justice.
Malachi Declares the Promise
The Promise of a Refiner
The Promise of a Book of Remembrance
The Promise of the Sun of Righteousness
Jesus Deals with the Problem
Jesus Delivers on the Promise
