August 10: Jeremiah 46-48 1. Chapter 46 begins a section of judgments against the nations. What’s God’s message to Israel in this judgment (46:27-28)?
2. These chapters all predict horrific judgment against the nations. How would you respond to someone who claimed that such violence and judgment is immoral? Can God really be considered good when He unleashes so much death and destruction on innocent people?
3. Why is Moab judged? See 48:7, 26, 29, 42. Who brings the judgment, v. 44?
August 11: Jeremiah 49-52 1. These chapters conclude the section on the judgment of the nations. In the midst of it, what promises does God make to His people in 50:20?
2. Against what nation does God announce judgment in chapter 51? Why would this be significant in light of Jeremiah’s overall message?
Introduction to Lamentations:
Author/Date: The book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah, right around the time of Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 B.C. Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet,” for good reason, as this book shows. The city fell in July of the year 586, with the temple being destroyed a month later. Jeremiah would have watched as the Babylonians systematically destroyed the city, including the gates, walls, and the temple.
Background: The events recorded in the book are quite jarring and graphic. It must be remembered, however, that Jerusalem’s destruction came after centuries of prophetic warning. Indeed, through Moses, God had promised judgment on His people if they broke covenant with Him (Deuteronomy 28-29). For Jeremiah personally, he had been warning of the coming judgment for forty years by the time it arrived. The nation had rejected numerous opportunities to repent.
Themes: As the name suggests, the book is a series of laments for Judah’s calamity. The major theological theme is the reality of God’s judgment on sin. Throughout the book, God is seen as the Agent behind Judah’s judgment. He is a holy God who takes sin seriously. Yet, in the midst of this, the prophet finds hope in God’s compassion and covenant mercy (3:22-25).
Structure: Each chapter of the book is a lament. The first four chapters are acrostic poems, with each line beginning with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The third chapter devotes three verses to each letter of the alphabet, hence its 66 verses (there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet). This form my indicate completeness, i.e. that the author has exhausted his subject from A to Z. The final lament abandons the acrostic structure, ending the book with an open- ended question, “Will you utterly reject us?”
August 12: Lamentations 1-3 1. Who brought about the suffering and why, according to 1:5, 12? What does Jeremiah affirm about God’s character in 1:18?
2. How had Judah’s false prophets performed a massive disservice for the people in 2:14?
3. In the midst of the hopeless devastation of Jerusalem’s ruins, what give Jeremiah hope in 3:21-24? What “good” does he see in 3:25-27?
August 13: Lamentation 4-5 1. Chapter 4 is a graphic description of Jerusalem’s suffering during the siege. What do you find the most shocking in this chapter? How do you reconcile the horrific images of this chapter with the benevolence and kindness of God?
2. What is Jeremiah’s prayer in 5:19-22? Does he expect God to restore the people? Why or why not?
Introduction to Ezekiel:
Author/Date: Ezekiel was a prophet living in Babylon during the final days of Judah’s independence. His name means “strengthened by God,” an appropriate name for him, given the strength he would need to preach his difficult message (3:8,9). He was from the priestly family, perhaps explaining his focus on the temple and its ministry (especially chapters 40-48).
His ministry stretched for 593-571 B.C., during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Before the final destruction of the city in 586 B.C., there had been several deportations from the land: one in 605 B.C. and another in 597 B.C. It was during during one of these deportations that Ezekiel (and Daniel and his friends, see 14:14, 20) had been taken to Babylon. While he ministered to the exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah ministered to those still in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel received his call to ministry in his thirtieth year, the time at which priests began their ministry (1:1). He dates this call at the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, making this 592 or 593 B.C.
Background: During Ezekiel’s day, Israel was right in the middle of a power struggle between the Egyptian Empire and the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonians had conquered the Assyrians and then defeated the Egyptians in 605 B.C. At this time, the Babylonians exiled many of the Jews, before returning 598-7 to take the city of Jerusalem, sending a second wave of exiles to Babylon. Judah was reduced to being a province at this point, retaining an appointed king and the temple.
Jews living in Babylon during this time held out the false hope that they would quickly return home, a hope that false prophets were all too willing to stoke. Ezekiel had the unpleasant task to declaring that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that God’s judgment would come quickly. After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Ezekiel’s ministry focused on the promised restoration.
Themes: Ezekiel has a strong focus on God’s glory and majesty. He is granted a vision of God’s glory in chapter 1 prior to his call. Throughout the book, God announces judgment, with the phrase “and they shall know that I am the LORD” being repeated almost 70 times. God’s aim in judging Israel is revelatory: He aims to reveal His glorious holiness and righteous justice against sin. But the phrase is not used only in connection with judgment: it is repeated with the restorations messages as well. In both judgment and salvation, God’s purpose is His glory.
Outline: I. Judgment (1-33). A. Judgment on Judah (1-24) 1. Ezekiel’s Call (1-3). 2. Signs of Jerusalem’s Fall (4-5). 3. Sermons of Destruction (6-7). 4. The removal of God’s glory from Jerusalem (8-11). 5. Messages of judgment (12-14). 6. Parables of judgment (15-24). B. Judgment on the Nations (25-32). C. Ezekiel’s Call Renewed (33) II. Restoration (34-48). A. A restored nation (34-39). B. A restored temple (40-48). 1. The temple itself (40-42). 2. The temple worship (43-46) 3. The land (47-48)
August 14: Ezekiel 1-3 1. What’s your reaction to Ezekiel’s vision? What is he seeing, according to 1:28? Why do you think he uses so many metaphors (“like” “as”) in describing it? How does he respond?
2. Chapters 2-3 describe Ezekiel’s commissioning as a prophet. He’s sent as a missionary to his own people (3:5-6). What’s his ministry compared to in 3:17-18? August 15: Ezekiel 4-7 1. Ezekiel is ministering to Jewish exiles in Babylon before the city of Jerusalem finally fell (there had been earlier deportations). They held on to the false hope that the city would survive and they would return home. In light of this, what’s the meaning of Ezekiel’s unusual actions in chapter 4? What’s he portraying?
2. Chapters 6-7 form a sermon of judgment. What sin is primarily addressed? What’s the aim and outcome of the judgment (6:7, 10, 13, 14; 7:4, 9, 27)?
August 16: Ezekiel 8-11 1. These four chapters describe a vision of Judah’s sin and the subsequent departure of God’s presence. In chapter 8, God reveals the idolatries and abominations occurring within the temple itself. What wrong belief about God underlies secret sin (8:12)?
2. Ch. 9-11 describe the progressive removal of God’s glory from the temple (9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22-23). Why does God’s presence leave the temple?
3. What promises does God make in 11:19-20? How are these promises fulfilled?