Bible Study Reminder Session 15

[Michael Crayne]

Hello everyone!

Sorry again for the late email. I'm going to try and start getting these emails out Wednesday evening after our study session in order to give everyone extra time to prepare.

This week we will be discussing the punishment that came to God's people for failing to remain faithful to Him - exile. This is a time of deep sadness, of mourning and reflection, but also of hope. For the narrative portion of this story, read 2 Kings 17 and 18:9-12 for the fall of Israel, and 2 Kings 24-25 for the exile of Judah. Most of what we know of this period comes from the writings of the prophets, which are listed below with the questions.

Exile

Israel exiled to Assyria

(2 Kings 17)

1. What reasons are given for Israel's exile to Assyria?

2. The king of Assyria sent people from five other captured nations to re-populate Samaria after he exiled the Jews. Even though he sent a Jewish priest back to teach the people how to worship the Lord, what was the result of his repopulating the land in this way?

Judah exiled to Babylon

(2 Kings 24-25)

3. Read Jeremiah 34. The prophet Jeremiah was sent by God toward the end of the Southern Kingdom. What reason does Jeremiah give for the impending judgement?

4. Daniel was one of the young men taken into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar in the first deportation (if you have time, read Daniel 1-7). Read Daniel 2, which tells of Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the interpretation the Lord gave to Daniel. What was the dream, and how does Daniel describe the kingdom that will one day be set up by God?

5. Read Daniel 7:1-14, which relates a dream Daniel had during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar's son Belshazzar. Describe the "son of man" and his kingdom that the dream foretold.

6. Ezekiel was exiled in the second deportation to Babylon. Read Ezekiel 34. On whom does Ezekiel lay the weight of the blame? What promise of consolation does Ezekiel give?

7. In the account of Zedekiah's defeat (2 Kings 25:5-7), how does the way in which he was carried off reflect the state of the people's hearts and spirits? 

8. Jeremiah began to prophesy during the reign of Josiah and continued through the three deportations of Judah. He was a fiery preacher and prophet who announced the pending destruction of Judah, but God also gave him a message of hope. Read Jeremiah 31 and 33. What good news does he announce in these chapters?

As always, pray before you read!