A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

di Pastor Gayle Evers

061 The Fall of Israel and Judah - Jeremiah is Accused of Treason

After King Josiah dies, Judah never has another good king. Jeremiah writes laments over King Josiah. The book of Lamentations, which may not be Jeremiah's, is a poignant lament over the fall of Jerusalem which is fast approaching. Jeremiah is a persistent, annoying thorn in the side of the new king, Jehoiakim, and his officials. And since Jeremiah sets up his soap box in the Temple precincts, it’s not long before the priests and false prophets are out to get him. Things get dicey when they accuse Jeremiah of treason. The Lord saves Jeremiah and his faithful scribe, Baruch, but he has no mercy on wicked King Jehoiakim. After Jehoiakim’s death, his son Jehoiachin reigns only 3 months before being taken captive to Babylon along with all the ruling and upper classes. We close with the famous story of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as they learn to navigate Babylonian language and culture. We cover: 2 Kings 24 2 Chron 36 Jeremiah 18-20, 25-26, 36, 45, 35, 13 Lamentations Nahum Habakkuk Daniel 1 Whew! That's a lot. But don't worry--the class is still only 30 minutes long. If you stay for the discussion afterwards, we talk about a very helpful way to know whether (and how) to respond to evil in the world. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

062 The Fall of Israel and Judah - King Nebuchadnezzar has a Dream

Jeremiah 30-31, 24, 47-51, 27-29 & Daniel 2 The sages and mages of Babylon cannot tell the king his dream nor can they interpret it, so the enraged king orders them all killed as frauds. And that includes any wise-men-in-training like Daniel and his friends. Daniel and his friends beseech the Lord God for mercy, and God gives Daniel both the dream and its meaning. This means all lives are saved and Daniel gets a big promotion. Meanwhile in Judah, Jeremiah is still trying to make an impression on the hard-hearted, stubborn leaders. He wears a wooden yoke and gets into a confrontation with a more politically correct prophet. Letters and envoys are swapped between Judah and Babylon, with Jeremiah right in the middle of it all. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

063 The Fall of Israel and Judah - Ezekiel Sees Visions

Ezekiel 1-9 One of the young priests in exile in Babylon is called by God to warn the people of Jerusalem of impending disaster. Which is kind of weird--Ezekiel does all sorts of object lessons there in Babylon, and his antics all have to be transmitted back to Jerusalem by mail and messenger. Isaiah had to go naked for 3 years and Hosea had to marry a woman he knew would be unfaithful, so you know Ezekiel is in for a rough ride. This week we hear his “call story” and follow along as he acts out the events bearing down on Jerusalem. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

064 The Fall of Israel and Judah - The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

Eze 10-23, 25-36, Jer 21-23, 32-34, 37-38 The end is near. All who grieve Jerusalem’s evil have been marked with God’s mark on their foreheads. The rest, the Lord says, will be pursued by plague, famine, and sword. In Eze 23 we meet Oholah and Oholibah and see how God views Israel and Judah in this moment in history. And now, Ezekiel sees the Glory of the Lord depart from the Temple. It is a view of what is happening spiritually. The physical events are yet to come. Zedekiah rebels against Babylon and allies with Egypt. Big mistake. Nebuchadnezzar sets out with his armies and then comes to a fork in the road--and finds a sign that Ezekiel put there. In the midst of all this turmoil, Jeremiah is arrested and thrown in prison. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

065 The Fall of Israel and Judah - The Fall of Jerusalem

God's Precious City Falls The Babylonian siege lasts about 2 ½ years. The food supply in Jerusalem completely runs out. When the attention of the Babylonians is momentarily distracted, the Lord has Jeremiah buy a field as a sign of hope and promise that the Lord’s people will one day be gathered back home. When all hope is lost, King Zedekiah and his soldiers sneak out through a hole in the wall but are caught by the Babylonians. Things do not end well for Zedekiah. Most of the people are taken into captivity to Babylon, leaving only a tiny staff supporting Gedeliah, the governor set up by the Babylonians. Gedeliah is quickly assassinated, and in fear for their lives, the few remaining Jews flee to Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with them. We cover: Jeremiah 32 thru 33; 39-44; 52 2 Kings 25 2 Chronicles 36 Ezekiel 24 A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

066 The Exile and the Return - God Has Not Forgotten You

God's Prophets Speak Comfort Isaiah 40-66 is often called the “Book of Comfort.” It contains some of the most well-known and memorable passages in all of Scripture. Big chunks of Handel’s Messiah come from this part of Isaiah. And big chunks of our understanding of who the Messiah is comes from this section as well. Ezekiel also has chapters of comfort. He gives a great deal of information on a Davidic king who will shepherd the people. And in this war-torn land he sees a battlefield where the dry bones of slain soldiers rise up, become enfleshed, and live again. Ezekiel 38-39 are more End Time prophecies about the Lord showing up to defend Israel from attack. And the book ends with a very detailed vision of a brand new Temple and a redivision of the tribal lands. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

067 The Exile and the Return - How Could God Do This?

The Book of Job The book of Job raises the question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" From the bizarre opening scene through the various answers given rather emphatically by Job's friends and then finally to God's voice in the whirlwind, people have combed through this book to find the answer. And I have to be honest, most of their responses would not comfort me at all if I were in Job's situation. As you might expect, we'll take a different tack in this class. We'll apply our backpack tools to see if we can make sense of this story. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

068 The Exile and the Return - The Fiery Furnace and the Mentally ill King

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego The book of Daniel is full of striking, extravagant stories, and we look at two of them this week. The first is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace and the second is King Nebuchadnezzar’s rather bizarre mental illness. We see world power begin to shift as Babylon shrinks and the Medes and Persians gain strength. In our breakout session we pause to reflect on the bizarre details in these stories, on the various parts left out or added by Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. And we’ll wonder--where do you draw the line? A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

069 The Exile and the Return - A Glimpse of the Future

The Clash of Empires Daniel has some pretty intense dreams and visions: a winged lion, a bear with ribs in its teeth, a leopard with four heads, and a great crushing, trampling beast with ten horns. He sees a similar vision a couple of years later, but this time it is a ram with two horns who conquers the world. It in turn is overcome by a goat with a large single horn that is broken off and replaced by four horns. In both sets of visions, a final boastful and cruel horn arises--one that persecutes the holy people. And yet, it is not all death and destruction, for Daniel also sees the Ancient of Days and is present when the holy one enters and is given kingship over all nations and peoples and languages. Justice is meted out and time arrives for the kingdom to belong to God’s people forever. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

070 The Exile and the Return - The Writing on the Wall

Mene, Mene, Tekel, Uparsin So-called King Belshazzar is full of himself. He has no respect whatsoever for God. But when he dares to drink from the vessels stolen from the Temple, a disembodied hand inscribes mysterious words on the wall. He does not know it yet, but these words spell the end of his kingdom. Daniel survives the change of regime. He’s elderly now, but he quickly becomes an invaluable advisor to the new Median/Persian government. This, of course, makes him some bitter enemies who cause Daniel to be sentenced to immediate execution. We get our first glimpse of the Apocrypha as we compare the Sunday School standard version of Daniel in the Lions’ Den with the Apocryphal story of Bel and the Dragon. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

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