week of 1/11

Unit 17  Session 2

THE TEMPLE REBUILT

EZRA 6:6-12 ; 16-22

 

Key Concept:

God will restore worship of Him, resulting in a joyful celebration of His faithfulness.

After the return to Jerusalem, God's remnant people prepared to rebuild the Lord's temple. The task ahead was daunting with opposition at every turn. On the surface, their work seemed insurmountable. Yet theirs was not a man-made assignment. They were commissioned by the Creator and Sustainer of all - the same God Who providentially brought them back to their ancestral home and provided abundant supplies for the temple's reconstruction. This faithful Deliverer would continue to pave the way for them to complete the task, enabling them to proclaim His excellencies along the way. 

As you examine Ezra 6:6-12 ; 16-22:

 

✞   Reflect on the reality that though enemies of God tried  

    to stope the rebuilding of the temple, God had a plan

    in place.

     

✞   Recognize that joy comes with worship as we remember

    God's faithfulness in the past, present and into the future.

week of 1/3

Unit 17  Session 1

THE PEOPLE RESTORED

EZRA 1:5-8 ; 3:1-7

 

Key Concept:

God is faithful to reconcile and restore His people to Himself.

After decades of disobedience and defeat, God's covenant people were a threadbare bunch. The best and brightest had been deported to Babylon, while the poor, the worn out, and the weak were left behind to work the land for the benefit of another nation. But after seventy years, a new power arrived on the scene to crush Babylon for their excesses, just as the Lord had promised. And King Cyrus of Persia then issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. God's people now held onto a thread of hope that restoration might come to their ragtag remnant.

As you examine Ezra 1:5-8 ; 3:1-7:

 

✞   Recognize that even through discipline, God desires to

    restore His people.

     

✞   Highlight how King Cyrus recognized God's power and

    gave Him the praise He deserved.

week of 12/26

Unit 16  Session 4

DOMINION

DANIEL 7:2-14

 

Key Concept:

God will establish His forever kingdom through Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.

The book of Daniel is divided into two main parts. The first six chapters are narratives, such as the fiery furnace, the writing on the wall, and the lions' den. The last six chapters contain four visions of the future the Lord gave to Daniel as a prophet. Daniel 7 is the pivot point bridging the two halves, connecting the narratives to the grander events happening in the world. In this first vision, which Daniel received in the first year of King Belshazzar's rule over Babylon (7:1), sometime before the writing on the wall, Daniel describes four beasts representing four powerful kingdoms, but above them all is the kingdom of God.

As you examine Daniel 7:2-14:

 

✞   Recognize that because of sin, human empires will try to

    establish dominion over this world.

     

✞   Rejoice that Christ is reigning and will reign and judge

    over all people at the end of time.

week of 12/21

Unit 16  Session 3

FAITHFULNESS

DANIEL 6:13-24

 

Key Concept:

We honor God when we live in faith and trust God in all situations.

In the waning years of Nebuchadnezzar's rule, the Lord humbled him for seven years and then restored him to his throne, for which the king praised the Lord as "the King of the heavens" (Daniel 4:37). But the king's descendant failed to learn this lesson. On a night of revelry, Belshazzar defiled the gold vessels taken from the Lord's temple. He the observed mysterious fingers writing on the wall, which Daniel interpreted as God's coming judgment upon the king. That very night, Belshazzar was killed, and Babylon was conquered by Darius (Cyrus) of the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel then served Darius as an administrator of the kingdom.

As you examine Daniel 6:13-24:

 

✞   Recognize that Daniel felt honoring God with his life was more 

    important than preserving it.

     

✞   Consider that when we are falsely accused, we can rest in

    God's justice.

week of 12/14

Unit 16  Session 2

COURAGE

DANIEL 3:14-18, 24-29

 

Key Concept:

God is worthy of our trust and obedience even if the result is death.

After three years of Babylonian training, Daniel and his friends served the king as advisers. One night, the king had a disturbing dream, and only Daniel, blessed with God's gift to interpret dreams, was able to answer the king about its meaning. That dream included a multi-layered statue and foretold the rise and fall of nations, beginning with Babylon, whose king was represented by the statue's golden head. Nebuchadnezzar later decided to build an enormous statue made entirely of gold and to have all of his subjects bow in worship to it. Daniel's friends, however, chose to remain faithful and to worship the Lord alone.

As you examine Daniel 3:14-18, 24-29:

 

✞   Recognize that the three friends' courage stemmed from

    their belief that God could be trusted in life or death.

     

✞   Notice how Nebuchadnezzar recognized God's power and

    gave Him the praise He deserved because of the three

    friends' faithful testimony.

week of 12/7

Unit 16  Session 1

OBEDIENCE

DANIEL 1:8-21

 

Key Concept:

Obedience to God leads to greater wisdom from God.

In 605 BC, a few short years into King Jehoiakim's reign over Judah, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar took control of Jerusalem, made Judah's king his vassal, and carried off some high-profile young men as exiles to Babylon. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were brought to the palace to be educated in Babylonian ways so they could serve their new king. For three years they were trained in all things Babylonian - language, customs, and religion - and faced the temptation of losing their identity as God's people.

As you examine Daniel 1:8-21:

 

✞   Recognize that Daniel determined to remain faithful to God

    and His law with its dietary restrictions.

     

✞   Consider how our obedience to the Lord helps us grow in

    wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.

week of 11/30

 Unit 15  Session 5

GOD'S REVIVAL PROMISED

EZEKIEL 37:1-14

 

Key Concept:

God revives His people when hope seems lost.

Ezekiel was brought up to be a priest in Jerusalem, but he was carried away to Babylon during the first wave of the Babylonian exile. Yet even there, the Lord's hand was on him, and he was called by the Lord as a prophet. Ezekiel prophesied to the people who remained in Judah that their hardheartedness and sin would result in the Lord's abandonment of the temple and the total destruction of Jerusalem. When God's judgment came to pass, the people understandably lost all hope. They had earned their punishment. But God still had a plan for His people, and Ezekiel prophesied their revival and spiritual new birth.

As you examine Ezekiel 37:1-14:

 

✞   Visualize Ezekiel's experience of God commanding him to 

    tell dry bones to come to life and them obeying.

     

✞   Reflect upon the role of the Holy Spirit in transforming us 

    and drawing us out of hopelessness.