week of 3/8

Unit 19  Session 1

THE BIRTH

LUKE 2:4-20

 

Key Concept:

The good news is meant to be shared.

After more than four hundred years of silence from God, an angel of the Lord appeared to the priest Zechariah, foretelling the miraculous birth of his son, John the Baptist, who would be forerunner for the Lord's Messiah. Later, the angel appeared again to Mary, foretelling the virgin birth of her Son, Jesus, Who would be the promised Messiah. A Roman census forced Mary and her husband, Joseph, to travel to Bethlehem late into Mary's pregnancy. To fulfill Scripture the Lord had arranged all these things - for His Son to be born in flesh as promised King and Savior of the world.

As you examine Luke 2:4-20:

 

✞   Identify ways Luke made the connection between Jesus

    and the line of David.

✞   Recognize that the shepherds spread the news of Jesus'

    birth, and all who heard it were amazed.

week of 3/1

Unit 18  Session 5

THE MESSENGER PREPARED

LUKE 1:5-17

 

Key Concept:

God will send messengers to prepare His way.

In the four hundred years between the closing of the Old Testament (Malachi) and the opening of the New Testament (the Gospels), many world powers and leaders shaped Jewish culture and religious life. When the book of Luke opens, Herod the Great ruled Judea and the surrounding regions. Though a descendant of Esau, Herod was appointed as king of the Jews by Rome and ruled ruthlessly. The priesthood largely became corrupt during the intertestamental period. But Zechariah was faithful to his role as priest, and along with his wife, Elizabeth, he continued to be faithful to Israel's covenant with God.

As you examine Luke 1:5-17:

 

✞   Recognize how God's miracle of giving Zechariah and

    Elizabeth a son recalls similar miracle in the Old Testament.

✞   Consider how their son, John, fulfilled God's promise to

    send someone in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare

    the way for Jesus.

week of 2/22

Unit 18  Session 4

THE DAY FORETOLD

MALACHI 3:1-6 ; 4:1-6

 

Key Concept:

A day is coming when God will purify His people and destroy evil.

The prophet Malachi ministered to the returned people of Israel around the same time as Ezra and Nehemiah (somewhere between 460 and 425 B.C.). Malachi's main message, made up of six disputations (arguments) from God, was directed at the spiritual apathy of the people. He warned that though God would destroy their enemies, He would also purify His people. Though the Jews weren't guilty of blatant idolatry like their ancestors, their faith had become joyless and mechanical. Through Malachi, the Lord called them to return truly to Him.

As you examine Malachi 3:1-6 ; 4:1-6:

 

✞   Recognize that God's unchanging qualities include His

    faithfulness to His promises and covenants.

✞   Consider how the fire of purification for God's people

    will also bring the destruction of the wicked.

        

week of 2/15

Unit 18  Session 3

THE PEOPLE WORSHIPED

NEHEMIAH 9:1-3 ; 12:27-30

 

Key Concept:

Reconciliation with God will include confession, worship, and purification.

After hearing the book of the Law read and then praising, repenting, and celebrating, the people observed the Festival of Shelters (Nehemiah 8). The law stipulated that the people observe the Festival of Shelters from the 15th to the 21st day of the month,  and it told them to observe a solemn day of assembly and rest on the 22nd day of the month (Nehemiah 8:18; cf. Leviticus 23:24-34). As Chapter 9 opens, the observance of this festival has just ended. The Israelites then continued their covenant renewal with God.

As you examine Nehemiah 9:1-3 ; 12:27-30:

 

✞   Recognize that the people understood their need to confess 

    their sin and recommit to the covenant.

✞   Reflect on the fact that holiness often requires separation 

    from the things that lead us into sin.

week of 2/8

Unit 18  Session 2

THE LAW TAUGHT

NEHEMIAH 8:2-12

 

Key Concept:

Scripture should lead us to worship, repent, and celebrate.

After completing the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah established measures around the city to protect them from their opponents (Nehemiah 7:1-4). He then reiterated the initial census of returnees recorded in Ezra 2 (Nehemiah 7:5-73a) with the intention of repopulating Jerusalem (7:4-5) and renewing their covenant with God (8:1). To do this, Ezra read the Torah - the first five books of the Bible written by Moses - to the people. The Torah contained the Israelites' history, God's covenant with them, the covenant stipulations, and God's promised blessings and curses.

As you examine Nehemiah 2:2-12:

 

✞   Note the connection that reading God's Word leads us

    to worship Him.

✞   Recognize that rightly understanding God's Word causes

    us both to mourn our sin and rejoice in our salvation

    found in Christ.

week of 2/1

Unit 18  Session 1

THE WALL REBUILT

NEHEMIAH 1:5-11 ; 6:2-9, 15-16

 

Key Concept:

God restores His people when they repent so that the world would know He is God.

The book of Nehemiah opens in late fall, early winter of 446 or 445 B.C. Nehemiah was an Israelite living in exile who had been appointed to be the king's cupbearer, a highly honored role that allowed him close access to the king. Nehemiah was in Susa, a royal fortress city of the Medo-Persian Empire, located in modern-day Iran. There, Nehemiah received a troubling report from the Israelites who had returned to the land as God promised, and he prayed for the opportunity to do something about it.

As you examine Nehemiah 1:5-11 ; 6:2-9, 15-16:

 

✞   Highlight that the restoration of God's people began 

    with confession and repentance.

✞   Receive encouragement that even God's enemies

    recognize His powerful work in the lives of His people.

        

week of 1/25

Unit 17  Session 4

THE PEOPLE RESCUED

ESThER 3:7-9, 13 ; 8:5, 11-13, 17

 

Key Concept:

God rescues His people even in the face of imminent destruction.

Though many Jews returned to Judah to reclaim and rebuild the way of life that had been lost, many stayed put. The original exiles who had survived the deportations settled in their new home, married, and had children, just as Jeremiah had commanded them (Jeremiah 29:4-7). Over the seventy years of exile and beyond, generations were born and raised in the foreign lands of Babylon and Persia. But because of the passage of time, these lands no longer seemed so foreign; rather, they had become home. Yet even in these places distant from their homeland, God was watching over His people.

As you examine Esther 3:7-9, 13 ; 8:5, 11-13, 17:

 

✞   Recognize that though it may seem God is not present

    or working, He always is.

     

✞   Rejoice that God keeps His promises and covenants,

    preserving His people.