Study 2: Rebellion in the world

Everyday someone gets hurt, people die of disease, children are the casualties of natural disasters, and animals are going extinct. These stories of pain and suffering are common to everyone and often quite personal. Why do you think there is pain and suffering in the world today?

Read Genesis 3

words

• Shrewd – clever at misleading others

• Wisdom – good sense

• Deceive – intentionally mislead someone

• Curse – wish evil on/cause of harm/punish

• Hostility – intense anger or aggressiveness

• Offspring – children or descendants

• Thistles – weeds that are hard to remove

• Banish – to send someone away as punishment

• Cultivate – to prepare land for growing crops

• Cherubim – angel in the service of God

1. Who are the characters in this story? How are they described? (2:25, 3:1)

2. How does God’s words (2:16-17) compare with what the woman says about God (3:1-3)?

3. How does the serpent paint an appealing picture for the woman? (3:4-5)

4. What did the man and women do that was wrong? (3:6)

5. Immediately after, how does the man and woman react (3:7-13)

a) to God?

b) to each other? (compare with 2:22-25)

6. What do their actions result for (3:14-24)

a) the serpent?

b) the woman?

c) the man?

d) all human beings?

7. Compare Genesis 1-2 and Genesis 3. What are the changes we see in these relationships?

Before (Gen 1-2) After (Gen 3)

People and God

People and people

People and creation

8. What are some signs of hope we can see in this passage?

Please read Genesis 4:1 – 16 and Genesis 11:1 – 9 before the next study

Genesis 3

1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"

2 "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied.3 "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, `You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"

4 "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman.5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.9 Then the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

10 He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."

11 "Who told you that you were naked?" the LORD God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"

12 The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."

13 Then the LORD God asked the woman, "What have you done?"

"The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."

14 Then the LORD God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this, you are cursed

more than all animals, domestic and wild.

You will crawl on your belly,

grovelling in the dust as long as you live.

15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring.

He will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel."

16 Then he said to the woman,

"I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,

and in pain you will give birth.

And you will desire to control your husband,

but he will rule over you."

17 And to the man he said,

"Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree

whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,

the ground is cursed because of you.

All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,

though you will eat of its grains.

19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat

until you return to the ground from which you were made.

For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.21 And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

22 Then the LORD God said, "Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!"23 So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.24 After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Study 2: Leader's Guide

Rebellion in the World

If you did not discuss the last question from Study 1, remember to start with it. Also, it would be good to recap the previous study (either just summarizing the main points of the last study or asking your members to try and recap).

Intro question:

This starter question is aimed to help your members just explore some theories of the origin of evil/sin, or even to help you assess whether they believe that evil is an intruder in a good world or if evil/sin is merely part of life and will always be part of life. Study 1 (and the recap) should help them recognise that the world today is not how it was created to be.

Question 1:

Straight forward question: man, woman, serpent, God.

Question 2:

Again, very straight forward question. The woman added the warning about touching the tree.

Question 3:

This question is slightly tricky as you might need to highlight the situation that the man and woman are in. An important thing to remember is that the man and woman have always lived in a perfect world, one that is good and unblemished, in complete obedience and whole relationship with God. What the serpent was tempting them with was not that the fruit would make them know what is good and what is evil (remember that they had never experienced evil or know of it) but that they could decide what was good and what was evil. This is what it meant for them to eat the fruit and disobey God: they could stop living under God’s rules and make their own. The serpent tempted them with supposed “freedom” and “authority”.

Question 4:

This is a straight forward question. The point of this is to identify the outright action of disobedience against God.

Question 5:

a)     The man and woman hide from God as they are afraid. The man seemingly blames God for creating the woman who has caused him to disobey God.

b)    Whilst they were once partners, the man now blames the woman for his error and the woman blames the serpent. Their relationship is now broken.

Question 6:

God makes a statement that essentially declares the consequences of their disobedience. Their disobedience has significant effects for man, woman, serpent and the world.

a)     Verses 14-15. There are possible tones of a messianic passage here (v15). It might be useful to point out the prophetic statement here, in some ways pre-empting the coming of Jesus. Nevertheless, don’t make too big an issue of it as it may be confusing with the hostility between a future offspring and serpent.

b)    Verse 16. The pain of pregnancy is not just physical here, but is also the emotional as there is now an urgency to procreate (since death is now a threat whilst it was not before). The declaration that the husband will control the wife is not a declaration of how things should be (this is not justification for man to abuse the woman or that woman is secondary to the man), but is a declaration of the consequences of our disobedience. Essentially, this is how things are going to be rather than this is how things should be.

c)     Verse 17-19. Whilst the creation previously provided food readily for the man and the woman (refer to Genesis 2), it now requires sweat and toil. Again, the threat of death is imminent and hence the search for food becomes desperate and harder.

d)    The banishment of the man and woman from the garden of Eden (and hence access to the tree of life) means that all people are now subject to death. We all suffer from the consequences and we all face death at the end of our lives. The world we live in is broken, filled with pain and suffering.

Question 7:

The major gist here is that the relationships that were once good and whole are now broken and suffering. People are disconnected from God, we are disconnected from each other and creation has been exploited.

Question 8:

Whilst everything seems dismal, we see some signs of hope in this passage. God clothed the man and woman even though they had betrayed God. In some ways, death here is a good thing. If people were to live forever in rebellion in the garden, it would be like living forever disconnected from God (i.e. hell). Contingently, death is release from hell although death is still a tragedy. With verse 15, in many ways, we see hope there as we look forward to the victory gained over death through Jesus.

Homework:

The passages show the spread of sin. From the first murder to a unified effort in perpetrating that God is less than who God is in the Babel story. It might be helpful when going through the homework to just briefly discuss “sin”. By now, everyone should be quite settled with the idea that the world is not as it should be because people disobeyed God in Genesis 3. It would be good to explain ‘sin’ in terms of what happened in Genesis 3 as well as the consequences of it, which is the state of brokenness and disconnect that we live in. As much as possible, you should base your answers on the passages and not offer too many long and complex statements filled with jargon.

Study 3: God chooses Israel

What do you remember from reading Genesis 4 and 11? How do we see the spread of sin in these passages?

Read Genesis 11:27 – 12:5a

words

• contempt – a manner that is generally disrespectful

• covet – A strong desire for something that does not belong to you

1. Who are Abram’s relatives?

2. God makes a covenant (formal agreement/contract) with Abram. What are the promises God makes under these three headings?

a) People

b) Land

c) Blessing

The remainder of Genesis traces the four generations from Abram (who is later known as Abraham) through the sons of Jacob, who were the patriarchal originators of the 12 tribes of Israel. When Abraham was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was 90, a son, Isaac, was born to them. Although Isaac’s wife Rebekah was unable to have children for a time, they eventually had twins, Esau and Jacob. Although Esau is the older twin, Jacob is the one who receives the father’s blessing and is later named Israel (Israel means he struggles with God) by God. Israel’s family end up in Egypt as his son Joseph is appointed second in command through an extraordinary story. However, his descendants eventually become slaves in Egypt later, but God sets them free from slavery through the leadership of a man named Moses.

Read Exodus 19:1-9

3. What did God do for the Israelites? (v.4)

4. What does God promise to do in the future? (vv. 5-6)

5. How do these promises relate to the ones He made to Abram in Genesis 12?

6. What do the people promise to God? (v. 8)

God tells the Israelites that they are His special people who are to show the rest of the world what it is like to live in relationship to the Redeemer Creator God. In order to do this, God gives the people a set of rules to live by. In all, there are 613 rules that God gives and these are found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The 10 commandments are a summary of the rules that God gave the people to live by.

Read Exodus 20:1-21

7. How do these rules show how people are to relate to

a) God?

b) Each other?

8. Are these commandments still relevant today?

Please read Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Joshua 24:1-28 before the next study

Genesis 11

27 This is the account of Terah's family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.28 But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living.29 Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor's brother Haran.)30 But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.

31 One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram's wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.32 Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

Genesis 12

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you.2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan.

Genesis 19

1Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.2 After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.

3 Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel:4 `You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.' This is the message you must give to the people of Israel."

7 So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the LORD had commanded him.8 And all the people responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded." So Moses brought the people's answer back to the LORD.

9 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you."

Exodus 20

1 Then God gave the people all these instructions.

2 "I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

3 "You must not have any other god but me.

4 "You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

7 "You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work,10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

12 "Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

13 "You must not murder.

14 "You must not commit adultery.

15 "You must not steal.

16 "You must not testify falsely against your neighbour.

17 "You must not covet your neighbour's house. You must not covet your neighbour's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbour."

18 When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram's horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.

19 And they said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen. But don't let God speak directly to us, or we will die!"

20 "Don't be afraid," Moses answered them, "for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!"

21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.

Study 3: Leader's Guide

God Chooses Israel

Intro question:

This question is a way for you to discuss the homework. If there are members who haven’t read the passages, this would be a good time to get the ones who have to recap for them the gist of the stories. There are some comments about the homework for Study 2 in the Leader’s Guide for study 2.

Question 1:

Simple question to help your members familiarise themselves with some of the characters. Please remember to point out where Abram and his family have journeyed and where they are when God begins to speak to him.

Question 2:

a)     God promises to make Abram and his descendants a great nation with a great name

b)    God promises to give Abram and his descendants the land (Canaan)

c)     God promises to bless them, bless those who bless them, curse those who curse them and through them the world to be blessed

Please emphasise the importance of this covenant as this is a theme and condition in many ways that carries through the rest of the Bible.

Question 3 & 4:

Straight-forward questions that your members should be able to answer easily from reading the verses as helpfully hinted in the questions.

Question 5:

The dots should be connected relatively easily. God takes them out of Egypt, out of a seemingly hopeless situation through seemingly impossible means. Take note of language used by God: “my treasured possession”, “kingdom of priests”, “holy nation”. Recall how the world was created and the mandate God gave the man and woman. Even though the world belongs to God, God’s nation was to be what people were created to be: his priests/stewards to live in righteousness, set apart (holy) from others. Again, the covenant comes to play as Israel would live God’s people, under God’s standards and this would result in the world being blessed through them. We see the beginnings of God undoing the effects of sin.

Question 6:

Whilst the answer to this question is simple, the significance of this event is huge. God reminds the people of who He is and what He has done for them, and gives them the choice to be His people who will live under His standards. Them agreeing to do so make the nation of Israel God’s treasured possession, His holy nation and His kingdom of priests, bound by this covenant.

Question 7:

In light of question 6, the 613 commandments make a bit more sense. These commandments are centred on how these sinful people could live in relationship with a holy God.

a)     The first 4 commandments essentially show how people should live in relationship with God. They help us see God in right perspective

b)    The next 6 commandments essentially help us to live with each other and to treat each other well. They govern our relationships and help us care for our community of faith.

Question 8:

This is an open-ended question. Are these commandments relevant to all people, or only people who live in covenant with God (i.e. people who have made commitments to live under God’s standards/Christians)? Are these commandments relevant at all since they were given 4000 years ago? Would life be better if everyone obeyed them? These are some things to discuss with your members. This idea of living in loving relationship with God and with others is still something all Christians are grappling with and making efforts to as they see it as they way God has called us to live.

Homework:

a)     Deuteronomy 17:14-20

This passage shows us God’s provision for a king to lead Israel. Whilst God is king (Israel runs as a theocracy), God has made provisions so that a king chosen by God might one day lead Israel. Take note of what these provisions are and consider this in light of the covenant with Israel.

b)    Joshua 24:1-28

This recount of God’s faithfulness is quite important as it should help to trace out the timeline of the Israel’s history and God’s faithfulness. Again, we see that God is faithful and grants them the land He had promised despite them being unfaithful and Israel renews their covenant with God. 

Study 4: God promises a special king

We see how God makes a covenant with Abraham and Israel as a nation and provides a way for them to fulfil their side of the covenant through the law. As they prepare to enter the promised land Canaan, Moses dies and is succeeded by Joshua. Under Joshua’s leadership, Israel enters Canaan finally, defeats the Canaanites and takes possession of the land. As they do so, it is clear their victory is only through God’s grace (read Joshua 6)

However once in the Promised Land, the Israelites fail to fulfil their side of the covenant and rebel against God. In the book of Judges, we see a vicious cycle of the Israelites rebelling against God; God allows them to be defeated by their enemies; the Israelites call for help from God; God helps them by raising up a judge and they obey God for a while.

Israel eventually demands for a king which made God angry and hence God gave them what they demanded. God was not angry that they wanted a king (He had allowed for a king in the law. Read Deuteronomy 17:14-20). God was angry because Israel failed to see that God’s kingship over them was what made them special, instead, they just wanted to be like the other nations. Saul is appointed as king, but Saul persistently disobeyed God and was eventually punished. Finally we see God appointing David as king, a man who was godly and fulfilled God’s provision for a king (most of the time).

Words

Cedar palace/house: a home made out of expensive wood

Tabernacle: movable place of worship used by the Israelites

Dynasty of kings: kings from the same family

1. Read Isaiah 66:18, 22-23 and Isaiah 49:1-6. What do these passages mean?

Read 1 Chronicles 17:1-15

2. What does David want to build for God? (v 1-4)

3. How did God dwell among His people? (v 5-6)

4. What has God already done for David? (v 7-8)

5. What does God promise to do:

For Israel? (v 9-10)

For the house of David? (v 10b-11)

6. How is this passage consistent with the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? (Genesis 12:1-4; Exodus 19:3-6)

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah, and it emphasised a lot on the holiness, majesty and righteousness of Yahweh. The book contains a lot of prophesies that look forward to the redemption of Israel and the world through the Servant King, whom we have come to know as Jesus. This book is often quoted in the New Testament to show that Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophesies that were made long before his time on earth.

7. Compare with 1 Chronicles 17:10-14. What are some of the similarities that you can see?

8. Read Matthew 1:1. How does Jesus fulfil the prophesies given by Nathan and Isaiah?

9. How has this change your understanding of Jesus, if it changed at all?

Homework: 2 Chronicles 36:15-23

Study 4: Leader's Guide

God Promises a Special King

Intro question:

This question is a way for you to discuss the homework. If there are members who haven’t read the passages, this would be a good time to get the ones who have to recap for them the gist of the stories. There are some comments about the homework in the previous Leader’s Guide. It is important for you to discuss this question as it provides necessary background for this study.

Question 1

This is a simple question that your members should be able to answer easily. The “why” question however, requires a more complex answer. Do try to contain the answers to the text (vv 1–5). The next question will address how appropriate the Israelites request was, so try not to get too far ahead in this question.

Question 2

What’s so bad about asking for a king? Does God have an inferiority complex and thus can’t stand having someone human lead Israel? What is the big deal about a king? These are some questions that generally crop up about now, either out loud or quietly inside. These questions are important. We go back to the covenant that Israel made with God. The very covenant that essentially acknowledges that God will reign (is king) over Israel and that they will be his holy nation, set apart, to be blessed and be a blessing to the world. The very act of wanting to be like other nations is in violation of the covenant and a rejection of God as the true king of Israel. They basically do not want to be the nation that showed the world what it means to live in relationship with God. It may be helpful to refer to study 3 and the homework passages.

Question 3

It is quite good to go through the entire warning as it describes the opposite of what a king should be, and how he should treat his people, as given by God in Deuteronomy 17:14–20. This warning also describes exactly how the kings treated their people in the neighbouring nations at that time. Although God had been incredibly faithful and gracious to them, the Israelites turn their backs on God and continue to demand for a king like the other nations.

Question 4

Refer to verse 1.

ARK OF THE COVENANT. The ark was a rectangular box made of acacia wood, and measured 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 cubits (i.e. about 1.22 m x 76 cm x 76 cm). The whole was covered with gold and was carried on poles inserted in rings at the four lower corners. The lid, or ‘mercy-seat’, was a gold plate surrounded by two antithetically placed cherubs with outspread wings.

The ark served (i) as receptacle for the two tablets of the Decalogue (Ex. 25:16, 21; 40:20; Dt. 10:1–5) and also for the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod (Heb. 9:4–5); (ii) as the meeting-place in the inner sanctuary where the Lord revealed his will to his servants (Moses: Ex. 25:22; 30:36; Aaron: Lv. 16:2; Joshua: Jos. 7:6). Thus it served as the symbol of the divine presence guiding his people.

The ark was made at Sinai by Bezalel to the pattern given to Moses (Ex. 25:8ff.). It was used as a depository for the written law (Dt. 31:9; Jos. 24:26) and played a significant part at the crossing of Jordan (Jos. 3–4), the fall of Jericho (Jos. 6) and the ceremony of remembering the covenant at Mt Ebal (Jos. 8:30ff.). Gold-overlaid wooden receptacles or portable shrines are known from the ancient Near East in pre-Mosaic times. The ark is unique, however, as the repository of the covenant-tablets, i.e. documents bearing the ‘covenant-stipulations.^[1]

Question 5

The Ark had been moving around in a tent. These 2 questions are not about the fact that God needs a beautiful house to live in, but are about building a permanent showcase for God’s glory rather than a mobile tent.

Question 6

Essentially, God had been faithful to David and Israel. Even when the Israelites had been unfaithful and neglected their part of the covenant, God had been faithful and continued to care for Israel. David himself had experienced God’s protection and faithfulness and knew that he could trust that God would continue to be faithful.

Question 7

a)     This is a re-iteration of the earlier covenant we had looked at. Remember that this is renewed after the Israelites had been unfaithful over and over again, even demanding for a human king to replace God. Yet, God reminds them of this covenant and promises to continue to be faithful to it.

b)    This promise to David is not isolated to David, but is definitely intertwined with God’s covenant with Israel. David fulfils God’s provision for a king (from Deut 17). Note the terms used in these 2 verses and compare them to Solomon if you can. Looking towards the future, this passage in fact also talks about David’s descendant who fulfils the king provision, the law and the covenant. It might be helpful to keep in mind this passage and indicate that this passage points towards the person of Jesus who would enter the world many years later.

Question 8

The consistencies should be quite evident here. The main theme that runs through all this is God’s faithfulness and God’s plan for this kingdom. All these events point towards the in-breaking of the kingdom of God and the future completion of it. If your members are already grappling with the person of Jesus, it might be good to ask if this study has changed their views of Jesus. Hopefully, these passages have highlighted the fact that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus was not God’s Plan B or C at making things better (after earlier attempts didn’t work), but that Jesus was and is the climax of God’s activity in the world, the ultimate showcase of God’s love and who God really is.

Homework:

Although this seems like a lot to read, it is quite important that you encourage your members to read this. If possible, please remember to allocate some time to talk through these homework passages next week as they provide much needed context. They are about the exile and the hope of messiah for the Israelites of that time.

a)     2 Chronicles 5

This passage is basically telling of the Ark entering the temple, hence God filling the Temple. God’s presence in their land is significant as it sign that God was their God and they were God’s people

b)    2 Chronicles 7:11-22

This passage is God’s reminder to Solomon about the covenant that Israel had made with God and also God’s promise to Solomon and his descendants. God also warns Solomon of the consequences if Israel was unfaithful to God again.

c)     2 Chronicles 36:11-23

This is a great summary passage of basically Israel’s history during the kings. We see that Israel is unfaithful again and again, and eventually has to reap the consequences God reminded them of in the earlier passage. They are sent to exile by the Babylonians. They essentially lose their identity when they were sent into exile as their identity is very much rooted in the covenant, in God’s promises that they would be a holy nation in their promised land.

d)    Isaiah 9:6-7

This is a prophecy about Jesus. This was probably written just before the Israel went into exile. This section comes after prophecies of the coming oppression and the exile. God still promises that things will get better and that God has a plan for the world.

---

^[1]D. R. W. Wood, D. R. W. Wood and I. Howard Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, Includes Index., electronic ed. of 3rd ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996, c1982, c1962), 80.

Study 5: Israel in Exile

 2 Chronicles 36:15-20

1. What do you think of God’s actions towards Israel?

Read Psalm 137

The book of Psalm is a collection of songs, hymns (songs that praise and honour God) and prayers. The book was written over a span of around 600 years, from the time of the early monarchy until after the exile of the Israelites. The psalms touch on many subjects: such as praising Yahweh for His goodness, being sad over wickedness and injustice, praising Yahweh as creator of the universe, king of Israel and the God of the covenant. The book of Psalm has a few authors, such as King David and Sons of Korah

2. Where were the Israelites? (v 1)

3. Who were their captors? (v 3)

4. How would you describe the Israelites’ experiences in their current situation?

Read Haggai 2:1-9

Haggai was a prophet, and the book of Haggai contains encouragements for the Israelites to rebuild the temple

5. Why was the temple important?

6. How would the Israelites have felt seeing the rebuilt temple, which cannot be compared to the former temple?

7. What was God’s assurance to the Israelites? (v 5-6) How did this reflect God’s character?

8. What was God’s promise? (v 6-9)

Read Nehemiah 13:14-31

9. What was the importance of the Sabbath? (Refer to Exodus 20:8-11)

10. How did the Israelites break the law regarding Sabbath? (v 15-16)

11. What did the men of Judah do that was wrong? (v 23-28)

12. What did Nehemiah do? Why did he do that?

We have seen how God, in His mercy, had a covenant with the Israelites so that they can live in relationship with Him. However, they have broken this covenant again and again, despite many warnings from the prophets. God punished them by rooting them from the Promised Land, and send them into exile, to live under the Babylonians. After the Israelites return to their own land and rebuilt the temple, God still promises to be with them. Despite God’s faithfulness, the Israelites still sinned, and broke the Law again.

How do these events point toward Jesus, and the necessity of His time on earth?

Homework: Daniel 7