Category Archives: Bible Study

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The Great Story – Week 22: The Messiah is Born

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Silence. For 400 years, the Jewish people had heard nothing from God. Malachi had promised a prophet that would proceed the long-awaited Messiah, but the wait seemed endless. Finally, John the Baptist was born. He was filled with the Holy Spirit even while he was in the womb. He was to be the voice crying in the wilderness, “Make Straight the way for the Lord”. If only the people had accepted their Messiah.

Mary was a virgin. She was betrothed to Joseph, but they had not yet come together as man and wife. When an angel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive a child and that He would be the savior of her people, she was confused. How could a virgin conceive a child? The angel told her that this would be the work of the Holy Spirit and to not be afraid. Her child was born in Bethlehem, in a manager, without the fanfare that should have accompanied the coming King. The Shepherds came to worship Him, but Herod tried to kill him. The hand of God was on this child, and nothing could prevent Him from fulfilling the plan of God.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, called out of Egypt, and named a Nazarene. Even as a child, He fulfilled messianic prophecies. There has never been another person in history that claimed to be Messiah and proved it as He did. Jesus is God incarnate. He is the Messiah. He came to earth as fully man and fully God, becoming the second Adam. He took upon Himself the punishment of sin for all who believe in Him. He is the Lamb of God. He is the King. He is the Savior. He is the Lord God Almighty! Amen!

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The Great Story – Week 21: The Wall Rebuilt

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When Ezra returned to Jerusalem, he found the people there had once again turned away from God. They had taken foreign wives and were worshipping their gods. This was the same offense that caused the original exile to Babylon. Seeing their sin, Ezra called upon the leaders of Jews to repent. In accordance with the Will and Law of God, they did.

Nehemiah was a cup-bearer for the king of Persia when he asked permission to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. The King agreed and gave him the authority to do what was necessary. Despite threats of violence, subterfuge, and blackmail, Nehemiah was able to complete the work that God had commanded and the walls of Jerusalem were reforged. After the construction, he returned to the king of Persia as promised and remained with him for a period of time. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he found that the people had once again ignoring the Commandments. As a result, Nehemiah established reforms that ensured that the Law of God was honored in Israel.

Malachi was the last prophet recorded in the Old Testament. After him, no other prophets were raised up for 400 years. His book records the sins of Israel during the time of Nehemiah’s absence and calls for the coming Messiah. In Malachi 3:1, a Messenger is spoken of. This messenger is the same Messenger mentioned in Isaiah 40:3. He is the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He would be, John the Baptist.

Men love the Darkness. The Bible says that, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). It is easier to sin than to obey the word of God, and that is witnessed by the constant backsliding of Israel. Only when a prophet or man of God convicted the people of their sin did they recognize their evil acts and repent. There is so much we can learn from the Old Testament.

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The Great Story – Week 20: Esther

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God had a plan for Esther. His Providence is on display throughout the book bearing her name. Esther replaced Vashti as queen of Persia after the latter refused to obey the command of King Xerxes. Even in this pagan kingdom, God had the right people in the right place, at the right time.

Haman was a descendent of the Amalekites; the same Amalekites that God had ordered Saul to destroy but were not. As such, Haman’s hatred for the Jews was fierce and he vowed to kill them all. With the king’s approval, a plan was approved for all the Jews to be killed.

Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, encouraged her to go before the king and beg for both her life and the life of her people. Esther was afraid to act because appearing before the king without being summoned was punishable by death. Yet, in the face of this reality, she petitioned the king and he accepted her. When Haman was exposed to the king as the one who threated the queen and her people, he was executed for his crime. God had once again shown that He was always in control and the Jews were saved.

Our God is both immanent with us and transcendent beyond us. He is everywhere, in everything, and always in control. Yet, at the same time, He is above and beyond His Creation, completely unaffected by it. Our God is all power and almighty! Amen!

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The Great Story – Week 19: The Return

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After 70 years of captivity, the punishment of the Israelites had come to an end. As Isaiah had prophesied, King Cyrus was the instrument of God and commanded that the Jews return to their homeland. The Jews were to return back to Judah, back to Jerusalem, and rebuild the Temple of God.

Even with this decree, not all of the Jews left Israel. After 70 years, it had become the home to the few survivors who remembered Judah and it had always been home to a majority of the Jewish population. When Zerubbabel returned to Judah in 536 BC, only 42,360 Jews came with him.

When the construction the Temple began, the Samaritans from the north offered to help with the rebuilding process. Because these Samaritans worshiped other gods and kept idols, the Jews refused their help. As a result, the reconstruction of the Temple was delayed 16 years due to the constant interference of the rejected Samaritans.

In the second year of the rule of King Darius of Persia, due to the Word of God from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the construction was restarted. The king gave a decree that all the workers should be paid in full and that they would be provided with everything that they required for the Temple for free. In the sixth year of the rule of King Darius, the Second Temple was completed.

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The Great Story – Week 18: The Exile and Daniel

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Daniel was a loyal and humble servant of the Lord. In all that he did, he followed the Law of God first, then the law of men. Ezekiel even named him alongside Noah and Job in speaking of the most righteous men in Hebrew history. God blessed Daniel in all that he did.

Daniel was deported to Babylon when he was only 15 years old. God blessed him along with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. This was due, at least in part, to the fact they alone kept the dietary restrictions to which the Israelites were bound. Daniel was also given the ability to interpret visions.

Throughout his life, Daniel honored God. When Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel to interpret a dream, Daniel told him that there is a God in heaven who had revealed the dream to him. Years later when asked to interpret the writing on the wall, Daniel told Belshazzar that he could keep his gifts, but he would reveal the meaning anyway. Daniel did not seek personal wealth and gain, but because of his humble and obedient nature to God, he was blessed with these things.

Daniel’s faith was put to the ultimate test when a law was enacted saying that he could not worship anyone but Darius for the next 30 days under penalty of being casted into a den of lions. No one could keep Daniel from offering praise to God though. Daniel did not try to escape from sentence, but instead trusted in the Lord. After a night in the den of lions the king called down to Daniel to see if he was alive. Daniel answered him, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.” The faith of Daniel and the power of our Most Holy God had prevailed.

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The Great Story – Week 17: Judah Destroyed

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Judah was just as idolatrous and evil as Israel. Even though King Hezekiah destroyed the altars dedicated to foreign gods and turned Judah back to the worship of the one, true God, the nation would soon turn away again. Under King Manasseh, the altars were rebuilt and the Lord was provoked to anger. In 2 Kings 21:10-15, the Lord promised the destruction of Judah.

After the death of Manasseh and the short reign of his son Amon, King Josiah began his reign. When Josiah read the Book of the Law he was greatly grieved over the sins of Judah. He, like Hezekiah, destroyed the altar to the foreign gods and restored true worship in Judah. The Bible records that there was no king before or after Josiah who responded to the reading of the Word as he did. However, despite his efforts, Judah was still on the path to destruction.

After Josiah’s death, Jehoiakim was put in power by Pharaoh Necho II. Jehoiakim was a wicked king and did evil in the sight of God. In addition, he taxed the people heavily in order to pay tribute to Egypt. It was in the last years of Jehoiakim, in 598 BC, that Babylon first attacked Judah and finally destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC.

Babylon was the nation that God had strengthened in order to take Judah into captivity. The Israelites would be punished for their years of idolatry and faithlessness. According to the prophet Jeremiah, the exile would last for 70 years and then the people could come home. And as always happens when the Lord promises something, this thing too came to pass.

Visit “The Great Story” page to download your weekly study guide or listen to the audio version of the study: The Great Story

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