The Bible Book by Book Part 16

4. Rejection and captivity foretold, Chs. 14-22.

III. The Book of Consolation, Chs. 23-33.

1. The restoration of the remnant, Chs. 22-29.

2. The complete restoration, Chs. 30-33.

IV. The Doom of Jerusalem Due to the People's Wickedness, Chs. 34-36.

V. The History of Jeremiah and His Times, Chs. 37-45.

VI. Prophecies Against Foreign Nations, Chs, 46-51.

VII. Historical Appendix, Ch. 52.

Lamentations.

The name means elegies or mournful or plaintive poems. It was formerly a part of Jeremiah and represents the sorrows of Jeremiah when the calamities which he had predicted befell his people, who had often despised and rejected him for his messages. He chose to live with them in their suffering and out of his weeping pointed them to a star of hope. There are five independent poems in as many chapters. Chapters 1, 2, 4 and 5 have each 22 verses or just the number of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 has 66 verses or just three times the number of the alphabet. The first four chapters are acrostic, that is each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In chapter three, each letter is used in order and is three times repeated as the initial letter of three successive lines.

a.n.a.lysis.

I. The Misery of Jerusalem, Ch. 1.

II. The Cause of the People's Suffering, Ch. 2.

III. The Basis of Hope, Ch. 3.

IV. The Past and Present of Israel, Ch. 4.

V. The Final Appeal for Restoration, Ch. 5.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of the evils predicted against the people because of their sins. (Example 19:7-9). (2) Make a list of the different sins and vices of which Jeremiah accuses Israel.

(Example 2:12; 3:20, etc.) (3) Point out all the prophesies of Divine judgment against other nations and a.n.a.lyze the punishment foretold.

(Example 5:18-25). (4) Study the case of fidelity to parents given in Ch. 35. (5) Collect all pa.s.sages in both books which tell of the Messiah and of Messianic times and make a study of each (as 23:5-6).

(6) Select a few of the striking pa.s.sages of Lamentations and show how they apply to the facts of history. (6) The sign and type of the destruction of the land. Chs. 13-14. (8) The potter an ill.u.s.tration of G.o.d's power over nations, Chs. 18-19. (9) The ill.u.s.tration of the return, seen in the figs, Ch. 24. (10) Jeremiah's letter to the captive, Ch. 29. (11) Jeremiah's love for Judah-it saw their faults, rebuked them for their sins, but did not desert them when they were in suffering, because they despised his advice.

Chapter XVII.

Ezekiel and Daniel.

Ezekiel.

The Prophet. His name means "G.o.d will strengthen". He was a priest and was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. B. C. 597. He had a home on the river Chebar where the Elders of Judah were accustomed to meet.

His wife died in the ninth year of his captivity. He was a man of very powerful intellect and apparently from the better cla.s.ses of those carried into captivity. He is less attractive than Isaiah and less constant in the flow of his thought than Jeremiah. He is not so timid or sensitive as Jeremiah but has all his horror for sin and all of his grief, occasioned by the wickedness of his people and the suffering which they endured. In his boldness of utterance he was not surpa.s.sed by his predecessors.

Nature of the Prophecy. The nature of the prophecy or the methods by which he exercised or manifests his prophetic gift differs from that of the other prophets. He does not so much predict as see visions of them. Allegories, parables, similitudes and visions abound, some of them symbolic of the future and others of existing facts and conditions. The prophet remains on the banks of Chebar and in spirit is transported to Jerusalem and the temple. Much of the book is in character similar to Revelation and while the general subjects are very plain, much of the meaning of the symbols is obscure. There are, however, powerful addresses and eloquent predictions of Divine judgments on the nations. It was probably due to the services of Ezekiel that Israel's religion was preserved during the exile.

The Main Aspects of his Teaching. (1) Denunciation of Judah's sins and the downfall of Jerusalem, Chs. 1-24. (2) Judgments upon foreign nations, Chs. 25-32. (3) Repentance as a condition of salvation, 18:30-32. (4) The glorious restoration of Israel, li:16ff; 16:60ff; 27:22-24; 20:40ff; Chs. 33-48. (5) The freedom and responsibility of the individual soul before G.o.d. 18:20-32. (6) The necessity of a new heart and a new spirit, 11:19: 18:31; 36:26.

Condition of the Jews. (1) _Political and social condition_. They are captives living in Babylon but are treated as colonists and not as slaves. They increased in numbers and acc.u.mulated great wealth and some of them rose to the highest offices. (2) _The religious condition or outlook_. They had religious freedom and in this period they forever gave up their idolatry. They sought out the books of the law, revised the cannon, wrote some new books and perhaps inaugurated the synagogue wors.h.i.+p which became so powerful afterward.

a.n.a.lysis.

I. Ezekiel's Call, Chs. 1-3.

1. Preliminary vision, Ch. 1.

2. The call, Chs. 2-3.

II. The Destruction of Jerusalem, Chs. 4-24.

1. The siege and certain judgment of the city, Chs. 4-7,

2. The condition of the city and the sins of the people, Chs. 8-19.

3. Renewed proofs and predictions of the doom of Judah and Jerusalem, Chs. 20-24.

III. Predictions against Foreign Nations and Cities. Chs. 25-32.

IV. Prophecies concerning the Restoration, Chs. 33-48.

1. The restoration of Judah to the promised land, Chs. 33-39.

2. The Messianic times, Chs. 40-48.

For Study and Discussion. (1) The condition, the particular sin and the judgment promised upon each of the nations mentioned-has the prediction been fulfilled? (2) The duties and responsibilities of a preacher as ill.u.s.trated by Ezekiel's watchman, Ch. 33. (3) The vision of dry bones. Ch 37. (4) Judah and Israel under the figure of an evil woman, Ch. 23. (5) The healing river, 47:1-12. (6) The teachings about the Restoration, in the following pa.s.sages: 36:8, 9, 29, 30, 34, 35, 25-27; 37:1-14; 24:11-24; 37:22; 26,27; 43:11-12. (7) The symbols and types of the book.

Daniel.

Name. The name is taken from its leading character, Daniel, which means "G.o.d is my Judge."

Author. It was very probably Daniel, though some think it may have been one of his companions, and still others think the history may have been gotten together and written about 166 B. C.

The Date. The date then would have been between the captivity, 605 B.

C., and the death of Daniel, 533 B. C., perhaps late in his life, or if by some other (which I do not think likely) about 166 B. C.

The Prophet. He was probably born in Jerusalem and was one of the n.o.ble young captives first carried into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar. He was educated by order of the king and soon rose to great favor and was chosen to stand before the king in one of the highest government positions under the Chaldean, Median and Persian dynasties. He lived through the whole period of the captivity and probably died in Babylon. It is said that not one imperfection of his life is recorded. The angel repeatedly calls him "greatly beloved."

World Empires of the Book. (1) _The Babylonian Empire_ (625-536 B. C.) with Nebuchadnezzar as the leading king and the one who carried Israel captive. (2) _The Persian Empire_ (536-330 B. C.) which became a world power through Cyrus, under whom the Jews returned to Jerusalem. (3) _The Grecian Empire_, which, under the leaders.h.i.+p of Alexander the Great, subdued the entire Persian world. (4) _The Roman Empire_, which was antic.i.p.ated by and grew out of the Syrian Empire.

Purpose of the Book. The purpose of the book seems to be: (1) To magnify Jehovah, who delivers his servants, who is G.o.d of all nations, and who will punish idolatry, who is pure, righteous, etc. (2) To encourage his countrymen to resist the forces that threaten the foundation of their faith. This was done by the example of Daniel and his companions whom Jehovah saved. (3) To give a prophecy or vision of all times from the day of Daniel to the Messianic period. (4) To outline the religious philosophy of history which would issue in a great world state, which the Messianic King would rule by principles of justice and right, and which would subdue all kingdoms and have everlasting dominion. The main idea is the ultimate triumph of the kingdom of G.o.d. As compared with former prophetic books there are two new teachings. (1) Concerning angels. (2) Concerning a resurrection from the dead.

a.n.a.lysis.

I. Daniel's History, Chs. 1-6.

1. His youth and education, Ch. 1.