A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

The book of Daniel is full of striking, extravagant stories, and we look at two of them this week. The first is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace and the second is King Nebuchadnezzar’s rather bizarre mental illness.

We see world power begin to shift as Babylon shrinks and the Medes and Persians gain strength.

In our breakout session we pause to reflect on the bizarre details in these stories, on the various parts left out or added by Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. And we’ll wonder--where do you draw the line?

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

The Book of Job

The book of Job raises the question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" From the bizarre opening scene through the various answers given rather emphatically by Job's friends and then finally to God's voice in the whirlwind, people have combed through this book to find the answer.

And I have to be honest, most of their responses would not comfort me at all if I were in Job's situation. As you might expect, we'll take a different tack in this class. We'll apply our backpack tools to see if we can make sense of this story.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

God's Prophets Speak Comfort

Isaiah 40-66 is often called the “Book of Comfort.” It contains some of the most well-known and memorable passages in all of Scripture. Big chunks of Handel’s Messiah come from this part of Isaiah. And big chunks of our understanding of who the Messiah is comes from this section as well.

Ezekiel also has chapters of comfort. He gives a great deal of information on a Davidic king who will shepherd the people. And in this war-torn land he sees a battlefield where the dry bones of slain soldiers rise up, become enfleshed, and live again.

Ezekiel 38-39 are more End Time prophecies about the Lord showing up to defend Israel from attack. And the book ends with a very detailed vision of a brand new Temple and a redivision of the tribal lands.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

God's Precious City Falls

The Babylonian siege lasts about 2 ½ years. The food supply in Jerusalem completely runs out.

When the attention of the Babylonians is momentarily distracted, the Lord has Jeremiah buy a field as a sign of hope and promise that the Lord’s people will one day be gathered back home.

When all hope is lost, King Zedekiah and his soldiers sneak out through a hole in the wall but are caught by the Babylonians.

Things do not end well for Zedekiah. Most of the people are taken into captivity to Babylon, leaving only a tiny staff supporting Gedeliah, the governor set up by the Babylonians. Gedeliah is quickly assassinated, and in fear for their lives, the few remaining Jews flee to Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with them.

We cover:

• Jeremiah 32 thru 33; 39-44; 52
• 2 Kings 25
• 2 Chronicles 36
• Ezekiel 24

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

Eze 10-23, 25-36, Jer 21-23, 32-34, 37-38

The end is near. All who grieve Jerusalem’s evil have been marked with God’s mark on their foreheads. The rest, the Lord says, will be pursued by plague, famine, and sword.

In Eze 23 we meet Oholah and Oholibah and see how God views Israel and Judah in this moment in history. And now, Ezekiel sees the Glory of the Lord depart from the Temple.

It is a view of what is happening spiritually. The physical events are yet to come.

Zedekiah rebels against Babylon and allies with Egypt. Big mistake. Nebuchadnezzar sets out with his armies and then comes to a fork in the road--and finds a sign that Ezekiel put there.

In the midst of all this turmoil, Jeremiah is arrested and thrown in prison.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

Ezekiel 1-9

One of the young priests in exile in Babylon is called by God to warn the people of Jerusalem of impending disaster. Which is kind of weird--Ezekiel does all sorts of object lessons there in Babylon, and his antics all have to be transmitted back to Jerusalem by mail and messenger.

Isaiah had to go naked for 3 years and Hosea had to marry a woman he knew would be unfaithful, so you know Ezekiel is in for a rough ride. This week we hear his “call story” and follow along as he acts out the events bearing down on Jerusalem.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

Jeremiah 30-31, 24, 47-51, 27-29 & Daniel 2

The sages and mages of Babylon cannot tell the king his dream nor can they interpret it, so the enraged king orders them all killed as frauds. And that includes any wise-men-in-training like Daniel and his friends.

Daniel and his friends beseech the Lord God for mercy, and God gives Daniel both the dream and its meaning. This means all lives are saved and Daniel gets a big promotion.

Meanwhile in Judah, Jeremiah is still trying to make an impression on the hard-hearted, stubborn leaders. He wears a wooden yoke and gets into a confrontation with a more politically correct prophet. Letters and envoys are swapped between Judah and Babylon, with Jeremiah right in the middle of it all.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

After King Josiah dies, Judah never has another good king. Jeremiah writes laments over King Josiah. The book of Lamentations, which may not be Jeremiah's, is a poignant lament over the fall of Jerusalem which is fast approaching.

Jeremiah is a persistent, annoying thorn in the side of the new king, Jehoiakim, and his officials. And since Jeremiah sets up his soap box in the Temple precincts, it’s not long before the priests and false prophets are out to get him.

Things get dicey when they accuse Jeremiah of treason. The Lord saves Jeremiah and his faithful scribe, Baruch, but he has no mercy on wicked King Jehoiakim.

After Jehoiakim’s death, his son Jehoiachin reigns only 3 months before being taken captive to Babylon along with all the ruling and upper classes.

We close with the famous story of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as they learn to navigate Babylonian language and culture.

We cover:

• 2 Kings 24
• 2 Chron 36
• Jeremiah 18-20, 25-26, 36, 45, 35, 13
• Lamentations
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Daniel 1

Whew! That's a lot. But don't worry--the class is still only 30 minutes long. If you stay for the discussion afterwards, we talk about a very helpful way to know whether (and how) to respond to evil in the world.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chron 34-35 and Isaiah 7-12 & 14-17

When the Book of the Law is found in the Temple and is read to King Josiah, he knows the nation is in deep trouble. He goes on a rampage cleansing all of Judah, Jerusalem, the Temple and even what used to be Israel of all the idols and high places and shrines. Then he orders a grand Passover celebration.

The problem is that it’s a top-down reform. It definitely does not reach the hearts of the people. The Lord has Jeremiah stand at the gates of the Temple and then at every gate into Jerusalem and urge the people to repent and turn to the Lord.

The Lord tells Jeremiah to stop bothering to intercede for the people. The Lord will relent only if the people themselves turn to him with their whole hearts.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.

2 Kings 22:1-2 and 2 Chron 34:1-3 and Zephaniah and Isaiah 1-6

After Manasseh’s death and the assassination of the next guy in line, 8 yo Josiah comes to the throne. He follows the Lord wholeheartedly his whole life. He destroys all the idols in Judah and even whatever he can find in what used to be Israel. He destroys high places, desecrates idol altars--the whole nine yards.

But it’s pretty much only Josiah. The people show up and say the words, but their hearts are not in it. They want their idols back. And so, the Lord sends the next great prophet--Jeremiah--who will stick with the kings of Judah until the bitter end. He sees a cauldron from the north ready to flood Judah with disaster.

Jeremiah is a young, introverted man and his “call story” is one of the most dramatic in the Bible.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube.

Click here for an index of all classes.

More info at PastorintheWild.org.