Interlocked

We conclude Lesson 27 at 36:50 by examining how believing parents can prepare their children for living and thriving in non-biblical culture. Then we move on to Lesson 28 where we begin to examine the end of the exile. We start by looking at Daniel 9, how Daniel was reading from the prophet Jeremiah and he realised that Yahweh had said the exile would last 70 years. Those years were almost up but Daniel didn’t see national repentance from the Jews and he didn’t understand how the vision of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue fit with Jeremiah’s prophecy. So he prayed for God’s mercy and Yahweh responded by sending the angel Gabriel to tell him that it wouldn’t just be 70 years, but 70 sets of seven years! Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/28-Partial-Return-of-Judah.pdf

In this lesson, we take a look at the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These Jewish teens were exiled to Babylon as part of Yahweh’s judgment on Judah. Though they had to undergo a Babylonian education and training programme and were inducted into service in the Babylonian government, these young men remained steadfast in their faith and loyalty to Yahweh. How did they thrive in a very anti-God, pagan environment? How they lived provides important lessons and principles that we can emulate. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/27-Living-as-Believers-in-a-Pagan-Culture.pdf

We conclude Lesson 26 by looking at a different type of writing that Yahweh was giving the Jews during the period of the exile: apocalyptic writings. Through these special writings, God revealed a summary of the future, describing world affairs that will happen. We’ll examine the features of real, biblical apocalyptic writings and how these writings are different from what the prophets usually wrote about. These apocalyptic writings were to give the people long-range hope and the understanding that God was still at work in the world even though He was lifting His hand of restrain on the Gentile nations of the world. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/26-Sent-into-Exile.pdf

We conclude Lesson 25 at 36:26. Then we continue with Lesson 26: Sent into Exile. Despite God’s faithful love and care for His people, both Israel and Judah rebelled and became paganised. So Yahweh started the fifth and final stage of discipline that He promised under the Sinaitic Covenant: exile. Also at this time, God handed political power of the world over to the Gentiles. He first exiled the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria and then the southern kingdom of Judah to Babylon. Yahweh also gave the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, a vision of a statue of a man that represented five pagan kingdoms because God wanted to make it clear that He was still directing history, now through Gentile kingdoms. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/26-Sent-into-Exile.pdf

Because King Solomon, the last king of the unified kingdom, rebelled against Yahweh, God tore the kingdom into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Both kingdoms were supposed to worship Yahweh as God. But instead, they had more bad than good kings in their history, leading both Israel and Judah to become paganised. Whether it was the common man or kings and leaders, the Bible records that most were rebellious towards God. So both kingdoms went into decline. During this period, God did not leave the people alone. God used prophets to speak to them to encourage change. But what was the job that God gave them? The prophets had three main roles: they were God’s historians; they were God’s prosecuting attorneys; and they were God’s Scripture writers. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/25-Decline-of-the-Kingdom.pdf

We conclude Lesson 24, looking at how King Ahab changed the god of Israel from Yahweh to Baal. This was when God sent the prophets Elijah and Elisha to demonstrate to the people who the true Creator-God really is. We then take a look at a summary of the kings of Israel and Judah and draw several important sanctification lessons for ourselves. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/24-The-Kingdom-Divided.pdf

We conclude Lesson 23 50:15 and go onto Lesson 24: The Kingdom Divided. During the time of the judges, as Israel settled into the Promised Land, the Bible records that as a nation, the people rebelled against God. Then during the period of the kings, the Bible shows that Israel’s leaders too, were overall rebellious towards Him. Because King Solomon, the last king of the unified kingdom, rebelled against Yahweh, God tore the kingdom into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Both kingdoms were supposed to worship Yahweh as God. But instead, they had more bad than good kings in their history, leading both Israel and Judah to become paganised. Whether it was the common man or kings and leaders, the Bible records that most were rebellious towards God. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/24-The-Kingdom-Divided.pdf

Saul, the first human king of Israel, rejected God’s rules and lived selfishly based on his own ambitions. David, the second king, was upheld by God as a model king because he followed God with his whole heart, and was teachable and repentant when he sinned. God made Solomon, the third king, the wisest man on earth. His reign was the golden era for Israel. However, Solomon did not obey God fully. Against God’s law for kings, Solomon had 1,000 women and many of them were pagans. It was through trying to please his pagan wives that Solomon led Israel into spiritual rot. He introduced Israel to the worship of idols side by side with the worship of Yahweh! Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/23-King-Solomon.pdf

After the period of the conquest, the Israelites settled in the Promised Land, but they stopped following God. The book of Judges ended by saying that everyone “did whatever seemed right in their own eyes”. God’s own people, the Israelites, were living in sin, just like the surrounding nations. They rejected God as their King, asking instead for a human king. God allowed them to have one, but not before the prophet Samuel warned them that human kings would make their lives miserable. But they didn’t listen. The first king, Saul, was not a good king. His own ambition was more important than obeying God. So God rejected him and chose David as the second king. God made an unconditional covenant with David that he would always have descendants on the throne. However, God warned that He would discipline them if they sinned. Discipline’s goal was to turn their hearts back to Him. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/22-King-David.pdf

After Israel’s conquest period, the final judge to lead Israel was the prophet Samuel. At that time, the people demanded to have a human king, just like the nations around them. They no longer wanted God as their divine King. Yahweh agreed to this evil request, but under His terms. The human king must be chosen by Him and come under His authority. The king was not to be the ultimate authority. God chose Saul as the first king but his heart was disobedient. He treated himself as the ultimate authority, the very thing God warned kings against. His reign ended in disaster. God rejected him as king and he died a tragic death. Access the notes at: https://interlocked.online/s/21-Kings-for-Israel.pdf