Jerusalem was destroyed because of bad leadership. In spite of their favored status as a nation, their miraculous deliverance from bondage and their mighty triumphs against their national foes, God’s people forsook Him to worship and serve idols. Yes, the people were culpable in these crimes against heaven, yet had those in leadership been true … Continue reading –>
Heat waves danced above the burning sands. A tiny, black Bushman strode purposefully eastward across the vast Kalahari Desert, glancing frequently at a small gray cloud in the sky ahead. Sekoba was obeying instructions given to him in a dream. An angel had directed him to look for a man named William, who would teach … Continue reading –>
We are in continual danger of getting above the simplicity of the gospel. There is an intense desire on the part of many to startle the world with something original, that shall lift the people into a state of spiritual ecstasy, and change the present order of experience. There is certainly great need of a … Continue reading –>
When I was a kid, grandmothers were very important because they told stories. No, they did not read them, they told them in their own words, often complete with actions. And we kids would sit at her feet in wonder as she told stories of the family back in the “Old Country” (England). We had … Continue reading –>
Jeremiah’s prophecies should have had a double effect on the thinking of the captives: on the one hand they should not believe what the false prophets were saying, and on the other hand they should not be dispirited. He asked his captive countrymen to pray for Babylon. This request might have surprised those who had … Continue reading –>
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jer. 29:13, NIV). What has been your own experience with this promise? What does with all your heart mean? The Lord knows the beginning from the end. Even while people in Jerusalem were still fighting the Babylonians, still hoping that … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “The Destruction of Jerusalem” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath … Continue reading –>
The siege of Jerusalem began in earnest in January, 588 b.c., and lasted until the late summer of 586 b.c. Jerusalem had been able to hold out for more than two years before Jeremiah’s prophetic words were fulfilled, and the Babylonian troops broke through the wall and destroyed the city. Starvation was so bad inside … Continue reading –>
Zedekiah, whose name means righteousness of Yahweh, was the last king on the throne of Judah before its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. At first he seemed to have been willing to obey the words of Jeremiah and submit to the Babylonians. However, this attitude did not last. Read Jeremiah 37:1-10. What was … Continue reading –>
Though Jeremiah might have felt very much alone at times, he wasn’t. God had raised up Ezekiel, a contemporary, among the captives in Babylon, in order to comfort and to warn the exiles as well as to confirm what the Lord had been speaking through Jeremiah all these long and hard years. Through his ministry, … Continue reading –>
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23 NLT In Jesus’ time and place, when people picked up their cross, it was to die, just like Jesus picked up His cross to … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Ezekiel 8:1-18, Rom. 1:22-25, Jer. 37:1-10, Jer. 38:1-6, Jer. 29:1-14, Dan. 9:2. Memory Text: Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper (Jeremiah 29:7, NIV). Within a few … Continue reading –>
