Tag: bsf answers questions lesson 27 day 2

photo of Nehemiah 11-13 from bsf exile and return study www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 27, Day 2: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

The leaders of Israel settled in Jerusalem. Then, lots were cast to see who else would move back, including priests.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 27, Day 2: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

3a) The leaders of Israel settled in Jerusalem. Then, lots were cast to see who else would move back, including priests. And, some volunteers.

b) Historically, a populated Jerusalem was vital to defend the Temple and sustain worship. Spiritually, it foreshadows the New Jerusalem (Gal 4, Heb 12, Rev 21)—the eternal “Holy City” populated not by a forced draft, but by the redeemed “children of promise” dwelling securely in God’s presence forever.

4a) The leaders, regular Jews, priests, temple servants, Levites, military men, descendants of Solomon’s servants, gatekeepers, and other people from Judah and Benjamin.

b) The diversity of leaders, willing volunteers, and priests shows God desires a unified community where every member participates. He values willing sacrifice (moving to Jerusalem) and divine order. By recording specific names, God affirms that every person—from the ruler to the gatekeeper—matters and has a distinct purpose in His Kingdom.

5) This never changes no matter the season: continually strive to do His will for my life through prayer, petition, and my actions and life.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 27, Day 2: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

Without people, you have no city. Love this!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 27, Day 2: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

The leaders set the example by living in Jerusalem, as they should.

The lot system resulted in at least 10% of the Jews moving back.

The volunteers had a special blessing since they willingly endured hardship.

Fun Fact: Gatekeepers are mentioned 16 times in Nehemiah and Ezra.

map of Jerusalem during Nehemiah
Courtesy of thebiblejourney.org

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

The Interpretation: Populating the Holy City

After rebuilding the walls (physical structure) and renewing the covenant (spiritual structure), Nehemiah addressed the demographic crisis: the city was huge, but the population was sparse.

  • The Draft (11:1–2): The leaders already lived in Jerusalem, but the city needed more citizens to be viable and defensible. They cast lots to bring one out of every ten people from the surrounding towns to move into the capital.

  • The Volunteers (11:2): The text specially honors those who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. This was a sacrifice—moving meant leaving established farms and ancestral lands to live in a “construction zone” that was a primary target for enemy attacks.

  • The Census (11:3–36): Nehemiah records the specific heads of families, priests, and Levites who settled in the city and the surrounding villages, ensuring the community was organized and accounted for.

  • The Priestly Lineage (12:1–26): The text lists the priests and Levites from the time of Zerubbabel (the first return) down to Nehemiah. This genealogy was crucial to prove that the current worship leaders were legitimate descendants of Aaron, authorized to serve in the Temple.

Conclusion

This section teaches that a city needs more than walls; it needs people. The security of Jerusalem depended not just on stone and mortar, but on the willingness of families to uproot their lives for the sake of God’s house. It highlights that true ministry requires both sacrifice (moving to the dangerous city) and order (verifying the priesthood).

Best Home & Garden Items!

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

Contact me today!

tomb of jesus www.atozmomm.com bsf john

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 27, Day 2: John 20:1-10

by atozmom, posted in BSF John's Gospel: The Truth 2023/2024

Summary of John 20:1-10

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to discover Jesus was missing. She ran to tell Peter and John about it. John and Peter ran to the tomb to discover it empty and the linen that Jesus had been wrapped in lying there. They both believed.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 27, Day 2: John 20:1-10

3) She was close to Jesus since she was visiting the tomb right after his death. She trusted the disciples since she ran to tell them first.

4) Peter always plunges headfirst into situations without thinking. John, on the other hand, exercises caution and thought first.

5a) Strips of linen that Jesus had been wrapped in and the cloth that had been wrapped around his head.

b) If someone had taken the body, they would have taken the expensive linen, too, so they could sell that for money. Also, the linens were unsoiled, obviously taken off miraculously.

6a) He had to rise from the dead to conquer death and defeat sin for all of us, so we could be justified and be with God forever.

b) All the difference. I say this a lot, but it’s true. Without Jesus, I’d be nothing.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 27, Day 2: John 20:1-10

Great passage and questions! Love how it’s Mary Magdalene that first discovers Jesus had risen. So fun! I also picture the foot race between Peter and John.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 27, Day 2: John 20:1-10

Mary Magdalene was with other women, but she was the one who ran back to tell the disciples about the empty tomb.

She had the honor of being the first witness of Jesus’ resurrection, this woman who had 7 demons cast from her (Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9). What an honor and a privilege!

The women had come to help preserve the body of Jesus.

The linens were laid in such a manner that it appeared as if the body had just vanished. Normally, grave clothes would have to be cut to be taken off the body since they would have had oils, spices, and such on them. This was, indeed, a miracle.

Both John and Peter believed, but did not yet understand the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection.

The empty tomb shows Jesus’ victory over death.

Fun Fact: John never mentioned himself by name in his Gospel.

Contact me today!

Best Easter Candy Gifts

https://amzn.to/49C12ty

https://amzn.to/48C2dIq

https://amzn.to/4cchHG7

https://amzn.to/432Yke7

https://amzn.to/3V20UPU

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

girl walking in field lamentations people of the promise kingdom divided lesson 27 www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 2: Lamentations 1-2

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF LAMENTATIONS 1-2

Lamentations 1

The city is deserted after the people are taken into exile. Everyone mourns and weeps. All because of the people’s sins. Jeremiah weeps over this.

Lamentations 2

The Lord is angry with Jerusalem and His people. This is why they were punished. Jeremiah weeps and is in torment over this. God fulfilled His plan and did what He said He would do.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 2: Lamentations 1-2

3a) According to Webster’s Dictionary, lament means, “to mourn aloud; wail; to express sorrow or mourning for often demonstratively; to regret strongly.” In these verses, we see those (including Jesus) crying out to the Lord in anguish for sins. They are in mourning.

b) It’s okay to lament and cry out to God in anguish, even if you don’t understand Him or things in your life. He is there to listen and to answer you in His way.

4)

Chapter 1: She and her. This refers to Jerusalem and the people of Jerusalem. I. Jeremiah. He is mourning what has happened to Jerusalem. The theme is mourning for the sins of Jerusalem that has caused their exile.

Chapter 2: He. This refers to God. I. Jeremiah. Jeremiah is once again lamenting the Lord’s wrath against His people and the consequences the Lord laid out on them for their sins.

5) Jeremiah 2:11: My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground. Jeremiah uses such strong words that is anguish is palpable. You can feel him crying and weeping, and it makes you want to cry and weep, too.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 2: Lamentations 1-2

This is a very sad book, and these are very sad chapters. It’s hard to read, but good to read, so we can understand just a bit of how much God loves us.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 2: Lamentations 1-2

Fun Fact: Lamentations 1:1 is an acrostic poem. The verses begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In fact, the first 4 poems are acrostics, with Chapters 1, 2 & 4 with 22 verses (the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet). Chapter 3 has 66 – 3 verses per letter. Chapter 5 has 22 verses but is not an acrostic. This was probably for memory purposes.

Bible scholars believe this structure aims to be comprehensive in Jeremiah’s expressions of grief.

The book of Lamentations is just that: a mourning written by Jeremiah for the people of Jerusalem as they were taken into exile by the Babylonians. This was God’s punishment for their years of disobedience.

This book was probably written during the Babylonian exile, sometime between the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) and the fall of the Babylonians to Persia (538 BC).

Jeremiah expresses deep sorrow over the end of the theocracy and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. He urges confession and repentance.

Remember that Jerusalem is the heart of God’s people, where the temple stood. So, when it fell, the people were utterly devoid.

There is much Biblical precedence for laments. The book of Job and a good part of Psalms are laments. Even Jesus lamented.

It is healthy to express your pain and longings to God. God promises to help us every step of the way.

The book of Lamentations is 5 poems:

  1. Zion’s devastation (Lamentations 1)
  2. Anger of the Lord (Lamentations 2)
  3. Despair and consolation (Lamentations 3)
  4. Horrors of the destruction (Lamentations 4)
  5. Prayer for restoration (Lamentations 5)

This is the 3rd book among the five Megilloth (scrolls) in the Hebrew Bible.

Lamentations 1

Jerusalem is personified here as a widow who lost everything.

Jerusalem is empty. No one can comfort her (Jerusalem). It was because of the people’s transgressions that they were punished by God.

The people remember the good times, however, but that is no comfort.

Jeremiah weeps for her (hence, the nickname “the weeping prophet”). God is righteous for His actions.

Jeremiah prays for the Babylonians to face consequences, too.

Lamentations 2

The Lord is now Jerusalem’s enemy because of their sins.

God destroys His tabernacle and the city.

Jeremiah cries some more over this. Jerusalem cannot be comforted. They should cry out to God.

Contact me today!

Cool Easter Books

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases