Tag: bsf lesson 20

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 5: Zechariah 8:16-23

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

Summary of Zechariah 8:16-23

God tells us what to do: “Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. The fasts will become joyful, so love truth and peace. Many will seek the Lord.”

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20 Day 5: Zechariah 8:16-23

13) God hates when people plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. He calls His people to love truth and peace.

14a) The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah.

b) God transforms mourning by exchanging “ashes for beauty” and despair for a “garment of praise.” He reframes suffering as “light and momentary,” revealing that it prepares an “eternal weight of glory.” By shifting focus from visible troubles to unseen hope, He turns temporary grief into everlasting joy.

c) By realizing that this burden in temporary, and it, too, shall pass. By remembering that God is always with me, and He is my rock. I can lean on Him, talk to Him, and lay all of my worries at His feet, and He will give me the strength to overcome.

15) “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come,  and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”

“In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 5: Zechariah 8:16-23

I love the promises of God. So, so good to remember He always wants us to prosper, not to fail, suffer, or flounder in life.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 5: Zechariah 8:16-23

God promises blessings when they obey Him.

The fasts will be turned into feasts.

In the End Times, all people will come to Jerusalem through Israel.

When God dwells within you, it attracts others to Him

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

This final section of the chapter outlines the ethical responsibilities of the people in light of God’s promised restoration and concludes with a vision of global attraction to God.

  • The Ethical Mandate (vv. 16–17): God clarifies that restoration requires participation. He demands a community built on integrity: speaking truth to neighbors, rendering sound justice in courts, and refusing to plot evil or embrace dishonesty. He explicitly states He hates the treacherous behaviors that destroyed their ancestors.

  • From Mourning to Feasting (vv. 18–19): God addresses the original question about fasting (from Ch. 7). He declares that the fasts commemorating Jerusalem’s tragic destruction will be transformed into “joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts.” The season of mourning is over; the season of celebration has begun—provided they “love truth and peace.”

  • The Global Pilgrimage (vv. 20–23): The passage ends with a stunning prophecy of reversal. Instead of being despised exiles, God’s people will become magnets for the nations. People from every language and city will grab the hem of a Jew’s robe, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

Conclusion

Holiness creates attraction. The passage concludes that when God’s people live out truth and justice, and when they are blessed by God, their lives become a testimony that draws the rest of the world to their Creator. The blessing is not just for them; it is meant to extend through them to the nations.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 4: Zechariah 8:1-15

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

Summary of Zechariah 8:1-15

The Lord spoke to Zechariah and said He was jealous for His people. He will return to Jerusalem to dwell, and joy will return to the city. He will save His people and will be faithful and righteous to them as their God. The temple will be rebuilt, and the people will be strong.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20 Day 4: Zechariah 8:1-15

9) God responds with intense, burning jealousy for Zion. Unlike His avenging wrath against enemies (Nahum 1:2), this is a protective zeal for His people. He is furiously committed to defending Jerusalem against opposing nations (Zechariah 1:15), turning His passionate resolve into restoration and declaring that Zion belongs exclusively to Him.

10) God promises to return to Jerusalem, transforming it into a “City of Truth.” He guarantees safety where the elderly rest and children play freely. He vows to reverse their curse, replacing poverty with prosperity, fruitful harvests, and peace. He commits to doing them good, commanding them: “Do not fear.”

11) These promises shifted their focus from present ruins to future glory. By guaranteeing safety, prosperity, and His presence, God assured them their labor wasn’t in vain. Knowing the Almighty was now “resolved to do good” gave them the confidence to overcome discouragement and strengthen their hands to finish the work.

12a) In Genesis 12:1-3, God says He will bless Abraham and curse those who curse His people. The world will be blessed by His people.

b) I hope I inspire others or at least make their days a bit brighter when I interact with others. I also try to bless my family with my caregiving and actions. I try to help others, too, whenever I can.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 4: Zechariah 8:1-15

I love how even if God chastizes or punishes His people, He emphasizes His overpowering love for them and how He will always be with His people and bless them no matter their actions. Such a powerful promise for us today!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 4: Zechariah 8:1-15

God is passionate for His people. He is the Lord of all of heaven.

God will transform His people into truth and holiness.

Jerusalem will once again thrive and be a safe place for His people.

Even though the people could not see God’s promises come to fruition, God could. He always does what seems to us impossible.

God encourages His people to finish His work, and they will be blessed. There was no need for fear.

Fun Fact: The name Yahweh (or Lord) appears 22 times in this chapter alone.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

This passage marks a dramatic shift from the judgment of Chapter 7 to a promise of radical restoration. It describes God’s “jealousy” for His people not as a destructive fire, but as a protective zeal to bless them.

  • The Vision of Shalom (vv. 1–8): God promises to return to dwell in Jerusalem, renaming it the “City of Truth.” The text offers a vivid image of total peace and safety: the elderly sitting securely in the streets with their canes, watching children play. This indicates a society free from war and disease, where life spans are full, and joy is visible.

  • The Great Reversal (vv. 9–13): God acknowledges their past suffering, where there were no wages, no peace, and neighbor turned against neighbor. He promises to flip the script entirely: the “curse” will become a “blessing.” The ground will give its fruit, and the heavens their dew.

  • Divine Determination (vv. 14–15): Just as God was resolved to judge their ancestors for disobedience, He is now equally resolved to do good to the current generation. He commands them, “Do not fear.”

Conclusion

Future hope fuels present strength. The passage concludes that because God has unilaterally decided to bless His people and restore their standing, they should “let their hands be strong.” The certainty of God’s favor is intended to give them the courage to finish the work of rebuilding the temple and their society.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 3: Zechariah 7:8-14

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

Summary of Zechariah 7:8-14

The Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

The people would not listen to God, so He did not listen to them. He turned His back and scattered them, making the land desolate.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20 Day 3: Zechariah 7:8-14

6a) ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

b) People go from only caring for themselves to caring for others in justice and mercy.

c) It reveals their heart.

7a) Often, God’s people had responded with stubbornness and rejection of God. They ignored the prophets and turned to empty rituals rather than heartfelt change.

b) The result was exile and punishment. God refused to hear them.

8 ) I hope I have become more Christ-like, learned the lessons to grow in my relationship with God and in what He wants for my life, and ultimately learned enough to not repeat my mistakes and to depend on Him more.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 3: Zechariah 7:8-14

Such a sad passage and day for the Israelites. When God refuses to listen because you do, it’s not a good thing. So tragic, but what the Israelites needed to return to Him. Hopefully, we don’t make this mistake today!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 3: Zechariah 7:8-14

God wants obedience and care for others.

Turning from God is usually a progression. As a result, you grow away from God.

If you want God to listen to you and have your prayers answered, listen to Him.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

This passage serves as a divine explanation for the Babylonian exile, arguing that God values ethical conduct over religious ritual.

  • The Demand (True Religion): God reminds the people that He never primarily asked for fasting; He asked for true justice, mercy, and compassion. Specifically, He demanded the protection of society’s most vulnerable (widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor).

  • The Rebellion (Hardened Hearts): The ancestors refused to listen, turning “stubborn shoulders” and making their hearts as hard as flint to block out the Spirit’s conviction.

  • The Judgment (Reciprocal Silence): Because they refused to hear the cries of the poor, God refused to hear their prayers. “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear” (v. 13). This resulted in their scattering (exile) and the desolation of their “pleasant land.”

Conclusion

Ritual cannot replace righteousness. The passage concludes that spiritual authenticity is measured by how one treats the powerless, not by religious performance. A heart closed to the needs of others will eventually find heaven closed to its own petitions.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 2: Zechariah 7:1-7

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

Summary of Zechariah 7:1-7

People from Bethel went to Zechariah to ask him if they should still mourn and fast as they had been doing for years.

God answered by asking the people if their hearts were truly mourning or if they were just going through the motions, and if when they were feasting, if it was just for themselves.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20 Day 2: Zechariah 7:1-7

3)

Time Passed: Approximately two years passed between the first vision (2nd year of Darius, 8th month) and this inquiry (4th year of Darius, 9th month).

What Was Happening:

  • Active Construction: When Zechariah began (1:1), the work was just restarting after a 16-year delay (Ezra 5:1-2). By Chapter 7, the rebuilding was in full swing.

  • Mid-Way Point: They were roughly halfway through the project. The foundation was laid, and the structure was rising, but it would not be fully finished until Darius’s 6th year (Ezra 6:15).

  • Rising Hope: Because the new Temple was becoming a reality, the people began to question if they still needed to fast and mourn over the destruction of the old one.

4a) They asked the priests, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

b) God didn’t simply answer their question with a yes or a no. He wanted to know if they were truly mourning for Him or for themselves. He wanted them to examine their hearts.

5a) Because religious rituals are easy to do. Anyone can do them.  Heartfelt worship and service require work and for us to get uncomfortable and face and admit things we don’t necessarily want to.

b) Many ways. You can truly not be repentant for your sins and therefore continue in your ways rather than grow in a relationship with Christ. God gets the glory, not us.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 2: Zechariah 7:1-7

Great stuff! I love how God always knows everything — our motivations, desires, fears, and reasonings. And, I love how God always corrects in His amazing way to get us on the right path for Him!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 20, Day 2: Zechariah 7:1-7

Bible scholars put this exact day at December 4, 518 B.C., when the temple was about halfway done.

This fast marked the destruction of the temple (2 Kings 25:8-9). The fast in the seventh month (Zechariah 7:5) remembered the murder of Gedaliah, which was the last act of rebellion against the Babylonian governor of Judah (2 Kings 25:25).

Note that these were all fasts and mournings instituted by the Israelites themselves. The only one God instituted was the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-34). They had been doing this one for 70 years, so they just kept doing it. Now, they began to wonder why.

And, how long should we mourn our past? With Jesus, this is unnecessary!

God rebuked His people for this show of self-pity rather than actual heart mourning, and for trying to make up for living for themselves the rest of the year.

If it’s not done for God, it’s useless.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Zechariah 7:1-7 addresses the emptiness of ritual without relationship.

  • The Question: A delegation arrives from Bethel two years into the temple rebuilding. They ask a practical question: “Should we continue to fast and mourn in the fifth month (remembering the Temple’s destruction) as we have done for seventy years?” Since the Temple was being rebuilt, the ritual seemed obsolete.

  • The Motive Check: God does not give a simple “yes” or “no.” Instead, He exposes their hearts: “When you fasted… did you really fast for Me?” God reveals that their fasting was actually self-pity, not repentance. They were mourning their loss, not their sin.

  • The Comparison: God parallels their fasting with their feasting. When they ate, they did it for themselves (pleasure); when they fasted, they did it for themselves (religious pride/sorrow). God was not the focus of either activity.

  • The Reminder: God points them back to the “former prophets.” He implies that if their ancestors had simply obeyed the message of justice and mercy back when Jerusalem was prosperous, these mourning fasts would never have been necessary in the first place.

Conclusion

God looks at the “Why,” not just the “What.” This passage teaches that religious activities—even difficult ones like fasting—are worthless to God if the motive is self-centered. God desires obedience and a heart connection, not just the mindless maintenance of religious traditions.

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 5: John 15:18-25

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

Summary of John 15:18-25

The world hates the disciples, but the world hated Jesus first. The world hates them because they were chosen by Jesus. They will persecute them as they persecuted Jesus. But, if they obey, then they will obey them as they obeyed Jesus.

No one has excuse for their sin. Unbelievers hate God as much as they hate Jesus.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 5: John 15:18-25

13a) Unbelievers, things of the world, sin, Satan

b) The world hates Jesus and Christians because they were chosen by Jesus to be believers; they were chosen for greater things and to bear fruit. Simply put, they are jealous of the lives Christians lead. I see this a lot in the way others want to constantly tear you down because they cannot have the happiness that you have.

14) Compassion, love, understanding, and with the message of the Gospel.

15) Teaching the world about Jesus. Continually fortifying themselves against the evil one with prayer and reading of the Word. Serve one another. Love others. Follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life. Live by the teachings of Christ. Relate to others to bring them over to God. Do good, not evil.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 5: John 15:18-25

It is always a good reminder to be in this world but not of it; to live according to Jesus and not according to the world; and to help and teach others in an effort to bring them over to Christ.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 5: John 15:18-25

Jesus is preparing his disciples for persecution. The world will hate them, as they hated him. Their inner hypocrisy and sin is exposed, so it makes them angry and they lash out at believers.

There is no excuse for not knowing Christ. This makes them angry, too.

In short, expect hatred, but answer with love.

Fun fact: John uses the word “world” 77 times in his Gospel.

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 4: John 15:9-17

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

Summary of John 15:9-17

Jesus loves you (disciples), and if you keep his commands, you will remain in his love. You will have complete joy. Now, love each other as Jesus has loved them. Great love is laying down one’s life for others. The disciples are his friends for he has made known to them everything from the Father.

Jesus chose them so that they may bear lasting fruit and that whatever they ask in Jesus’ name, the Father will give them. Now, love one another.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 4: John 15:9-17

10a) As the Father has loved Jesus, so has Jesus loved you. Jesus loves you (believers), and if you keep his commands, you will remain in his love like Jesus kept God’s commands and remained in his love.

b) They receive the love of Jesus, complete joy, are given what they ask for, are friends of Jesus, are given knowledge of God, and they bear fruit. It encourages me when times, things, and circumstances in my life are low.

11a) Because Jesus loved us.

b) Strangers and people who irritate me. I pray for them and for me to deal better with them.

12a) Jesus chose and appointed his followers so that they might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. So that they might spread the gospel.

b) By remaining in Jesus and abiding by His word.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 4: John 15:9-17

Always a powerful reminder to love others because so many of us do have people in our lives that are hard to love. But, with God’s grace, we can do so.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 20, Day 4: John 15:9-17

Jesus loved the disciples by protecting them, guiding them, and leading them. He cared utterly for their every need. No matter what we do, we are loved.

Abiding is obedience to Jesus and his commands. If you do abide in Jesus’ commands, you will experience joy to the full. Joy is being right with God, not happiness or excitement.

Jesus repeatedly emphasize we are to love others.

Love is to be complete, as giving up all that you have (or your life) for one another.

The relationship between rabbi and disciple in ancient times was never one of friendship. So, if we follow God’s commands, we can be friends with Jesus. Obedience must be there.

Jesus chooses us to bear fruit for God’s glory.

Again, we should expect answered prayer.

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