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

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.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 2: Matthew 26:47-56

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 26:47-56

Judas arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus was done praying. He came with a large crowd who were carrying swords and clubs. They were sent by the chief priests and the elders. Judas had arranged ahead of time that the one he kissed was Jesus.

Judas went up to Jesus and kissed him. Jesus was arrested. One of the 12 took out his sword and cut off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest. Jesus told him to put his sword away for if he wanted he could call down 12 legions of angels. Instead, he must fulfill Scripture. Jesus asks the crowd why they are carrying swords and clubs. He taught peacefully in the temple, and now the writings of the prophets will be fulfilled.

The disciples all deserted Jesus.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 2: Matthew 26:47-56

3a) Judas arrived and kissed Jesus as the signal to arrest him.

b) They arrested Jesus.

c) One of the 12 took out his sword and cut off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest. Then the disciples all deserted Jesus.

d) Jesus was calm, accepting his fate to save the world. He chastized the one who cut off the servant’s ear, and he went along willingly without a fight.

4) Jesus knows what he has to do and he does it calmly. He knows he will die, and he is ready. God’s plan is perfect, and it is coming to fruition soon, too. God is in control.

5) I can be calmer like Jesus and realize that everything happens for a reason and realize that more in the moment rather than afterward.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 2: Matthew 26:47-56

Such calm in the midst of chaos. That’s my dream.

Great read!

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 2: Matthew 26:47-56

Judas was a common name for Jewish men in those times. It is the Greek form of Judah. He was the only disciple from Judea, and he was the treasurer. No one knows why Judas betrayed Jesus. Bible scholars speculate that he wanted a powerful king and Messiah, not a Savior.

The servants thought Jesus was dangerous, which is why they came with swords and clubs.

Note that Judas knew where to find Jesus. Jesus was not hiding from God’s plan.

Kisses were customary greetings in that time. Judas still could have turned away up to the moment of the kiss.

The disciples flee out of fear for their lives.

The unnamed swordsman is Peter John 18:10

A Roman legion was 6,000 foot soldiers and 700 calvary. This number of angels could have destroyed all of Rome since one angel killed up to 185,000 soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35).

Note how Peter used the sword but could not pray for Jesus for one hour.

It seems that Peter was impulsive, and things could have gone very badly here. Jesus had to heal the wound (Luke 22:51). I so picture Jesus here as being frustrated with Peter.

Jesus was in control this entire time.

Note that all of the disciples forsake Jesus in his moment of most need. Hopefully, we don’t do that to those we love.

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BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 27, Day 2: Genesis 39

Summary of passage:  Joseph was taken to Egypt and purchased by Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.  Because the Lord was with Joseph, he became Potiphar’s attendant and then put in charge of his household and everything in it.  Because of Joseph’s presence, the Lord blessed Potiphar and everything in his house and in his fields.

Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to sleep with her but Joseph refused, saying he is to care for everything that is his master’s and he cannot sin against God committing adultery.  She tried daily and he avoided her.

One day Joseph was alone with Potiphar’s wife and she grabbed him by his cloak.  He slipped out of his cloak and ran outside.  She told her servants that he had come to her to try to sleep with her and had left his cloak behind.  She told Potiphar who put Joseph in prison.

Still, the Lord was with Joseph so Joseph was put in charge of all the prisoners and all the happenings there and had success in whatever he did.

Questions:

3a)  Genesis 39:3, 23:  When God is with you, you have success in whatever you do.

Genesis 39:21:  When God is with you, God shows you kindness and others see you favorably.

Joshua 1:7-9:  Follow and obey the law and meditate on it day and night and you will be successful and prosperous wherever  you go.

b)  Joshua 1:  God promises to never leave us or forsake us.  No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  Be strong and courageous.  Follow and obey the law and meditate on it day and night and you will be successful and prosperous wherever you go.  God will be with us wherever we go.

Psalm 1:  Blessed is he who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night.  Whatever he does prospers.  The Lord watches over the righteous.

4)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Potiphar probably witnessed the abundance Joseph brought in whatever tasks he was doing before he was promoted.  Joseph was honest (as shown by not sleeping with his wife), which was hard to find in slaves back then.  I would imagine Joseph was one of those people whom you just know God is with him.  He probably had an aura about him that just attracted others to him.

5a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  He trusted in God and God’s plans.  He was also young.  He hadn’t experienced yet how hard the world could be until this moment so he probably took a positive attitude and made the best of every situation.

b)  By prospering those around Joseph.  It was like Midas and the Golden Touch.  Everywhere it seemed Joseph made everything turn to gold so to speak and everyone knew it.  Even in prison God blessed him and made that life tolerable.  God allowed others to see how Joseph was the reason for all the good in their lives; hence, they showed him favor.

Conclusions:  Mixed on this lesson.  The theme was if you obey and trust in God you will prosper no matter your circumstances, which is a good lesson.  God blesses. However, something was missing–depth perhaps?

Prisons of ancient times were NOTHING like prisons of today.  No regular meals.  No sanitary conditions.  No toilets.  No showers.  And definitely no human rights.  Prisoners were tortured, beaten, and starved to death.  No one cared if you lived or died back then and if you were thrown in prison for a crime (like Joseph was), odds are you’d never get out and you would die there.  You’d literally be left to rot, especially if you had no money in which to buy your freedom.

A prisoner being put in charge of prisoners was rare.  Yet God had to intervene here or Joseph would die.

Fun Fact:  The name Potiphar means “devoted to the sun”.  In Ancient Egypt, the Sun God, Ra, was considered the King of the gods and was worshipped by some as the creator god.  Pharaoh was seen as the son of Ra.  He was said to command the chariot that rode across the sky and brought day to the world.  He was universally worshipped throughout the entire Ancient Egyptian reign (3000 years).

Hence, Potiphar’s name means devoted to this god as well as to Pharaoh since Pharaoh is the son of Ra and considered his embodiment on earth.

Potiphar’s job was personal security to Pharaoh.  He wasn’t in charge of the army. Hence, he was very important in Egypt.

Joseph was in Potiphar’s house for 11 years.  We are not told how long it took him to work his way up but we can assume it took a bit of time.  We must remember Joseph is a foreigner.  He didn’t know the language, the culture, the customs, the religion, etc.  There had to have been a learning time and an adjustment period.

Interesting Fact:  Joseph is one of only 3 men called handsome in the Bible.  The other two are David (1 Samuel 16:12) and Absalom (2 Samuel 14:25).  Hence, I think it is safe to say he would have been voted Time’s Sexiest Man Alive!

Why is Potiphar’s wife coming on to Joseph?  Besides the fact Joseph is handsome, there is debate amongst scholars on whether or not Potiphar was a eunuch.  The Hebrew word for “official” in verse 1 may be translated as eunuch and it was common for high officials serving the Pharaoh to be castrated in order to ensure complete loyalty.  This may be another reason his wife was seeking attention elsewhere.

Plus, Joseph, a mere slave, said no to a woman of noble status–very rare in ancient times. I’m sure she felt the need for retribution (and indeed she had her revenge).  When she tired of the challenge, she had Joseph thrown in jail.  End of story.

Egyptian religion was lax when it came to marriage rites and being unfaithful was not uncommon.

The temptation Joseph endured could have gone on for years.  We are not told–only that it happened “day after day”.  This was definitely a test of strength for Joseph–one in which we are to gain strength from.

Joseph did everything right:  he avoided temptation, never being alone with her; he knew it was a sin; he said no; and then he ran when she trapped him.  Yet he still paid a price for following God.  As we all do.

Joseph could have been killed but instead was put in prison.  This hints that Potiphar probably suspected his wife’s lies (what husband doesn’t know his wife is flirting in his own household?).  Also, this shows how God saves.