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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 4: Lamentations 4

SUMMARY OF LAMENTATIONS 4

Jeremiah is lamenting the punishment and loss of the people. He compares them to gold that has lost its luster. And they are now destitute. All because of their sins that caused the Lord’s wrath. The Lord has scattered His people. Their punishment will end after the punishment is over.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 4: Lamentations 4

9a) They and their. The people of Jerusalem. Us. The people of Jerusalem.  He. God.

b) The children of Zion are now pots of clay in a potter’s hand (they have gone from gold to clay). The people are heartless. The infant is thirsty. The children beg for food. The rich are destitute. Kings and royals are now dead. The princes are unrecognizable. Many will die of famine. Women cooked their own children for food.

c) We see the punishment of God’s people. But their punishment will end after this punishment.

10) The Lord has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations. The enemies and foes entered the gates of Jerusalem. The Lord himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are shown no honor, the elders no favor. The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath, was caught in their (the enemies’) traps. God will punish their sin and expose their wickedness.

11) It’s good. It helps to keep me accountable and prevent me from sin. God’s judgment is just; everything He does is just. I think it’s helpful to know you are being watched, so you don’t sin.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 4: Lamentations 4

It can be hard to read the troubling consequences of sin and God’s punishment. Yet, it serves as a lesson to us to not do/be the same.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 4: Lamentations 4

Jeremiah uses comparison and contrast to point out how the people used to be versus what they are now.

Jeremiah laments the loss of the people who were as precious as gold. Everyone was punished by God; no one was exempt.

The nobility are unrecognizable. It is so bad that women cooked their own children for food.

God’s wrath was deep. The people wandered the streets, stepping on dead bodies and defiling themselves. The people were scattered and were shunned everywhere they went.

No one could escape as the Babylonians pursued them.

Edom was happy Jerusalem had fallen, but they would be punished soon for their sins.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 3: Lamentations 3

SUMMARY OF LAMENTATIONS 3

Jeremiah has seen affliction from God and others. Yet, he has hope because of God’s great love for us. His compassions never fail. He is faithful. He is good to those whose hope is in Him. He waits for the Lord’s salvation. His love is unfailing.

Return to the Lord. God hears pleas. God redeems His people. Jeremiah prays for Lord to avenge His people.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 3: Lamentations 3

6) I, me, and my. Jeremiah. He. God. Jeremiah laments what has happened to him, but he has faith that God will redeem him and avenge him.

7a) Verse 5: He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. Verse 13: He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver.

b) It shifts from one of lamenting his lot in life to one of praising the Lord for His goodness, faithfulness, and coming redemption.

c) God is compassionate. His love is unfailing. He does not willingly grieve us. God is in control of all things. I am encouraged because I know everything happens for God and by God’s will. He watches me every second of every day. I take comfort in that.

d) Jeremiah admits the people have sinned and rebelled, but God has heard his cries. God redeemed him and asks Him to avenge him from his enemies.

8 ) His word. Prayer. His presence. Knowing He is in control, and I have to give it to Him.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 3: Lamentations 3

A long chapter that we can learn from. We learn that despite the consequences of our sins and what happens, God shows compassion, and when we cry out to Him, He answers. Powerful stuff!

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 27, Day 3: Lamentations 3

Here, this is the poem that is different from the others. Instead, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is used for the first three lines, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet is used for the next 3 lines, and so on.

In chapters 1 and 2, Jeremiah worte as Jerusalem. Here, he writes as him (and as the people of Jerusalem).

The Lord afflicted His people. God became the enemy and sunk Jeremiah.

Here, for the first time in the book of Lamentations, we see hope. We see God as merciful to Jeremiah and His people. God is there even in our punishments. He never leaves us.

Each morning there are new hopes and new mercies from the Lord.

God is faithful, even in His justice. God is in charge.

The people should humbly turn back to God and examine their ways.

Jeremiah cries again. He prays for help against his enemies. He knows God will help him. Jeremiah leaves vengeance up to the Lord.

God’s actions reflect the consistency of who He is. He divvies out punishment and then yearns for us to return to Him.

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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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Who Was Pontius Pilate?

It’s safe to say that if the Bible had not mentioned Pontius Pilate, he would have disappeared into the pages of history with few every knowing his name.

Of course, Pontius Pilate is the Roman ruler of Judea who condemned Jesus to death, despite washing his hands of the sin. His name appears only three times in the Bible (LUke 3:1, Acts 4:27, 1 Timothy 6:13). He ruled Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. Little is known of his early life, so we pick him up when the Roman Emperor Tiberius gives him the unpleasant job of governing the troublesome Jews.

Pilate as known for being a tyrant. He never quite understood the Jews and did things to offend their religion. Thus, the reason he gave into the Jews for the crucifixion of Christ was because he was afraid of a mob and word would get back to Rome about his inability to rule there. He was in Jerusalem in order to keep the peace. His normal headquarters was in Caesarea.

He condemns Christ, and then he disappears in history from there. It is believed he was sent to Rome after he failed to put down a Samarian rebellion that resulted in innocent bloodshed. Tiberius died before Pilate could arrive, and it is said he commited suicide shortly thereafter.

There are many infamous names in history, and Pilate’s is perhaps at the top of the list.

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BSF Matthew Lesson 27 Additional Bible Resources: Easter Edition for Women

Hey all!

Here are some great additional Bible resources for Easter for women. Enjoy!

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Friday Digest BSF Matthew Lesson 27

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN MATTHEW 26:47-27:31 BSF LESSON 27

  • God’s sovereign plans always prevail
  • Every human is responsible for their actions
  • Jesus always offers grace and mercy
  • Jesus died for us out of love, grace, and mercy
  • No one stood up for Jesus. In the end, he was abandoned, but he never abandoned us.
  • God’s plan for your life can be trusted

TAKE AWAY: You are either for Jesus or against him.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 5: Matthew 27:11-31

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 27:11-31

Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus said yes. The governor listed the testimony against him, but Jesus gave no reply. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and only handed over to him out of envy. At the Feast, it was tradition for the crowd to free one prisoner. They could free Jesus or Barabbas. Pilate’s wife had sent him a message saying not to have anything to do with Jesus because she had suffered greatly in a dream.

The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas. Pilate asked the crowd what to do with Jesus. They responded to crucify him. Pilate asked why, but no one listened. Pilate washed his hands to show he was innocent of Jesus’s blood and said it was their responsibility. The crowd agreed and said it was on their children, too. Barabbas was released, and Jesus was flogged.

The soldiers stripped Jesus and put a scarlet robe on him. They put a crown of thorns on his head. Next, the soldiers put a staff in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him. They spit on him and then hit him repeatedly. They took the robe off, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to be crucified.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 5: Matthew 27:11-31

13a) Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus said yes. The governor asked if Jesus had heard the testimony against him, but Jesus gave no reply.

b) Pilate’s wife had sent him a message saying not to have anything to do with Jesus because she had suffered greatly in a dream. The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas. Pilate asked the crowd what to do with Jesus. They responded to crucify him. Pilate asked why, but no one listened. Pilate washed his hands to show he was innocent of Jesus’s blood and said it was their responsibility.

c) He tried to get Jesus to defend himself. He tried to have him released out of mercy. He even asked the crowd why crucify him, and he symbolicaly washed his hands of Jesus’s blood. It shows that Pilate might have understood who Jesus was, that he had mercy, that he was sympathetic to Jesus. He also knew Jesus was innocent and didn’t want to execute him.

14) Pilate did fight for Jesus, but in the end he bowed to political pressure. We must fight to the end for Jesus.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 5: Matthew 27:11-31

Powerful and sad lesson. Shows what Jesus suffered for us and how he was treated. Deepens our gratitude for Jesus and the cross.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 5: Matthew 27:11-31

The Jews have to go through Roman law in order to execute someone. They have no authority to do it themselves. They cook up the charge of Jesus calling himself King, which is against Roman law.

Pilate does not believe the charges, and his wife’s premonitions confirm them. He appeals to Herod who only returns Jesus to Pilate. This is the recording of the second time Jesus appears before Pilate (Luke records the first  Luke 23:1-6. ). He declares Jesus innocent, but the crowd won’t relent. Since the crowd is on the verge of becoming a mob, he washes his hands of sin, but he knows he is still responsible. Jesus’s crime of “King of the Jews” is posted above the cross as a result.

The reply Jesus gives to Pilate when asked if he is king is the same reply he gave the high priests (Matthew 26:64). Pilate could not believe Jesus would not defend himself. He kept silent and let God defend him.

Pilate knew there was something special about Jesus and did not want to kill him. So he hopes the crowd will let him go free. Barabbas was a murderer  Mark 15:7

Pilate could have released Jesus on his own, but he did not. He even ignored his wife’s dream. All of this was God’s mercy, which he refused. He gave in to the multitudes. All of them sinned. People today still reject Jesus.

Pilate washing his hands was meaningless. Jesus’s blood rested on him, too, since he could have stopped it.

The blood of Jesus would be on the children 40 years later when the temple was destroyed.

The Scourging of Jesus

Scourging was the treatment prisoners got before crucifixion. They were beaten with a whip that had leatehr strands with sharp bone or metal bits on it. Every time it hit the body, it made a cut. In fact, many prisoners died from scourging before they were crucified. Only women and Roman senators or soldiers were exempt.

The point of scouring you could say was merciful. It was to shorten the length of time that a prisoner hung on the cross before they died. Scourging resulted in blood loss and shock to the point of death. Crucifixion was just the final straw.

The whole garrison gathered to mock Jesus; normally only 4 soldiers (called a quaternion) did the scourging. They meant to humiliate and mock him. A scarlet robe was what a king would wear. The crown of thones would indeed hurt Jesus. The scepter was a reed, not an ornamental beauty item.

How did Matthew know about this scene? He was probably told it by one of the Roman soldiers who was present.

The procession to the cross and the execution area was a time for Rome to show what would happen to those who broke the law. A centurion on horseback would lead the way, shouting the crime of the condemned as they went. Jesus would carry the crossbar of his cross, which was probably between 75 and 125 lbs in weight. He was stripped naked, and his hands were tied to the wood. The upright beams of the cross were already in place.

No one stood up for Jesus. In the end, he was abandoned, but he never abandoned us.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 4: Matthew 26:69-27:10

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 26:69-27:10

Matthew 26:69-75:

Peter denied knowing Jesus three times when two servant girls and others asked him if he were with Jesus. A rooster crowed, and Peter remembered what Jesus had predicted. Peter then wept bitterly.

Matthew 27:1-10:

The chief priests and elders decided to kill Jesus. They bound him and handed him over to Pilate. Judas had remorse when he saw Jesus would be killed. He returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying he had sinned and betrayed innocent blood. He threw the money in the temple and then hanged himself. The chief priests could not put blood money into the treasury, so they used Judas’s 30 silver coins he had returned to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. This fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 4: Matthew 26:69-27:10

10a) Peter denied knowing Jesus three times when two servant girls and others asked him if he were with Jesus. His sin progressed each time, first denial and then he took an oath. The last time, he got angry and called down curses on himself, swearing he did not know Jesus.

b) He knew/forgot Jesus’s prophecy that he would deny him three times.

11a) Judas had remorse when he saw Jesus would be killed. He knew he had sinned and betrayed innocent blood. He returned the 30 pieces of silver and then hanged himself.

b) They didn’t care about Judas or that Jesus was an innocent man about to be killed. They were in it for themselves.

c) All men have free will, and it’s a choice to sin or not. You are always responsible for your actions because you could have decided differently.

12a) Both were remorseful for what they had done. Judas tried to make his sin right, but his sorrow was not one of repentance. Peter wept bitterly, truly repentant of what he did, while Judas took his own life.

b) I feel like I’m cleansed, but sometimes I don’t and I still harbor guilt.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 4: Matthew 26:69-27:10

Such sad passages, yet this could have happened to any of us. We all let our Savior down, just in different ways. It’s important to seek forgiveness whenever possible.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 4: Matthew 26:69-27:10

Matthew 26:69-75:

It’s scary that Peter caved to a little girl. He finally remembered Jesus’s words, but it was too late. Here, we see the beginnings of Peter. He will be restored, and Luke says just after the rooster crowed, the Lord turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22:61).

Matthew 27:1-10:

This is the next morning when it was legal to pronouce a death upon Jesus. All the Sanhedrin are present  Luke 22:66-71.

In order to kill someone, Pontius Pilate had to agree. He was the prefect appointed by Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar over Judea. He was a cruel man according to history, and the priests brought three charges against Jesus in order to justify his death sentence:

  1. He was a revolutionary
  2. He told people not to pay taxes
  3. He claimed to be King, which was punishable by death in Roman times (Luke 23:2).

Judas was filled with remorse, not repentance. He felt sorry for the outcome, not that he did it.

When he threw the money back into the temple, he tried to put the blame onto the priests, rather than himself. Judas probably thought Jesus would redeem himself here.

The money was now unclean as blood money and could not go back to the temple. The priests didn’t want to touch the money although they had the innocent blood of Jesus on their hands.

Most Bible scholars agree Judas went to hell (the son of perdition (John 17:12).

Acts 1:18-19, tells us that Judas’ body burst open. Most Bible scholars agree this was caused by Judas’ dead body being left in the open since no burials could take place during Passover.

Although Matthew tells us this quote was spoken by Jeremiah, it is actually recorded in  Zechariah 11:12-13. Some think it’s a transcribing error. Some think it was spoken by Jeremiah but recorded by Zechariah. Others think Matthew is referring to the scroll of Jeremiah, which included the book of Zechariah.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 3: Matthew 26:57-68

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 26:57-68

Jesus was taken to Caiahpas, the high priest. The elders and the teachers of the law where there. Peter followed Jesus. They were looking for false evidence against Jesus so they could kill him. Despite the many false witnesses that came forward, they could not find any. Finally, someone claimed Jesus said he would destroy the high temple and rebuild it in three days. Jesus did not answer this charge.

They ask Jesus if he is the Son of God. He answers yes and that they will see him in the future sitting on the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven. The high priest tore his clothes and said Jesus had spoken blasphemy. They finally agreed to kill Jesus. They spit on him, struck him, and taunted him.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 3: Matthew 26:57-68

6) Jesus was taken to Caiahpas, the high priest. The elders and the teachers of the law where there. Peter was present, too, having followed Jesus.

7a) The witnesses came forward.

b) Jesus was silent. Sometimes it’s better not to say anything at all and just remain silent.

8a) “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Because it is exactly who Jesus is. But if he claims to be the Son of God and is not believed to be so, the priests can call it blasphemy and have him put to death as they did.

b) His reply is that they will see him in the future sitting on the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven. He is speaking of his Second Coming. Psalm 110:1 says that Jesus will sit at God’s right hand until his enemies are a footstool under his feet. Daniel 7:13-14 describes his vision of the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven. Everyone will worship him and he will establish an everlasting dominion that can never be destroyed. Revelation 1:7 says that Jesus will come again with the clouds and everyone will see him.

c) The high priest tore his clothes and said Jesus had spoken blasphemy. They finally agreed to kill Jesus. They spit on him, struck him, and taunted him.

9) It means everything for a lack of better words. But it gives me hope that in a world that does not make sense that one day, it will all make perfect sense.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 3: Matthew 26:57-68

It is always shocking to read how horrible Jesus was treated and taunted by those who were supposedly Godly.

Great read!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 27, Day 3: Matthew 26:57-68

Matthew only tells us of this one incident this night. Actually, Jesus has several different trials that night. Before Caiaphas, he was taken to the home of Annas, an ex-high priest John 18:12-14 and John 18:19-23).

The final trial was after this one in Matthew before the entire Sanhedrin. Luke 22:66-71.

It’s interesting that only Peter followed. Was he determined to prove Jesus wrong that he would not forsake him?

The reason there was a second trial of the Sanhedrin after daybreak was because this one was illegal. According to Jewish law, trials had to be in the daylight.

The Sanhedrin broke many Jewish laws in order to condemn and kill Jesus as soon as possible:

  • No criminal cases could be tried during Passover
  • Guilty verdicts had to wait overnight in case mercy arose
  • Two witnesses had to confirm evidence, and they had to be separated
  • False witnesses would be put to death

Jesus was speaking of his body as a temple. (John 2:19  John 2:21. The Sanhedrin twisted his words out of desperation.

Jesus did not defend himself although he could have. He accepted his fate.

The high priest was frustrated by Jesus’s silence and the fact he had nothing on Jesus, so he asked him if he was the Son of God.

Jesus answered truthfully, and said one day, he would judge them.

Jesus spoke no blasphemy since he was the Son of God.

Did they believe Jesus to be the Son of God? No one knows, and since everyone is an enemy of God (Romans 5:10Colossians 1:21), they may have delighted in slapping God in the face.

It’s amazing that God watched sinful man do this to Jesus. This speaks volumes of God’s mercy on mankind. Jesus was patience defined.

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