Tag: Kingdom of Judah

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Bible Challenge Week 30: The Prophets – Disaster!

We’ve experienced plenty of failure so far.  Israel failed as a people (with the golden calf), failed as a nation (throughout the period of the Judges), and failed as a Kingdom, first with Saul and then with a whole line of despotic, unfaithful kings.  But this is much worse than failure.

For no matter how bad things got, they always had the Lord.  They might share him with other local deities, but his presence was always somewhere nearby–in the tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, or the Temple.  The Temple was like a safe zone, where they could run after a rough patch with some foreign enemy and claim covenant status.  Their golden-boy king Solomon even foresaw that possibility in his dedicatory prayer for the temple.  The people might even repent–temporarily.  As for the temple, as long as it stood, they had an “in” with their God.  It seems never to have occurred to them that someday the temple would no longer stand.

Do we have some of the same kinds of assumptions?

To download a copy of this week’s challenge, with scripture passages, key verses, questions, and activities, click here:

Bible Reading Challenge Week 30: The Prophets – Disaster!

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 29: The Prophets – Isaiah and Micah

Next: Week 31: The Prophets – Jeremiah

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Bible Challenge Week 29: The Prophets – Micah and Isaiah

Time is running out for the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Amos and Hosea tried to warn them, but would they listen?  Noooo.  But Judah, in the south, has no reason to feel smug.  In fact, Judah is about to be visited by two of their own iconic prophets, who will let them know that they’re not so special.

We’re not so special either.  How many times do we have to be told?  For instance, the United States is operating at a budget deficit that’s 30% higher than last year’s, and the national debt is literally beyond imagining  (and I’m not one of those writers that uses “literally” figuratively).  We’ve been told, and told, and told that a crisis is at hand, and nobody is doing anything about it except talk.  Unlike journalists and bureaucrats, however, the Lord is plain about what should be done.  “What does the Lord require of you?” asks Micah.  There is an answer.

And there’s a further plan, far in the future.  Thank God.

For a .pdf download of this week’s Bible challenge, with scripture passages, thought questions, and activities, click below:

Bible Reading Challenge Week 29: The Prophets – Micah and Isaiah

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 28: The Prophets – Jonah, Amos, Hosea

Next: Week 30: The Prophets – Disaster!

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Bible Challenge Week 26: The Kingdom – Failure!

So far we’ve seen three kings that started out strong but finished weak, David being the best of them.  From now on the books of I & II Kings (and I & II Chronicles) will fall into a pattern, like the book of Judges.  For the most part this will be a depressing pattern, with a few rays of hope.  We’ll find out what the pattern is this week, along with the events that led to . . .

As we’ll see, divided hearts lead to a divided kingdom.  It makes you wonder about the United States today–how united are we?  What are we united around?

For this week’s download, including scripture passages, thought questions, and activities to interest the children, click below:

Bible Reading Challenge Week 26: The Kingdom – Failure!

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 25: The Kingdom – Wisdom

Next: Week 26: Kings & Prophets – Elijah