Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
 
 
The fall quarter invites us to discover and appreciate how God, through prophets and other leaders, helped and guided the people of Judah so that we may come to see God’s hand in our own lives and all human affairs.
 
Unit 1, “Isaiah and the Renewal of the Temple,” offers four lessons that recount the theological reasons for Israel’s decline, seen mainly through the prophetic ministry of Isaiah and two faithful kings. The book of Isaiah is introduced, giving an overview of the prophet’s call and the substance of his witness. The traditional delineation of First and Second (and Third) Isaiah helps frame the breadth of his influence in pre-exilic Jerusalem and exilic Babylon. While most kings of Israel and Judah earn bad grades from the writers of the books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles, two seventh-century kings of Judah are highlighted Hezekiah and Josiah, the first, a passionate worshipper of YHWH, and the second, a by-the-book strategist. Both kings reformed Jerusalem’s religions and removed idol worship.
 
Unit I1, “Jeremiah and the Promise of Renewal” provides five lessons on the prophetic career of Jeremiah, who lived during the worst of the Babylonian assault on Judah and Jerusalem. YHWH called Jeremiah to preach a harsh message to the princes, priests, and people of Judah, one they wouldn’t need. The people have forsaken the covenant repeatedly; therefore, judgment came under the fierce hand of Nebuchadnezzars, ruler of Babylon. As Jerusalem teetered on the brink of extinction, God gave Jeremiah a word of hope for the people; after their punishment, God would bring the people back home. On that day, the law of God would no longer be written in stone but on the human heart. The story of the Rechabites reflects the 1929-1930 committee’s dedication to the temperance movement of the day.
 
Unit III, “Ezekiel and the Exile of Judah,” contains four lessons that recount the fall of Judah and Ezekiel’s prophetic messages to the people in exile. The 2 Kings account of the last days of the kingdom of Judah is hard to read, as it is full of violence and desperation. Into that environment, the priest Ezekiel, among the first exiles in Babylon, reported the devastation in Jerusalem. His prophecies are replete with visions, signs, and symbolic actions, testifying to the utter ruin of the homeland and, later, incredible promises of renewal. He kept the promise of a return and the building of another temple alive. In so doing, Ezekiel helped transform the fallen nation of Israel into the remnant of YHWH, who found a renewed orientation for hope in the promises of God.


Unit 1: Isaiah and the Renewal of the Temple


September 7, 2025
Here I Am! What Now?
Isaiah 6:1-8; 38:1-5

September 14, 2025
Celebrating the Past
2 Chronicles 30:1-9;26-27

September 21, 2025
Finders Keepers!
2 Chronicles 34:15-22; 26-27

September 28, 2025
How Do You Spell Relief?

Isaiah 53:1-7

Unit II: Jeremiah and the Promise of Renewal
 
October 5, 2025
Who, Me?

Jeremiah 1:6-10; 26:8-9; 12-16

October 12, 2025
Walk the Talk
Jeremiah 7:1-11; 21-23

October 19, 2025
Promises, Promises

Jeremiah 35:5-11

October 26, 2025
The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants
Jeremiah 31:29-34;
John 1:17

November 2, 2025
Well … That’s a Deep Subject!
Jeremiah 38:7-13
Unit III: Ezekiel and the Exile of Judah
 
November 9, 2025
We’ve Fallen and We Can’t Get Up!

2 Kings 24:18-20; 25:1-9

November 16, 2025The Medium is the Message
Ezekiel 3:10-11; 24:15-24; 27

November 23, 2025
To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn
Ezekiel 33:7-16a

November 30, 2025
Hope Floats

Ezekiel 47:1-9; 12