398
August 1929
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
FRED S. SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTL INE God Plans for His People W ISELY ORTHILY E L L
In adult classes, especially, the meth od of a series of essays or talks on different subj ects which h a v e been studied during the quarter, will prove very helpful. Such
Daniel’s two fellow presidents became jealous of him and sought his downfall. Being unable to find any fault with his administration of affairs, they very adroitly succeeded in persuading the king to issue a decree, prohibiting anyone’s making a request of any god or man ex cept the king. The decree was made and sealed by the king. To continue to wor ship and to pray to God was strictly a violation of this decree. Though apprised of the decree, Daniel continued his sea sons of worship as usual. This fact was reported to the king, who endeavored to release Daniel but to no avail. Finally he was cast into the den of lions, but his God whom he served was able to deliver him. VII. The Return from Captivity. Ezra 1:1-6; Psa. 126:1-6. According to the prediction of Jere miah, the captives were to return at the expiration of seventy years. At that time God stirred the heart of Cyrus the Per sian king to issue a decree permitting the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to re build their temple and city. Zerubbabel, a prince of the house of David, was in charge and led approximately 50,000 ex iles back to the land of their fathers. The journey was long and perilous, occupying four or five months. VIII. Rebuilding the Temple. Ezra 3 : 10-13; 6:14-16; Psa. 84:1-4. Upon arrival at Jerusalem the altar of burnt-offerings was set up, and worship was reestablished. In the second year of their return, in the second month, they began the work upon the foundation of the temple but were interrupted by the op position from the Samaritans and others. It was not resumed until the second year of Darius Hystaspes, in the year 522 B. C., and completed in 516. This structure was insignificant in comparison with the temple built by Solomon. IX. Ezra’s Return to Jerusalem. Ezra 7:6-10; 8:21-23, 31, 32. The year following the dedication of the temple, Ezra, with a company from Babylon, returned to Jerusalem, instituted certain reforms and taught the discour aged exiles the law of God. His was a great work. X. Nehemiah’s Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem. Neh. 4 :6, 15-21. In the twentieth year of Ahasuerus, Darius Hystaspes, Nehemiah, having won the approval of the king, returned to Je rusalem and, notwithstanding great oppo sition from enemies, rebuilt the wall within 52 days. In an unselfish and heroic manner he labored for the discouraged community as few men of history have ever dohe. XI. Teaching of the Law. Neh. 8: 1-3, 5, 6, 8-12. Prior to the exile the Jews spoke the Hebrew. During the exile they forgot the moth.er tongue and took up the lan guage of their captives, the Chaldean or Aramaic. When Ezra returned and began his reforms he read the original text but had to interpret it in the language of the people. XII. Malachi Foretells a New Day. Mai. 3 :1-12. Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet, corrected many of the abuses of his day and time, but his principal work was in directing the minds of Israel to ward the future glorious day of the Messiah’s reign upon the earth.
topics as the following may with profit be discussed: “The Exile as a Refining In fluence” ; “The Enlarged View Resulting from the Exile” ; “The Emphasis Laid Upon the Study of the Law during the Exile” ; “The Exile as a Preparation for the Messiah” ; “The Spiritual Results of the Exile” ; etc. Another excellent method for review ing the quarter’s work is to appoint, a week in advance, one or more to ask ques tions concerning each lesson. Each of those thus appointed will in the meantime carefully prepare questions that will cover the principal points on the lesson, which questions will be asked when the class is in session on Review Sunday. For those who are especially interested in biography, an excellent method is the study of the lives and history of the six outstanding leaders of the period: the prophets, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Malachi; the governors, Zerubbabel and Nehemiah; scribe and priest, Ezra. Jere miah, the weeping prophet, performed his ministry in Palestine and finally was car ried by force to Egypt with a colony of Jews there. Ezekiel’s ministry covered a period of thirty years, the last twelve of which were spent in Babylon among the captives. Daniel, who was carried in the first deputation of captives, and who was elevated to positions of honor and responsibility, functioned as a prophet of God during the captivity in Babylon. Mal achi, the last of the prophets, performed his ministry among the returned exiles at the time when indifference and corrup tions had crept into the nation. Zerub babel, a prince of the house of David, who led the approximately 50,000 captives back, directed under the most difficult cir cumstances the reorganization of the na tion and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the Persian king, became the fearless self-sacrificing governor and courageous reformer among the discouraged and dis heartened restored community. Ezra, the priest and scribe, was the most powerful force in a spiritual way in the restored community. A B r ie f S u m m a r y of t h e Q uarter ’ s . . L e sso n s I. The Story of Ezekiel. Ezek. 3:4-11; 24:15-18. Ezekiel was a Palestinian Jew who lived just before and during the first part of the exile. He was called to the pro phetic ministry by various visions which are narrated in chapters 1 and 2. His call and commission are set forth in chap ter 3. In 24:15-18 appears the account of the passing of his wife. The record is silent as to the circumstances under which he passed away. II. Ezekiel Teaches Personal Re sponsibility. Ezek. 33:7-17. Prior to the days of Ezekiel the soli darity of the nation had been emphasized. This teaching was the result of misunder standings concerning God’s teaching upon the unity of the chosen people. Various of the pre-exilic prophets emphasized the
A just God and a Saviour.—Isa. 45:21. personal responsibility resting upon each individual; it was Ezekiel, however, who laid such great emphasis upon the indi vidual and his responsibility both to the community in which he lived and to God. The responsibility of the called and commissioned prophet is emphasized in 33:1-6. There was but one way for the prophet to meet the responsibility and' that was by being faithful in his preaching. The righteous person shall be blessed in his righteousness; the wicked, however, shall die in his sins. III. Ezekiel’s Vision of Hope. Ezek. 47:1-9. In chapters 40-48 appears a detailed ac count of the restoration of the temple during the millennium and of the condi tions which shall prevail in Palestine dur ing the thousand-year reign. The country will be allotted to the different tribes. There shall go forth from the temple site healing waters that shall carry life and vigor to the parts reached (cf. Zech. 14). IV. The Story of Daniel. Dan. 1:l-4, 19, 20; 2:7-24. Daniel was carried captive to Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim. He, with other Jewish lads, was placed under a special master and given every advantage possible at the Babylonian court. In fact he was enrolled in the University of Babylon to be taught in all of the wisdom, knowledge, and science of the kingdom. Orders were given that they should be given the daintiest foods; by faith Daniel and his comrades refused such food, choosing a simpler diet. When compared with other youths, physically they were far superior. When God wished to reveal to Nebu chadnezzar the course of human history as it is set forth in the vision of the me tallic image (chapter 2), He used Daniel to bring to this proud monarch the transi tory nature of earthly kingdoms and the certainty of the establishment of the king dom of God upon the earth. Daniel was promoted to the highest po sition of honor and trust throughout the captivity, and in the third year of Cyrus the Persian king, was still the honored and trusted prime minister of the govern ment. V. Belshazzar’s Feast. Dan. 5 :17-28. On the fatal night when Babylon was captured by Darius the Mede (the Go- bryas of the contemporary records), Bel shazzar, .the son and Co-Rex of Naboni- dus. made a feast for a thousand of his lords, wives, and concubines. In the midst of the festivities there appeared a mysterious hand writing upon the wall, which pronounced the doom of the king dom. According to the promise, Daniel was made a third ruler of the kingdom. When the Persians took charge he re mained in this position of high honor and trust. VI. Daniel Among the Lions. Dan. 6:10, 11, 16-23.
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