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Weekly Guide：2024-2025 Week 39
September 29, 2024
Week 39 Day 1: Judah king Hezekiah ⇧ ⇩
Question
How was the temple in Hezekiah’s eyes?
Scripture Reading
Meditation: God’s Story
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Hezekiah reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.
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Hezekiah brought in the priests and the Levites, asked them to consecrate themselves and the temple of the Lord to remove all defilement from the sanctuary.
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Early the next morning King Hezekiah sacrificed offerings for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. They sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.
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Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. The whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month.
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There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
Meditation: My Story
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Community - Hezekiah called on the priests and Levites not to be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen them to stand before Him and serve Him. How am I encouraging my fellow Christians to serve the Lord today?
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Integrity - Hezekiah sent word to Israel to invite them to turn back to God and worship the Lord in the temple. How should I help those who are weak in faith and those who have sinned to turn back to the Lord?
Prayer
Notes and Responses
Week 39 Day 2: New Heavens and Earth ⇧ ⇩
Question
What good and right did Hezekiah do?
Scripture Reading
Meditation: God’s Story
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Israelites went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars.
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Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions-each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites-to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling.
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The Israelites dedicated to the Lord in great amount a tithe of all that the fields produced and a tithe of their herds and flocks.
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Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. In everything that he undertook, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
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Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He slandered against the Lord God and His servant Hezekiah when laying a siege to Lachish.
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King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah cried out in prayer to heaven about this. And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace and some of his sons cut him down with the sword.
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Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor for God had given him very great riches.
Meditation: My Story
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Identity - The Israelites had great joy when they worshiped the Lord and celebrated the festivals and their spirits were renewed, as well. What is my worship life like? How is it bring about the renewal of my spiritual life?
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Identity - When the Israelites’ spirits were renewed, they gave generously the tithe to the Lord. How is my spiritual situation reflected in my tithe?
Prayer
Notes and Responses
Week 39 Day 3: Judah king Manasseh ⇧ ⇩
Question
Under what circumstance did Manasseh turn back to the Lord?
Scripture Reading
Meditation: God’s Story
- Manasseh reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
- In his distress Manasseh sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to Him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
- Manasseh got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.
- Amon he reigned in Jerusalem two years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- Josiah reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, purged Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols, and restored the temple of the Lord.
- Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Then the king called together all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.
- Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to the covenant of God.
Meditation: My Story
- Integrity - In his distress Manasseh sought the favor of the Lord and humbled before Him and God saved him. How do I view God’s discipline? Complain or repent?
- Integrity - What did Manasseh do after he repented? What did I do? What is true repentance?
Prayer
Notes and Responses
Week 39 Day 4: Judah in Exile ⇧ ⇩
Question
How did Judah go into exile?
Scripture Reading
Meditation: God’s Story
- Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. He provided the sacrifices to the people and the priests and Levites.
- Necho king of Egypt went up and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. Josiah would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command. Archers shot King Josiah and he died.
- Jehoahaz son of Josiah and became king in Jerusalem in place of his father. The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem.
- Jehoiakim reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
- Jehoiachin reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
- Zedekiah reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, carried them to Babylon.
Meditation: My Story
- Identity - What role did the Babylonians play in the history of Israel? Who was in control of history? How do I view the events in my country and around the world?
- Identity - The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Why did He put Judah into exile? How do I understand His compassion and grace?
Prayer
Notes and Responses
Week 39 Day 5: Return from Exile ⇧ ⇩
Question
How did God fulfill the promise to return the Israelites to Jerusalem from exile the first time?
Scripture Reading
Meditation: God’s Story
- To fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia. He made a proclamation to let the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
- God moved the heart of fifty thousand Israelites to return to Jerusalem in company with Zerubbabel. They prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.
- King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Meditation: My Story
- Identity - Nearly fifty thousand Israelites (most of them likely were the next generation born in Babylon) were moved and obeyed God, to leave the familiar land, to leave their livelihood, to accompany Zerubbabel, trekking a long way, through all difficulties, to go back to the unfamiliar homeland to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Do I know that I am of the people of God, even though the journey of life is filled with struggles and the world is full of temptations, I still am aiming wholeheartedly to go through the narrow door which leads to the promises of God?
- Integrity - God accomplished His plan according to His timetable. Seventy years after the Israelites’ exile, God fulfilled His word spoken through Jeremiah, to move the heart of Cyrus king of Persia, and by his hands contributed to the return. Do I believe God has a great plan for me and would accomplish it according to His time table? Pray to God to give me faith in Him and wait for His timing.
Prayer
Notes and Responses
Week 39 Day 6: Opposition to Rebuilding ⇧ ⇮
Question
Scripture Reading
Meditation: God’s Story
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After returning to Jerusalem, the Israelites came together to rebuild the altar, sacrificed offerings each day, and celebrate the sacred festivals of the Lord.
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In the second year, Zerubbabel led the people to begin the work on the temple. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, and the sound was heard far away.
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They refused to let their enemies to join in the temple rebuilding. So their enemies set out to work against them and to frustrate their plans
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The rebuilding effort was stopped until the reign of Darius. The opposition continued until the reign of Xerxes and the reign of Artaxerxes.
Meditation: My Story
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Community - When laying the foundation, the people shouted to the Lord. Some with shouts of joy and some wept. We react differently to the same thing because we have different experiences. How may I accept other’s view points and try to understand them?
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Integrity - Israelites refused their enemies’ request to rebuild the temple and brought opposition to their rebuilding effort and caused it to stop. In real life, have I experienced unreasonable attack because of my refusal to offend God? How did God strengthen my faith?
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Fidelity - The Israelites rebuilt the altar together and renewed their offering before the temple reconstruction began. How am I building my relationship with God and make it the foundation of my life and serving the Lord?