Israel had been defeated by the Philistines. Some Israelites got what he thought was a bright idea. With the ark of Jehovah in the midst of the army hostilities should be resumed. That would make victory certain. The idea caught on. The priests Hophni and Phinehas were commissioned to carry the ark. However, in the ensuing […]

Scripture Reading: Ezra 5 Background Reading: Haggai 1–2 Discussion Starters 1. Chronology is important to a correct reading of the Bible, since God gives us specific dates and times on which to hang events. How much time has elapsed between the end of Ezra 4 and the beginning of Ezra 5? How much time has […]

Scripture Reading: Ezra 4:6–24 Background Reading: 2 Chronicles 36:1–21; 2 Kings 25:22–26; Jeremiah 52:1–11 Discussion Starters 1. What motivated the enemies of Judah and Jerusalem to “frustrate [the] purpose” of the Israelites? Who was there encouraging God’s people? (Read Haggai 1; see Note 4:2.) 2. What specific actions did Israel’s enemies take as soon as […]

n two previous articles, we looked at how archaeology can aid our understanding and interpretation of God’s Word. The first article presented the topic methodologically. It sketched out big-picture questions related to archaeology and the Bible so that readers might have necessary categories. In the second article, we applied that methodology to some specific examples […]