The work on the temple has stopped because of opposition. However, even when the opposition has died down, the people do not get back to God’s house. They are concerned about building their own houses, working their own fields, taking care of their own stomachs. But things are not going well. It seems that no one can get ahead. Now comes two prophets of God: Haggai and Zechariah. They point out the real problem: they left the work of the Lord to feed themselves. Therefore, God has not blessed them. The answer is to return to the original work to which they were called: the rebuilding of the temple. The people hear the words of the prophets and they respond. The work on the temple resumes.
The story follows Israel as a nation. However, the nation can be used as a type of an individual. As in the case with Israel, an individual can receive the word of God, become a child of God, and then rebel against His commandments. An individual can reject God’s judgment against their sin and make things even worse. Hebrews 12:5-11 can help you make this comparison. Follow the story of the rebellion and punishment of the nation of Israel as if they represented one person.
God wants us to be faithful as was Daniel. We need to learn to be faithful in the spiritual practices of love and obedience to the Lord and especially in our time of prayer with the Lord.
The book of Daniel contains a wonderful set of prophecies that have thrilled and challenged Bible students for hundreds of years. But the book also tells some great stories. In this series of outlines, we will look at the first six chapters of the book where we will find a couple of the easier prophecies and several interesting stories.
This chapter is one of the greatest chapters on Christ in the Bible. Of this chapter, the Baptist preacher J. Frank Norris said: “The greatest chapter, the highest mountain peak of the whole Bible. This chapter should be memorized by all.”
Through the cleansing of the Lord, Isaiah is made ready to accept the call to go tell the people of Israel the message of God. As you study this lesson, carefully consider what the Lord has to teach you.
