The book of Ezekiel

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The book of Ezekiel takes its title from the priest of the same name, son to a man named Buzi. Ezekiel’s
priestly lineage shines through in his prophetic ministry; he often concerned himself with topics such as
the temple, the priesthood, the glory of the Lord, and the sacrificial system.

Ezekiel 1:1 tells us that the prophecy began “in the thirtieth year.” Scholars usually consider this a
reference to Ezekiel’s age, making him about the same age as Daniel, who was exiled to Babylon nearly a
decade earlier. Like many priests of Israel, Ezekiel was married. But when his wife died during his
prophetic ministry, God prevented Ezekiel from mourning her in public as a sign of Judah’s lack of
concern for the things of God (Ezekiel 24:16–24).

MESSAGES: We sometimes find ourselves in that predicament as well, asking “Why, Lord?” and waiting
in silence for the answer. The exiles had to wait five years for God to send Ezekiel, and when God did,
His prophet had a message that the people likely didn’t want to hear: God is the Lord of heaven and
earth, and the judgment the people were experiencing was a result of their own sin.

The book of Ezekiel reminds us to seek out the Lord in those dark times when we feel lost, to examine
our own lives, and to align ourselves with the one true God.

The book of Daniel

ABOUT THE BOOK: Named after its writer, Daniel’s book is a product of his time in Babylon as a Jewish
exile from Israel. While still a young man, Daniel travelled to Babylon with a group of young Israelite
nobles, men of promise whom the conquering power felt could be of use in service (Daniel 1:3–4). Once
Daniel arrived, the leadership in Babylon renamed him Belteshazzar in an effort to more closely identify
him with his new home (1:7). Daniel lived there throughout the Jews’ seventy-year captivity (1:21; 9:2),
eventually rising to become one of only three administrators over the provincial governors throughout
the kingdom (6:1).

Daniel recorded his experiences and prophecies for the Jewish exiles during his time in the Babylonian
capital, where his service to the king gave him privileged access to the highest levels of society. His
faithful service to the Lord in a land and culture not his own makes him unique among almost all the
people of Scripture—Daniel stands as one of the only major figures in the Bible to produce a completely
positive record of his actions.
What's the big idea?

The book of Daniel stands as a unique mix in the Old Testament, for while it begins with history, it makes
a strong transition at chapter 7, where it contains visions of future events significant to the Jews. In
particular, Daniel 9:24–27 gives a meticulous timeline of when Israel’s Messiah would appear and the
events that would follow.

MESSAGES: Daniel and his God-fearing friends were forced to live in Babylon, far from home and far
from the land their Lord had promised them. Later in the book, Daniel prophesied of terrible trials still to
come in the Promised Land (Daniel 11:31). Whatever the trial was, though, it was always the result of
sin.

Have you ever endured the weight or consequences of sin and felt as though God had left you behind,
that He had stranded you in a world far from the comforts associated with home? The book of Daniel
paints a portrait of how to serve God faithfully in the middle of such a world and how to persevere in
hope even with no immediate solutions to the problems that get us down.

THE BOOK OF JOEL

ABOUT THE BOOK: We know little of the prophet Joel beyond a few personal details contained in the
book itself. He identified himself as the son of Pethuel, preached to the people of Judah, and expressed
a great deal of interest in Jerusalem. Joel also made several comments on the priests and the temple,
indicating a familiarity with the center of worship in Judah (Joel 1:13–14; 2:14, 17). Joel often drew upon
natural imagery—the sun and the moon, the grass and the locusts—and in general seemed to
understand the reality that truth must have an impact on us in the real world.

The book focuses its prophetic judgment on the southern kingdom of Judah with frequent references to
Zion and the temple worship (Joel 1:13–14; 2:23, 32; 3:16, 21). Joel’s familiarity with this area and the
worship in the temple suggests that he lived in Judah, possibly even in the city of Jerusalem itself.