Through-The-Bible Online Study Group

05/25/2026

5/25/26... MEMORIAL DAY... A DAY TO REMEMBER
God bless…Steve🙏

05/20/2026

05/20/2026

5/20/26 Lesson #108 “THROUGH-THE-BIBLE” with Les Feldick 9-3-4

Welcome to our Bible Study Group. Print-out our free study notes below so you can pause the video & add to them. We love hearing from you so direct message me, or add comments at the bottom of this page.
God bless…Steve🙏

***STUDY NOTES***

*TITLE: “Are The 10Tribes Of Israel Lost?”

*BIBLE REFERENCES: Ezra 1-2; Nehemiah 2; Daniel 1; Luke 21:20-24; Romans 11:25

*INTRODUCTION: In our last lesson Les

*TO WATCH VIDEO click on this link: https://youtu.be/gCly5YRRVRQ?si=aa4DCubVTaJNQWak
(To enlarge video, click on small icon in the corner of your screen.)

Les started our last lesson in the Book of 2 Kings when God had His full of The 10Northern Tribes’ wickedness -these folks were also called Israel at this point, with the 2Southern Tribes called Judah. God then brought Assyria’s armies into Samaria (the place where Israel had set up their separate religious & governmental system) & took many from the Northern Kingdom back to Assyria which was northeast of Samaria. Les then bought-up the point how we in America today are sooo much like Israel back here...they’d turned their back on the true Creator God just as we’re seeing the slide of many of our own leaders & politicians today. Les also showed us in great detail, from the Scriptures, how there is no such thing as the lost 10Northern Tribes. Les continued quickly through the history lesson & we learned after Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom, it was about 150yrs later that the Southern Kingdom also turned away from God & He allowed the Babylonians to carry them off to Babylon. Then, just as the Southern Kingdom Prophet Jeremiah predicted, after 70yrs they would return & rebuild the temple.

As we pick-up with today’s lesson, Les reviews what he meant a while back when he spoke of spiritual wickedness in high places & how these folks deny the truth of God’s Word the Bible.

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Les now continues our study of Israel's history. At this point the Southern Kingdom has been in captivity 70yrs -please turn in your Bible turn to:

Ezra 1:1-2 “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

*vs.1 “Cyrus king of Persia” = at first I was confused reading this because I thought Babylon took the Southern Kingdom captive, then I remembered Les pointing out during the 70yrs of captivity how Babylon was overrun by the Medes & the Persians.

*So, King Cyrus is the one Jeremiah prophesied many years earlier, how the Jews would be able to return after 70yrs, see: Jeremiah 25:11 “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”

*God also spoke this prophecy about Cyrus rebuilding the temple in:

Isaiah 44:28 “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”

*Les points out during their captivity 2things the Jews learned: not to fall into idolatry, & that they had a knack for business.

*Les also points out that the western world got the foundation for their whole banking system from the Babylonians.

*Here Les lists the 4 great past empires of the world: Babylonians, Medes & Persians, the Greeks, & the Romans of Jesus’ earthly ministry… also, yet in the future will be the revived Roman Empire.

To see how many Jews returned to help rebuild the Jewish temple, please turn to:

Ezra 2:64 “The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,”

* “forty and two thousand three hundred and threescor” = 42,360

*Les estimates 1million Jews were taken captive to Babylon, so we see few took up King Cyrus’ offer.

*Les gives us a timeline of events:
606 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar took the Southern Kingdom captive.
535 B.C. Ezra leads the Jews back home to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.

To understand more of these & other events of Jewish history, please turn to:

Nehemiah 2:1-4 “And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. 2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, 3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? 4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.”

*As we learned earlier about Ezra being allowed to lead 42,360 Jews from Babylon back to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem; here in Nehemiah we’re going to see that about 100 years later, there’s going to be another group of Jews leave Babylon, lead by Nehemiah with King Artaxerxes’ permission, to return to Jerusalem & rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.

*vs.2 Kings back in these days were known to kill their servants for the slightest thing.

*vs.4 We see here clearly God’s honored servants demonstrating silent prayer; & we’ll see later God honored his prayer with the king allowing him to rebuild Jerusalem's wall… see: Psalms 139:2 “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.”

*Les points out as we study the Book of Daniel, his prophecy of time from April 14, 445 B.C., the date when Nehemiah got permission to rebuild the city walls, until Jesus goes into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was fulfilled to the exact day.

To get an introductory look at Daniel’s life, please turn to:

Daniel 1:1-2 “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.”

*Les points out how Daniel as a young teen was carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.

*As Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem & takes captives, he also takes the gold/bronze/silver utensils from the temple.

*Some folks say the Book of Daniel is a forgery because it’s written in two different languages, Hebrew & Aramaic; Les points out Daniel no doubt learned Aramaic after forced to live in exile.

*Les also points out that prophecy centers around Israel only...BUTTT, will include details of gentile nations who are a part of Israel’s history (past & future).

*Babylon, as we read here in Daniel, was the first of the gentile nations to rule over Israel -there will be more.

Next please turn in your Bible to:

Luke 21:20-24 “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

*vs.20-24 Jesus is foretelling of the Romans besieging Jerusalem & destroying the temple.

*vs.24 “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” = Jesus says the Gentiles will basically be over the Jews until Jesus’ second coming.

To look at another passage where the Apostle Paul is speaking of saved gentiles, turn to:

Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

*During this Age of Grace we’re currently living, Israel has been given a temporary spiritual blindness that will continue until the last gentile is saved -The Body of Christ will be full & the Rapture will occur. Then God will pick up once again where He left off with Israel.

***God bless... Steve 🙏

05/12/2026

5/12/26 Lesson #107 “THROUGH-THE-BIBLE” with Les Feldick 9-3-3

Welcome to our Bible Study Group. Print-out our free study notes below so you can pause the video & add to them. We love hearing from you so direct message me personally, or add comments at the bottom of this page.
God bless…Steve🙏

***STUDY NOTES***

*TITLE: “God Removes The Northern Kingdom Of Israel From Canaan”

*BIBLE REFERENCES: 2Kings 17:23; 2Chronicles 13:3, 15:9-10, 36:15-23; 1Kings 20:27; Acts 2:22, 36; Revelation 7:4


*INTRODUCTION: Les in our last lesson skimmed over a lot of years as he summarized Israel’s history recorded in the Bible. The Book of Joshua covers about 26yrs from the 1st crossing of the Jordan River until Joshua dies; at this point in time Israel occupied most of the Promised Land. Over Israel’s next approximately 400yrs of history, recorded in the Book of Judges, we seen Israel not destroy the Canaanites as God said & Israel became just like them -following after false gods.
We then seen in the Book of 1Samuel the Israelites asking for a king to rule over them; God told them to be a separate people, buttt they said we want to be like the pagan nations around us. Les then went over how throughout the Bible the natural comes 1st then the spiritual: we seen it in King Saul & King David. Later we learned the sad fact how King David’s son Solomon started out a Godly King then gave in to his pagan wives & allow evil practices. Then Solomon’s son Rehoboam as King brought about Israel’s division with10Northern Tribes & 2Southern Tribes. God’s anger with the Northern Kingdom’s rebellion moved Him to allow Assyria to take them captive around 750 B.C. Then, “Spoiler alert”, about 150yrs later Les told us God will allow the Southern Kingdom also to be taken away into captivity -after they too became idolaters. All this turning away from the true God made me think twice, how could Israel, God’s chosen people, with allll they’d seen Him do, & how He provided for them, they could sooo quickly turn their back on Him -following after false gods. Buttt… sadly, it seems we in America today are following the same path away from God : /

*TO WATCH VIDEO click on this link: https://youtu.be/OJV87gYItrg?si=GhpPa1gXl642f1eF
(To enlarge video click on small icon on your screen.)

To start today’s lesson picking back up with The 10Northern Tribes, please turn in your Bible to:

2 Kings 17:23 “Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said…”

*Les is concerned America is following after the Northern Kingdom’s turning away from God.

*I think it important to note that God brought about Israel’s destruction -their rebellion was full.

*Les points out the false teaching (called, British Israelism) of the lost 10 Tribes of Israel.

*Les will show us later in Scripture how many of those in the Northern Tribes escaped to the south before Assyria caught them. We’ll see then150yrs later, representatives of allll 12Tribes were living in the Southern Kingdom when Babylon came & took them away captive.

To follow-up on this false teaching of “The Lost 10Tribes of Israel”, Les takes us to:

2 Chronicles 13:3 “And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.”

*The time frame here is when the Northern & Southern Kingdoms are about to enter into civil war.

* “Abijah” = King of the Southern Kingdom, had 400,000 soldiers -note they were only 2Tribes.

* “Jeroboam” = King of the Northern Kingdom, had twice the soldiers -note they had 10Tribes.

To see how the populations shifts between the two kingdoms over the years, turn to:

1 Kings 20:27 “And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.”

* “went against them” = the Syrians

*We see here the Northern Kingdom had only a small army to fight against being conquered.

Continuing on the idea of the Northern Kingdom folks migrating into the South, look at:

2 Chronicles 15:9-10 “And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. 10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.”

* “And he gathered” = this is Asa the current good King of the Southern Kingdom.
* “Judah and Benjamin” = the two Southern Kingdom tribes,
* “fell to him out of Israel in abundance” = the Southern 2Tribes (Judah) had many others from the Northern Tribes (Israel) migrate south & join them.

Now please turn in your Bible to the N.T.:

Acts 2:22 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”

* “Ye men of Israel,” = note this is about 700yrs later, but Peter doesn’t say just Judah, he’s talking to alll 12 tribes

Continuing Les’ point please turn next & look at:
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly,”

*Again Peter is talking to all 12 tribes; the folks saying some tribes are lost, they are wrong.

*Les points out that during Jesus time a good Jew wouldn’t go through Samaria, the Samaritans were hated because they were half breeds, they had intermarried adulterating their bloodline, & they’d also adulterated their worship by setting up a false temple. But even though they were hated, they were still more Jew than they were Gentile.

Now lets look at what’s to be said in the future, turn to:

Revelation 7:4 “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

*When the tribulation begins these 144,000 Jews are chosen from all 12 tribes -12,000 from each.

*These young Jewish men witnesses will be sent around the world during the tribulation to proclaim The King is coming -not The Gospel of Grace by which we’re saved today, but The Gospel of the Kingdom.

Lets see what happened to the Southern Kingdom, turn to:

2 Chronicles 36:15-18 “And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD , and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.”

* “sent to them by his messengers” = God sent messengers to the Southern Tribes just like He did sending messengers to the Northern Kingdom, e.g., Elijah & Elisha.

*Jeremiah (the weeping prophet) was one of God’s messengers to the south; he told his fellow Jews exactly what God would do if they didn’t repent, but they threw him in a dungeon -that’s where the conquering Babylonians found him.

*Jesus’ parable of a vineyard owner refers to God sending messengers to the people & how they were mistreated, & in Jesus’ story God finally sent His Son (see: Matthew 21:33-40).

*vs.18 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonian after killing many people also took everything of value -including things from the beautiful Temple Solomon built.

Continuing on to:

2 Chronicles 36:20-23 “And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.”

*vs.20-21 Some of those that survived were carried off back to Babylon & made into servants, until the next world empire took over (the Medes & the Persians) - all happened just as God prophesied through Jeremiah.

*vs.21 “until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.” = Les pointed out how God told Israel when they entered Canaan to not harvest every 7th year (called a sabbatical yr), but they didn’t so God sent them into captivity for 70yrs that the land may rest which Israel farmed 490yrs without a sabbatical.

*vs.22 God moves Cyrus the Persian king after the 70yrs expired to send Jews back to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. It’s amazing God’s prophet Jeremiah predicted all this hundreds of yrs earlier before it happened -even writing down Cyrus by name.

***God bless... Steve 🙏

05/06/2026

5/6/26 Lesson #106, “THROUGH-THE-BIBLE” with Les Feldick 9-3-2

Welcome to our Bible Study Group. Print-out our free study notes below so you can pause the video & add to them. We love hearing from you so direct message me personally, or add comments at the bottom of this page.
God bless…Steve🙏

***STUDY NOTES***

*TITLE: “Summery Of Early Jewish History”

*BIBLE REFERENCES: Judges; 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Ch 9 & 10; 2 Kings 17:7-23; Jeremiah 44:15-22

*INTRODUCTION: In our last lesson God told Joshua to cross the Jordan River, & had him order the priests to lead the Israelites by carrying the Ark of the Covenant approximately ½ mile in front of them -no regular Jew was to come close to the Ark or they would die. The Ark of the Covenant signified the very presence of God. This was new for Israel, where for 40yrs they traveled by following God in a pillar of cloud. God then showed the people that He was with Joshua (as He had been with Moses) by drying up the Jordan River (which was at flood stage) allowing Israel to cross over into Canaan on dry land. The Canaanites quickly heard (some no doubt seen with their own eyes) what Israel's God did, & knew they were doomed -they were shaking in their boots. We seen also in our last lesson how God then stopped feeding the people Manna, they now were to eat off the land. Then to get Israel ready spiritually for the battles that were ahead, God called for all the boys & men to be circumcised (a rite of the Abrahamic Covenant that had been neglected for 40yrs). Then Israel celebrated The Passover for the 1st time in The Promised Land; God’s timing is miraculous in that it was on the very day they 40yrs earlier had celebrated their 1st Passover when they left Egypt. Les made sooo many applications for us to learn & grow as we read & studied our last lesson -too many to mention here.

*TO WATCH VIDEO click on this link: https://youtu.be/nxLF8sLquf8?si=mmRi3jK6eK8gTypp
(To enlarge video click on small icon on your screen.)

To start today’s lesson Les gives us a short summery of Israel’s history, skipping some parts for sake of time, but encouraging us to read those sections on our own.

*Joshua leads Israel for 26yrs as they began occupying much of the Promised Land -he dies at 110yrs.

*All Israel’s12 tribes except for Reuben, Gad, & the half tribe of Manasseh occupied Canaan west of the Jordan River, & the other 2 ½ tribes went back over Jordan River & occupied on the east side.

*Les points out that Israel never has occupied all that God promised in the Abrahamic Covenant, but they will when Christ returns & sets up His Kingdom with Jerusalem as the capital.

*Les describes a N.T. story of Jesus driving out demons in a man from the Gadarenes (note ‘Gad’ in Gadarenes; this man was a descendant of the tribe of Gad), i.e., an area east of the Jordan River where descendants of the 2 ½ tribes of Israel’s lived (see: Matthew 8:28...).

*During the time of Israel’s Judges (estimated 300-400 yrs) where up & down cycles occurred because Israel didn’t destroy all the pagan inhabitants as God said. Israel started out following God, then later chastened them after following the pagans. The people would cry out to God, He’d show mercy, & they’d follow God again, but only a little while.

*Les points out some of God’s deliverers: Deborah, Gideon; Jephthah; Samson; Barak; & Samuel.

NOTE: Les points out something I’d not learned in Church. During Christ’s earthly ministry He only had two incidents with Gentiles -the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28, & Mark 7:24-30) & the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13, & Luke 7:1-10). Les stresses Jesus came to Israel presenting Himself as their Messiah -God would deal with Gentiles later.

Now please turn in your Bible to:

1 Samuel 8:4-7 “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

*vs.5 At this time in Israel’s history the people were doing pretty good following God, but we see here Samuel was getting old & his sons didn’t follow God & the people wanted to be like the other nations around them -remember the other nations were alllll pagan & didn’t follow the true God.

*vs.7 God gives-in to what the people want, & it starts another of Israel’s downward cycles because they wanted to be like the other nations -remember God called them out to be separate.

*Les points out here a Biblical truth occurring throughout Scripture: 1st comes the natural, then the spiritual follows, i.e., their 1st king was Saul the natural, then King David the spiritual; more examples of this: The 1st man Adam the natural, then Jesus the spiritual; Cain the natural, then Able the spiritual; Esau the natural, then Jacob the spiritual. We too as believers today follow this truth: we start out as natural, then when we believe The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) we become spiritual; then in The Book of Revelations 1st comes the Anti-christ the natural, then followed by the true Christ the spiritual.

Les then continues a bit more on Israel’s history after King David dies:*David’s son Solomon takes over as king & at first does good following God, but starts following pagan ways -has 900 pagan wives, & slips to the point allowing Jewish babies burned as pagan sacrifices.

*After Solomon dies, his son Rehoboam is king & he causes a rebellion splitting Israel into the Northern Kingdom (10 of the Tribes, called Israel) & the Southern Kingdom (2 of the Tribes, called Judah).

*The Northern Kingdom then goes immediately into paganism, then later goes into Syrian captivity at about 750B.C. Then after 150yrs the Southern Kingdom also falls into paganism, & then also goes into captivity.

To learn more when Israel was a divided kingdom please turn to:

2 Kings 17:7-17 “ For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: 12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. 16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”

*Both the Northern & Southern Kingdoms became just like the Canaanite heathen.

*God warned the people, but they wouldn’t listen.

*The children of Israel even sacrificed their children as burnt offering as we see in vs.17.

*Les points out, as we just read the depth Israel had fallen, to remember God’s plan for them starting in Genesis12 with the call of Abram: they were promise land, & be under a Sovereign King, & as a nation of true believers they could take the knowledge of the True God to the heathen around them.

*I can’t help but see the parallel of our United States of America today, how we as a nation are turning our back on God & saying no to Him.

Please turn now in your Bible to:

Jeremiah 44:15-22 “Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, 16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men? 20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.”

*Les points out how the women here seem to lead the way turning from God - “their wives had burned incense unto other gods”

* “burn incense unto the queen of heaven” = this was the false female goddess

*The people said if they stop worshiping this queen they won’t have food or other things.

*Jeremiah tells the people the truth, their turning against The Lord now has gone too far -they’ve gone way over the line.

Please turn back to:

2 Kings 17:18-23 “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. 21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23 Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.”

*God allowed The Northern Kingdom to be taken captive as part of the Assyrian Captivity.

*And as Les pointed out earlier in today’s lesson, Judah wasn’t too far behind Israel’s idolatry.

***God bless... Steve 🙏