1 Year Bible: Week 40 (Sept. 28-Oct. 4)

1 YEAR BIBLE: WEEK 40 (SEPT. 28-OCT. 4)

Stage 3: Redemption

Verse of the week to live by:

“Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zech. 1:3)

Sept. 28; Stage 3: Redemption

Ezra 6; Ps. 137; Hag. 1

1. Ezra 6: Why did King Darius order a search of the royal archives, and what was discovered concerning Cyrus’s decree? (Ezra 6:1–5)
2. 
   
3. Ps. 137: What picture of the exiles’ grief is given in verses 1–2? Why do they sit by the rivers of Babylon and weep?
4. 
   
5. Hag. 1: Who was Haggai? When did the word of the LORD come through Haggai?
6. 
   

Sept. 29; Stage 3: Redemption

Hag. 2; Zech. 1-3

1. Hag. 2: Why were some of the returned exiles discouraged when they compared the new Temple with Solomon's former Temple? (Hag. 2:1–3; cf. Ezra 3:12–13)
2. 
   
3. Zech. 1: According to Zechariah 1:1–6, why does the book begin with a call to repentance rather than immediately with the visions of restoration?
4. 
   
5. Zech. 3: How does Zechariah 3 point forward to Jesus Christ as both the promised Branch and the One through whom God finally deals with the guilt of His people?
6. 
   

Sept. 30; Stage 3: Redemption

Zech. 4-6

1. Zech. 4: What does the promise “Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain” (4:7) teach about God’s ability to overcome apparently impossible obstacles?
2. 
   
3. Zech. 5: What does Zechariah see in the sixth night vision? (Zech. 5:1–2)
4. 
   
5. Zech. 6: Who is “the Branch” in 6:12? How does this passage develop the earlier reference to “my servant the Branch” in Zechariah 3:8?
6. 
   

Oct. 1; Stage 3: Redemption

Zech. 7-9

1. Zech. 7: What is the significance of the reversal in 7:13: “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear”?
2. 
   
3. Zech. 8: How does Zechariah 8 point forward to the New Testament hope of God dwelling among His people and drawing people from every nation to Himself?
4. 
   
5. Zech. 9: Why is it surprising that Israel’s victorious King enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey rather than a warhorse?
6. 
   

Oct. 2; Stage 3: Redemption

Zech. 10-12

1. Zech. 10: How might Zechariah 10 connect with the New Testament presentation of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who gathers God’s scattered sheep?
2. 
   
3. Zech. 11: What is the significance of the payment of thirty pieces of silver? (11:12)
4. 
   
5. Zech. 12: How does John 19:34–37 interpret Zechariah 12:10 in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus?
6. 
   

Oct. 3; Stage 3: Redemption

Zech. 13-14; Est. 1-2

1. Zech. 13: What is the “fountain” opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in Zechariah 13:1? What does it mean that it cleanses from “sin and uncleanness”? Could it be the Cross?
2. 
   
3. Zech. 14: Why is the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles specifically mentioned in 14:16–19? How might this feast symbolize God’s provision, presence, kingship, and the gathering of the nations?
4. 
   
5. Est. 1: Who was King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and how extensive was his kingdom according to Esther 1:1?
6. 
   

Oct. 4; Stage 3: Redemption

Est. 3-5

1. Est. 3: What is significant about the statement that Mordecai had told them “that he was a Jew” (3:4)? How does his Jewish identity become central to the conflict?
2. 
   
3. Est. 4: How does Mordecai respond when he learns about Haman’s decree? (Est. 4:1) What do sackcloth, ashes, crying, and mourning communicate in the Old Testament?
4. 
   
5. Est. 5: What was Esther risking when she entered the inner court of the king’s palace without being summoned?