Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
God the Preserver of Man
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. . . . And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Jerusalem had been destroyed during the Babylonian invasion. For beleaguered Jewish exiles, this prophecy was intended to comfort and inspire: God would rebuild the city, making it even more beautiful than before its ruin. Descriptions of specific gems suggest a fully realized restoration—imagery reprised centuries later by John of Patmos (see Revelation 21:18–21).
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
Resources cited in this issue
Cit. 11: Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible, Vol. 2, Prophets: A Translation with Commentary. New York and London. W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.
Cit. 12: Moffatt, James. A New Translation of the Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments. New York: Harper & Row, 1954.
Cit. 17: Barker, Kenneth L., John H. Stek, Walter W. Wessel, and Ronald F. Youngblood. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002.
Cit. 23: Stott, John. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Romans. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994; Perowne, John J.S., Alexander F. Kirkpatrick, Frederic H. Chase, Reginald St. John Parry, and Alexander Nairne, eds. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. 44, Romans. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1882–1922. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Copyright
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible® are taken from the International Children’s Bible®. Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked New Century Version® are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New International Reader’s Version™ are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version™, NIrV™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scriptural quotations marked Good News Translation are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition, copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked GOD’S WORD® Translation are taken from GOD’S WORD®. © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. Used by permission.
