Exile & Return: Artwork Explained, Part 2
October 27, 2025
BSF Staff
From the Editorial Team
For the past few years, BSF’s creative team has developed illustrations for each lesson of a study. The aim is to give insight into key aspects of a person, story, or theme for that section of the study. As we were developing the Exile & Return study, we were aware that the content was structured around eight books, each named for a prominent prophet or leader (Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah, and Malachi). So we developed large, more detailed illustrations for each character that explore the key elements that make up the book, as well as weekly lesson illustrations that contain these elements.
Ezekiel: Build with Hope
Two inspiring lessons from Ezekiel set the stage for the entire study. Lesson 1 covers Ezekiel’s vision of God and call to a tough ministry, speaking both messages of judgment and hope. Lesson 2 exposits the valley of dry bones passage, where we see God promise to restore life to a “dead” nation—after their exile and into the end times.
Border: Lips (prophetic voice) and wheels (chariot vision)
Images: Bones (dry bones vision); wheels (chariot vision); trumpets (prophetic voice); man (prostrate on the ground after seeing God’s glory)
Click images to enlarge.
Daniel: Build with Integrity
These six lessons on the book of Daniel include the court stories in chapters 1–6 and prophetic portions in chapters 7–12. All the while, we get a picture of Daniel’s long, faithful, prayerful service to the Lord amid multiple tests of his devotion.
Border: Crowns (Daniel’s interactions with the kings)
Images: Hands (Daniel’s prayer life); fire (fiery furnace); lion (lion’s den)
Click images to enlarge.
Ezra: Build with Wisdom
Through four lessons, we see Ezra’s wise leadership and hand in leading the people to spiritual reforms. This book records two waves of return, one led by Zerubabbel and one by Ezra himself. Several books in the study sit within the storyline told in Ezra.
Border: Scroll (Ezra’s teaching of the law)
Images: Scroll (Ezra’s teaching of the law); bricks (temple foundations completed); altar (priestly altar); rain (tears/mourning of the people)
Click images to enlarge.
Esther: Build with Courage
Three lessons tell the familiar and dramatic story of Esther being taken into the king’s harem, becoming queen while remaining silent about her nationality, then courageously standing up and helping to save the Israelite people from extinction.
Border: Goblet (banquets with the king and Haman)
Images: Scroll (edict of the Jews’ destruction); table (feasts); fans (lavish nature of the banquets); hourglass (time running out for the Jews); crown (Esther becoming queen)
Click images to enlarge.
Haggai: Build with Focus
Haggai is the prophet who challenged the stalled, complacent Israelites to reinstate their assignment to rebuild Jerusalem. We cover this book’s powerful call to prioritize God’s agenda over our own comfort in one lesson.
Border: Rings (God would make Zerubabbel like a signet ring as a ruler among His people)
Images: Scenes of finished houses and the unfinished temple, with the temple at the center—showing how it should be the focus
Click image to enlarge.
Zechariah: Build with Vision
Zechariah is the prophet who received eight dramatic visions in one night. He called the people to wholehearted inner devotion to God beyond outward religious formalities. The final two lessons of this six-lesson study contain powerful promises of restoration—about the Messiah, Israel’s denial at His first coming, then their repentance and sorrow when He returns.
Border: Moon and stars (Zechariah received his eight visions by night)
Images: Crown (visions pointing to the Messiah, the King and Ruler over all); lampstands, olive trees, and scales (symbols from Zechariah’s visions)
Click images to enlarge.
Nehemiah: Build with Perseverance
The five lessons on the book of Nehemiah offer an action-packed narrative series recording the opposed yet persevering efforts to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. This book is full of practical leadership lessons. There’s also a great section on spiritual renewal when Ezra read the law and the people recommitted to God.
Border: Hammers (wall-building) and cymbals (celebration at completing the wall)
Images: Bricks (building the wall); spears (defending the wall); harps (celebrating the wall); grapes (filling the storehouse of the temple with food for the Levites)
Click images to enlarge.
Malachi: Build with Care
The prophet Malachi brought God’s loving rebuke to God’s people, who questioned His love for them. This book, which we cover in one lesson, concludes with verses of hope—awaiting Christ’s forerunner and the Messiah Himself.
Border: Gavel (God’s judgment of the people); hearts (God saying, “I have loved you”)
Images: Cross (Malachi pointing to the Messiah); draped cloth (a hint of what Jesus would do, including the resurrection)
Click image to enlarge.
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These images and the explanations are fascinating and so wonderful to look at! They provide a visual lesson (s) remembrance when viewed after studying so intently!! Thank you for the super efforts to create these and for this explanation blog. I might not have noticed otherwise. Wow!!
Catherine
This is a story of Esther from my childhood because I am a Messianic Jew and I heard the story from the time that I was little how the bad man Haman tried to kill the Jews.
But read it because God was though the whole story.
The artwork is amazing. Thank you for sharing the meaning of each prophet.
Thank you so much for the artwork.
In Ezra, even before I saw the “tears” (also thought they may be raindrops) in the artwork , I was taken by the fact in Scripture that the Israelites stood in the “rain,” trembling. Tears and raindrops. What a combination
Thank you very much for your sincere efforts in communicating with people, who are mostly immersed in their own mundane routine.. Feel blessed with each chapter, which comes with lot of thought, enlarging the vision and understanding of Bible. Nice to know about the details about the artwork. God bless you, reward you !🙏
In reading the letters here, they express all I want to say. Thank you BSF for explaining God’s Word to us. For articles for when we’re overwhelmed. I was about to give up my bsf study thinking I couldn’t keep up due to so many of life’s pressures but my daughter and bsf group leader kept me on track.
Thank you for the amzingly beautiful art work that helps bring the vision of the Bible to life. As we all benefit from having visuals even as adults it truely helps paint a picture and it helps tell the story with such clarity. I am forever thankful for my experience with BSF. The study has truly saved my soul from complete and utter brokenness to now being honored to be a part of the family of God in the richest way on earth. I love you BSF family. I wish and pray for more souls saved daily until His final return and that we all at BSF can help bring that into truth for many.
Thank you so much to the BSF creative team!
You did a great job for this year study of Exile and Return.
The beautiful illustrations are more appreciated with the clear explanations in this blog.
May God use it to bring more people to Christ.
I am now studying the lesson of Exile and Return,
Doing the book of Daniel is so amazing indeed, I am learning so much about prayer and I’m moved with that amazing man s life and his love for our Lord !
I also realize how important is praying about everything and trusting our amazing God about everything, be,cause He is all powerful, and knows all things and holds all things in His Hands. I am so thankful for BSF
Staff and all those who work so hard to give us God s Truths, all I can say is Thank you and may our wonderful
Lord bless you richly for helping us to understand what. God wants of us His children to know about Him and the work He is, doing in the world and the time of His return.may we be found ready at His return.
Thank you for the thought and prayer that has gone into developing the detailed art work for this year’s study, Exile and Return. It is not only beautiful, but meaningful and engaging. I can glance at a specific book’s design and instantly recall key teachings and lessons learned. As I reach for my BSF book, I’m often
drawn to the cover. It’s like a visual timeline, connecting books of the Bible that could easily feel disjointed. They’re woven together into one story of God’s love and redemption for His people.
Thank you for this fabulous explanation of the artwork! As an artist myself, the art has been a wonderful addition to the lessons and I’ve always wanted the explanation behind the images. Now that I have them for Exile and Return, it has enhanced and expanded the passages for me and led me to deeper worship of God. The final image and explanation was especially thrilling.
Thank you, again, so very much!!
the artwork is so amazing. I had no idea how much work and detail went into it. Thanks for the explanation of each.
The two articles explaining the thought behind the artwork of the studies have so much insight. As a visual creative learner would really appreciate if they would put some thought into the BSF artwork that could be downloaded and colored. I think it would really help me personally with the lessons for each session since the article is already written perhaps someone could put forward into whatever the work group is the idea of creating this particular download.
Thank you for this feedback and suggestion, Ingrid! We will pass it along!
If it is feasible for Ingrids suggestion to be actioned that would be amazing. My adult daughter and I had also discussed colouring the pictures in the study guide. They are so rich in meaning.