Sunday School Lesson: Making Wrong Choices

Purpose: To understand that there are disastrous consequences to breaking covenant with God.

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:15-21, Psalm 137

What is the best way to discipline a child?

What about a child that is being totally disobedient and not responding to discipline?

What about an employee who doesn’t do his or her job as required? What is the best way to discipline them?

What method of discipline works best for you? To which do you respond to?

What are some examples of behaviors that often lead to painful consequences?

In Proverbs 1 Wisdom is depicted as a woman who "cries out in the streets".

Can you think of any circumstances in your lives that you have made wrong choices that could have been avoided had you heeded God’s wisdom?

What consequences have you had to face as a result of these poor choices?

Pro 1:20-33 ESV
(20) Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
(21) at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
(22) "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
(23) If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
(24) Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
(25) because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
(26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,
(27) when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
(28) Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
(29) Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
(30) would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,
(31) therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
(32) For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
(33) but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

Does that sound like a parent getting very near to stop the warnings and start the discipline?

Pro 1:20-33 MSG
(20) Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts. At the town center she makes her speech.
(21) In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand. At the busiest corner she calls out:
(22) "Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance? Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism? Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?
(23) About face! I can revise your life. Look, I'm ready to pour out my spirit on you; I'm ready to tell you all I know.
(24) As it is, I've called, but you've turned a deaf ear; I've reached out to you, but you've ignored me.
(25) "Since you laugh at my counsel and make a joke of my advice,
(26) How can I take you seriously? I'll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!
(27) What if the roof falls in, and your whole life goes to pieces? What if catastrophe strikes and there's nothing to show for your life but rubble and ashes?
(28) You'll need me then. You'll call for me, but don't expect an answer. No matter how hard you look, you won't find me.
(29) "Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-GOD,
(30) Because you wouldn't take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you,
(31) Well, you've made your bed--now lie in it; you wanted your own way--now, how do you like it?
(32) Don't you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.
(33) First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy--you're in good hands."

How is God’s Wisdom "shouted out" to us?

Through His Word and the word of His messengers.

What is our culture's response to God’s Wisdom as given in His word and through His messengers?

Our culture (as is true of all cultures at all times) scoffs and refuses to listen to the call of Wisdom.

What difference would it have made in your life if you had always heeded Wisdom’s call?

Let’s pray:

O God,
We offer to you our praise and adoration. We give you thanks for your many blessings, for the gift of life and the opportunity it gives us to make a difference in your world. As we study your Word, make us aware of the benefits that come from living in covenant with you and the disastrous consequences of breaking that covenant.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen

Last week’s lesson offered a glimpse at a bright spot in the history of the Judaic monarchy.

Josiah was more faithful to the call of God’s Wisdom than any other king of Judah or Israel.

Josiah repaired and restored the Temple, restored the observance of the Passover Feast, brought about a general repentance of the people of Judah after discovering books of the Law which had been lost through lack of use.

How long did Josiah’s reforms last?

Until his death. Josiah was killed in an unwise military excursion against Pharaoh Neco of Egypt on the plains of Megiddo. Following his death, Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, became king. Jehoahaz only lasted three months before being dethroned by the king of Egypt and replaced with another son of Josiah, Eliakim, whose name was changed to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years before being taken captive to Babylonia. His son Jehoiachin, was crowned king at the age of eight. His reign lasted three months. The last king of Judah was Mattaniah, whose name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was an older brother of Jehoiachin.

Like all the kings who followed Josiah, Zedekiah "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God." Not only the king but "all the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful."

What do you think was God’s response to the continual disobedience of His people?

2Ch 36:15 ESV
(15) The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

2Ch 36:15 MSG
(15) GOD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent warning messages to them. Out of compassion for both his people and his Temple he wanted to give them every chance possible.


What characteristic of God do we see in this verse?

God’s love for the Israelite people led repeatedly in the past to God’s work of salvation. When the people would fall into sin, God would send messengers and deliverers. God would forgive the people, but then the cycle would start all over again. For over 1000 years God had shown pity, compassion, and patience to the descendants of Abraham. Despite the continued unfaithfulness of the people, God continued to have "compassion on his people." God "persistently" responds to unfaithful people with grace.

How do you think the people of Judah responded to God’s compassionate pleas?

2Ch 36:16 ESV
(16) But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

2Ch 36:16 MSG
(16) But they wouldn't listen; they poked fun at God's messengers, despised the message itself, and in general treated the prophets like idiots. GOD became more and more angry until there was no turning back–

What does this verse tell us about God’s patience?

God’s patience has a limit. God is very patient but will not always abide our self-indulgent ways or tolerate our willful disobedience.

Would the outcome have been different if the people had responded differently?

2Ch 7:14 ESV
(14) if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2Ch 7:14 MSG
(14) and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I'll be there ready for you: I'll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health

The people of Judah probably could have averted their exile, but eventually there is a point of no return - "until there was no remedy."

God tried to get the people to wake up and rethink the character of their national life, but they wanted nothing to do with that.

Could the same thing be said of today’s church? Do you think that we need to wake up and rethink the character of the church?

In what ways do we need to rethink the character of the church?

In what ways do you and I personally need to wake up and rethink our character?

In what ways do we (either personally or as the Body of Christ) "mock the messengers of God", "despise his words", and "scoff at his prophets"?

Are we mocking the messengers when we make attending church or Sunday school a low priority?

Do we "despise his word" when we neglect Bible study?

Are we scoffing when we call ourselves Christian but continue to live our lives as we please?

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

Nowadays we talk about "making wrong choices." That is what we used to call sin. It is somehow more palatable to speak of choosing the wrong option - picking Door Number 2- instead of following God’s commandments and Christ’s commissions....We need to acknowledge our forgetting of God, seek forgiveness and follow in God’s way...

As people of the New Testament, we know the redemptive power of God through Christ. However we have a responsibility to obey God’s commandments and to honor the covenant "written on our hearts". How do we forget God in our church and in our lives?

Does God ever give up on us?

Did God’s compassion for the Israelites reach it’s ultimate limit?

2Ch 36:17-21 ESV
(17) Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. 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.
(19) And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels.
(20) He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia,
(21) to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

2Ch 36:21 MSG
(21) This is exactly the message of GOD that Jeremiah had preached: the desolate land put to an extended sabbath rest, a seventy-year Sabbath rest making up for all the unkept Sabbaths.

Is God’s grace evident even in God’s judgement?

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

God’s grace is found even in God’s judgement. Maybe some of us feel like we’ve "blown it." Perhaps our choices have led us to our own place of exile. We find ourselves in the wilderness of our failure and sin. But something can be happening during that exile that we don’t always see.........

Looking back we can see that Israel’s exile was its Sabbath rest. It became as formative for her faith as the Exodus from Egypt and the sojourn in the wilderness. It was out of exile that a whole new theology was forged that strengthened and honed God’s people.

Can we see God’s grace working even in the circumstances of our own "wrong choices"?

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

The same is true of the exiles of our lives. The divorce, grief, failures in our family life, alcohol or drugs can all be redeemed in time. When all our bad choices have led to hard hearts and brokenness; when all the doors seem to slam shut, and judgement rains down, then, in God’s grace, exile can become a period out of which new possibilities emerge.

Does God ever give up on us?

Our behaviors definitely have consequences. It is not a very long road from recreational drug use to total drug dependency. An angry and hateful attitude leads to loneliness and bitterness as even loved ones are driven away. If we fail to listen to God’s Wisdom we separate ourselves from God.

Why is it that we humans tend to have to "hit bottom" before rebounding?

God offers forgiveness and can redeem any situation we create for ourselves, but we still must live with the consequences of our actions.

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

The door of grace always stands open, no matter what a mess we’ve made of our lives. There will be scars that never quite fade, regrets that never entirely go away, effects of sin that still cause pain. But more importantly, there is also the grace of a new beginning and the hope of a new future.

In what ways does our relationship with God change when we are faced with the results of our own actions?

Did the exiled Judahites realize the error of their ways?

Psa 137:1-6 ESV
(1) By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
(2) On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
(3) For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
(4) How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?
(5) If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
(6) Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!

Psalm 137 was written by one of the exiled Judahites. What seemed to be in the author’s mind in this Psalm?

As the author recalled his experiences, he was overwhelmed by bitter memories of oppression and brutality. His anger could not be contained, and it was given expression in this violent outburst. His anger was not only directed toward the treatment of the Jews by the Babylonians, but is primarily concerned with what the Jewish people had lost. They had been forced to leave behind the Promised Land.

Most people do not know the value of something until it’s gone. It took captivity for the Israelites to realize what they had lost. They had not only lost their home and their temple, but had lost their relationship with God.

Our challenge is to seek the grace of God even in challenging circumstances that we bring upon ourselves. We can pity ourselves and wallow in our failures or we can allow our failures to be the launching pad for redemption and change. We cannot escape the cost of breaking covenant with God. Disobeying God takes a terrible toll, but in Christ we can find forgiveness and the power to change our circumstances.

Sunday School Lesson: Seeking Renewal

Purpose: To recommit ourselves to reading and hearing the Scriptures as the key to the renewal or our covenantal relationship with God.

Scripture: 2 Kings 22-23

Tell me if you agree or disagree with this statement:

What you study determines what you become.

Give me some real-life illustrations that support that statement.

How about this:

If you study Christ and the Word of God you become more like Christ. If you study the world and the ways of the world you become more like the world.

Can the study of God’s Word change a life?

Can the study of God’s Word lead to change in our world?

Paul in Romans 12:2 says:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Rom 12:2 ESV)

Can the study of the Word transform our minds and teach us to discern the will of God?

What about ignorance of the Word? How does ignorance affect our walk with God?

Many people stumble in their walk because of ignorance.

How can ignorance of the Word be overcome?

Ignorance can only be overcome by the renewal of your mind, by conforming your mind to Christ.

And what is the best way to conform our mind to Christ?

Are all Christian’s minds conformed to Christ?

Is conforming our minds to Christ as simple as becoming a believer?

Becoming a new person in Christ is much the same as a newborn infant. We do not enter the world with full knowledge of all we need to know to survive in the world around us. As new Christians we are just as ignorant and unknowing as a newborn baby. We must be in a constant state of study and learning about the world around us. What type of adult would a person be if they stopped learning early in their life. We cannot be mature Christians if our Christian Study ended with our confirmation class or when we graduated from the senior high Sunday School Class.

So Jesus said ......, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
(Joh 8:31-32 ESV)

The writer of Adult Bible Studies wrote:

A seminary professor once told me that as a pastor I occasionally would have to try to get my church “to be Christian”...

Churches are “Christian”. Why would a church need to be reminded “to be Christian”?

What are some examples of church activities that may not be “Christian”?

How does a church (or an individual) lose its way?

The writer goes on:

Religious institutions can lose their way just as individuals can. What ought to be the primary focus of their attention can be lost. After all, churches are social institutions as well as religious ones. Weddings, funerals, bazaars, parties, meetings, and other events of a social nature occur at our churches that sometimes have little to do with the gospel. There are lots of churches that are well attended and popular and prospering where the preached and taught word bears only the foggiest resemblance to the gospel itself.

When religious institutions or individuals lose their way, when what was meant to be the heart of the faith is peripheral or ignored entirely, reformation is required. Churches sometimes have to learn how to be “Christian” again.


The most likely culprit when a church or person loses the way is when they lose their commitment to study and know the Word.

Today’s scripture lesson gives us the story of one of the first reformations of faith caused by rediscovery of the Word and what it means to abide in the Word.

Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight when his father, Amon, was assassinated by some of the servants of the palace. The assassins were captured and killed by the people of Judah and the people made Josiah king. Amon “did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manesseh had done.” Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather may have been the most evil of all the Judahite kings. 2 Kings 21 tells us that Manasseh “misled (the people) to do more evil than the nations had done that the Lord had destroyed before the people of Israel.”

Because of Manasseh’s extreme wickedness, God pronounced destruction on Judah.

But Josiah was different. Only King David was more highly favored by the Deuteronomic historian than Josiah and that mainly because of accomplishments. As a man of God, Josiah gets the highest honors:

2Ki 23:25 ESV
(25) Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

Josiah’s reformation did not begin immediately. 2 Kings does not offer a single word to describe the first eighteen years of Josiah’s reign. 2 Chronicles 34, however, says that Josiah began to seek God in the eighth year of his reign and during his twelfth year he began to purge all the high places of Asherah and Baal worship and cleansed Judah of all the priests of the false gods.

The story of Josiah’s eighteenth year as told in 2 Kings begins with Josiah funding repairs and renovations to the Temple. The Temple had obviously fallen into serous disrepair during the reigns of Amon and Manasseh, which happens to all aging buildings, but doesn’t it seem that buildings go down faster when they are not being used?

Have you noticed some of the old country churches around that have very small or non-existent congregations?

It seems almost as if severe deterioration begins immediately when the buildings are abandoned .

Imagine, if you will, what a community would be like if the only church left was rundown and decayed to the point of being condemned.

Stretch your imaginations even further and think what a community would be like if the Bible had been out of use for so long that noone even would know what you meant if you said the word “bible”. Can you imagine the Word of God becoming lost to memory in a lifetime?

Do you even think that such a thing is possible?

Could we Christians become so associated with popular culture that the way of the world replaced the Way of the gospel?

Could we study the way of the world until we conformed to the world and were no longer conformed to Christ?

It happened in Josiah’s time.

2Ki 22:8 ESV
(8) And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

What was this book that was discovered?

Probably the Book of Deuteronomy.

Where was it found?

In the Temple.

How could the book that contained the Laws of Moses become lost in the House of the Lord, in the nation of the people of God?

It was lost because it was not being used. It was not being used because the people were occupied with conforming to the world around them.

From Adult Bible Studies:

When one associates with a culture that thinks a particular way, it is difficult to remain separate and to maintain another view of reality.

What happened when the secretary read the book?

He immediately recognized the significance of the book and took it to the king.

2Ki 22:11 ESV
(11) When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.


What happened when the king read the book?

What was the significance of the king tearing his clothes?

This was an accepted act of genuine repentance.


2Ki 22:12-13 ESV
(12) And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
(13) "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

Josiah instructed his advisors to seek further advice from someone familiar with the Word of God.

He had read the book. Deuteronomy clearly states God’s opinion of folks who fail to follow the law and the possible results. Do you think he may have been seeking a second opinion to find any possible loopholes or means to escape the wrath described in the book?

2Ki 22:14-20 ESV
(14) So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter), and they talked with her.
(15) And she said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Tell the man who sent you to me,
(16) Thus says the LORD, behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read.
(17) Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.
(18) But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard,
(19) because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.
(20) Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.'" And they brought back word to the king.

What do you think Josiah did next?

Huldah offered no hint that God may possibly hear their plea and forgive the sins of the former generations. God had already decreed the destruction of Judah as a result of Manasseh’s actions.

Josiah pushed ahead with the reforms that he had already started. Josiah brought the people together at the Temple to hear these lost words of God and to renew the covenant that had been forgotten.


2Ki 23:1-3 ESV
(1) Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him.
(2) And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
(3) And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

Josiah led the people in a ceremony commanded in the Law:

Deu 31:11-13 ESV
(11) when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
(12) Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
(13) and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

The nation of Judah had lost the Word of God and had forgotten the Word of God, yet when a few men of the leadership of the nation read and studied the Word , their minds conformed to the Word and resulted in a renewal of the covenant with God.

It’s never too late.

After my daddy became so disabled by emphysema that he could no longer work, he had to take an early retirement. He did not have a lot to do and there was very little that he could do because of his physical condition. It’s a good thing that he liked to read. Daddy had always been a reader. His favorite books were paperback westerns written by Zane Grey, Louis L’amour, and Max Brand. Daddy had hundreds of those paperback westerns and he would read them over and over.

Sometime during that time Daddy started reading the Bible. I don’t remember my daddy ever going to church for any reason, even weddings or funerals. We have a New Testament that my daddy received at Vacation Bible School when he was 10 years old in 1951, so I do know that he had attended church as a child. When Daddy started reading that Bible, he read it all. He rediscovered the gospel that he had not heard since childhood. The message had been lost to him, but he found it again.

The preacher from the little country church down the road from Daddy’s house, Andy, had been visiting him regularly. According to Andy, when Daddy started reading that Bible, he also started asking such questions that even a preacher had to dig for the answers.

Because of what Daddy read, he decided that he wanted to be baptized. Andy was elated. There were problems, though. At this stage in Daddy’s illness, he could not walk from the living room to the kitchen without a bottle of oxygen. And even with the oxygen it was an ordeal. How could we possibly get someone in this condition to a church, into a baptistry, and back home again? (This denomination only practices full-immersion baptism.) Andy came up with the solution. He asked permission of his church to baptize Daddy at his home.

One of the high point in my life was the night that a few members of Hebrew Free-Will Baptist Church gathered along with the family at Daddy’s house and Andy sprinkled Daddy and everyone there sprinkled tears of joy. I cried more that night than I did at Daddy’s funeral six weeks later.

The point of this story is that Daddy started late, but it’s never too late. Once he began studying the Word, his mind became conformed to the Word and it changed his life, even though he had very little life left.

God’s Word is not something that we want to lose. How many of us have lost the Word, even with Bibles in our homes. The Bible is the most published book since the invention of the printing press, but it’s one of the least read. Let’s don’t wait until we have to re-learn the Gospel story.

In our world there is no shortage of Bibles. Yet widespread biblical illiteracy means that effectively, the Bible is "lost". What can we do to address that problem?

If we give our minds to God, God will transform our minds. We give God our minds through studying His Word. Our minds conform to whatever we fill them with. For most of my life I filled my mind with the garbage of the world. My mind was garbage. I now fill my mind with Truth and my life has been transformed by that Truth.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
(2Ti 3:16-17 ESV)

Think about that for a moment. Scripture is breathed out by God. What happens when God breathes out something? In Genesis 2 we read that God breathed into a body of dust and what happened? That dust became alive. Scripture is the same. Our Bible is not just a book full of words that tell us some history and offer some suggestions as to how to live. The Scripture is alive and lives in us when we live our lives under the authority of that Scripture.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


There are some cautions to be aware of when studying the scripture:

We should never use the study of Scripture in order to reinforce our current lifestyle or opinions. An honest study of Scripture always challenges us to acknowledge our weaknesses and to move deeper into the faith. An honest study of Scripture always leads to a changed heart.


Our purpose for study of Scripture is not simply to gain knowledge. Our purpose for study is to conform our minds to Christ and thus to become more like Christ because we are the Body of Christ in this world. We must be prepared for our task which is to do God’s will in the world.

Knowledge is a great thing as long as you use it. We can read the Bible through four times a year, but if we aren’t challenged by it and changed by it, we may as well spend our time reading the funny papers.

Let’s recommit ourselves to reading and hearing and being challenged and changed by the Scriptures, which is the key to our relationship with God.

Could a modern reformation begin as simply as a renewed emphasis on the reading and study of Scripture?

Sunday School Lesson: God Answers Prayer

Purpose: To be reminded that God’s answers to our prayers give us the opportunity to fulfill covenantal obligations to others.

Scripture: 1 Kings 3:1-14

I know you’ve all fantasized about what you would ask for if you were given three wishes.

If God were to reveal Himself to you and give you that opportunity, what would be your top 3 wishes?

Given three wishes, what do you think most folks would ask for?

I believe that in our culture, the answer to that would, most of the time, be totally self-centered and materialistic. Those born from 1970 to 1999 have now been dubbed “Generation Me” by one modern psychology professor and share one common trait: this generation is “unapologetically focused on the individual”. In her book Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - And More Miserable - Than Ever Before, Jean M. Twenge, Ph. D. describes a generation whose greatest goals are to “follow our dreams” and to “find ourselves”. Despite these goals (maybe because of them) the Generation Me-ers are for the most part miserable and depressed.

Solomon, in the early years of his reign, was offered a much greater opportunity than a genie in a bottle. Solomon was approached by God, who said “Ask for whatever you want...” What better opportunity to satisfy personal needs and wants could you ask for?

“Whatever you want”.

Think about that for a moment. “Whatever you want.”

“Whatever” is a huge word.

What would you say if God made that offer? Let me start a list. The first thing on my list would likely be, “Every day, for the rest of my life, offer me whatever I want.” That ought to cover it.
Solomon, however, made an altogether different request.

1Ki 3:5 ESV
(5) At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."

What request did Solomon make of God and for what purpose?

1Ki 3:9 ESV
(9) Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?"

When given the opportunity to ask for anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom. This is one verse where various translations can offer different thoughts.

In the ESV and NRSV, Solomon asks for an “understanding mind”. In the KJV and NIV this is translated as “understanding heart.”

What is the difference, if any, between an “understanding mind” and “understanding heart”?

There may be no real, tangible distinction in the choice of words, but do you get a different thought or idea in your mind when thinking of either “understanding mind” or “understanding heart”?

When we speak of the mind what are we referring to?

When we speak of the mind, we speak of intellect, rational and logical thought.

When we speak of the heart (not the organ) what are we usually referring to?

When we speak of the heart we speak of emotions, affections, and compassions.

Which (the mind or the heart) do you think is a more accurate description of Solomon’s request?

When we pray for wisdom, which is more likely to be what we are seeking, an understanding mind or an understanding heart?

Wisdom reflects a balance between the two. Wisdom needs both an understanding mind and an understanding heart.

Which is more needed to be a good Christian?

Both.

Christian faith needs wisdom. Christians need both a discerning mind and a discerning heart. God gave us minds and intended for us to be rational creatures. We must apply our God- given logic to our Christian beliefs and moral principles. Many people in our world see faith and reason as polar opposites that require a person to choose one or the other.

Is faith irrational?

Faith transcends rationality. Our faith is not limited to that which we can merely understand with our intellect. Faith does not oppose reason, but reason can only take us so far. Faith transcends reason and allows us to believe and follow and commit ourselves even when we do not entirely understand. We must use our discerning mind and intellectual powers in the pursuit of truth. We must be willing to recognize the limits of reason and be open to God’s leading which we can perceive but cannot understand.

How can we relate wisdom to an “understanding heart”?

A discerning heart involves the inner core of a human being. It has to do with the direction toward which one is oriented and to whom or what one is open. A part of being in right relationship with God is to intentionally position one’s inner being toward God, to be constantly aware of God’s presence, always open to God’s leading.

When Solomon asked for a discerning heart, he was petitioning God to empower him to discriminate wisely between those things that were in accord with God’s will and those that were not. Solomon was the religious leader as well as the political leader of his people. As such he must be able to judge right from wrong. His need for wisdom was not only to perceive the right course of action for himself, but to make the right decisions for his people.

Solomon’s very first use of his newly bestowed wisdom immediately follows today’s scripture lesson. In that story, Solomon is approached by two women arguing over an infant. This is a famous story and rightly so as it demonstrates clearly the wisdom of Solomon. The story of these women illustrates the power of a discerning heart. Solomon probably did not have the technological knowhow (DNA test) to decide their case by logic and reasoning.

How did he know what the reactions of the two women meant?

He knew in his heart.

The Message gives yet another way to view Solomon’s request for wisdom:

1Ki 3:9-12 MSG
(9) "Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?"
(10) God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon's response.
(11) And God said to him, "Because you have asked for this and haven't grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well,
(12) I'll give you what you've asked for--I'm giving you a wise and mature heart. There's never been one like you before; and there'll be no one after.

A God-listening heart. Doesn’t that span both the understanding heart and the understanding mind?

How does these various translation help you define “wisdom”?

What are some traits in people that you consider “wise”?

In whom do you see some of these traits today?

How does biblical wisdom challenge some of the currently accepted political, social, or economic definitions of “wisdom”?

How would our nation be different if we truly lived according to God’s wisdom?

Notice that Solomon asked for discernment to carry out his duties to his people. What did he not ask God for?

He did not ask God to do the job for him.

Should we ask God to do for us the things that with His guidance we can do ourselves?

How do we ask for that guidance?

We ask for wisdom to know what to do and the courage and strength to do it.

What did God give Solomon in addition to wisdom?

1Ki 3:13 ESV
(13) I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.

The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request and responded with much more than Solomon had asked for.

1Ki 3:10 ESV
(10) It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

This verse gives us a glimpse into the mind of God. What do you see there?

Can you think of any New Testament promises to Christians that are similar to what God promised Solomon?

Mat 6:31-33 ESV
(31) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
(32) For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
(33) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Solomon asked for wisdom, not wealth, but God gave him wealth and a long life as well. Does God promise us riches?

God does promise us to have what we need if we put His will first. We must, like Solomon, keep our priorities where they belong.

Joh 15:7 ESV
(7) If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

What promise is made to us here?

What conditions are given in this promise?
1. We must abide in God.
2. God’s word must abide in us.
3. We must ask.

Why is it important that we ask?

Doesn’t it say somewhere else that God knows what we need before we ask?

Mat 6:7-8 ESV
(7) "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
(8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Why do we need to ask if God knows what we need already?

From John Wesley’s Commentary:

Mat 6:8 - Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of - We do not pray to inform God of our wants. Omniscient as he is, he cannot be informed of any thing which he knew not before: and he is always willing to relieve them. The chief thing wanting is, a fit disposition on our part to receive his grace and blessing. Consequently, one great office of prayer is, to produce such a disposition in us: to exercise our dependence on God; to increase our desire of the things we ask for; to us so sensible of our wants, that we may never cease wrestling till we have prevailed for the blessing.

Do you think that God is ready to give us everything we want but doesn’t simply because we don’t ask?

Jam 4:2-3 ESV
(2) You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
(3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Does that answer the previous question?

Do you think God is ever bothered by our asking?

What are some ways the world defines wisdom? Which of these are compatible with Christianity and which are not? Why?

Why do you think Solomon valued wisdom over everything else?

Is wisdom superior to everything else?

God gave Solomon more than he asked for. Do you think that those who seek and practice the wisdom of God are also blessed with earthly rewards? Why, or why not?

Why do you think wisdom is so hard to attain? What are the obstacles to acquiring it in our world today?

How great was the wisdom that God gave Solomon?

God promised to make Solomon a unique individual, the wisest man who ever lived. We should realize that wisdom is much more than the ability to discern good from evil. The wise person always recognizes and chooses the good. One who recognizes the difference and chooses evil is a fool.

Pro 14:16 ESV
(16) One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Solomon’s gift is more than just the ability to know righteousness; it is the ability to choose righteousness. Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and the strength of character to act upon that knowledge.

How much does our culture value wisdom?

If you were to make the offer of either wisdom or riches to the average man on the street, what do you think he would choose?

How do we become people who value wisdom over riches?

How would a deep value of wisdom benefit us?

What does a lack of valuing wisdom cost us?

When we pray, for what do we most often ask?

Are our prayers most often intercessions for others or personal requests?

What about in church? What concerns do we typically pray for during our worship services?

What can we do this week to place a higher value on wisdom?

How can we seek God’s wisdom as a matter of habit?

Sunday School Lesson: A Promise You Can Trust

Purpose: To grasp the ways that God’s covenant blesses us by replacing human presumption with divine promise.

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7

How do you define promise?

The word promise has different meanings in different situations. In nearly all definitions, promise is something not yet realized. A promising young athlete is one in whom there is obvious potential. One who will become stronger or faster or more skilled in the future. A promising musician is one who shows skill but whose skill is expected to increase and grow and mature.

When we marry we promise to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.

The promise is not yet realized. It is for the future.

When we make loans, we sign a promissory note. We promise to pay back the loan, plus interest, at some point in the future.

When I tell this class that I will teach on the second Sunday of every month, I am promising a future action. Until 10 AM on the second Sunday the promise is unfulfilled.

What ultimately determines the value of a promise?

The fulfillment of a promise is the ultimate determinant of the value of the promise. But what about during the interim? Prior to its fulfillment what determines the value of a promise?

Promises are only as good as the one who makes them. When I forgot that the second Sunday fell during my vacation and failed to secure someone to provide the lesson in my place, my promise became worthless. So what value do you place on my promise to be here to teach you on the second Sunday next month? Probably not as much as you did before last week.

There are three components to our definitions of promise:

1. Potential. A promising athlete or musician demonstrates potential success or even stardom. A signature on a loan note demonstrates a potential payback for the loan institution. An "I do" to a spouse shows a potential life of support and happiness.

2. Obligation. When a promise is made, there is a certain obligation involved in the fulfillment of the promise. How many promising athletes or musicians fail to meet their potential because they fail to meet their obligation to train and practice and study? How many marriage vows are tossed away because one or both parties fail to meet the obligations of being a good husband or wife? How many loans are defaulted because the person who signed the note failed make the obligatory payments?

3. Expectation. All promises contain an element of expectation. We expect those with a promising talent to pursue that talent. We expect our spouse to have and hold, love and cherish, even when times are hard. We expect a person who signs a loan to pay it back. Our children expect us to follow through when we say that we will do certain things. How often we hear the plaintive cry, "But you promised!"

A promise is only as good as the one who makes it. Nothing is so disheartening as a broken promise. Today’s scripture lesson contains a promise that God made to David. Our human notions and components of promise are not adequate when we speak of the promises of God.

What are the differences between a human promise and God’s promises?

God’s promises are much more than potential. God’s promises are an assurance of what will surely and certainly come to pass. God always keeps His promises.

God’s promises are not simple obligations. God’s promises are an indicator of God’s commitment.

God’s promises are far beyond our expectations. God’s promises are declarations of God’s intentions.

God’s promises to David not only blessed David and his descendants, but hold promise for all Christians. Bible scholar Walter Brueggamann has said of today’s passage, "...this is one of the most crucial texts in the Old Testament for evangelical faith." The New Interpreter’s Bible says, "This chapter is the most important theological text in the books of Samuel and perhaps in the entire Deuteronomic History."

Background to today’s lesson:

In previous lessons, we learned of Israel’s loose tribal confederation under the leadership of judges. This confederation proved inadequate in face of the superior forces and technology of the Philistines. The Philistines were ruled by kings and boasted a powerful military with advanced weapons of iron.

The Israeli conflict with the Philistines was an on-again, off-again struggle from the first days that the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The people of Israel became so discouraged at repeated conflicts and defeats at the hands of the Philistines that they demanded the last judge, Samuel, to give them a king "like other nations." Samuel did not support the people and assured them that God would not be very happy at their lack of faith. Despite Samuel’s doubts, the people were convinced that if they were to secure a defeat of the Philistines that they must be "like other nations" and have a king. The first problem was that having a king was not the only way that the people followed in the way of the other nations. The Israelites repeatedly slipped into the idolatrous beliefs of the surrounding kingdoms. The second problem was the first king, Saul, himself. Saul was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel, but was not given absolute authority to do whatever he pleased. He was to lead the people, but was still called to abide by all the laws of the covenant God had made with Moses and the people. Saul did not live up to the responsibility of making Israel into a godly kingdom. Eventually God rejected Saul. While Saul was still reigning, God had Samuel anoint a successor.

What characteristics did God see in David that qualified David to be king?

David was a courageous military leader, who was largely responsible for the defeat of the Philistines. David served in the military under Saul and was so successful that Saul became jealous. David was a talented musician. It was his musical ability that caused Saul to recruit him. David was the author of many of the Psalms.

The most important quality that God saw in David was his faith.

1Sa 13:14 ESV
(14) .......The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people............

A man that would fulfill all the desires of God’s heart, not oppose them as Saul did.

David was not perfect. David was a sinful man as was Saul. The difference between David and Saul was their response. Saul responded like most of us with arrogance, stubbornness, and rationalizing. David when confronted with his sins, came to God in humility and repentance. When convicted in his heart for his deplorable actions with Bathsheeba and Uriah, David cried out to God for forgiveness and in repentance with Psalm 51 which contains one of my favorite verses:

Psa 51:10 ESV
(10) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

What characteristics that made David a good king do we still look for in political leaders today?

Do we very often find those characteristics in today’s political leaders?

At the time of today’s scripture passage David had consolidated his kingdom to include Israel and Judah with Jerusalem as their capital. The ark of the covenant had been recovered from the Philistines and moved to Jerusalem. A fabulous cedar palace had been constructed for David.

As David considered the contrast of his palace and the tent which housed the ark, he called on Nathan the prophet to speak to God for permission to construct a temple that would permanently house the ark of God. David wanted to provide God with a royal house where the people could come and worship. The idea of building a temple sounded so good to Nathan that, without further consultation, he gave his blessing to David’s idea.

Do things sometimes feel so right that we do not feel the need to stop and pray about them?

That’s the way it was with David and Nathan. That very night God came to Nathan and offered His opinion of the proposed building project.

2Sa 7:5-7 ESV
(5) "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
(6) I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
(7) In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

David and Nathan may have thought that building a temple to house the ark was a good idea, but God had other ideas.

2Sa 7:8-9 ESV
(8) Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
(9) And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. .....

God here reminded David of all that He had done, that David was king only because God had made him king. In fact, God had been guiding David since he was a young shepherd. God’s point was to the point: David’s success was due to God’s guidance, not to the ideas that David had dreamed up.

2Sa 7:9-17 ESV
(9) ... And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
(10) And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
(11) from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.
(12) When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
(13) He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
(14) I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
(15) but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
(16) And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'"
(17) In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

Here God reveals His plans for David. What promises does God make to David?

What conditions are there to these promises?

How many of these promises have already become a reality?

This is one of the great examples of the Old Testament reflecting the major theme of the New Testament: unconditional grace. The free promise of the good news available to all.

Does God’s promises to David relieve him from the moral demands of God’s Law?

The passage explicitly states that when discipline is necessary, it will be given.

Does the gospel promise relieve us from the moral demands of the Law?

I previously cited quotes concerning this passage from Walter Brueggemann and from the New Interpreter’s Bible.

Why do you think Brueggemann called this text "one of the most crucial texts in the Old Testament for evangelical faith" and why did the New Interpreter’s Bible declare this passage "the most important theological text in the books of Samuel and perhaps in the entire Deuteronomic History"?

This covenant with David contains no "ifs". The Mosaic covenant contained "ifs". "If" you keep my laws you will be my people. The Davidic covenant is unconditional. This unconditional grace is the basis of Christian belief. Theologians regard this grace as the example of how God always deals with us. This text and the New Testament tell us about the amazing unconditional grace of God. This passage and the New Testament also tell us that this covenant does not in any way nullify the moral laws of the Mosaic covenant.

The Davidic covenant also played the key role in the creation of the messianic hope of the Jews and the Christian understanding that Jesus is that Messiah. Historically the Davidic dynasty ended in 586 BC when Jerusalem was conquered, the temple destroyed and the people of Judah taken away by the Babylonians. Because of the unconditional nature of this promise, the prophets encouraged the people to expect that God would restore them through a descendant of David.

In what ways do we connect Jesus with David?

The messianic hope of the Jewish people was that a human agent of Davidic descent would be God’s "annointed one". The messiah would not represent the end of the world but would save God’s people within the course of history. The early Christians saw the fulfillment of this divine promise in Jesus. Christ is Greek for "messiah". Jesus announced the coming kingdom of God, which would bring about a transformation of human history.

What kind of "house" did God promise He would make for David?

In a clever play on words, God says that He will not allow David to build Him a house but that He would build David a house, referring to a dynasty.

2Sa 7:11-14 ESV
(11)...the LORD will make you a house.
(12) When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
(13) He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
(14) I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. ...

Has God’s promise of an everlasting kingdom been fulfilled?

Absolutley.

Sunday School Lesson: Seeking Deliverance

Purpose: To recognize that although humankind is unfaithful to God’s covenant, God remains faithful to us.

Scripture: Judges 2:10-23

Tell me what you think:

Why do bad things happen to bad people?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

This weeks study is from the Book of Judges. During the life of Joshua, the Israelites had experienced great (although not complete) success in their takeover of the land of Canaan. In Joshua, the Israelites had a strong charismatic leader who kept the people focused on their goal and their God.

Following Joshua’s death, the Israelites suffered a 300 year period of cyclical successes and failures.

The New Interpreter’s Bible begins its introduction to the Book of Judges with this passage:
"The book of Judges is one of the most exciting, colorful, and disturbing books of the Bible. It combines stories of political intrigue and assassination, lies and deception, rape and murder, courage and fear, great faith and idolatry, power and greed, sex and suicide, love and death, military victory and civil war."

That sounds like prime time tv doesn’t it?

Judges tells of the chaotic period following the competent leadership of Moses and Joshua up to the time of the monarchs. This was a time when the Israelite tribes were just a loose confederation with no centralized leadership. The great leadership that the people had enjoyed under Moses and Joshua was replaced by relatively ineffectual localized tribal judges.

The name Judges and the title of "judge" as used in this book can be misleading. The meaning of "judge" in the Old Testament is not the same as our contemporary meaning. The judges were neither kings nor prophets nor "judges" in the judicial sense. The judges were men (and one woman) who were raised up by God to lead His people through a specific trial or time of crisis. The title of "judge" refers more to a political or military leader than to a spiritual or judicial leader.

The time of the judges is best summarized by the final verse of the Book of Judges:

Jdg 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The 300 year period of the judges was cyclical. The cycle usually followed this pattern:

1. The Israelites would fall into sin, usually worshiping the gods of the surrounding peoples.

2. The Israelites would end up in bondage, oppression, or servitude to the surrounding peoples as punishment for and consequence of their sin.

3. The Israelites would beg God for forgiveness and deliverance.

4. God would raise up a deliverer or judge to rescue His people.

This cycle begins with today’s scripture passage and repeats throughout the Book of Judges.

Jdg 2:10 ESV
(10b) ... And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

One of our greatest responsibilities is to pass on our faith to the next generations. This is also one of our most difficult responsibilities. Without the strong uniting leadership of a Joshua or a Moses the Israelites slipped into the belief systems of the people in the world around them.

When people get to the state of "doing what is right in their own eyes" they have taken their eyes away from the One who defines all that is right.

Can you see any parallels between this time in Israel’s history and our present?

What false gods do you see our generation chasing after?

Are we making God angry?

Is it fair to say that we are all idolaters at some level?

One of the greatest parallels is that we live in a world filled with people who would love for us to deny our faith and follow their gods. The god of this world is the god of self. "Whatever feels good, do it." "There is no absolute truth, no absolute right or wrong." "The ends justify the means." "The Bible is a nice history, but has little relevance for me." "Jesus was a great teacher of morals, but not the Son of God." The list could go on and on.

We Christians, like these early Israelites, are very prone to adapt the lifestyles and practices of the culture around us. We tend to buy into whatever is popular or whatever sounds reasonable, regardless of whether what we buy into reflects the image of Christ or that of the enemy.

Our challenge is to remain faithful regardless the temptations that face us.

How good a job of passing our faith to the next generation do you think we are doing?

What are we doing right?

What are we doing wrong?

How could we do a better job of passing our faith on to the next generation?

The more genuinely we practice our faith, the more likely our children will recognize its value and truth and adopt it as their own. If our children see in us a tendency to treat church as a social club, they will recognize that our faith does nothing to change us and will be less likely to commit themselves to it. Faith that does not change us is no different than no faith at all.

Jdg 2:16-23 ESV
(16) Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
(17) Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.
(18) Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.
(19) But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.
(20) So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he said, "Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice,
(21) I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died,
(22) in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not."
(23) So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

What is the relationship between our moral behavior and the circumstances in which we find ourselves?

Bad behavior very often brings bad results in our lives.

Do bad things happen only to bad people?

We can all cite many examples where good things happen to bad people and dreadful things happen to faithful Christians.

From Adult Bible Studies:

"God did not so much actively punish the people of Israel, as God allowed the truth to be revealed. God did not raise a hand against them; God simply withdrew his protection" from them.

What is the difference between God actively punishing Israel and God simply withdrawing His protection?

Are there times that we use the same tactics on our children? Do we in certain circumstances actively punish wrongdoing and in other circumstances allow our children to "learn from their mistakes"?

How did God show mercy toward Israel even when the people were being unfaithful?

He gave them judges.

Does the cycle continue? Have there been examples in all times of falling into sin and bondage, followed by prayer and repentance, and concluded with rescue?

Where is our society right now in the cycle?

Repentance begins with a change in heart and attitude. Following a change in heart and attitude, what specific steps of repentance can individuals, churches, or even nations take to seek God’s mercy?

Do the steps of repentance change from generation to generations and if so how?

What can we do to help our children’s generation and following generations avoid the cycle of idolatry and repentance?

What can happen to the Body of Christ if we neglect our duty to the coming generations?

It has been said that the Church is always one generation away from extinction.

What does it take to build and maintain faith?

Jdg 2:7 ESV
(7) And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.

Why do you think that Israel was faithful only as long as someone like Joshua was around?

What is important about the influence and responsibility that Christian leaders have in the church?

As long as there were people among them who could testify to the amazing things that God had done in liberating them from Egypt, the people kept their faith. But then came a drastic change:

Jdg 2:10-12 ESV
(10) And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.
(11) And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
(12) And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger.

What happened?

Complete the following statements:

1. If they did not know the Lord, the blame must certainly lie with.........

2. If they did not know what God had done for Israel, then __________ had not done what they needed to do.

3. Choosing false gods above the true God was a sure sign that..........

Does it take seeing "great things" to develop and maintain faith?

If so, what type of "great things" does it take?

What are the "great things" that God has done for Christians?

How well are we communicating those things to the next generation?


The Bible is an account of God’s continual pursuit of His lost children. The Bible is also an account of his children’s continual flight from Him in search of their own personal gods. Idolatry was not confined to Old Testament times. We probably witness (and practice) more idolatry than any generation in history. We worship sports and entertainment. We openly embrace all technology and materialism. We continually search for the "next great thing". The Bible tells us that such vain pursuits are all idolatry.

What are the results of idolatry?

1. God is angered.

2. God withdraws His protection.

Where do we look for help when we need deliverance from our desperate situations?

How would you describe the battle that Christians are in today?

How can a Christian’s response to bad experiences be different than that of non-Christians?

Why do you think the presence of evil in the world keeps some people from embracing Christianity?

What role did peer pressure play to Israel?

What role does peer pressure play in our lives and in the way we live our faith?

What does this story tell us about why bad things happen to believers?

What can we learn from this story about the importance of remembering the good things that God has done for us?

How can we say thank you for the compassion that God has shown us?

What can we do this week to encourage a leader in the church?

Sunday School Lesson: Being Mutually Responsible

Purpose: To explore the making of the Mosaic covenant to help us understand our responsibility in God’s covenant with us.

Scripture: Exodus 19:1-6, 24:3-8

Think of some examples of limitations that certain institutions have on our lives.

There are many:

We have traffic laws that limit how fast we drive, which lanes we can drive in, where we can enter onto or exit from the road, etc. These laws place certain limitations on how we behave while driving.

We have local, state, and federal agencies that are charged with financing our governmental programs. These agencies collect taxes from our income, on our property, and on items that we buy and sell. These agencies place certain limitations on our finances.

Our jobs place limitations on our time and energies.

What effect does these limitations have on us?

The limitations set boundaries.

What are the potential problems when we ignore the boundaries?

What are some boundaries that God places on our lives? And, why?

Exo 19:1-6 ESV
(1) On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
(2) They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,
(3) while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
(4) You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
(5) Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
(6) and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."

On the third new moon (50 days) after the Passover, the people of Israel came to Mount Sinai. At Mt. Sinai the people received further revelation of the covenant that God had made with Abraham and promised to his descendants. The Feast of Pentecost was and is celebrated 50 days after Passover in remembrance of this great day at Mt. Sinai.

What was promised to the people of Israel by God?

What boundaries did God place on this promised covenant?

God made several promises to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. He promised them that they would be His "treasured possession among all peoples".

Did God tell the Israelites that they alone were the people of God?

God told the Israelites that they would become "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation".

Were the promises made unconditionally?

The key word in the passage is in verse 5. That key word is "if".

IF "you obey my voice and keep my covenant". If and only if. They Israelites would not become a holy nation if they did not obey God and keep His covenant. The Israelites would not remain a holy nation if they did not continue to obey God and keep His covenant.

Scripture is filled with the conditional word "if". The major function of prophets is to warn us about the "ifs". In what ways do people sometimes bypass the "ifs" of God’s word? Why?

What are the results of ignoring the "ifs"?

The Book of Exodus relates the dramatic way in which God delivered the Israelite people from bondage. Were the people of Israel freed from Egypt so that they could go and do as they pleased?

The purpose of the deliverance from Egypt was not simply so that the people of Israel could be freed from a dire situation. The people of Israel were freed for a purpose. God did not simply say to Pharoah, "Let my people go." God said, "Let my people go so that they may worship me..." Once safely out of Egypt, the Hebrew people were never free to do as they pleased. Both the purpose and the goal of their freedom was so that they may worship God.

What does it mean to be God’s chosen people?

This lesson and the lesson from last Sunday are clear in their statements that God chose the Hebrews out of all the people of the earth. God’s choice of the Hebrew people was a foundational part of their self-understanding as a people. For the Hebrews it was important to understand what they had been chosen for, not why they as a people had been chosen. They knew that they had not been selected because of any particular piety. The law was not given to them until after they were chosen. They were no better than any other people. There is no indication that God did not love other peoples also. Just because the Israelites were considered a "treasured possession" does not make other peoples any less a possession of God. Verse 5 could be restated: "Because all the earth is mine, you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

Were they called to the priesthood only to minister to the other priests(i.e. the nation of Israel)?

The world was the congregation of the Hebrew people. The Hebrews were called to show God to all the world.

God does not love only the priest who serves a congregation. God loves the entire congregation and demonstrates that love by providing a priest for them. God did not and does not love only his kingdom of priests but through them is showing faithful love to all of creation.

All the earth and all its peoples belong to God. God elected a nation of people to serve as His instrument in the world. Israel was not chosen for its own benefit and blessing, but in order to bring the benefit and blessing of salvation to all people. Through Israel God reached out to all humankind. Israel would be the bridge between God and all other peoples.

What was the Hebrews responsibility to the covenant?

To obey and keep the covenant, to remain holy.

What parallel to this covenant relates to us as Christians?

1Pe 2:9 ESV
(9) But you (all Christians) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We as Christians are also freed for the same purposes that the Hebrews were. We are the next royal priesthood. It is now our responsibility to reach out to all humankind. We are now the bridge.

In what ways do you exercise your role as priest?

This lesson from the story of the Hebrews tells of a covenant that is filled with grace. We tend to think of the Old Testament covenants as legalistic and the New Testament covenants as examples of grace. In my opinion, this is a misconception. We tend to believe that if people in Old Testament times wanted to be acceptable before God, they had to obey the Law.

Is this the belief of the modern church, that people in the Old Testament were saved by observing the Law but that we are saved by grace?

In "Adult Bible Studies" the author makes a statement: "We (Christians) do not live holy lives in order to be saved. Rather, having already been saved by God’s grace through faith, it finally becomes possible for us to live holy lives." What does this statement say about Christian’s relationship with God through our covenant?

What does it say about the Hebrews relationship with God?

Did God save the Israelites because they obeyed the law?

We can never be good enough to earn our salvation. We do, however cooperate with God in our salvation. Salvation is entirely (and always has been) a matter of grace, but we still must receive God’s grace. We must respond to God’s grace. Thus, we say we are saved by grace through faith. Sanctification (being a holy person of God) follows justification. It does not precede it and never has. Holiness is not something that we can accomplish. Holiness is a work of God.

What do you think it means that the Israelites were called to be a "priestly kingdom and a holy nation?

What do you think it means that Peter calls all Christians to be a "royal priesthood, a holy nation"?

The passage from 1 Peter is the basis for the theological principal known as the "Priesthood of all believers."

When you hear the phrase "Priesthood of all believers" what do you think?

Do you think that it applies to you?

This "Priesthood of All Believers" asserts that God calls every Christian into ministry. Our ministry is the same as that of the people of Moses. We are to make God visible in the world to folks that would otherwise never see Him.

The covenant given at Mt. Sinai spells out laws of behavior that Israel must keep in order to be God’s cherished people, the kingdom of priests. We as Christians are also called to behave in ways that often set us apart and make us seem strange or different. The New Covenant requires that we die to our old way of life and live in a way that honors Christ.

Do you think that there are many people who want the benefits of the covenant, but do not desire to fulfill their covenantal obligations?

Exo 24:3-8 ESV
(3) Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do."
(4) And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
(5) And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD.
(6) And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar.
(7) Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient."
(8) And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

What was the people's response to the covenant offered them by God?

"All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do."

What do you think would be the result if the people had not obeyed and kept the covenant?

What are the similarities between the covenant God made with the Hebrew people at Mt. Sinai and the baptismal vows we take in the United Methodist Church?

"Will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church and uphold it by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service?"

Just as Moses told the people what God expected of them and the people responded with pledges of obedience, so our baptismal and membership vows clarify expectations and the entire faith community is expected to respond with pledges of obedience.

What will be the result if we do not obey our vows and keep the covenant?

Sunday School Lesson: Trusting Promises

Purpose: To use Abraham’s experience to explore the covenantal relationship between God’s promises and our faithfulness.

Scripture: Genesis 17:1-22

When you think of covenant, what comes to mind?

Do you think of covenant as a type of contract or agreement where two parties agree to certain stipulations?

What happens if one party of the covenant agreement does not fulfill his part of the agreement?

Covenant in the Bible comes from the Hebrew word b’rith, which when translated into Latin was testamentum and became the English word testament. The two major divisions of our Bible, the
Old Testament and the New Testament could also be called the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. What are the major differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant?

The Old Testament is commonly portrayed as a legalistic approach to religion and faith. The New Testament is thought to teach that through Jesus the world is offered a new theology portrayed by grace and mercy. But are the two covenants really that different?

Did Jesus eliminate the moral laws of the Old Covenant?

Did Jesus’ offer of grace eliminate obedience and discipleship?

Was God’s covenant with Abraham offered without conditions?

Is Jesus’ offer of grace offered without conditions?

What are the conditions of the two Covenants?

The condition is faith.

Let’s read:

Gen 17:1-8 ESV
(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
(2) that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly."
(3) Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,
(4) "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.
(5) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
(6) I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
(7) And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
(8) And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

What did God promise Abraham?

God promised that the descendants of Abraham would not become a nation, but would become a "multitude of nations". Abraham would not be the ancestor of a king, but the ancestor of kings.

What were the conditions of God’s promise to Abraham?

Many Christians are of the opinion that God’s covenant with Abraham is unconditional. Some also understand God’s covenant of grace through Jesus Christ in this way. Yet, read carefully and see that God’s covenants come with some requirements.

The first condition is in verse 1: to walk before God and be blameless (perfect).

The second condition is that all the males of Abraham’s family were to be circumcised.

Gen 17:9-10 ESV
(9) And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.
(10) This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

There were requirements of the covenant from Abraham’s side and certain responses that God expected Abraham to make. God’s offer to Abraham was a great act of grace on God’s part. God approached Abraham with the offer of covenant. The covenant and it’s promises were God’s idea, not Abraham’s.

Do you think Abraham’s faith was a response to God’s covenant of grace, or was God’s covenant a response to Abraham’s faithfulness?

Or, did God "know" before offering to covenant with Abraham that Abraham would respond in faith?

Abraham had demonstrated great faith long before God’s offer of covenant. God told Abraham to go and Abraham went. Throughout the story of Abraham, over and over, the faithfulness of Abraham is emphasized. Abraham many times responded to God’s initiative with obedience.

Is grace only offered to those persons whom God "knows" will accept it?

If that were true, then can’t we conclude that we are able to somehow earn or merit grace by what we do?

Eph 2:8 ESV
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith...

Which comes first: God’s grace or our faith?
The rest of the verse:

Eph 2:8 ESV
(8) ..... And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Salvation is always a matter of God’s initiative and our response. For those of us who base our beliefs on Wesleyan teachings, God’s grace is always "prevenient"(prior) to our faith. God’s grace makes possible our faith. Our faith takes the form of recognition of our sinful state, confession of our sin, and repentance. Faith does not end at that point. Faith goes on to result in our growth in grace: sanctification. In other words, like Abraham, we walk before God and progress to the point of being blameless (perfect).

What is the relationship between God’s grace and our faith in Ephesians 2:8?

God’s grace, always prevenient, and always a gift offers us our only possibility of reconciliation. Faith is our acceptance of God’s offer. If God’s grace saved us - whether or not we wanted to be saved, whether or not we were faithful - it would be a great expression of God’s power, but not of God’s love. If grace were only offered in response to faith, then our salvation is contingent on our merit, not God’s mercy. Grace is always prevenient to faith.

God’s grace is offered to us freely. Does God have expectations of us, like He did with Abraham?

What are those expectations?

Like Abraham, we must respond with faith. Our justification requires repentance, commonly called the "new birth." Our sanctification requires "being blameless" and moving on toward perfection in love.

What is the relationship between baptism for Christians and circumcision for the children of Abraham?

Circumcision for the Hebrews stood as an act of initiation into a community of people who were in special relationship with God. Circumcision symbolized the removal of impurity. It signified entrance into the covenant relationship and served as an identifying mark of that identity.

In the New Testament circumcision is spoken of as a spiritual change of heart more than a physical procedure.

Rom 2:28-29 ESV
(28) For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.
(29) But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

John Wesley’s Commentary:
But he is a Jew - That is, one of God's people. Who is one inwardly - In the secret recesses of his soul. And the acceptable circumcision is that of the heart - ......; the putting away all inward impurity. This is seated in the spirit, the inmost soul, renewed by the Spirit of God. And not in the letter - Not in the external ceremony. Whose praise is not from men, but from God - The only searcher of the heart.

This "circumcision of the heart" is also spoken of in the Old Testament.

Deu 30:6 ESV
(6) And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

The early Christians quickly divided on the issue of circumcision, but there is a very clear relationship between the Hebrew practice of circumcision as a symbol of relationship with God and Christian baptism.

Col 2:11-12 ESV
(11) In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
(12) having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

We can view baptism as "the circumcision of Christ". The function of baptism is the same as the function of circumcision for the Jews. It is a ritual that signifies the entrance into a covenant community and is a symbol or sign that we have aligned ourselves in the New Covenant of Christ.

The community of the old covenant was the Hebrew people and the people were initiated into that covenant by circumcision. The community of the new covenant is the Christian Church and we are initiated into this covenant by baptism.

Baptism is not something that a person does himself. Baptism is something a person receives.

Baptism bestows upon us an identity, a hope, and a mission. Baptism marks us as belonging to Christ and to Christ’s Church.

Just as infants eight days old are initiated into the covenant community of the Jews, so we, even as infants, are welcome to receive the sign of our covenant and become a part of the Christian community.

One quick word about names before we move on:

In verse one God says, "I am God Almighty" (El Shaddai or God of the Mountain). This is the name of God as known by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job. God was not known as Yahweh until Moses’ time.

Also notice that in this passage Abraham’s name was changed. The name Abram means "exalted father", ironic for a man who was not a father at all until very late in life. His new name, Abraham, means "father of a multitude". This name change signified that Abraham was entering into a new phase of life, that he was in a new relationship, not only with God, but with history.

In our next passage Sarah’s name is also changed. This change is more subtle, but says much about the new status of Abraham and Sarah. Sarai means "princess". Sarah means "Princess".

Moving on.......

Gen 17:15-22 ESV
(15) And God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
(16) I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
(17) Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
(18) And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"
(19) God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
(20) As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
(21) But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year."
(22) When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

Here we have further clarification of God’s covenant with Abraham. God had told Abraham many years before that he would have a male heir. With what amounts almost to a lack of faith, Sarah and Abraham attempted to help God’s promise of a son by arranging for Abraham to father a child with Sarah’s servant Hagar.

Now Abraham learns that Ishmael is not the promised son. The son that God had promised will be mothered by Sarah. Sarah was well past childbearing years thirteen years earlier when Ishmael was born, yet God again declares that Sarah will give birth to the child of promise.

Let’s read verse 17 again:

Gen 17:17 ESV
(17) Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

Why did Abraham laugh?

How would you describe Abraham’s level of faith at this point?

How often do we see that both faith and lack of faith can reside in a human being at the same time?

Abraham displayed true piety by falling on his face, adopting the posture of prayer and worship. At the same time he laughed at the thought of a 99 year old man and an 89 year old woman conceiving and giving birth to a son. Abraham had a good enough understanding of biology to realize the practical impossibility of such a thing.

Wouldn’t it have been much easier for God to have given Abraham and Sarah a son much earlier, while still in the prime years for childbearing?

Why did God wait so long in fulfilling His promise?

It is sometimes very difficult for us to have patience even with God. We live in an instant, drive-through, microwaveable, just-add-water world. We want what we want and we want it now. We may even pray for patience. Our prayers may go like this: "God, please give me patience and give it to me right now!" When our expectations experience a delay, our faith may suffer.

Abraham at once displays faith and lack of faith. There is a story in the ninth chapter of Mark where a similar faith/lack of faith is displayed. In that passage a man brought his convulsing child to the disciples so that they could cast out whatever spirit was causing the seizures. Jesus shows up and asks what is going on and is told by the man that the boy has suffered in this way all his life. Then an interesting exchange takes place:

Mar 9:22-24 ESV
(22) ......But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
(23) And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes."
(24) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

Doesn’t this man sound somewhat like Abraham?

Don’t we often find ourselves with these same types of feelings?

The Bible is loaded with stories of people who find themselves believing and unbelieving at the same time. Over and over God did great things for the Israelites. Over and over their faith was shown. Over and over, sometimes very quickly, they forgot the great things that God had done.

The same is true for us. God does wonderful things in our lives. We respond in faith. Our faith may even grow and grow. Then something happens. Temptation may enter our life, or tragedy, or pain or sickness or boredom and our faith suffers.

Many times in Abraham’s life, he demonstrated great faith. Yet we also read that he laughed at God’s promise of a son for he and Sarah.

Most of us can relate to both Abraham and the father of the convulsing son in Mark. We believe. We really want to believe. Yet our faith falls short. Many times it is easier to speak of faith than to act in faith. Faith in God’s promises calls for faithfulness. Faith in the New Covenant requires us to respond in faith. We are told that faith that does not lead to acts of righteousness is not real faith.

How does our faithfulness relate to God’s promises?

Did God choose Abraham because he demonstrated his faith by his acts of obedience?

Or was Abraham faithful because he had already been chosen?

The covenants that God made with Abraham were meant to be transformational.

The covenant that God has made with us is meant to be transformational.

But....

How much must we be transformed before we can enter into the covenant?

What was required of Abraham before God chose him?

What is required of us before we take our place in God’s kingdom?

By the way, the man’s faith in the story from Mark was enough. Jesus healed his son.

What do these stories tell us about God’s grace and the relationship between God’s promises and our faithfulness?

God accepts our limited faith and nurtures it and makes it grow. God’s faithfulness to His covenant never fails. When we act on our limited faith, we find that God never fails us. Our covenant with God depends on the unwavering faithfulness of Gd. We can stray from our covenant with God, live in defiance of it, even reject the identity that the covenant offers us, yet the covenant still stands. God is ever faithful. We are all sinners, yet we can never be so sinful that God expels us from the covenant. God waits patiently for our conviction and repentance, to return and reaffirm our place in the covenant.

Living in covenant relationship with God demands our faithfulness. We may, like Abraham, think that our idea of how to live our life is better than God’s idea. We find it hard to imagine the marvelous things that God has in store if only we remain faithful. Faithfulness means believing in things that are as yet unseen, trusting God and responding to God’s call when all the evidence in our practical minds tells us that the promised results are not possible.

Let’s summarize this lesson:

1. When God enters into covenant with us, He forever changes who we are and who we will be.

God entered into covenant with Abram. Abram, exalted father, became Abraham, father of multitudes. Sarai, a princess, became Sarah, a Princess. Two elderly people challenged scientific beliefs and became parents.

The same things are offered to us in the New Covenant. In Christ, we are offered new identity. Through "new birth" (1 Peter 1:3) we become a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a "new self" (Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10).

2. When God enters into covenant with us, He gives much more than He receives.

Abraham was offered kings for descendants until the end of time. All He asked in return was faithfulness symbolized by a minor surgical procedure. Jews do not consider circumcision to be minor. They see their symbol as a mighty work. How could such a minor thing ever earn the blessings that God has given?

3. When God enters into covenant with us His focus is on His grace, not on our worthiness.

The basis of Abraham’s relationship with God was grace through faith, not his own doing, but God’s.

The basis of our relationship with God is grace through faith, not our own doing, but God’s.