Monday, September 29, 2014

Yet I Will Rejoice

October 5, 2014 Background Scripture: Job 1; Psalm 56; Habakkuk 1 – 3 Lesson Passage: Habakkuk 2:1 – 5, 3:17 – 19 Perseverance; that’s what comes to mind when one sees the title of this lesson. Perseverance is not unavoidable longsuffering. That has more to do with pity and pouting. Nor is perseverance struggling to hold on in the face of impending doom. That disposition is a matter of bracing for disaster. Perseverance speaks of the absolute will to survive with no other options or Plan B to resort to. Perseverance says “When the dust settles, I will still be standing.” Habakkuk’s extensive prayer dialog with God provides the means whereby we can receive a deeper understanding of the strange intermingling of God’s grace with His divine judgment. People know how to emulate one or the other. We can be merciful to those who deserve our worse or we can insist that people suffer the consequences due to them. Contrary to mankind, God’s personality allows the coexistence of grace and judgment to abound in all situations. We look to Habakkuk’s experience with God to aid us in our quest for understanding. Habakkuk does not appear to have doubted that God is supremely holy. Nor does it appear that Habakkuk doubted that God detests evil. How then would God allow evil to persist in the midst of His people who He commanded to be holy even as He is holy? Habakkuk sought to comprehend God’s patience with evil in light of His divine holiness. Was God more tolerant of sin and evil than previously suspected? Everyone did not openly practice evil but they were all mixed in together. Why would God not destroy the evil and justify the righteous? When God revealed His plan to Habakkuk, it led to more questions than answers. God was going to use an ungodly nation to punish Israel. Why would God use evil to bring about righteousness? Without trying to justify Israel’s iniquity, the question Habakkuk posed was “How can a holy God punish His people—who should be holy—by using a nation that is more morally corrupt than they are?” From Habakkuk’s viewpoint, God should punish Israel Himself. Then the only thing left to do with the evil and corrupt Chaldeans would be to destroy them. But God was doing something very different than what Habakkuk had in mind. Habakkuk made up his mind that he would wait and watch to see what God would do about the iniquity of Israel. God answered him that Israel would indeed be punished for her iniquity but those who He would use to punish Israel will also be punished. Moreover, Habakkuk gained a new insight: The hope of God’s people lies beyond punishment not in it. There was hope for Israel beyond the punishment because God already had a plan for Israel. There was no need to worry about the evil nation that would be used by God because their deeds that will be manifest as punishment for Israel would also be their undoing with God. God was going to destroy that nation after Israel’s punishment was complete. There was a lesson to be learned by God’s people. God’s punishment of His people by any means is never an end but always a means to a more righteous position. In spite of the punishment sent by God, which is deserved, yet we should rejoice in the promises of God beyond the punishment. Robert C. Hudson September 25, 2014

Monday, September 22, 2014

Future Peace and Joy

September 28, 2014 Background Scripture: Jeremiah 33 Lesson Passage: Jeremiah 33:1 – 11 In today’s lesson, Jeremiah receives a second message from the Lord while he is locked up in prison in the king’s court. Like the last message, this one also informed Israel that her future would be bright. God gave details of the charges against Israel that led to the punishment she was going to endure. Some of them had set up shrines on top of their houses where they burned incense to Baal. Perhaps they thought it was being done in secret because no one could see them on top of their houses. But God was watching the whole thing until He said He had to turn His face away from them. Their sins against God became so repugnant that He declared their punishment would take place and He would not prevent it. But even in times of punishment, God’s mercy and grace outshine His justice. God was going to punish Israel but He would restore Israel in the future after her punishment was over. With all of this good news God was giving Jeremiah, why did He allow him to remain in the prison during this ordeal? Perhaps it was in keeping with the provision that God would not put more on us than we can bear. Jeremiah had already witnessed some of the skilled craftsmen of Israel being deported to Babylon. Jeremiah had been given a message for Israel. They were admonished of God to build houses in Babylon and plant gardens for their stay in Babylon would be for seventy years. Jeremiah was warned of God that the houses and walls of Jerusalem would be burned with fire by her enemies. Jeremiah had a very difficult responsibility as a prophet of bad news concerning the nation’s punishment. To prophesy doom and then watch it unfold was a heavy burden. Jeremiah would weep over Jerusalem for Israel’s sake. Perhaps Jeremiah’s stay in prison provided an emotional refuge for him. It would also make it easier for him to receive the message of good news from God when he was not observing the unfolding doom that he had already prophesied. Sometimes we can become so caught up in a painful reality that we forget that God can turn it all around whenever He chooses. In this case, God declared that He was going to turn it around. Whereas prison is often seen as a form of punishment where an individual’s freedom of movement is restricted or taken away, God allowed Jeremiah to remain there as a place of solitude where he could open his heart and mind and allow God to speak to him. God knows exactly what we need—even before we ask. God knows how to take care of His own. On the outside, the Babylonian army had the city of Jerusalem under siege and its fall was imminent. But on the inside, Jeremiah had quality time with God where he was receiving a message that showed a future for Israel that would be filled with peace and joy. Israel would be a sovereign nation again. Shepherds will once again roam the Judean hillsides and the cities will be filled with couples celebrating weddings. Israel will again sing Zion songs in the land of Zion and not bear the burden of avoiding those songs in a strange land. Robert C. Hudson September 18, 2014

Monday, September 15, 2014

Anticipation of a New Future

September 21, 2014 Background Scripture: Jeremiah 32 Lesson Passage: Jeremiah 32:1 – 9, 14, 15 While the nation of Israel waited in fear, knowing that the capital city of Jerusalem would soon fall to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, God was already laying out the plan for Israel’s future return to Zion. Against what undoubtedly must have appeared to be impossible odds, God was proclaiming a future victory for His people. Although this victory would come seventy years after their imminent defeat, yet it would come with absolute certainty. The Babylonians had invaded Palestine and laid siege to Jerusalem. Judah’s immediate future was dim. Judah’s king, Zedekiah, was holed up in Jerusalem with supplies running low. God’s prophet, Jeremiah, was imprisoned in the king’s prison in his house in Jerusalem. In the midst of this depressing situation, God commanded Jeremiah to purchase some family land that was currently under the control of the Babylonian military. The Babylonians had taken possession of the land but God commanded Jeremiah to purchase it from his cousin. The purpose of this transaction was to demonstrate the assurance that God’s word would come to pass and Israel would again occupy Palestine. Jeremiah was purchasing land from a cousin who no longer had control of the land himself. Meanwhile, King Zedekiah kept Jeremiah locked up in prison because he was convinced that the series of unfolding events happened because Jeremiah had spoken it and not because the Lord had declared it. King Zedekiah made the mistake that many have made through the years. He ascribed God’s work to that of the prophet of God. Prophets do not make things happen by announcing that they will happen. Prophets speak as they are led by the Spirit of God and they only speak what God gives them to speak. Whenever this is the case, then prophecy is like a mold that history is poured into. Prophets don’t change the course of history. They just proclaim what God has revealed to them concerning the future. This is not a comfortable position for a prophet to be in and they often need reassurance from God concerning the word of prophecy. Such was the case in today’s lesson. God told Jeremiah beforehand who would come to him and why they would come. Jeremiah’s cousin was coming to make him such a ludicrous offer, that Jeremiah would need some assurance from God that this was from Him. Jeremiah’s cousin was offering to sell him some family land that he had loss possession of through the occupation of the Babylonian army. God instructed Jeremiah to accept the offer and make the purchase. This transaction was to be a sign to the prophet and to Judah that God would indeed return them to the land of Zion. Judah was about to be severely punished for their iniquity but they were receiving assurance ahead of time that once the punishment was over, God would restore them again. Although their present situation looked bleak, they could still anticipate a new future where they would again be in fellowship with God and living in the land God had given to their ancestors. Robert C. Hudson September 12, 2014

Monday, September 8, 2014

Hope for the Future

September 14, 2014 Background Scripture: Jeremiah 31 Lesson Passage: Jeremiah 31:31 – 37 Hope is one of the abiding graces. When all else fails, one should be able to depend on the three abiding graces: faith, hope, and love. Although Israel was confronted with a dismal existence as captives in a foreign land, God sent a word of encouragement through Jeremiah which gave the nation hope for a future where conditions would be better. The nation of Israel would be restored to the land of promise and a state of sovereignty as a nation. The restored nation would have a new covenant with God. In spite of Israel’s rebellious ways towards God, God proclaimed that His love for Israel is an everlasting love. God provided a vision of the restored nation to Jeremiah whereas Israel would be living in the land of Zion and enjoying the fruit of the land. Israel had been scattered but the promise was that she would be gathered again as a large nation of people. Zion would again be inhabited by the people of God and they will praise Him for His goodness. They could not sing Zion songs in a foreign land but after restoration, they would again sing praises unto God’s name. Israel was assured by the prophet that the future would be bright for the young ones of Israel. All good parents want their children’s future to be better than the parents’ past and present. How comforting was this word of hope that assured them that their children would be free in their own country and not foreigners in the land of their oppressors. This vision of Israel’s future was refreshing to the soul of Jeremiah. Jeremiah had wept for Israel as he witnessed them being taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Those tears would one day be exchanged for joy and gladness. All of this would be made sure by way of a covenant between God and Israel. Generations would no longer suffer because of the sins of their forefathers. The forefathers would suffer for their own sin and the children would suffer for their sin. God is fair (just) and He would not allow any to blame Him for the conditions that are imposed on them because of the sin of others. This attitude would be done away with through the new covenant. The new covenant would not be etched on stone tablets but written in the hearts of the people. They would not need to be taught the provisions of the covenant because it would be in their hearts and known of them. The new covenant will not be a condemning covenant like the old covenant. The old covenant was against human nature and it constantly pointed towards man’s shortcomings (sin and iniquity). The new covenant would allow Israel to experience the grace of God and He would forgive their iniquity and take away their sin. The old covenant described God’s righteousness and pointed out man’s shortcomings. Through the new covenant God would provide a way for Israel to receive His righteousness. The old covenant identified what they were missing and the new covenant provided what they needed from God to cover their deficit. Through the description God gave to Jeremiah, one can see that the new covenant is comprehensive and extends throughout time. The prophetic word God gave Jeremiah for Israel was relevant for Israel’s immediate and distant future. Robert C. Hudson September 8, 2014