A Covenant between Friends

August 4, 2019 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 18 – 20 Lesson Passage: 1 Samuel 18:1 – 5; 19:1 – 7 During our next series of studies, the focus will be on various covenants. Biblical covenants were not unique but quite common during that time. Basically, covenants are agreements, pacts, or treaties between two equal or unequal parties. For many of the biblical covenants, there was a witness named to the agreement. Sometimes the witness was a living entity and sometimes the witness was an inanimate object, such as a pile of stones or a massive rock. In either case, the parties to the covenant considered the stipulations in the covenant to be binding as long as the parties upheld their obligation(s). Those covenants were often the only assurance of peace between families or nations. Some covenants formed military or political alliances. Covenants were very much a part of the political and economic structures during biblical times. Today’s lesson looks at what may be considered the most simple and basic of all covenants, a covenant between friends. One would think that there would be no need for friends to ever consider the use of a covenant. However, as we will learn in the background scripture of today’s lesson, those covenants could easily extend beyond the life of one or both parties to the covenant and thereby provide a future agreement for the offspring of the parties. As death approached, the covenant partner could be assured that his family would be protected, or provided for, because of the provisions in the covenant. In a sense, some covenants were better than life insurance. After David had slain Goliath, there was something that David said to King Saul that greatly impressed Saul’s son, Jonathan. Jonathan saw David in a special light from that day forward. Jonathan and David made a covenant with each other. Although unspoken, Jonathan’s actions, after they made the covenant, were a clear indication that he saw David as the future king of Israel that would succeed his father. As the son of King Saul, Jonathan was the natural heir to the throne of Israel. This is what King Saul had hoped for Jonathan. However, when King Saul threatened to have David executed, Jonathan intervened and pointed out how his father had once recognized David’s heroism on behalf of Israel. At that time, the king listened to his son and changed his mind and returned David to a place of honor in the royal house. In the meantime, Jonathan had warned David about his father’s plot and had advised David to remain in hiding until he could assure him that it was safe to come out. Jonathan was already demonstrating his willingness to look out for David even if it meant betraying his own father. It is worth noting that, at that time, there was nothing David could do to pay or reward Jonathan for his support. David graciously accepted Jonathan’s help because of their covenant. Perhaps this covenant is what the writer of the proverb had in mind when he wrote, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. David had seven older brothers. But when his life was being threatened by King Saul, none of his brothers protected him—perhaps, they did not know what was afoot. Jonathan, however, had inside information. And David was protected because he had a covenant with his friend. Robert C. Hudson July 19, 2019

Spiritual Discernment

July 28, 2019 Background Scripture: Matthew 7 Lesson Passage: Matthew 7:1 – 6, 15 – 23 Today’s lesson examines the closing statements in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. How does one close out such profound teaching? Jesus closed by admonishing his followers to be careful not to judge what we may see as a fault or shortcoming in others. To do that is to subject one’s self to the same type of judgement. Besides that, it is hypocritical. We all have enough faults and shortcomings to keep us busy addressing them if we elect to do so. Addressing our own faults will also give us a better perspective whereby we may be able to assist others in their shortcomings. We must take care to not minimize our faults while magnifying the faults of others. We should continuously seek God in prayer for what we want or need. Prayer will sometimes require persistence. God is not a vending machine where we put a prayer in and push the button for what we want to see immediately. People don’t even respond in that manner. Persistence in prayer allows us to focus more on our relationship with God. The more we talk with God the more we build our relationship with Him. Persistence in prayer also teaches us patience. We should learn to wait on God to move in His own way at the time He chooses. Persistence in prayer reminds us of the sovereignty of God. Many will hear the good news but only a few will follow the way of God. Finally, we should be on the alert for false prophets. There are many who profess to be what they are not. Jesus warned his listeners to beware of those who profess to speak for God but were not sent by Him. They might look authentic and even sound authentic. Outward appearances can be very deceiving. The proof is in the results, or fruits. What is produced is a direct result of the plant. A plant can only produce the fruit it is capable of producing. There is a tree that grows wild that is a member of the nut-bearing group. The bark, leaves, and overall appearance of the tree looks identical to a pecan tree. In the winter, spring, and summer, the tree looks just like a pecan tree. In late fall, the nuts on the tree will mature and begin to fall to the ground. They are very bitter to the taste! We even called them bitter nuts. It is very difficult to determine the type of tree it is most of the year. However, when it bears fruit, it becomes evident as to what it is. False prophets can be just like that tree. For many seasons, it may be difficult to determine who they are. However, when they bear fruit, Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. A thorn bush cannot bear grapes and neither can thistles bear figs. Likewise, a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. This is what Jesus taught his followers. The proof of who we are as citizens of the kingdom of heaven lies in our actions and not our speech. There are some who call Jesus Lord who are not citizens of the kingdom. All of God’s children have a personal relationship with Jesus. The good that we do comes forth from the Spirit of Christ who lives in us. The good fruit that we bear is evidence of the Spirit living within us. Spiritual discernment allows us to see the Spirit of Christ in others. We don’t judge their character. We are admonished to be “spiritual” fruit inspectors. Robert C. Hudson June 20, 2019

Transforming Love

July 21, 2019 Background Scripture: Matthew 5:38 – 48 Lesson Passage: Matthew 5:38 – 48 This is Part 4 in this series of lessons that examine portions of the Sermon on the Mount. Love has the capacity to change people. That’s the focus of today’s lesson. Love can change the person who shows love as well as the person who receives love. That’s the power of the message in today’s lesson. Jesus taught submission as a response to aggressive evil. Rather than an eye for an eye, Jesus taught his followers to accept non-retaliation as a new way of responding. Rather than escalating violence, Jesus taught how to deescalate tension by refusing to retaliate. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. embraced this approach when he became the iconic leader of the Civil Rights movement. He was not the first to apply Jesus’ principles of non-violent confrontation with evil in recent times. Dr. King had studied the non-violent protest philosophy of Mahatma Ghandi in India and observed its results. Jesus demonstrated his teaching through his own examples. After Jesus’ ascension, his disciples demonstrated his teachings through their examples. There have been others over the centuries to use these principles but these principles have not become common practice among people around the world—not even Christians. Yet, the principles work just as Jesus knew they would. The principles of non-violence work by transforming the hearts of people. Transformation takes time and it cannot be observed externally. What is observed is the change of behavior over time due to the inward change of heart. At the time of the Civil Rights movement, none of the minorities who were being affected had the authority to make decisions to remove the unjust laws and ordinances from the books of municipalities and states throughout this country. That required the transformation of hearts of the decision makers. This is where the teachings of Jesus came in. Dr. King had to cast a vision that led tens of thousands of people to live out the principles Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The people submitted, God responded, and hearts were transformed. Jesus summarized his teaching on this subject by comparing the character of his followers to the character of God. A person’s response should be governed by their character rather than the character of the ones they are responding to. God is holy and benevolent to good and evil people. That’s because God’s actions emanate from His character rather than as a response to the character of others. This is how the followers of Jesus are called to respond to others. Love people because of who we are and not because of who, or how, they are. It is natural for us to respond to people based on how they act towards us. Even evil people will do the same. It is a completely different matter to respond to people solely out of the goodness of one’s heart. To do that is to act in a manner that reflects the love of God in us. As we unleash the love of God into our surroundings, we will see the transforming power of that love in others as well as in ourselves. Robert C. Hudson June 19, 2019

Fulfilling the Law

July 7, 2019 Background Scripture: Matthew 5:13 – 20 Lesson Passage: Matthew 5:13 – 20 Today’s lesson is a continuation of our review of the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s excerpt, Jesus addressed the role of believers in the world and how it affects their standing in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus gave two simple yet powerful analogies for the believer’s role in the world. First, Jesus compared the believer to salt. Salt can do two important things when it comes to food. Salt is used as a seasoning to enhance the flavor of food. This works fine as long as the salt remains salty. If leaching takes place and the crystals that remain are no longer salty to the taste, then the salt is considered worthless as a seasoning. Likewise, as long as salt remains salty, it can be used to help preserve or cure meat so that it has a longer shelf life. Jesus told his listeners that they were the salt of the earth. During the time when few options existed for preserving food, Jesus’ listeners understood how important salt was. Secondly, Jesus compared the believer to light. Light is placed where it can be seen and where it can illuminate everything around it. A weary traveler who happened upon a hilltop city at night would have seen it as a welcomed sight. It can be seen for miles if it is situated on a hill. No matter how far away the city might have been, the sight of the city at night would give the traveler extra energy to at least continue moving until they arrived at the city. It would be a beacon of hope. Likewise, the homeowner would light their oil lamps at night to illuminate the room. It would be pointless to light a lamp and then put it out of sight where its light could not illuminate the space around it. The illuminated city could very well be incidental to a traveler; whereas, the lamp is lit on purpose. In both cases the light serves a definite purpose. Jesus told his listeners that they were the light of the world. To the weary traveler in this world, the believer’s light might be incidental but it could serve as a beacon of hope. Sometimes believers find themselves in dark places or situations. Could it be that God places us in dark places so that we would illuminate the space around us? Again, those who were listening to Jesus understood how important it was to be what God expected them to be. In both examples, Jesus let his listeners know that they were to have an impact on the world around them. They were not going to be saved to become closet Christians or believers. The world would need them whether the world appreciated them or not. We learn in the prophecy written by the apostle John that God is not going to destroy the world until He has removed every believer from it first. The world is being preserved from destruction as long as believers are in the world. The only answer to man’s eternal damnation is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This light, or knowledge of the gospel, can be found in believers. We are the light of the world. We must illuminate the space around us with the gospel of Jesus Christ as a message of hope for the lost. Finally, Jesus made it clear that his mission in the world, contrary to the opinion of Israel’s religious leaders, was the fulfillment of the Law. During his earthly ministry, Jesus was often accused by the Jewish religious leaders of being a Law breaker. But unlike those leaders, Jesus’ righteousness was not an outward display but actions driven by inward purity and holiness. Jesus calls his believers to be even as he was. Robert C. Hudson June 19, 2019