A Justice-Loving God

April 26, 2020 Background Scripture: Isaiah 61:8 – 62:12 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 61:8 – 11; 62:2 - 4a The background scripture covers two very important aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy, the advents of the Messiah and the restoration of God’s people. The gospel story presented in the four accounts of the gospel starts during the Messiah’s first advent. The gospel accounts take us to the birth and early history of the church. The Messiah’s second advent takes place during the prophetic timeline in the book of Revelation and it leads to the ultimate restoration of God’s people. One of the things that makes Isaiah the greatest of the writing prophets is that his prophecy reaches across the entire spectrum of the bible, from Genesis to Revelation. The sixteen verses in the background scripture cover an enormous span of time. It started around 30 A.D. and continues to unfold today. That’s too much for us to grapple with in one lesson. However, prophecy has two other properties that make it useful for us today. In addition to its ultimate fulfillment, it also had meaning and relevance for the original recipients of the writing. This was their encouragement as they went through difficult times and eventually were exiled in foreign lands. Because of the word of God, the people of God knew that God would restore them to a glory befitting God’s people. No matter how dark the days may have gotten, the people of Israel knew that God watched over His word and He would bring it to pass. They knew that God would deliver them from whatever they faced, and He would restore them. Isaiah’s prophecy assured them of it and encouraged them. God promised to have watchmen appointed on the walls who would not rest but cry out to Him to fulfill His promises to His people. No matter how dismal the day was for them, God always provided a watchman. Those are the two extreme interpretations of prophecy, the ultimate fulfilment at the end of time and the immediate meaning for the original recipients of the writing. Our benefit today lies in the spiritual nature of the prophetic message. The prophetic message has spiritual principles that contain truth that is always applicable. When a child of God embraces this, then there is a seeking of that truth whenever the prophetic word is under consideration. There are great promises as well as stern warnings to be found in the word of God. When God declares a thing to be wrong for Israel, then there is something wrong about that for the people of God in all ages. When God makes bold promises to Israel concerning their future, then there is something encouraging about that for children of God in all ages. Israel suffered many things during their history as a result of disobedience on their part. God never abandoned them at any time. God was always faithful even when they were not. Today, we understand that God never changes because we have the benefit of Israel’s history that shows it. We can rest assured that God will never leave nor forsake us either. Just as we have those great promises of God, we also should remember to heed God’s stern warnings. God demands that His people show justice—tempered with mercy. This is God’s character and He demands it of His people. God declares that He is holy and demands that His people be like Him. We must love justice because we serve a justice-loving God. Robert C. Hudson April 16, 2020

An Executed Scoundrel

April 19, 2020 Background Scripture: Esther 3, 5, 7 Lesson Passage: Esther 7:1 – 10 The book of Esther is always a great study. Even if we know most of it and can recite it from memory, there is something about reading it that tends to convict the reader. Several personalities are brought to light in Esther. King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti, Haman, Mordecai, and Esther all present a different learning opportunity for the reader. (For the record, Queen Vashti was years ahead of her time!) Today’s lesson revolves around Haman. Haman is a reminder of the person who gets something they don’t deserve and yet they are so jealous that they don’t want to see others get what they do deserve. Haman’s brief biography found in Esther allows us to quickly identify him as a bad character who is about to discover karma. Haman wanted to be praised by men although he did nothing to deserve it. The thought that Mordecai would use his religious faith as a reason not to pay homage to Haman made him even more furious. Haman was willing to destroy the entire race of Jews just to have Mordecai executed. Haman used his political position to set it all up. The Jews were slaves in a foreign land. They were taken captive and moved there before the Persians and Medes came to power. Even with the change in political power, the social standing of the Jews never changed. They were slaves to whomever was in power at the time. From Haman’s perspective, this made Mordecai’s lack of respect for him even more demeaning. Based on the social and political standing of Mordecai and Haman, the outcome of this conflict should have easily gone Haman’s way. However, there is an unseen God constantly working in the heart of the king throughout the book of Esther. That’s one of the peculiarities about the book. God is never mentioned, but it is clear that He is controlling the outcome of various situations that unfold. There are a number of moral/ethical principles that can be cited based on the events in this book. “If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.” “When you succeed in life, don’t forget where you came from.” “When you are successful, remember that others worked on your behalf. No man is an island to himself.” “Although you might not be able to solve the problem, there is a role you can play to be part of the solution.” “A man who has not found something he is willing to die for, is not fit to live.” “If you dig one ditch, you better dig two.” Of course, this lesson is mostly about the last statement. Haman, at the advice of his friends, had a gallows constructed that was seventy-five feet high to hang Mordecai from. Haman didn’t just want Mordecai dead. He wanted him humiliated by the method of execution. But God was working in the heart of the king. The king asked Haman for an elaborate way to honor a person in his kingdom. Because Haman thought it was for him, he wanted no expense spared. When Haman learned that Mordecai was to be honored and he had to bestow the honor, it was crushing for him. Finally, at Mordecai’s insistence, Esther got involved and found an occasion to expose Haman to the king. With Haman’s plot exposed, the king ordered Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. And with that, the scoundrel was executed. Robert C. Hudson April 13, 2020

A Resurrected Savior

April 12, 2020 Background Scripture: Mark 16; 1 Corinthians 15 Lesson Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1 – 8, 12 – 14, 20 – 23, 42 – 45 Resurrection. The word resurrection evokes various emotions that seem to quickly come and go until our minds settle down in a state of indecision. Is it truly possible for the dead to live again? If it is possible for the physically dead to live again, then why not just keep on living, and avoid the unpleasant thought (and perhaps experience) of physical death? I think it is true that the thought of physical death is one of the most unpleasant of all human thoughts. Oftentimes, we avoid thinking about it. At other times—between funerals for family and loved ones—we just hope to avoid physical death altogether. This is not some modern-day philosophical thinking. I recall King Hezekiah’s reaction after he was told by the prophet that his time to die had arrived. King Hezekiah turned to the wall and begged God for more time. The thought of death is tough! Afterall, we have limited experience with life and NO experience with death. After seeing so many people die and never return, it is difficult to not think of death as tragic. In fact, just writing about death brings on a somber mood. But there is one thing that quickly changes one’s emotions when thinking or talking about death. Resurrection is the cure for death. To know that death is not final is a refreshing thought after feeling down from contemplating death as a tragic end. It’s like hearing that there is a cure for some affliction one has. The main question is, “How do I get the cure?” As a teenager, I wanted to know: If there is a cure for acne, how can I obtain it? Unfortunately, as we age, the list of things we eagerly seek a cure for gets longer. But the ultimate question is: If there is a cure for death, then how do I obtain it? There is only one place to get it. You must get the cure from the person who has experienced eternal resurrection. Of course, “eternal” is the key word. We shouldn’t be seeking some temporary fix. The bible identifies numerous persons in the Old and the New Testaments that were raised from the dead. Yes, there have been many individuals raised from the dead, but they died again. (I would have loved to talk with one of them to glean whatever I could from what they felt, learned, or remembered. Afterall, they experienced death. Do they remember any of it?) But, all of those were temporary. Eternal resurrection, on the other hand, is to be raised from the dead to NEVER die again. The only one to talk to about eternal resurrection is the first one who experienced it, i.e., Jesus. Jesus declared, “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore”. Jesus is the one to talk to about resurrection! Jesus is the central figure in our lesson and his resurrection is the topic. According to the Apostle Paul, after his resurrection, Jesus showed himself to many believers. In one of those instances, over five hundred believers saw him. He even invited the Apostle Thomas to place his finger in the hole in his hand where the spike had held him to the cross. No matter how much Thomas doubted, Jesus wanted to remove Thomas’ doubts about his resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection was and is good news and it was important for those eyewitnesses to be assured of its reality so they could publish it throughout the world. Christians have been saved from eternal damnation since the first century because we received and believed the good news about a resurrected Savior. Robert C. Hudson March 30, 2020

A Just Servant

April 5, 2020 Background Scripture: Isaiah 42 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 42:1 – 9 It is challenging to me to write about this lesson’s text without saying something about the author. Isaiah was the greatest of the writing prophets. The prophecies God spoke through Isaiah covered the greatest span of human history of all biblical writers. The overall structure of the writing is very similar to that of the bible. Just as the bible covers the Old and the New Testaments, Isaiah covers the Old and the New Covenants. The bible presents the Testaments as 39 and 27 books for a total of 66 books. Isaiah presents the Covenants as 39 and 27 chapters for a total of 66 chapters. There are many other similarities that I won’t venture into because these are sufficient to frame the discussion around this passage of scripture. Chapter 42 of Isaiah corresponds to scriptures from the Gospel accounts of the bible. This analogy makes it easy to see that God’s Servant who is presented and described by Isaiah is, in fact, God’s only begotten Son, Jesus. Isaiah described the person and ministry of Jesus over 700 years before the birth of the baby Jesus. Let’s look at what Isaiah wrote about the Servant of God. God’s Servant would be chosen and upheld by God. God’s Spirit would be upon him—even as Jesus proclaimed in the gospel accounts at the beginning of his ministry. The Servant would come in humility and demonstrate a special gentleness to those who are weak. He would not extinguish a dimly burning wick! On many occasions, Jesus demonstrated a special kindness towards the least of society during his ministry. He took time to care for those who were marginalized and over-looked by society. When he spoke of justice, he was remarkably consistent. What was right and just always remained so in his sight. He was willing to forgive those who trespassed, but he did not do so by changing the Law. Rather, they were forgiven that the Law would be upheld. Justice was applied equally for the leaders and the least among them in society. Forgiveness was given to those who sought to be forgiven. He was resolute in his determination to do God’s will. He was both determined as well as effective in doing all that God required of him. There is no wonder why God delighted in him. The Servant maintained a close fellowship, or communion, with God. He only did what he saw the Father doing and what the Father instructed him to do. While the Father was working, the Servant never stopped working in partnership with Him. The Servant’s relationship with God was according to the covenant God made with Israel. None of the Servant’s actions violated God’s covenant. The Servant’s work, or ministry, became a revelation of God’s covenant to all nations. The Servant brought knowledge and illumination to the nations who were before in darkness. Through the ministry of the Servant, God revealed Himself and His divine plan to all of mankind. Throughout the course of human history, God used many people to serve Him and to represent Him before their society. I believe that God will continue to do so until the return of Jesus to the earth. But despite all these servants of God over the course of human history, none will ever measure up to Jesus, who was a just Servant. Robert C. Hudson March 30, 2020