Praise with Music

September 5, 2021 Background Scripture: Exodus 14:1 – 15:21 Lesson Passage: Exodus 15:11 – 21 There is a hymn book in the middle of the Bible. It contains the words of one hundred fifty exalted songs of praise. These songs were written for Israel to use to sing praises to God. However, this is not Israel’s complete collection of hymns. There are other songs of praise found in other books of the Bible. Exodus 15 is one such song. Unlike many of the songs in the Psalter, the song in our lesson for today also includes the background narrative to help the reader appreciate and understand the words and emotions of this song. The Background Scripture in Exodus 14 provides the explanation for the song, music, and dancing that is described in Exodus 15. The people of Israel were leaving Egypt at Pharoah’s insistence. God had plagued Egypt with ten plagues. The tenth and final plague was all Pharoah was willing to take. He called Moses and Aaron to him at night and insisted that Israel had to leave Egypt immediately. After four hundred thirty years, the descendants of Jacob were leaving Egypt. Most of those years they lived in bondage to the Egyptians. The Egyptians subjected them to inhumane treatment. However, after the tenth plague, Pharoah was glad to see them leave. There is no record that there was any praising going on among the people of Israel at that point in time. After Israel left Egypt, God did several things that are detailed in Chapter 14. God led Israel in a manner that gave the appearance of them being confused. God hardened the heart of Pharoah so he would regret sending Israel away from Egypt—not for humanitarian reasons but because they were Egypt’s slaves. With a hardened heart, Pharoah took all his chariots and men of war and pursued after Israel. God instructed Moses to lift his rod and stretch out his hand over the sea and divide it. God sent a wind to divide the waters and dry up the bed of the sea for Israel to cross over to the other side. God allowed Pharoah and his host to follow Israel into the dry seabed. Finally, God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea that the waters would return to their full strength while the Egyptians were in the dry seabed. With those actions, God had used the waters of the Red Sea to drown Pharoah and his host. The children of Israel saw the bodies of the slain Egyptians on the seashore. Before crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel had seen the host of the Egyptians pursuing them. This caused them to be in great distress and fear. After crossing the Red Sea, Israel saw the bodies of the dead Egyptians on the seashore. This caused Israel to experience reverent fear and awe of God. Chapter 15 is their response in song to God’s salvation. Miriam, Moses’ sister, took a timbrel and led the other women in playing timbrels and dancing. Miriam called for them to again sing the song of praise for God’s deliverance. Israel had much to praise God for after being delivered from over four hundred years of Egyptian bondage. Not only were they delivered, but their slave masters were also destroyed. They were free indeed without fear of being captured and re-enslaved. This was worth celebrating at the highest level. Yes, they would sing, but such a celebration demanded more. Therefore, they also added the music of the timbrels along with singing of God's great deliverance. Robert C. Hudson August 12, 2021

An Eternal Hope

August 29, 2021 Background Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16 – 5:10 Lesson Passage: 2 Corinthians 4:16 – 18; 5:1 – 10 At some point in one’s Christian walk, one’s view of life in this world changes drastically. One begins to view the true life that is within the body. The essence of who we are, our mind, emotions, and will, is on the inside. Our physical body is aging, and we notice the gradual decline that accelerates over time. Yet, as we continue to consume the word of God and meditate therein, we are renewed day by day on the inside. On the outside we are aging while on the inside we are experiencing a fresh renewal. Our eternal salvation in Jesus Christ did not save our physical bodies. Our physical bodies continue to perish daily until, as the old folks used to say, this world can no longer afford us a home. When our physical bodies can no longer sustain life, then our souls must transition to an eternal state. That eternal state is what salvation in Jesus Christ is all about. Eternal salvation in Jesus Christ is for the inner person. While we are in these bodies in this world, we are to live a life that reflects the indwelling Spirit of Christ within us. We must align our will with the will of God so that our renewed person can control and provide guidance as to how we are to live and relate to this world. Everything in this world that can be seen is temporary. That which lives within our physical bodies is eternal. We should align our priorities with this in mind so that we don’t treat the temporary as though it is permanent. Even suffering in this world is temporary. But let us not be confused about the promises of God concerning our eternal future. We shall not spend eternity as disembodied spirits. God promises to give us a body like Jesus’ resurrected body. We will have a physical body that does not decline or decay. Our hope is not that we will experience a miracle that makes our current physical bodies strong and resilient against aging. Our hope lies with being clothed with glorified bodies that last throughout eternity. This is what God promises us. Our lesson today reminds us that while we are living in this world, we are absent from the eternal presence of God. Contrariwise, when these physical bodies can no longer sustain life in this world, then we will transition into eternity with God. The conclusion based on this is that Christians belong to God for eternity. This began with the new birth in Christ. We belong to God today just as we will belong to God throughout eternity. Therefore, we should labor to be pleasing to God whether we are living in this world in our physical bodies or have transitioned into our eternal state. In either case, we belong to God. When we leave this world, we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. For Christians, this judgment has nothing to do with salvation or damnation. Christians will be judged to determine our reward for the work we have done for Christ in our physical bodies. If the works are good, then they will be rewarded. If the works are bad, then they will be for naught, and we will suffer shame because of the work. In both cases, our eternal dwelling will be in the presence of God. There is much that we do not know or understand about this. We thank God that He has revealed enough to us about eternity to give us an eternal hope. It is indeed eternal, and neither death nor the grave can destroy this hope. On the outside, we are perishing every day, but on the inside, our hope is being renewed. Robert C. Hudson August 4, 2021

A Patient, Persevering Faith

August 15, 2021 Background Scripture: Hebrews 10:19 – 39 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 10:23 – 36 The notion of religious persecution is strange for Christians living in America today. The right to religious freedom, or to be free from religion, is protected by the highest authorities in the nation. For the most part, Americans are free to believe in whomever or whatever they choose. We are also free to not believe in anything religious. We can communicate our belief by publicly declaring it, displaying it on our clothing, tattooing it on our body, or posting it on a billboard for all to see. This is not the case for some Christians living in other places around the world. This was certainly not the case for Christians living in the Middle East in the first century. In the first century, Christians faced an enormous amount of persecution from the religious and non-religious alike. They were ridiculed, beaten, incarcerated, tortured, and some were even killed. All this was because they made it known that they chose to put their faith in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. The Christian church was under attack in the first century. How do you console a Christian who is suffering because of their faith in Jesus Christ? The writer of the letter to the Hebrew Christians in the first century addressed this issue in the passage of scripture in our lesson today. Again, many Christians of the first century were persecuted because of their religious faith. Many of them suffered and some even died at the hands of their persecutors. Some of them went into hiding and others considered renouncing their faith publicly. The writer suggested three things for the recipients of the letter to consider. First, Christians should not forget to depend on each other. Such dependence is reinforced through the local assembly of Christians. It is within the local assembly that Christians encourage each other to walk in love and continue to do good works that exemplify Christianity. Missing out on the gathering of the local church was only making the situation worse for them. The local church could strengthen them spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. There is much to be said, and appreciated, about the benefits of Christian fellowship. Secondly, the writer reminded the recipients of the letter that God is not pleased with those who are fickle in their faith. God expects Christians to always hold in high esteem the blood of Jesus Christ. This should have been especially true for the first century Christians who expected Jesus to return for the church in their lifetime. If Jesus were to return while they lived, it was worth holding on for that reason despite the persecution they were experiencing. The thought of imminent vindication and rescue by the Lord Jesus should have encouraged them. Thirdly, the writer encouraged the recipients to remember their personal testimony. When God’s revelation of Jesus Christ first became real to them, they rejoiced in their conversion experience while being treated as a public spectacle; at the same time, they experienced the true fellowship of other believers for the first time. The realness of heaven and the expectation of living there made earthly living less desirable as a thing to be grasped. They readily demonstrated this new life in Christ to other believers—including the writer of this letter. Their faith at that time was a great reward in and of itself. They started out in the right direction and were being encouraged to continue pressing on to receive the promise God made for those who do His will. A person of faith should develop patience. With patience, we can persevere. Robert C. Hudson July 29, 2021

A Necessary Faith

August 8, 2021 Background Scripture: Hebrews 11; 13:1 – 19 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 11:1 – 8, 13 – 16 Depending on the situation, some things are necessary, and some things are optional. It is important to understand the situation one finds oneself in and to clearly know what is necessary for that situation. Religion covers a broad spectrum of interests. Much of it has to do with rituals and beliefs that determine how we interact with others. Religious rituals are often well defined and clearly detail what is appropriate and what is necessary to properly conduct or participate in them. Christianity, if only considered as a religion, is very similar to other religions. That is one of the reasons Christian Evangelism can seem so difficult. Any attempt to get someone to become part of a Christian group just for the sake of belonging to the group will often fall on deaf ears. With so many religions to choose from, a person is more likely to not rush into such a decision to choose one or the other. The question is: What difference does it make? With so many religions to choose from, there is really no rush to decide about any of them. For example, let us consider church membership. For one to be a member in “good standing” of a local congregation, there are several observable behaviors often used in the determination. One is expected to be in regular attendance at gatherings at the church, be a financial supporter of that local church, and volunteer to be a part of at least one ministry within that church. Truthfully, if you do two of those three things you are likely to be considered a “member in good standing” with the local church. And by the way, you will be considered a religious person whether you think so or not. The Christian faith demands more than for a person to be religious—or a member of a local church. The Christian faith demands that a person become Christ-like—or like Jesus Christ in character and behavior. Christians should believe what Jesus believed so we can exemplify his character in our behavior. Christians should reflex the character of Jesus Christ in this world. Such behavior shouldn’t be contrived but should be the outflowing of the individual’s inward reconciliation with the person of God. One’s personal relationship with God should be the catalyst for behavior change in the world. When we were young, we tried to do well in school to please those we had a close personal relationship with. Later in life, we attempted to do well in life for the same reason. A close personal relationship with God causes a Christian to want to please God. That brings us to our topic. Our scripture for this lesson informs us that without faith it is impossible to please God. First, one must believe in the existence and spiritual essence of God. Secondly, one can only become a Christian by having faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ. This power was evidenced by Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection from the grave. The word of God assures us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. This is not about being religious but being saved from eternal damnation. This is not about being in “good standing” with the local church but about being in “right standing” with God. It really doesn’t require any faith to be in “good standing” with the local church. All you need to do is what the local church members expect of you. A personal relationship with God requires much more than that and is always rewarding. Everything God requires is based on faith; nothing less and nothing more. One must have faith in God to be saved from eternal damnation. A saved person is called by God to walk, or live, by faith. Faith for a Christian is not optional; it is necessary. Robert C. Hudson July 19, 2021