Expectant Mothers' Faith

December 24, 2023 Background Scripture: Luke 1:1 - 25, 36 45, 56 - 60 Lesson Passage: Luke 1 - 45, 56 Today's lesson focuses on two pregnant women. They were relatives, and their pregnancies were nothing short of miracles that were divinely intertwined. The older woman was beyond childbearing age, and the younger was a virgin. The older woman, Elizabeth, hid herself from the public after she became pregnant. It is worth noting that the angel Gabriel told the younger woman, Mary, about her relative Elizabeth after it was recorded that Elizabeth hid herself. This is a reminder that nothing is hidden from God; and He may choose to reveal things according to His will. It can be instructive for us to realize that God sometimes reveals things about a person that will provide strength and encouragement for others. We might attempt to hide it from others, but God might choose to reveal it for their benefit. This is certainly the case in today's lesson. If Elizabeth had remained hidden, she might not have received the encouragement she needed as she carried her baby to full term. Likewise, Mary needed the confirmation God provided through Elizabeth's response to Mary's greeting. Elizabeth's response was a word of prophecy to Mary. Elizabeth's response included several things. She confirmed Mary's unnatural pregnancy; Mary was a pregnant virgin. She confirmed the nature of the child Mary was carrying; He would be recognized as Lord. She confirmed the spiritual connection between John the Baptist, her baby, and Jesus Christ, Mary's baby; John, in the sixth month of his development in her womb, recognized and reacted to the voice of Jesus' mother: he leaped while still in Elizabeth's womb at the sound of Mary's greetings. And finally, Elizabeth confirmed Mary's faith; Mary would be blessed because she believed the word of God's messenger, Gabriel. Again, Elizabeth was given a word of prophecy. The bible does not record that Gabriel visited Elizabeth. Gabriel told her husband, Zacharias, what would happen to Elizabeth. After listening to Gabriel, Zacharias was made mute until after the baby was delivered. Yet, Elizabeth knew the details of Mary's situation that could only have been revealed to her by God. And she proclaimed those details under the anointing of the Holy Spirits The bible says that when John leaped in her womb, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, she spoke as the Spirit gave her utterance. As we consider our topic, "Expectant Mothers' Faith", we see God working in and through both Elizabeth and Mary. Both needed to have faith given their personal situations. Elizabeth conceived her baby after she had lived a barren life and was now advanced in age. Mary, on the other hand, was still a virgin and was pregnant. Their situations were beyond explanation based on human nature. But God. God took two impossible situations and gave birth to possibility. The faith of two expectant mothers caused them to rejoice over the works of God in their lives. They were both living testimonies of God's omnipotence. Is there anything too hard for God? Our lesson presents two expectant mothers who could easily answer that question if they were here today. Elizabeth was in hiding and Mary was confused, but God brought them together and comforted them both. Their faith was strengthened when God brought them together. Elizabeth was encouraged by God's use of Mary as part of His divine plan for the world. Mary was encouraged by Elizabeth’s pregnancy and words of prophecy concerning her. Alone, they struggled with their situation and their faith. Together, they celebrated their faith, rejoiced, and praised God. Robert C. Hudson November 30, 2023

The Family of Faith

December 17, 2023 Background Scripture: Genesis 38; Joshua 2; 6:22 25; 2 Samuel 12:24; Ruth 4:13 - 22; Matthew 1:1 -17 Lesson Passage: Matthew 1:1 -17 Today's lesson is one in which you want to look closely at the Background Scripture. It is unusual for the Background Scripture to have so many passages from different books of the bible. Each passage serves a different purpose, but all those passages share a common focus. They focus on women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. It is not a common biblical practice to include women in a genealogy when listing a person's lineage. It is more common to only list the men in the genealogy of a person. Why is there a deviation from the common practice? The answer is found in understanding who these women were. In chronological order, they are Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Ruth. Tamar was a woman who was widowed, neglected, and forgotten. She pretended to be a prostitute and became pregnant by her father-in-law who was not pretending to be a customer! Rahab was a Gentile prostitute by profession; that's how she made her living. She hid and protected the Jewish spies who first entered Canaan to survey the land for Israel 's invasion of it. Rahab professed a faith in God concerning Israel being given the land of Canaan, and therefore she aided Israel in the conquest of it. Bathsheba, who is referenced but not named in the genealogy, was lured into an adulterous relationship by King David. The result was that she became pregnant by David, She later became his wife after he gave orders for her husband to be murdered. Ruth was not a Jew but a Moabite. She descended from the incestuous line of Lot, Abraham's nephew. She attached herself to an elderly Jewish woman who was her mother-in-law. Her supportive relationship of her mother-in-law after her husband died led her back to Israel after a famine. She later married another Jewish man. Whether these women were Jewish or not, they believed God and accepted Judaism as their religion. Their history shows the hand of God working on their behalf. Tamar and Bathsheba were put in a difficult situation due to no fault of theirs. They were both victims of the men in their lives. The providence of God led Matthew, a Jewish tax collector, to include these women in Jesus' genealogy. Collectively, they represent non-Jews and people of ill repute and immoral behavior. Yet, they are included in Jesus' lineage. If God can elevate people from their low estate in life and place them in the genealogy of His only begotten Son, then no one is beyond God's reach and willingness to save. The salvation wrought by Jesus Christ is good news for all people everywhere. Whether one was coerced into immoral living or consciously chose to do it, God is still willing to reach us, save us, and make us part of His family. The family of faith does not have skeletons in its closet. The skeletons are on full display in the family tree. The genealogy that Matthew presents connects Jesus to Abraham by way of the royal lineage of King David. Abraham is called the father of the faithful because he believed God, and God counted his belief as righteousness. This genealogy is segmented into three groups each containing fourteen generations. This has often been referenced by the Baptist preacher in the closing of his sermonic message, "Jesus came down through forty-two generations. He was born of the virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and laid in a manger." These forty-two generations represent the family of faith. God promised David that He would establish his descendant as the eternal ruler over God's people. The birth of Jesus reflects the faith of Abraham and fulfills God's promise to David. Robert C. Hudson November 27, 2023

The Faith of Ruth

December 3, 2023 Background Scripture: Ruth 1; 4:13 - 22 Lesson Passage: Ruth 1:6 - 18, 22 The story of Ruth takes place during the time of the judges of Israel. During that time, the people of God had abandoned the Law of Moses as the nation's standard. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. The people of God kept declining, spiritually, morally, and socially. Because of their decline, God punished them and then raised up a judge to deliver them from that punishment. This cycle kept repeating because they were not living as people of faith. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews describes faith as giving substance to that we live in hope of, and being itself the assurance, or evidence, of the yet unseen reality. With faith, we know what we know without being able to provide any concrete proof of it. However, because of our faith, we respond based on the reality of what we expect to experience. Faith creates within us what logic cannot explain. Therefore, when we observe the actions of a person of faith, we should expect their actions to be illogical. As we consider the Background Scripture, there is no logical explanation for Ruth's actions. Ruth married into a family that would have appeared to be cursed by the God they worshipped. A Jewish family (a man, his wife Naomi, and their two sons) left Bethlehem to escape a famine. They went to the land of Moab. The man died in Moab, and his wife and two sons survived him. The two sons married Moabite women. Then both sons died. After about ten years in Moab, Naomi heard that the famine in Bethlehem was over. She left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons. Ten years later, she was returning to Bethlehem as a widow with no offspring. Her two daughters-in-law were leaving Moab with her. She advised them to return to their families in Moab and to remarry. She pronounced a blessing from the Lord upon them and their future marriages. They insisted on wanting to go with her, but she told them that the Lord's hand was against her. She was returning home as a beggar. She could not provide for herself or for them. They were young enough to return home and remarry. One daughter-in-law kissed her goodbye, but the other, Ruth, refused to leave. Naomi insisted that Ruth follow the example of her sister-in-law and return home. That's when Ruth made a statement of faith in the God of Israel. Ruth embraced the God that her mother-in-law said was against her. Ruth declared that He would be her God. Then Ruth placed her fate in God's hand if she failed to remain faithful to Naomi until death separated them. If the God Naomi worshipped had turned against her as she said, why would Ruth want to worship Him and put her fate in His hand? Ruth had a faith within her that drew her to the invisible God of her mother-in-law. Ruth surrendered to the God of Israel. There is much room for speculation concerning this. Did Naomi teach them about the living God of Israel during those ten years in Moab? Did she assure them that God would take care of Israel despite the famine? Did they learn these things from their husbands before they died? Or did Naomi live a life of faith around them for those ten years? Again, there is much room for speculation concerning the development of Ruth's faith. We don't know how Ruth's faith was developed but we do know the source of her faith. The word of God declares that God has given every person a measure of faith. God has made it possible for every person to please Him; because we cannot please God without faith. Ruth allowed the faith of God within her to be developed into a living faith. And through her faith, Ruth was saved and blessed of God. God placed Ruth in the family line His only begotten Son would descend through. Ruth was not a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet, the Son of God that came through that lineage also has Ruth's DNA. The Messiah of Israel is a descendant of Ruth. And it's all because of the faith of Ruth! Robert C. Hudson November 25, 2023

The Faith of David

December 10, 2023 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1 - 58 Lesson Passage: 1 Samuel 17:31 - 37, 45, 48 - 50 David is one of the heroes of the bible. The story of David's youth is the stuff legends are made of. There are entire books written about it—even some written just for children! There are action figures of David as a boy. The encounter between David and Goliath is the reason for this. The ongoing battles between Israel and the Philistines set the stage for today's lesson. The Philistines were a warrior nation with their own heroes. Goliath and his brothers were giants. The bible describes them as being over nine feet tall. Nations in battle would set their armies in array opposite each other. Sometimes, each side would choose a fighter and allow them to represent the entire army. The fighter who prevailed in that one-on-one competition would determine the outcome of the battle for their entire nation. Because of Goliath and his brothers, this appears to have been the preferred military strategy for the Philistines. Israel's army refused to accept the challenge because of the obvious mismatch in size that gave the Philistines a distinct advantage. Goliath taunted and challenged Israel's army for forty days. King Saul, who was leading the army of Israel, and all his men were afraid of Goliath. One day a Bethlehemite named Jesse sent his youngest son, David, to the front line to carry food to his brothers who were in Israel's army. David was also instructed to bring news back to his daddy as to how Israel's army was faring against the Philistines. As Israel's army retreated from Goliath that day, one of the soldiers talked about the reward the king of Israel would give to any soldier who kills Goliath. That seemed to have gotten David's attention. David asked for clarity concerning the reward for Goliath's killer. David's older brother heard him and became angry with him for being there. Finally, David agreed to fight Goliath on behalf of Israel. David referred to Israel's fighters as the armies of the living God. King Saul attempted to convince David that what he wanted to do was a suicide mission. David responded by giving a testimony of how he had killed a lion and a bear to protect his daddy's flock of sheep. David's older brother had referred to their daddy's flock as a few sheep. David declared that the Lord had protected him from the lion and the bear, and he was confident that the Lord would protect him from Goliath. With that testimony, King Saul agreed to send David out against Goliath on behalf of Israel. Saul dressed David in his battle gear and gave him his sword. David could not walk under the weight of the gear, so he took it off. Then David took his shepherd's staff, five stones, and his sling and approached Goliath. Goliath was insulted when he saw a boy coming to fight him. David declared that the battle would be fought by the Lord and that he would kill Goliath that day. When Goliath came out from the army, David ran to meet him. David used his sling and a stone to knock Goliath out, and then he took Goliath's sword and used it to cut his head off. The Philistine army fled when they saw that Goliath was dead. Israel's army pursued the fleeing Philistines and took the spoils of war from them. King Saul was so impressed with David that he asked whose son this was. David was brought before the king, and he said that the king's servant, Jesse, was his father. David made no claim of any special abilities or anointing. David's testimony was based on what he believed about the living God of Israel, David's confidence in God was not human courage but rather unwavering faith in God's divine protection. David believed that God would protect Israel from anyone who defied her. David didn't even attribute his success in protecting his daddy's sheep to his abilities. David gave God the glory for the outcome of both situations. It should be little wonder that God called David a man after His own heart. David had an unshakable faith in God, and God was pleased with David's faith. Robert C. Hudson November 25, 2023