Noah Builds an Ark

June 8, 2025 Background Scripture: Genesis 6:1 - 9:17 Lesson Passage: Genesis 8:13 - 22; 9:11 - 13 Building the ark is one of the greatest acts of faith recorded in the bible. Even with the availability of hardware stores and lumber yards today, this would be a monumental task for an individual, or group, to undertake. Of course, there were no hardware stores to buy tools or materials available for Noah. Furthermore, there is no record of anyone building seaworthy vessels prior to the time in the Background Scripture. That does not mean that people had no ingenuity at that point in human hist01'Y. Cain's descendants were noted as teachers in metallurgy in Genesis 4. The bible reveals that technology was more advanced than recorded human history outside the bible would suggest. God instructed Noah to build a very large boat called an ark, which means box. God gave Noah the dimensions for the ark and the materials to use to construct it. The dimensions of the ark are truly awe inspiring. It was roughly 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall. It was constructed with three decks: lower, middle, and upper. Altogether, that's about 100,000 square feet of living and storage space. It was large enough to accommodate a family of eight adults, a multitude of animals, and enough food to sustain all for up to one year. That would be a huge undertaking if it were a house, or hotel. It is nothing less than a miracle that one family could build a seaworthy vessel that size regardless of how much time was used to build it! It is only through faith that one would dare to undertake such a monumental task. Noah did something that was impossible for a person to do at that time. He is an example of how we should respond to receiving instructions from God: "Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did." Noah followed God's instructions and did as he was told to do. The true test of the results of Noah's obedience to God came when the rain started, and the ark floated. One year later the water had dried up and the ark rested on land. When Noah saw that the ground was dry, he, his family, and the animals remained on the ark until the Lord spoke and told him to go out along with all that were on the ark with him. The first thing recorded about Noah after he left the ark is that he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on it. After one year of quarantine on the ark, Noah worshiped the God who had kept him and his family safe. God was pleased with Noah before the great flood, and God was still pleased with Noah after the great flood. Noah's worship was a sweet aroma to God. The bible records that Noah was chosen because God extended His grace to him. Noah was a just person among his wicked peer group, or generation. He was not sinless, but he chose to have fellowship with God. God warned Noah that He was sending a great flood to destroy all land- dwelling life in the world. God gave Noah the assignment of building a boat to preserve a remnant of mankind through his family. The boat would prevent his family from experiencing the devastation of the worldwide flood. If Noah had not obediently followed the Lord's instructions, we would not exist today, Every single person born after the great flood descended from the family of Noah. All other families perished in the flood. Noah's family of eight survived because he found grace in God's eyes. Noah walked with God, i.e., had an ongoing fellowship with Him. Noah's relationship with God was genuine compared to the others of his time. By faith Noah obeyed God and built the ark. As descendants of Noah, today we celebrate Noah's faith and God's faithfulness. Robert C. Hudson May 24, 2025

The Offerings of Cain and Abel

June 1, 2025 Background Scripture: Genesis 4:1 - 25 Lesson Passage: Genesis 4:1 - 16 Mature Christians know when we have crossed the line. We know when our thoughts have transformed into motives that spur us to act. We are very aware when our actions are directly opposed to the will of God as expressed in His word and placed in our hearts. But where is the line that separates obedience from disobedience? We cross it long before we begin to act. Somewhere between our thoughts and motives is an almost imperceptible transition against the will of God. Today's lesson can help us understand this. Sin today is just as awful as sin during Cain's life; all unrighteousness is sin. All sin opposes the holiness of God. Today's lesson is a tragic account of what can happen within human relationships when sin is allowed to surface. Today's account is the first occasion in the Bible where people are bringing to God offerings based on the fruit of their labors. There is no record of when offerings to God staffed or if God required it. When God placed Adam in the garden, He told Adam to take care of it, and he could eat of the fruit it produced, There is no record that Adam was told to bring a portion of the fruit to God as an offering. The only hint of an offering occurred after Adam sinned and God made clothing of skins to cover Adam and Eve's bodies. Those skins came from some animal, but we are not told what happened to the animal(s). After the sin incident, Eve conceived and gave birth to two boys. After they matured, they were not idle; Cain became a farmer and Abel became a shepherd. They both brought offerings to God based on the fruit of their labor. It should be noted that grain offerings were encoded in the Law God gave through Moses thousands of years later. However, God's response to Cain and Abel is very telling in that He responded to them before He responded concerning their offerings. The scripture says, "the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering". The Lord considered the individual before He considered what they brought as an offering. There was something God saw in Abel that caused Him to respect Abel and his offering. Contrariwise, there was something God saw in Cain, or did not see, that caused Him to not respect Cain or his offering. God's reaction was not about the offering, but towards the person bringing the offering. God looks inside before He considers what we are presenting on the outside. After God's response to the two brothers, jealousy reared its head in Cain. Whatever was in Cain's heart after his offering was there before his offering. God's response to Cain and Abel did not cause anything to enter Cain's heart. God's response likely stirred up what was already in Cain's heart. God appealed to Cain as a loving Father to master the sin that was within him. God warned Cain that either Cain would rule over his sin, or his sin would rule over him. Cain ignored God's warning and allowed his jealousy to fester. Why was Cain jealous of Abel? The New Testament teaches that Abel had the right relationship with God because of his faith. That is not to suggest that his faith was based on the type of offering because God encoded both types of offerings in the Law. Cain's jealousy and lack of faith in God led him to commit the first murder in human history because he was jealous of his brother's relationship with God. Nevertheless, killing his brother did not solve anything. Abel's absence did not improve Cain's relationship with God. When it's time for us to bring an offering, let us first look within ourselves, and then give with a sincere heart and attitude of righteousness. We should remember that every good and perfect gift comes from God. We can only offer to God what He has graciously entrusted us with as stewards. Robert C. Hudson May 24, 2025

A Covenant Renewal

May 25, 2025 Background Scripture: Nehemiah 8: 1 - 10:39 Lesson Passage: Nehemiah 10:28 - 39 It is difficult to get back on track after we stray from following God. Our flesh is inclined to live in rebellion to the will of God. In today's lesson, Israel went to extremes to overcome their situation after returning to Palestine from living in captivity. In the Background Scripture, the Jews who returned to Palestine from exile listened as Ezra the scribe read from the Book of the Law of Moses. They listened to the reading of the Law for hours at a time over the course of three weeks. After hearing the word of God and having it explained to them, they began to cry. They understood what their ancestors had done that offended God and caused them to be sent into captivity. Their ancestors had been blessed beyond measure by God. It was after the manifold blessings that they turned from obeying God. Those who listened to Ezra also learned that they were not living according to what God prescribed in the Law. To not live according to the Law was to not live according to the will of God. Chief among their common sin was intermarriage with the Gentiles of Canaan. That was strictly forbidden by the Law. They confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. Those who had intermarried, separated themselves from their foreign spouses, After the separation, the people declared an oath of allegiance to God's covenant and a curse upon themselves if they failed to live up to their oath. They committed to live according to the Law God gave to Moses. Their repentance included honoring the holy days stipulated in the Law. They discovered that the Feast of Tabernacles had not been properly observed since the days of Joshua the son of Nun. The Law required them to construct and live in makeshift booths during the annual observance. The observance of the Feast of Tabernacles was a reminder of how God had kept their ancestors during their forty years of living in the wilderness. This was read to them at the time of the year they were required to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. Furthermore, they committed to the physical (financial) support of the house of God and its service by the Levites. This would allow the Levites to return to the work and service of the house of God. They made an oath to observe everything God required of them in the Law because they were under conviction. The word of God convicts the people of God when we live contrary to God's will. Again, getting back on track with God is a very difficult undertaking. Once we have left the straight and narrow way outlined by God, we must first get pass our shame and disappointment with ourselves and humble ourselves before God. The Feast of Tabernacles, where they lived in makeshift shelters constructed with tree branches, was the beginning of the humbling process. Any commitment we make to set ourselves apart for God should consider that we need help beyond our will power. The Levites led them in a psalm that was a recital of Israel's history of being delivered and blessed by God. True deliverance begins when we realize that what we need is beyond our own ability. We must approach God humbly in prayer and submit ourselves to Him. When it comes to our deliverance, God knows how, what, and when something needs to be done. God does not need, nor does He require any input from us concerning it. Anything we have to offer other than our submission to God can only taint the process and render it unholy. God must sanctify, or set us apart, if we are to be holy as He requires of us. Israel renewed their covenant with God by making an oath to live according to the Law God gave to Moses. This involved both personal and national repentance. Robert C. Hudson May 3, 2025

Worship is Restored

May 18, 2025 Background Scripture: Ezra 3 : 1 - 13 Lesson Passage: Ezra 3:1- 6, 10 - 13 The topic of today's lesson is a little misleading. This text does not record the restoration of worship in Jerusalem as it was prior to the Babylonian invasion. Instead, it records what was intended to be the full restoration of worship by the Jews in Jerusalem. The effort to restore worship by the Jews in Jerusalem was met with much resistance. That resistance led to a considerable delay in achieving the restoration of worship in Jerusalem. God sent several prophets, spiritual leaders, and Gentile rulers to overcome that resistance. Today's lesson is timely and instructive for the post-pandemic local church. Today, many pastors and congregations are struggling with what appears to be a lackadaisical attitude concerning the post-pandemic restoration of congregational worship by the people of God. When the civil government ordered mandatory social isolation to slow the Covid deathrate, it was the first time that many Christians had experienced being away from the church's public assembly for months at a time. Many congregations coped using various types of technology to allow the members to connect with their pastor and other members virtually. Some became fond of the virtual connection and the newfound freedom they experienced by using it. This became obvious when the government mandates were lifted. Some members were reluctant to return, and others have yet to return. Zerubbabel faced a similar dilemma after the people of God were given permission to return from Babylonian exile. Millions of Jews had been deported out of Judah by the Babylonians. When they were given permission to return to their homeland seventy years after being sent into exile, only about fifty thousand were willing to return. Many of the families who did not return to Judah gave money and other materials to the returning exiles to support their effort to rebuild the temple and restore worship in Jerusalem. From the beginning of their deportation seventy years earlier, Jeremiah had warned the exiles that their captivity would last for seventy years. Therefore, they were advised to live a normal life in captivity because it would not end soon. It seems that most of them became comfortable with their "new normal". However, during their exile, they were not allowed to gather for worship, or to construct a temple for such. They understood that the Jewish temple could only be built where God specified for it to be built, in Jerusalem. Some of the Jews who returned to Judah were born while their parents were in exile. They had never known corporate worship that centered around a temple in Jerusalem. Normal for them was to not gather for public worship. What Zerubbabel achieved in today's text was a worship ceremony around the altar which was set on its base with sacrifices burned on it, and the laying of the foundation for the new temple. The altar was placed on its base prior to the foundation of the temple being laid. The group of Jews that gathered around it was the first to worship together in Jerusalem since the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians fifty years earlier. After a series of worship services that corresponded to the holy feasts' days specified by the Law, the foundation for the new temple was finally laid. During the dedication of the foundation, many shouted for joy because of the progress while the old men cried in disappointment because the new temple did not measure up to the magnificent structure erected under the leadership of King Solomon. After the foundation for the new temple was laid and dedicated to the Lord, full restoration of corporate worship was delayed for an additional twenty years when the temple was finally completed and dedicated. Robert C. Hudson April 19, 2025

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

May 11, 2025 Background Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:1 - 20 Lesson Passage: 2 Chronicles 7:1 - 7, 11 King Solomon oversaw the construction of Israel's first temple. It was built to be a permanent location to replace the tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant and the altar. Its design was patterned after the tabernacle which had been in use since the days of Moses. The tabernacle was an arrangement of tents and curtains designed and assembled according to the instructions God gave to Moses. The tabernacle was designed to be mobile since Israel began as a nomadic tribe. The tabernacle continued to be Israel's most sacred place even after they settled in Palestine and were no longer nomadic. The construction of the temple required tens of thousands of laborers and most of the precious metals and other material owned by the entire nation. The lack of an organized civil government made large projects such as the construction of the temple difficult—if not impossible. Israel's civil government began when Saul was enthroned as Israel's first king. Saul eventually turned from God, and God replaced him with David. King David led many military conquests for Israel. As a result of the conquests, he had overseen the shedding of much human blood. David desired to build a temple, but God forbade him because of the bloodshed. David gathered the materials for the construction of the temple and its furnishings. God allowed David's successor, his son Solomon, to lead the construction as Israel's third king. Today's lesson focuses on God's physical response to Solomon's dedicatory prayer after the construction was finished. The pretext and the post-text to today's lesson are worth noting. In the pretext, Solomon's prayer is very much like the Model Prayer given by Jesus. The heart of the prayer was that the temple might be a place for God's name, and His presence, to dwell amid His people. Solomon asked that the prayers of God's people be heard whether in the temple or in a foreign land if they have been taken captive and repent. In the post-text, God answered Solomon's prayer in a dream at night. God agreed to the terms of Solomon's prayer as to when He would hear His people crying out to Him, Today's lesson begins where Solomon's prayer ended. God responded by sending fire down which consumed the sacrifices on the altar. Then God's presence, the visible shekinah glory, filled the temple. Israel's priests were not able to enter the temple after God's glory filled it. The sight of the fire that descended and the shekinah glory were enough to cause the people to bow down to the ground and worship God. King Solomon and the people offered so many sacrificial animals to the Lord that the bronze altar could not contain it all. Therefore, the court in front of the temple was consecrated as a place to offer sacrifices as well. The enormity of the offering made it clear that it was a sacrificial offering for all the people of God. The Lesson Passage states that, "the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God." King Solomon, as the nation's leader, led the religious ceremony. However, the people were not mere spectators, They were involved in the dedicatory services. The Levites who were commissioned as musicians by King David played on their instruments as the people sang about the eternal mercy of God. David set the stage for what should happen on such a wonderfully blessed day. King David gathered the resources necessary and trained and commissioned the Levites to perform at a level of excellence. God told him that he would not be allowed to build the temple, but He would allow David's son to do it. David died knowing that one day his son, Solomon, would indeed build and dedicate the temple to the Lord. Robert C. Hudson April 19, 2025

David's Sacrifice

May 4, 2025 Background Scripture: 1 Chronicles 21: 1 - 22:1 Lesson Passage: I Chronicles 21:14 - 30 Topics such as "David's Sacrifice" can be easily misunderstood. At first glance, one could mistakenly conclude that David did something positive, or perhaps even heroic! Today's lesson is far from either of those. This lesson revolves around King David's sin and repentance. I include David's official title, King, because it could be the source of his motive for the sin. Sometimes we sin with our eyes wide open. Sometimes God will send others to us to warn us before we sin, and yet we persist in doing as we desire. This often occurs when wealth, positions of authority, or popularity is involved. These things can go to one's head and cause one to behave out of character. I made note of David's official position because I believe that this was the case in our Background Scripture. God gave Israel many victories after He had chosen David to lead them as their king. Some of the most impressive victories led to the eradication of the Philistine giants—from which Goliath had descended, They had fallen by the hands of David's servants. It is often after our greatest triumph that we are vulnerable to fall. It was after the historic narrative about the defeat of the Philistine giants that David's sin is recorded. David was tempted by Satan to bask in those victories as though human effort had won them. David summoned his military leader, Joab, and ordered him to take a census of Israel's military. Perhaps this made David feel special as the leader of such a powerful military. Over the centuries, many leaders have sat in balcony's reviewing their militaries as they paraded pass them marching in ranks and displaying their weapons of war. Joab recognized immediately that it was an act of pride on David's part and tried to persuade him to not do it. Joab reminded David that God would give Israel as many soldiers as was needed for any task. Whether Israel's military was few or many, God insured Israel's victories. To treat those victories as though they came through human effort was sin. David, as king, insisted on the census and Joab reluctantly complied. After Joab returned with the number, God did something that reminded David of the sinfulness of his action. It is recorded that God afflicted Israel. It caused David to repent and acknowledge his sin. This was one of David's most positive attributes; he owned and confessed his sin without making excuses for it. He begged God to remove the affliction from Israel. Rather than respond directly to David, God spoke to the prophet, Gad. God gave David a choice of three punishments that lasted either three years, three months, or three days. The shorter the duration of the punishment, the more intense the pain and suffering. David chose the three-day plague because it was directly controlled by God, and David knew God would be merciful to Israel. Thousands across Israel died at the onset of the plague. David prayed and begged God for mercy for Israel and asked that He punish him and his family instead. God showed mercy, as David knew He would, and stopped the plague. Then God told the prophet to tell David to erect an altar to Him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and offer a burnt offering to Him there. When David went to acquire the site from Ornan, Ornan attempted to give it and sacrificial oxen to the king out of respect. David refused to accept it as a gift but insisted on paying the full price for it. In one of his greatest statements, David declared that he would not offer to God that which cost him nothing. After acquiring the site, David erected the altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. God responded by sending fire down on the sacrifices. The location of that altar became the site of Israel's first temple constructed later under the leadership of David's son, King Solomon. Robert C. Hudson April 17, 2025

The Lamb is Worthy

April 27, 2025 Background Scripture: Revelation 5 Lesson Passage: Revelation 5 : 1 - 10 The first four chapters of the Book of Revelation is the pretext for the Background Scripture of today's lesson. In the first three chapters, we learn that the author, John the Apostle, was given a vision by Jesus Christ while he was on the isle of Patmos. The vision promised a threefold blessing: blessed is he who reads it, blessed are they who hear it, and blessed are they who embrace and live according to it. John was commanded to write the vision. The recipients of the written vision were identified collectively as the seven churches of Asia. John saw someone who resembled the Son of man amid seven candles that represented the seven churches of Asia. The messenger of each church was addressed in John's letter according to the geographical location of the congregation. Each church was specifically described according to her relationship with the Lord. In Chapter 4, John was called up to the throne room in heaven. There he saw a figure whose attributes could only be ascribed to God. He was seated on a great throne and surrounded by twenty-four thrones occupied by elders wearing crowns. John also saw four living beings that he described and called four living creatures. Those four living creatures praised God continuously day and night. As they praised God, the twenty-four elders bowed down and worshiped God by casting their crowns before His throne. In the Background Scripture of today's lesson, John noticed that the One on the great throne held a sealed scroll in His right hand that had writing on both sides. That scroll captured the attention of the heavenly host. At that point, there was no mention as to the significance of what was written on the scroll. The significance seemed to be that the One on the throne was holding it and its contents were sealed with seven seals. By reading the remainder of the Book of Revelation, one can learn that the scroll reveals all spiritual mysteries that lead to the end of time. The sealed scroll discloses when and how time will end, and eternity will continue. However, the contents of the scroll could not be known until someone takes it and remove the seals. An angel asked who is worthy to take the scroll and break the seven seals to reveal its contents. This appeared to have been a challenge, or invitation, to any in heaven who would declare themselves worthy of such honor. John cried because it seemed that no one in heaven was found worthy to take the scroll and break the seals to reveal its contents. One of the twenty-four elders consoled John by announcing that the Lion of the tribe of Judah and a descendant of David had prevailed and is qualified to take the scroll and remove the seals. That's when John was told to look, and he saw a Lamb that appeared to have been killed and raised back to life. The elder, from a heavenly perspective, saw a conquering Lion while John, from an earthly perspective, saw a wounded Lamb. When the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down and worshiped the Lamb. They previously worshiped God on His throne, but now they began worshiping the Lamb. They sang a hymn extolling the worthiness of the Lamb. God held the scroll in His right hand, but the Lamb had done God's will and proven Himself worthy to receive the scroll. The Lamb was declared worthy by the worshipers because He had been slain to redeem them back to God by His blood. This is a testimony that only a human believer can give. The twenty-four elders stated that they were redeemed from eve1Y tribe, language, race, and nation. They represented all believers in Christ; otherwise, it would require more than twenty-four to represent all the different classifications stated. Furthermore, they embraced what had been promised to believers, full redemption. They were a kingdom of priests who were destined to rule in God's kingdom on earth. And believers were given the assurance this will happen by the Lamb, who was found worthy to open the scroll and reveal it! Robert C. Hudson April 17, 2025

Christ Dies and Rises to New Life

April 20, 2025 Background Scripture: Matthew 27:24 - 28: 10 Lesson Passage: Matthew 27:39, 40, 45 - 54; 28: 1 - 10 The death and resurrection of Jesus is the central tenet of the Christian faith. Everything God has revealed, and we believe, about sin and death is resolved in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Sin separates people from God, who is holy. Sin has destined mankind to eternal damnation. Mankind was created by God as His representative image in His created world. Mankind was created in the image of God and according to God's likeness. Mankind was created to reflect some of God's characteristics amid His creation. Sin distorts the image of God in mankind and separates us from God's presence. God's love for us would not allow us to remain in this state with a destiny of eternal damnation. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, as an offering for sin to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus' physical birth into the world was welcomed as the beginning of the fulfillment of God's promise to redeem mankind from sin, The good news is that God's promise was fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. This is what makes Easter such a wonderful time of celebration for Christians. We thank God for Jesus' death, and we rejoice in His resurrection from the dead. However, a closer look at the historic events surrounding the arrest, trials, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is a somber reminder of the consequences of sin. Those events depict many people behaving at their worst. Jesus was betrayed to be arrested by one of His handpicked disciples, Judas. Those who arrested Him and tried Him first were the religious leaders of the Jews. They believed Jesus deserved to die. They delivered Him to the secular government to be put to death because they were forbidden from doing so. After the secular government had its own trials and exonerated Jesus of any crime worthy of death, an angry Jewish mob insisted on the execution by offering to bear the blame for it along with their children. When given the option of not doing so, they accepted the release of a convicted murderer in exchange for the state execution of Jesus. Jesus was mocked and spat on by those given the task of nailing His body to a wooden cross while He was alive. While He was suspended between earth and heaven on the cross and suffering, others who were nailed to their own crosses mocked Him as well. Eyewitnesses on the ground below the cross taunted Him and mocked Him while looking for the moment when life would leave His body. In His suffering, Jesus cried out to His Father who had forsaken Him as accursed because of the cross. Now that He had become sin on the cross, all that remained was for Him to yield His life as a ransom for the people of God. With a loud cry, life left Jesus' body and earth trembled in response. His lifeless body was removed from the cross, wrapped in linen cloths, and placed in a cave prepared as a sepulcher. A large rock was rolled across the opening to secure the burial place and to prevent entry. Soldiers stood watch to prevent anyone from attempting to remove Jesus' body and fabricating a reason for its absence. This had begun and occurred Thursday night and into the day on Friday. The Sabbath Day was quiet and many felt despair who had hoped that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. Despair turned into confusion and then joy as some went to visit the burial site on Sunday morning. An angel was the first to herald the good news, He is risen! The sin debt was paid, God was satisfied, and the door was now open for eternal salvation for mankind. Jesus appeared to some of His followers to assure them that He was indeed alive again. He commissioned them to tell the others to meet Him in Galilee. From the Galilee meeting, the good news began to ring out around the world, He is risen! Robert C. Hudson March 24, 2025

Christ, the Atoning Sacrifice

April 13, 2025 Background Scripture: 1 John 2:1 - 6; 4:7 - 21 Lesson Passage: 1 John 2:1 – 6; 4:9 - 17 Jesus embodies everything that describes the right relationship between God and mankind. He is God's answer for whatever ails us. The apostles of Jesus declared this throughout their ministry. No doubt, their zeal for ministry was influenced by their belief that Jesus would return for them while they were still living. According to early church history, the author of this letter, the apostle John, outlived the rest. John would have known of their death while understanding their expectation about the timing of Jesus' return. The energy and zeal they had as Christians were emotionally sustainable because they did not expect to have to sustain for very long. On the other hand, what was John's experience as he aged and saw that he would likely die as the others had before Jesus' return? Something else is needed as one lives in this world for an indefinite amount of time with the possibility of Jesus not returning in one's lifetime. Why is something else needed? Because we don't always live as Christians should, Sometimes our minds wander, and we meditate on unholiness. We don't always feel connected with God's presence. Sometimes our prayers seem inadequate. In short, we don't sustain our energy and zeal as Christians. This is resolved when we know that Jesus does more than give us eternal life. Jesus resolves the issues that exist between a holy God and us on a continuous basis. Israel was given a ritual to use when they violated the holiness God required of them—whether it was an individual or the nation. That ritual is known as "atonement". They were taught the type of things, or manner of behavior, that violated God's standard of holiness and therefore caused them to become the enemy of God. When a violation occurred, they knew it disrupted the peace that should exist between God and them. Throughout the year, individuals brought atoning sacrifices to the priest to have the priest go before God with the blood of the sacrifice on their behalf. It is very likely some of the people avoided the embarrassment of doing that. Therefore, the nation was given a set time once a year to set aside a day for the atonement of the nation. The blood of the atoning sacrifice reconciled the people with God and restored God's peace. Christians don't follow the rituals of the Law. For Christians, Christ has fulfilled the Law. Whatever is included in the Law has been fulfilled by Christ. Unlike the apostles of Jesus, we live in a time when most of us don't expect Jesus to return in our lifetime. However, the Holy Spirit in us makes it evident when our spiritual bond with God is disturbed. We know when we have violated holiness and are no longer in communion with God. Anything we do at such a time becomes empty religion. John helps us with this in our lesson today. John wrote to Christians that we may not sin, but he quickly included, "And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ." Sin ruptures the peace between God and His children. Whenever the bond of peace between God and His children is disturbed, the solution is the same as it always has been, we need an atoning sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for Christians. He is our Advocate with the Father. The One who suffered, bled, and died for our salvation pleads with the Father on our behalf. It is Jesus' advocacy that reconciles us with the Father. More than advocacy, Jesus also demonstrated how we ought to live as children of God. The epitome of His example is to love God and walk in love towards our fellow man. For us this is reactionary as we respond to God initiating love towards us. We love God because He first loved us. Also, God's love towards us inspires us to reflect love to our fellow man. Robert C. Hudson March 21, 2025

Christ's Once-for-All Sacrifice

April 6, 2025 Background Scripture: Hebrews 9:23 - 10:25 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 9:23 28; 10:1 -4, 11 - 14, 19-25 God gave Israel a system of sacrifices and ordinances that specified all the details associated with it. They were told what, when, how, and who. This was part of the code we refer to as the Law. God specified who was allowed to participate, what they must wear, and every move they were allowed to make. Then God specified exactly when certain rituals could be done and how often. This was specified so the participants and beneficiaries of the rituals would be aware of and respect the holiness of God. When everything was done as God specified, then God forgave sins and restored peace between His people and Him. The people of Israel believed that the rituals and obedience to the laws and ordinances made them holy. What was not understood then is that all those things were an earthly example of heavenly realities. What they repeated every year on earth foreshadowed what was to be done one time in heaven for eternity. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was challenged continuously by the Jewish religious authority concerning His adherence, or lack thereof, to the Law given to Israel through Moses. Their actions show that they thought they were holier than Jesus. They wanted Him to live by a standard they would judge according to the tradition of their elders. They stated emphatically on several occasions that Jesus was trying to destroy the traditions of the elders by violating the Law. Jesus' response was clear, He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. Jesus' fulfillment of the Law could only happen by doing in heaven what was being foreshadowed on earth. On earth, the High Priest was required to enter the Most Holy Place with blood as the price for the sins of the people. This process began inside the tents that were referred to as the tabernacle that was in the middle of Israel's encampment in the desert. God allowed Israel to see a visible representation of His presence resting upon the tent known as the Most Holy Place. The tent was replaced by a building constructed under the leadership of King Solomon. This building, the temple, also contained a room referred to as the Most Holy Place. After the destruction of that temple, another temple was erected many years later. If a tabernacle or temple was available, the High Priest of Israel continued the rituals specified by the Law. On one occasion Jesus told them that the temple in use at that time (the third one) would be destroyed as the previous two had been destroyed. The religious leaders were offended and accused Jesus of not respecting the Law. It was only after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection that His followers were truly enlightened about Jesus' mission to this world. The followers of Jesus, led by the Holy Ghost, learned that Jesus came into the world as God's once-for-all sacrifice for sin. What the High Priest repeated annually, foreshadowed a single act by Jesus. When Jesus was nailed to the tree, He became accursed of God, or sin. Through death, Jesus shed His sinless blood as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of many. On the third day, God raised Jesus to life that He could present His own blood in the absolute Most Holy Place, heaven. As both the sacrifice for our sins and the High Priest of our souls, Jesus entered the presence of God to offer Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of the world. With that, God tore the curtain in the Jerusalem temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. This signified that access to God's presence was now made available through Jesus Christ. This is the good news proclaimed by the servants of God. The writer of the Hebrew epistle sent this information to the Jewish Christians. With this they could now be fully assured that Jesus had indeed fulfilled God's Law. Robert C. Hudson March 21, 2025

The Day of Atonement

March 30, 2025 Background Scripture: Leviticus 16 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 16:11 - 19 God gave the instructions in the Background Scripture for today's lesson in response to the death of Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu. They were supposed to succeed their father as Israel' s high priest. However, they attempted to go into God's presence burning incense using fire God had not approved. A fire went out from God and devoured them. It was after this that God gave Moses instructions concerning those who approach Him. God must always be regarded as holy. People who are given the privilege of approaching God's presence must do so respectfully and according to God's instructions on how to do so. Then others who note it will glorify God. After that incident, God spoke to Moses concerning an annual day of atonement. God specified the month and day of the month for its observance. This day recognized that God in His holiness was dwelling among unholy people, Israel. The unholiness of the people made them enemies of God. The Day of Atonement was to bring "at - one - ment” between the two parties who were enemies. God prescribed very precise steps to be taken by the high priest to ensure that holiness was respected and the expected outcome of His people during this reconciliation. The high priest bathed himself in water and put on the special garments that were anointed for him to wear as he approached God's presence in the Most Holy Place. The death of his two sons no doubt underscored the sacredness of this process for Aaron. The high priest had to receive two young goats and a ram from the people of Israel. He had to provide a bull and a ram for himself. The high priest first offered a bull as a sin offering for himself and his household. This reconciled him and his household with God. This process required him to take fire from the altar along with incense and the blood of the bull into the presence of God in the Most Holy Place. After this, the high priest killed the ram, or goat, as a sin offering for the people of Israel. The blood of the goat was also presented in the same manner in the presence of God in the Most Holy Place. This made atonement for the Holy Place because of its location among unholy people as well as for the sins of the people. This work could only be completed by the high priest with no one else present. Then he had to make atonement for the altar in the Holy Place by placing some of the blood from the bull and the goat on its corners all around. Then the high priest took the second goat and placed both his hands on its head. In this posture, the high priest then confessed all the sins, transgressions, and iniquity of the children of Israel. God accepted this as placing all their sins on that live goat. Aaron then delivered that live goat to a physically healthy man who carried it far away into a land not inhabited by people and released it. Aaron left the Holy Place and entered the tabernacle of meeting and removed the holy garments and washed his body in water. Aaron put his own clothes back on and then offered the fat of the sin offering as a burnt offering upon the altar for himself and the people. The remainder of the animals was burned outside the camp of Israel. The person who burned these and the man who led the goat away had to remain outside the camp of Israel until they washed their clothes and their bodies in water. After this, they could return to the camp. During this entire process, the people of Israel were required to be repentant and prayerful. No work was to be performed during the process by any others than those so specified. When there was a transition of men in the high priest office, the incoming high priest had to repeat the same steps annually on the Day of Atonement. The solemnity of the ritual was a reminder of God's holiness and the unholiness of the people He dwelled among. Robert C. Hudson March 20, 2025