The Lord is King

January 5, 2025 Background Scripture: Psalm 9, 10 Lesson Passage: Psalm 10:12 — 18 This is a great lesson to begin the New Year. The two psalms in the Background Scripture complement each other. They both proclaim God's justice that always prevails in the end. The Background Scripture reminds us of the purpose and importance of government. Of extreme importance is the government's protection of and provision for the less fortunate. Eveny society over the course of time that I have been privileged to read about had a population of people who were less fortunate than most in that society. Some were working poor and others were in abject poverty with no means to support themselves. The morals and ethics of that society should be judged by how provisions were made available for the less fortunate. A chief concern of the less fortunate is their physical protection from human predators who abuse and prey on them. Provision and protection were responsibilities of the government they lived under. Of course, the greatest threat was when the government became the predator. There are no political powers above the government of that land. An abusive government seems all-powerful and unstoppable. Sadly, human history records that abusive governmental authorities often garner the largest group of followers and supporters. At the height of their reign, their pride is their glory. Their arrogance is their self-assurance. They bask in their inflated egos. The less fortunate of the land are at their mercy and often suffer because of it. This can be viewed from different perspectives within different forms of governance. In democracies and democratic republics, time is seen as being on the side of the less fortunate. Wicked leaders can be removed by the vote of the people, eventually. Kingdoms are different in that they are ruled by monarchs who inherit the throne from their forefathers. These leaders cannot be voted out and must be overthrown by stronger forces outside of (or within) their families. Rebellion against the evil civil authorities becomes their only recourse. The same is true of democracies and democratic republics that behave like monarchies. Clearly, human governments will eventually fail the less fortunate among their citizens. It is here that hope is found within the Background Scripture of our lesson. These psalms remind us of the ultimate outside force, God! God has a kingdom that is above all earthly governments. All earthly governments are subservient to God's kingdom. Unlike these human governments, the less fortunate are considered high priority in the kingdom of God. As a result of God's kingdom, the less fortunate have time on their side no matter which human government they may live under. Over the course of time, God overthrows human governments that abuse the less fortunate. God's kingdom is eternal, and eventually all human governments will be ended by God. The declaration has gone forth and it will not be rescinded. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that the King of God's government is Lord of all. There are no exceptions to this decree of God. God knows everything and God sees everything. He will recompense evil to evil doers. None of this will require the vote of people nor will it require people to overthrow abusive governments. Evil leaders will be caught in their own snares. The less fortunate will tell of all God's marvelous works. This will be their testimony. They will praise God for His protection from their enemies. All children of God have a testimony. Throughout recorded human history, God has always been a refuge in times of trouble. Survivors of those troubles sing praises to God for His eternal reign against evil and for righteousness. Robert C. Hudson December 19, 2024

David's Son

December 29, 2024 Background Scripture: Luke 18:31 - 43 Lesson Passage: Luke 18:35 - 43 Jesus was known by many titles during His three-year ministry. Each title carries its own meaning and message. The title used in today's lesson refers to His family lineage. Jesus was a descendant of King David. Although many generations separated them, Jesus was called the Son of David. As the Son of David, Jesus was destined to inherit the throne as ruler of the people of God. God promised King David that his descendant would reign over an everlasting kingdom. This will happen after all other human governments are destroyed by God's righteous justice. Only a revelation from God would allow someone to recognize Jesus as such during His first advent. This is what occurred in the narrative of today's lesson. A blind man sitting by the side of the road heard a crowd passing. He inquired as to what was happening and learned that Jesus was passing, and the crowd was following Him. The blind man began to shout aloud calling Jesus the Son of David and begging Him for mercy. Some people in the crowd warned the blind man that he should be quiet. The scripture says that the blind man shouted aloud even more. This is irony at its best. There was a crowd around Jesus who could not see Him for Who He is, and there was a blind man by the side of the road who saw Jesus perfectly! The blind man could not see physically, but God allowed him to see spiritually what the others could not see. Some in the crowd wanted the blind man to be quiet and allow Jesus to pass by him. They were following Jesus, but the blind man could not. Therefore, the blind man did what he could do for himself. He cried out to Jesus for mercy. In his crying out, he addressed Jesus as "Son of David". I believe the Messianic title, Son of David, caused Jesus to stop walking and command the blind man be brought to Him. In commanding that the blind man be brought to Him, Jesus recognized that the blind man needed physical help to come to Him. The blind man had been crying out to Jesus for mercy. Mercy is a broad and anonymous request. Jesus asked the blind man to state what he wanted Jesus to do for him. To avoid becoming overly spiritual about this, I think it's best to consider Jesus' request as being more for the crowd than it was for the blind man. The crowd needed to know that the Son of David can help the people of His kingdom who seek Him for help. The blind man knew what he wanted, and Jesus in His omniscience also knew. After giving him sight, Jesus declared that the blind man's faith had made him well. His faith was believing that the Son of David has the power to heal. The ending of this lesson is a stark contrast to the beginning of the Background Scripture. At the beginning of the Background Scripture, Jesus declared to His disciples how He was going to be abused and killed by the Gentile rulers in Jerusalem, and that He would rise on the third day. He spoke this to them plainly, and yet they could not comprehend nor receive it. This happened after three years of walking with and living around Him. They were so close to Jesus that they could not see His divinity. They accepted Him as a miracle-working prophet of God. Jesus gave them the details of how His earthly ministry would end. They refused to see it because they could not see it. What was about to happen to Jesus reflects the failure of human government to provide for the common welfare for all people. This contrasts with what God revealed to the blind man. He saw a perfect government for people, In God's perfect government, people will receive whatever they need. The blind man expressed his need to the leader of God's government, David's Son. Robert C, Hudson November 30, 2024