Listen to God’s Wisdom

June 7, 2020 Background Scripture: Proverbs 1 Lesson Passage: Proverbs 1:1 – 4, 7, 8, 10, 20 – 22, 32, 33 The lessons this month come from the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is one of the five books of the bible collectively known as the wisdom literature of the bible. Some of it is the wisdom of man and some of it is the wisdom of God. All of it can be instructive. The essence of wisdom literature is that the thoughts conveyed are independent of culture and time. Some of this writing originated during the age of the biblical patriarchs—that's over four thousand years ago! Yet, the truths conveyed are just as relevant today as they were then. The culture of that time and place would be totally incompatible with the culture of this country today. Yet, the truths conveyed are just as relevant for us today as they were for them then. The book of Proverbs opens with the declaration that wisdom begins when one knows and has a reverent fear of God. This is not to suggest something superficial, such as, thinking of God as some abstract being or ideal philosophical concept. To truly be knowledgeable of the person of God will lead one to have an awe-inspiring fear of Him. It further leads to a healthy respect for the pure holiness and perfection of His being. To know Him as our personal creator and the sustainer of life should inspire a sense of wonder in all. Therefore, God reveals Himself to us in a myriad of ways. There are so many revelations in nature to suggest that the physical world is a product of intelligent design. Nature has a perfect balance when it is not disturbed by man’s manipulations. Nothing is missing; God thought of everything from the beginning. Mankind was lovingly and deliberately fashioned by God and added into His creation as a keeper in the garden. There was a perfect balance between mankind and the rest of God’s creation. Throughout recorded time, fathers and mothers have passed on to their children the wisdom of being in balance with God and His creation; that is to say, we should be in balance with the Spirit of God and with the natural world. God made mankind intelligent so that we could grow in wisdom. As a result of mankind’s internal makeup, we have an intellectual thirst. This causes intelligent people to seek knowledge and delight in learning. Wisdom allows mankind to seek to be closer to God and to appreciate the created world around them. Foolish people seek to manipulate and control the physical creation for their own selfish benefit. Intelligent people recognize that wisdom has a permanence that cannot be taken away from them. On the other hand, we can only become stewards of that which is material. Foolish people are more concerned about material gain and not acquiring knowledge which could lead to wisdom. Greed for material gain will destroy a person’s life. Intelligent people seek God and His wisdom first. The foolish live as though God does not exist, or He is indifferent to the plight of mankind. Therefore, they set their priorities based on faulty thinking and fruitless pursuits. Wisdom cries out and asks the foolish, how long will they persist in their foolishness? Those who continue to reject the call of wisdom will perish in their rejection of God. Those who seek God and His wisdom will find and receive the gift of both. Evil will not paralyze them with fear. But they shall spend this life rejoicing in God and eternity in the safety of His presence. Listen to God’s wisdom and live. Robert C. Hudson May 28, 2020

Pursue Love and Justice

May 31, 2020 Background Scripture: Hosea 11, 12 Lesson Passage: Hosea 11:1, 2, 7 – 10; 12:1, 2, 6 – 14 Sometimes it takes the brokenhearted to tell the story of one whose heart has been broken. Hosea lived the message of his ministry. No matter how you look at it, when you know the details of Hosea’s life, you know he was headed for trouble. Hosea married an adulterous woman. She didn’t have just one affair. The bible says Gomer had many lovers. Despite the affairs, Gomer bore children for Hosea and he loved her very much. And then Gomer abandoned Hosea. Yes, she left him, but that’s not the end of the story. Later, he found her at an auction. She was part of the merchandise that was for sale. So, Hosea bought his wife at the auction and pleaded with her to be faithful to him. That’s the context for our lesson today. From that context of Hosea’s life, God sent a message to Israel. God declared Himself to be betrothed to Israel as her Husband. God denounced Israel’s actions as being adulterous towards Him. He provided Israel all that she needed, but Israel continued to pursue the worship of idol gods. When Israel bowed down and worshiped those idols, she pursued them as her lovers. God was jealous of the attention Israel gave to the idols although He was the one who supplied all that Israel needed. As the adults of Israel pursued idol gods, their children learned from them. Their children became the offspring of idol worshipers rather than children who sought after God. Like Hosea, God was going to redeem Israel from her adulterous life. However, God wanted Israel to stop pursuing idol gods and to seek to know and worship Him. As the prophecy of Hosea is closing, God reminisces about Israel’s beginning as a nation. Even then, Israel did not understand all that God was doing for her. In a very dramatic way, God displayed the mixed emotions of desiring retribution and yet having overwhelming love towards Israel. Israel deserved punishment but God had too much love for her to not draw her back to Him with lovingkindness. God constantly urged Israel in the direction of pursuing love and justice. No matter how many times Israel failed God, His grace and love towards her remained unending. God desired that His people would be worthy of the love He showered them with. He would give Israel into the hands of her enemy. But like Hosea, God would redeem her, or buy her back, at the auction of life. Hosea could tell God’s story because his heart was knit together with God’s through similar life situations. How can one love another who is so undeserving of such love? How can someone who receives such love not be transformed by that manner of love? These are the questions that torture the soul of one with a probing heart. God reveals Himself in a rather transparent way in the book of Hosea. The reader is given a perspective that allows one to see God’s emotions in a unique way. It is that great divine struggle between the execution of justice and the display of absolute love. Even as Israel, people of God are admonished to pursue love and justice today. Sin has a great price, and justice will be served. God’s love is too great to be limited by anything. There is no wonder that we struggle with trying to comprehend Calvary. Calvary allowed God to obtain justice and to display the greatest act of love ever. God pursued love and justice, and on Calvary He delivered both! Robert C. Hudson May 8, 2020