The Love of God

August 11, 2024 Background Scripture: Lamentations 3:16 - 24; Psalm 30; Jeremiah 52:1 - 30 Lesson Passage: Lamentations 3:16 - 24 When one considers the Background Scripture for today's lesson, the use of the word "love" in the title can seem farfetched. But the more we look at these passages of scripture, the more we see the overwhelming love of God bringing deliverance. The passage from Jeremiah gives the account of the final days of Babylon's ultimate destruction of Judah's capitol city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah wrote an eyewitness account of the devastation and destruction and the tyranny that preceded it. It is a very depressing account of the siege that left the inhabitants of the city starving until the king and the remnant of his military attempted to escape one night. They were chased down and captured. They were taken to Babylon where some were tortured and maimed and others were put to death. The king watched as his sons were executed in his presence. Then his eyes were put out and he was placed in bonds and taken to prison until the day of his death. Some of the other inhabitants of the city were taken to Babylon and some were put to death. A few poor people were left to maintain things. The magnificent temple of King Solomon was destroyed and the gold, silver, and brass furnishings, tools, and utensils were plundered and taken back to Babylon. Both Psalm 30 and the passage from Lamentations are reminders that children of God can find hope during seasons of despair. In Psalm 30, David wrote about being delivered by God from a sure death. David called upon the saints of God to sing praises to Him for His favor (grace). We may cry at night, but God's favor assures us that joy will return. We are reminded that God's anger is temporary, but His favor is eternal. The Lord disciplines those He loves. Disobedience to God can lead us to a place of despair as we are punished. It is because of His great love for us that God does not allow us to live under a cloud of condemnation forever. God punishes us because of our disobedience so that we will not be condemned with the world. No one wants to be punished—even when it is deserved! Yet, it is during punishment that we are reminded that we belong to God. While enduring punishment, we take note that we are not destroyed because of God's mercy towards us. Punishment prevents us from continuing down the road to damnation. It is during times of punishment that hope arises in us. So, where does the word "love" fit into this discussion? God's love is the source of our hope. God's love is benevolent. God is motivated to act on our behalf based on our need. Even when receiving punishment that is deserved, we need the mercy of God to limit such punishment, Sin renders us worthy of death, i.e., separated from God eternally. There is no way we can undo sin. God's word declares that the soul that sins shall die. It is because of God's mercy that we are not consumed. God's grace, unmerited love and favor, sustains us so that we do not perish. After we are delivered from our troubles, praise freely flows from our hearts to God; we know our deliverance was undeserved. Sin condemns us, but God allows us to live by separating sin from us rather than allow sin to separate us from Him. Although marred by sin, we still have within us the image and likeness of God. God desires to forgive all that call upon Him for salvation and deliverance. It is because of God's great love for us that sin is not allowed to consume us. During Judah's destruction, we can see evidence of the love of God by His favor towards His people. Robert C. Hudson August 5, 2024

Ceaseless Love

July 7, 2024 Background Scripture: Lamentations 3:16 - 24; Psalm 30; Jeremiah 52:1 - 30 Lesson Passage: Lamentations 3:16 - 24 Psalm 30 is David's song of praise to the Lord for His deliverance of him from an illness that he thought would be terminal. After his recovery, David declared his praise for the Lord and called for others to do the same. In Psalm 30, David described an interesting characteristic of God's divinity: God's anger is short-lived, but His favor lasts forever. That is good news for mankind! This means that those who put their trust in the Lord may find occasion to shed tears, but they can be assured that God will turn their crying into happiness. This knowledge of God's favor was invaluable to future generations of Israel long after David's death. They would suffer greatly because of being led by wicked kings who would turn their backs on the Lord. The prophet Jeremiah recorded the atrocities that befell the nation of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah wrote the book that bears his name along with the Book of Lamentations. Those books depict some of the darkest days in the nation of Israel's history. Jerusalem was the seat of Israel’s human government and the ceremonial location of its divine governance because of the Temple. The Temple was an integral part of Israel's religion. A nation is in great distress when its capitol city is destroyed. The political leaders of the nation spend much time there if it is not their place of residence. Jeremiah recorded an eyewitness account of the Babylonian siege and destruction of Israel's capitol city of Jerusalem. The temple Solomon dedicated to the Lord and the king's house were both burned. All the houses of Israel 's leaders were burned. The Temple specifically and the city of Jerusalem in general were plundered as spoils of war. All the religious artifacts and the precious metal were taken to Babylon. Many of the Jewish leaders were killed and many of the Jews were taken into captivity as slaves. Some of the poor were left to tend the vineyards and fields. The walls of the city were broken down and burned. At this low point, Jeremiah recalled God's faithfulness--perhaps because of meditating on the Psalms of David. The Psalms declare that God is too merciful to allow His people to perish. God's love for His people is renewed continuously. In suffering at the hands of the Babylonians, Israel was receiving the just reward for her trespasses against the Lord. However, the Lord's character is not changed although His people's behavior is abhorrent to Him. This is the seed of hope within every child of God. This is the stuff God's grace consists of. No one is deserving of the Lord's mercy. No one is deserving of the Lord's kindness towards us because of our wayward behavior. Yet, God is faithful because His favor lasts forever despite the wickedness of His children. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean one? God is the only one who can do it. Only God can remake us into His own image. God's love never fails. His love is not motivated by any goodness or righteousness on our part. God's love for us is motivated by the many needs we have. God's greatest display of love was not a response to some great act of humanity. God's greatest display of love was prompted by mankind's greatest need. Our sin had separated us from God and destined us to eternal damnation. We needed to be saved from our sin. Nothing else God did would have mattered if He had chosen to leave us in our sin. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. It is the unfailing love of God that we celebrate in this lesson. Robert C. Hudson June 26, 2024