A Justice-Loving God

April 26, 2020 Background Scripture: Isaiah 61:8 – 62:12 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 61:8 – 11; 62:2 - 4a The background scripture covers two very important aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy, the advents of the Messiah and the restoration of God’s people. The gospel story presented in the four accounts of the gospel starts during the Messiah’s first advent. The gospel accounts take us to the birth and early history of the church. The Messiah’s second advent takes place during the prophetic timeline in the book of Revelation and it leads to the ultimate restoration of God’s people. One of the things that makes Isaiah the greatest of the writing prophets is that his prophecy reaches across the entire spectrum of the bible, from Genesis to Revelation. The sixteen verses in the background scripture cover an enormous span of time. It started around 30 A.D. and continues to unfold today. That’s too much for us to grapple with in one lesson. However, prophecy has two other properties that make it useful for us today. In addition to its ultimate fulfillment, it also had meaning and relevance for the original recipients of the writing. This was their encouragement as they went through difficult times and eventually were exiled in foreign lands. Because of the word of God, the people of God knew that God would restore them to a glory befitting God’s people. No matter how dark the days may have gotten, the people of Israel knew that God watched over His word and He would bring it to pass. They knew that God would deliver them from whatever they faced, and He would restore them. Isaiah’s prophecy assured them of it and encouraged them. God promised to have watchmen appointed on the walls who would not rest but cry out to Him to fulfill His promises to His people. No matter how dismal the day was for them, God always provided a watchman. Those are the two extreme interpretations of prophecy, the ultimate fulfilment at the end of time and the immediate meaning for the original recipients of the writing. Our benefit today lies in the spiritual nature of the prophetic message. The prophetic message has spiritual principles that contain truth that is always applicable. When a child of God embraces this, then there is a seeking of that truth whenever the prophetic word is under consideration. There are great promises as well as stern warnings to be found in the word of God. When God declares a thing to be wrong for Israel, then there is something wrong about that for the people of God in all ages. When God makes bold promises to Israel concerning their future, then there is something encouraging about that for children of God in all ages. Israel suffered many things during their history as a result of disobedience on their part. God never abandoned them at any time. God was always faithful even when they were not. Today, we understand that God never changes because we have the benefit of Israel’s history that shows it. We can rest assured that God will never leave nor forsake us either. Just as we have those great promises of God, we also should remember to heed God’s stern warnings. God demands that His people show justice—tempered with mercy. This is God’s character and He demands it of His people. God declares that He is holy and demands that His people be like Him. We must love justice because we serve a justice-loving God. Robert C. Hudson April 16, 2020

An Executed Scoundrel

April 19, 2020 Background Scripture: Esther 3, 5, 7 Lesson Passage: Esther 7:1 – 10 The book of Esther is always a great study. Even if we know most of it and can recite it from memory, there is something about reading it that tends to convict the reader. Several personalities are brought to light in Esther. King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti, Haman, Mordecai, and Esther all present a different learning opportunity for the reader. (For the record, Queen Vashti was years ahead of her time!) Today’s lesson revolves around Haman. Haman is a reminder of the person who gets something they don’t deserve and yet they are so jealous that they don’t want to see others get what they do deserve. Haman’s brief biography found in Esther allows us to quickly identify him as a bad character who is about to discover karma. Haman wanted to be praised by men although he did nothing to deserve it. The thought that Mordecai would use his religious faith as a reason not to pay homage to Haman made him even more furious. Haman was willing to destroy the entire race of Jews just to have Mordecai executed. Haman used his political position to set it all up. The Jews were slaves in a foreign land. They were taken captive and moved there before the Persians and Medes came to power. Even with the change in political power, the social standing of the Jews never changed. They were slaves to whomever was in power at the time. From Haman’s perspective, this made Mordecai’s lack of respect for him even more demeaning. Based on the social and political standing of Mordecai and Haman, the outcome of this conflict should have easily gone Haman’s way. However, there is an unseen God constantly working in the heart of the king throughout the book of Esther. That’s one of the peculiarities about the book. God is never mentioned, but it is clear that He is controlling the outcome of various situations that unfold. There are a number of moral/ethical principles that can be cited based on the events in this book. “If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.” “When you succeed in life, don’t forget where you came from.” “When you are successful, remember that others worked on your behalf. No man is an island to himself.” “Although you might not be able to solve the problem, there is a role you can play to be part of the solution.” “A man who has not found something he is willing to die for, is not fit to live.” “If you dig one ditch, you better dig two.” Of course, this lesson is mostly about the last statement. Haman, at the advice of his friends, had a gallows constructed that was seventy-five feet high to hang Mordecai from. Haman didn’t just want Mordecai dead. He wanted him humiliated by the method of execution. But God was working in the heart of the king. The king asked Haman for an elaborate way to honor a person in his kingdom. Because Haman thought it was for him, he wanted no expense spared. When Haman learned that Mordecai was to be honored and he had to bestow the honor, it was crushing for him. Finally, at Mordecai’s insistence, Esther got involved and found an occasion to expose Haman to the king. With Haman’s plot exposed, the king ordered Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. And with that, the scoundrel was executed. Robert C. Hudson April 13, 2020