1 Chronicles 12:2
they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):
Judges 20:12
The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you?
1 Samuel 9:21
“But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel,
Romans 2:11
For there is no respect of persons with God.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
There are two distinct aspects to today’s lesson. Please allow me to briefly speak to both. Israel cried out to God and God sent them Ehud. Like many other biblical characters, Ehud may not have been a pillar of Israel’s society from a character stand point. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, the least regarded of the twelve. In addition to being least regarded, the Benjamites had an edge to them. I won’t take time in this venue to fully explain, but suffice it to say that the tribe of Benjamin was from the ‘other side of the tracks’. Additionally, Ehud was left handed. Left handedness in mentioned in relation to the tribe of Benjamin frequently. Amongst the Israelites, left handedness was akin to a birth defect, but, and this is important, left handed soldiers were particularly skilled fighters, greatly feared. Left handed soldiers in particular carried a rather sinister aura. Think of Ehud as ‘the neighborhood bully’ or ‘ the trouble maker who was also a gifted athlete’ or…..’a hit man’. Ehud was 'dangerous'.
Maybe you know some people like Ehud. I do. I’ve had friends and have friends who were ‘Ehud’. I have two separate groups of relatives who are ‘Ehud’. They’re OK as long as you stay on their ‘good side’. If they don’t show up at the reunion, every one breathes a little easier. You know the person I’m talking about. The guy who hasn’t had a good time until a fight has broken out. The guy who’s ‘packed’, and not particularly for the purpose of self defense. Ehud was that guy. With this in mind, consider the following:
Ehud was selected by his countrymen to perform this task, to rid Israel of the over lord King of Moab. A probable ‘suicide mission’. If Ehud didn’t make it back, who would miss him? However, God was with Ehud. In fact, God chose Ehud and God sent Ehud. God is not a respecter of persons. Beloved, If God…. If God would use a ‘bad actor’ like Ehud to deliver Israel, he can use anybody. As it turns out, Saul of Tarsus was from the tribe of Benjamin. He persecuted the early Church, killing many believers and was greatly feared. By his own words he was the ‘chief of sinners’. Surlines had not left the tribe of Benjamin. But God stopped Him on the road to Damascus. God opened His eyes and revealed Himself to Saul. He changed him so deeply, that after that day He was known as Paul, the greatest Apostle and author of the two thirds of the New Testament. Aside from Jesus, the single greatest influence on the Church as we know it. Paul: a descendant of Ehud.
With my second point, I’ll be brief. Ehud faced Israel’s great enemy head on. He set an example for how we should confront the greatest hindrances in our own lives: directly. His weapon of choice: a double edged sword, representative of the Word of God. Internalize the Word and the Word will deliver you and keep you. He brought a tribute large enough to have to be carried by the King’s servants, but after he killed the king, he left the tribute, left the dead king, locked the door behind him and left. No looking back, no hesitation. He was poorer and richer on that very day. He left a great deal behind, but he gained relationship and intimacy with God and deliverance and peace for Israel. What ever it is in your life you need to lock the door on…. Just do it!
Blessings,
.wb
Acts 8:3
But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Acts 9:5
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Romans 11:1
[ The Remnant of Israel ] I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
1 Timothy 1:15
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for July 10, 2011: Listen to God’s Judges (Judges 2:11-19)
Romans 6:12
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Hebrews 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
God is coming for you. He really is. No matter the depth of rebellion you find yourself in. No matter how you’ve turned you life over to the oppression of sin and shame. No matter the darkness that envelopes you or the chaos that surrounds you, God is coming for you. It may be out of the mouth of a child. It may come from a wizened old soldier who’s been under the blood stained banner for a sometime. “How will they hear without a preacher, and how shall he preach except he be sent.” God will send one of his own…for you. Will you have an ear to listen? In the time of the Judges, God allowed Israel’s enemies to remain among them so that Israel would learn to fight, and to win. Led out of Egypt by Moses, into the land of Promise by Joshua, then besieged on every hand by enemies when the elders among them finally passed off the scene. This particular period of history very accurately mirrors the times we currently live in. Like the peoples of Israel, we too often do what seems right in our own eyes. Suddenly, there is no open vision, no Word of the Lord, no sound from heaven. We find ourselves spiraling away hope, assurance and blessing to a place of uncertainty, despair and pain. Ensnared by bad choices, bad relationships, the allure of the World, we find ourselves in a place of utter hopelessness, but Help is on the way.
God loves you. When the dust settles and you emerge, scarred but victorious, you’ll know what generations of saints before you have come to know: If God is with you, He’s more than the world against you. There’s some stuff, that God brings you out of at the outset of your salvation. For me it was liquor. He took the taste of alcohol completely out of my system. However, I still have some stuff to deal with; we all do. My choices are to give in and give up and become a slave to my very worst instincts or to turn it all over to Him. All of it. To lay aside every weight and sin that hinders me as I run this race. To place my focus on Jesus; the very First Breath and the very Last Word. The only way to manage the battle against besetting sin is to turn it over to Jesus. That was the lesson for Israel in the days of the Judges, and the lesson for us in this day: Let the Lord fight your battles. I choose Life.
God has a Word for you. He’ll use a modern day ‘Judge’ to deliver it. A pastor of a local church; a church near you. The church of a friend, a family member… it might be a TV evangelist, but somewhere God is sending deliverance. Listen. Listen to God’s Judges. One of them has a Word for you. Listen and choose Life.
Blessings,
.wb
Psalm 121:2
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Revelation 12:11
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Hebrews 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
God is coming for you. He really is. No matter the depth of rebellion you find yourself in. No matter how you’ve turned you life over to the oppression of sin and shame. No matter the darkness that envelopes you or the chaos that surrounds you, God is coming for you. It may be out of the mouth of a child. It may come from a wizened old soldier who’s been under the blood stained banner for a sometime. “How will they hear without a preacher, and how shall he preach except he be sent.” God will send one of his own…for you. Will you have an ear to listen? In the time of the Judges, God allowed Israel’s enemies to remain among them so that Israel would learn to fight, and to win. Led out of Egypt by Moses, into the land of Promise by Joshua, then besieged on every hand by enemies when the elders among them finally passed off the scene. This particular period of history very accurately mirrors the times we currently live in. Like the peoples of Israel, we too often do what seems right in our own eyes. Suddenly, there is no open vision, no Word of the Lord, no sound from heaven. We find ourselves spiraling away hope, assurance and blessing to a place of uncertainty, despair and pain. Ensnared by bad choices, bad relationships, the allure of the World, we find ourselves in a place of utter hopelessness, but Help is on the way.
God loves you. When the dust settles and you emerge, scarred but victorious, you’ll know what generations of saints before you have come to know: If God is with you, He’s more than the world against you. There’s some stuff, that God brings you out of at the outset of your salvation. For me it was liquor. He took the taste of alcohol completely out of my system. However, I still have some stuff to deal with; we all do. My choices are to give in and give up and become a slave to my very worst instincts or to turn it all over to Him. All of it. To lay aside every weight and sin that hinders me as I run this race. To place my focus on Jesus; the very First Breath and the very Last Word. The only way to manage the battle against besetting sin is to turn it over to Jesus. That was the lesson for Israel in the days of the Judges, and the lesson for us in this day: Let the Lord fight your battles. I choose Life.
God has a Word for you. He’ll use a modern day ‘Judge’ to deliver it. A pastor of a local church; a church near you. The church of a friend, a family member… it might be a TV evangelist, but somewhere God is sending deliverance. Listen. Listen to God’s Judges. One of them has a Word for you. Listen and choose Life.
Blessings,
.wb
Psalm 121:2
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Revelation 12:11
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for July 3, 2011: God Responds to Disobedience (Joshua 7:1, 10-12, 22-26)
Wayne’s two cents worth
Achan: a’-kan (`akhan (in 1 Chronicles 2:7 Achar, `akhar, "troubler"):
Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost: The most Holy trinity. Spirit, Soul and Body: Man in three parts. A couple of notable ‘three’s’ in Scripture. I point this out because there is a notable ‘three’ in this account of Achan: A gold wedge, 200 shekels of silver and a Babylonian robe. All devoted to God, purposed for destruction, but stolen by Achan. What purpose a wedge? To wedge a door open or closed. To keep an access way open or to deny access to. Which was Achan guilty of? A little of both. In holding onto the devoted thing, he placed a wedge between God and Israel, between God and himself that God would not breach. A wedge. When used to keep an access way open, it normally represents a path backwards, a ‘way back’. Back to what? Back to a way of life that we should have completely abandoned when Jesus came. A wedge. Trouble.
Two hundred shekels of silver. That would have immediately made Achan a player wouldn’t it? How many ‘get rich quick’ schemes are out there these days? A lot of money quickly will get you a lot of attention quickly. Ask any lottery winner. While your at it, ask them how all that turned out for them. Achan had dreams, all of us do. Every one of us dreams of a life of no worries, no problems. Money can get us that, can’t it. Trouble.
A robe. Not just any robe, but a Babylonian robe, a robe representative of the pleasure and allure the ‘world’ has to offer. The yacht, the limo, the penthouse, the country club, the luxury suite; you know, the very, very, very best that the world has to offer. Why not you? Why not now? After all, Jesus just knocked down the walls didn’t He? You just got saved. ‘Hey God, turn on that Blessing Machine quick”. “I’m saved now, let’s get those Blessings flowing”. Real trouble.
Doesn’t work like that, does it? It’s not supposed to. When we get saved, we say” God, come on in.” “Yes Jesus, come into my heart.” :Clean me up”. There it is, right there. Jesus does not save us to leave us like we are. In our carnal, unsaved state, we’re not worthy of eternity. God, who is Mercy, would not damn us to an eternity staying the way we are: our own worst enemy. He loves us too much for that.
Achan had all this ‘stuff’ in his tent. He was holding on to a future of his own design, not God’s. He was exchanging a royal inheritance for… disaster and didn’t even know it. He was trading relationship with God for a few silver shekels and some shiny clothes. Treasure will rust or the moths will eat it. Achan traded real treasure, God’s treasure for ….trouble.
What about you beloved? What have you hidden in your tent? What are you holding on to that puts a wedge, a barrier between you and a deeper, closer walk with the Lord? At the end of the day, all that is temporal will be burned in the fire. All that will remain will be that that God desires: a faithful people. Let me leave you with this: Whether in this life or the next, God fully intends to bless you beyond all that you can ever ask or even imagine to ask. He promises us this in is Word. All of earth’s treasure pale in comparison to the riches God has awaiting us in eternity. God seeks Relationship….with you…above all else. Devote yourself to Him fully. God is Jealous for you. Rejoice in that.
Shalom,
.wb
Romans 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Achan: a’-kan (`akhan (in 1 Chronicles 2:7 Achar, `akhar, "troubler"):
Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost: The most Holy trinity. Spirit, Soul and Body: Man in three parts. A couple of notable ‘three’s’ in Scripture. I point this out because there is a notable ‘three’ in this account of Achan: A gold wedge, 200 shekels of silver and a Babylonian robe. All devoted to God, purposed for destruction, but stolen by Achan. What purpose a wedge? To wedge a door open or closed. To keep an access way open or to deny access to. Which was Achan guilty of? A little of both. In holding onto the devoted thing, he placed a wedge between God and Israel, between God and himself that God would not breach. A wedge. When used to keep an access way open, it normally represents a path backwards, a ‘way back’. Back to what? Back to a way of life that we should have completely abandoned when Jesus came. A wedge. Trouble.
Two hundred shekels of silver. That would have immediately made Achan a player wouldn’t it? How many ‘get rich quick’ schemes are out there these days? A lot of money quickly will get you a lot of attention quickly. Ask any lottery winner. While your at it, ask them how all that turned out for them. Achan had dreams, all of us do. Every one of us dreams of a life of no worries, no problems. Money can get us that, can’t it. Trouble.
A robe. Not just any robe, but a Babylonian robe, a robe representative of the pleasure and allure the ‘world’ has to offer. The yacht, the limo, the penthouse, the country club, the luxury suite; you know, the very, very, very best that the world has to offer. Why not you? Why not now? After all, Jesus just knocked down the walls didn’t He? You just got saved. ‘Hey God, turn on that Blessing Machine quick”. “I’m saved now, let’s get those Blessings flowing”. Real trouble.
Doesn’t work like that, does it? It’s not supposed to. When we get saved, we say” God, come on in.” “Yes Jesus, come into my heart.” :Clean me up”. There it is, right there. Jesus does not save us to leave us like we are. In our carnal, unsaved state, we’re not worthy of eternity. God, who is Mercy, would not damn us to an eternity staying the way we are: our own worst enemy. He loves us too much for that.
Achan had all this ‘stuff’ in his tent. He was holding on to a future of his own design, not God’s. He was exchanging a royal inheritance for… disaster and didn’t even know it. He was trading relationship with God for a few silver shekels and some shiny clothes. Treasure will rust or the moths will eat it. Achan traded real treasure, God’s treasure for ….trouble.
What about you beloved? What have you hidden in your tent? What are you holding on to that puts a wedge, a barrier between you and a deeper, closer walk with the Lord? At the end of the day, all that is temporal will be burned in the fire. All that will remain will be that that God desires: a faithful people. Let me leave you with this: Whether in this life or the next, God fully intends to bless you beyond all that you can ever ask or even imagine to ask. He promises us this in is Word. All of earth’s treasure pale in comparison to the riches God has awaiting us in eternity. God seeks Relationship….with you…above all else. Devote yourself to Him fully. God is Jealous for you. Rejoice in that.
Shalom,
.wb
Romans 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for June 26, 2011: God Gives the Victory (Joshua 6:2-4, 12-20)
Joshua 6:1
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Joshua 5:15
The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6:20
When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.
Wouldn’t you know it? All the way to the brink of God’s promise and here stands a wall. A wall, a buttress, an obstacle between you and your dream. What do you do? Give up. Quit. “Well, it wasn’t meant for me”. There’s a little bit of that in all of us isn’t there. Imagine God commanding Israel to walk around that fortified wall six consecutive days. What kind of conversations were going around Israeli camp fires each night? Do you think the tone may have changed as they became more confident walking in the shadow of the enemy’s walls without being harmed? Faith. God marched His children right up to the face of the wall day after day, encouraging them, building their faith, day in and day out, by repetition. Each day, walking up to that that opposed them and then walking back to camp with a building confidence that what God had promised, He was able to perform. They may not have had a shout in them on day one, but on day seven they were primed for victory, primed to over come. Much like an athlete who trains for a contest, Israel was training for reigning. It was short and didn’t sound or feel anything like boot camp, but that’s exactly what it was: boot camp. Coming out of the wilderness, God had seasoned a people that could obey, but could they fight? Upon coming to the edge of the promised land, God commanded that circumcision be immediately be re-instituted… after forty years. Ouch! No argument, no dissension, the Israelites got out the knives and obeyed. In a hurry. Ouch! Really, ouch! So God had a people that would obey, but none that could fight. God had a plan: Take a sword in one hand and a shield in the other and follow me. Jesus said something like that to His followers: “Take up your cross and follow me”.
“Follow me as I follow Christ” Paul exhorted. Believers young and old throughout the Church age have done just that; taken up the Sword of the Sprit, which is the Word of God and the Shield of Faith, Faith in God, and following Christ into victorious, glorious eternal life. Taking up the cross is not the burden some suppose, not when you are following Christ. His burden is light, His yoke is easy. He invites you, invites you to a place of rest and healing and blessing, but a willingness to follow Him into battle. We are more than conquerors when we take our cross and follow. It doesn’t matter how much you know when you start, just that you get started. Open a bible, visit a church, just turn off the radio and the TV and spend a few quiet moments in prayer. Follow Him right up to the face of what frightens you the most, the largest obstacles, the greatest strongholds in your life and watch the walls come tumbling down. Shout; for God has given you the victory!
.wb
Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Joshua 5:15
The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6:20
When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.
Wouldn’t you know it? All the way to the brink of God’s promise and here stands a wall. A wall, a buttress, an obstacle between you and your dream. What do you do? Give up. Quit. “Well, it wasn’t meant for me”. There’s a little bit of that in all of us isn’t there. Imagine God commanding Israel to walk around that fortified wall six consecutive days. What kind of conversations were going around Israeli camp fires each night? Do you think the tone may have changed as they became more confident walking in the shadow of the enemy’s walls without being harmed? Faith. God marched His children right up to the face of the wall day after day, encouraging them, building their faith, day in and day out, by repetition. Each day, walking up to that that opposed them and then walking back to camp with a building confidence that what God had promised, He was able to perform. They may not have had a shout in them on day one, but on day seven they were primed for victory, primed to over come. Much like an athlete who trains for a contest, Israel was training for reigning. It was short and didn’t sound or feel anything like boot camp, but that’s exactly what it was: boot camp. Coming out of the wilderness, God had seasoned a people that could obey, but could they fight? Upon coming to the edge of the promised land, God commanded that circumcision be immediately be re-instituted… after forty years. Ouch! No argument, no dissension, the Israelites got out the knives and obeyed. In a hurry. Ouch! Really, ouch! So God had a people that would obey, but none that could fight. God had a plan: Take a sword in one hand and a shield in the other and follow me. Jesus said something like that to His followers: “Take up your cross and follow me”.
“Follow me as I follow Christ” Paul exhorted. Believers young and old throughout the Church age have done just that; taken up the Sword of the Sprit, which is the Word of God and the Shield of Faith, Faith in God, and following Christ into victorious, glorious eternal life. Taking up the cross is not the burden some suppose, not when you are following Christ. His burden is light, His yoke is easy. He invites you, invites you to a place of rest and healing and blessing, but a willingness to follow Him into battle. We are more than conquerors when we take our cross and follow. It doesn’t matter how much you know when you start, just that you get started. Open a bible, visit a church, just turn off the radio and the TV and spend a few quiet moments in prayer. Follow Him right up to the face of what frightens you the most, the largest obstacles, the greatest strongholds in your life and watch the walls come tumbling down. Shout; for God has given you the victory!
.wb
Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for June 19, 2011: God Protects His People (Joshua 2:2-9, 15, 16, 22-24)
Romans 2:11
For there is no respect of persons with God.
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Romans 4:7-8
7 “Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[
Joshua 2:9
and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land
Joshua 6:22
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.”
It could not have been easy for Rahab. Prostitution is a hard, hard way of life. While she may have been well to do at some level, prosperity had not come without a price. How did she get here? God only knows. How much pain? How much had been broken? How much physical abuse had she suffered? How many broken promises had she endured? Was she beautiful? Probably. Depends on who you asked. But you don’t see the boot prints in the middle of her back. And while it’s easy to make Rahab solely a victim (makes us feel better, doesn’t it?), she was hardly a paragon of virtue. She was a prostitute. She was a survivor. She’d made some hard choices, but they were just that: her choices. She was a convincing liar. When she lied to the King’s men and told them that the Israeli spies had departed her abode, they spent days chasing, tracking, following an imaginary trail created out her spoken words… and nothing else. Liar. Yeah, she had that down. And you know what about a liar? A liar will steal, cheat, what ever it takes. She was a survivor.
However, God saw something in Rahab, something that was there from the beginning. Something that looked like… Him. In her years, in her experiences, she’d heard about the God of Israel, The God of Heaven and Earth. She acknowledges in Joshua 2: v.11 that the God of Israel was truly God. How she find that out? When did she become convinced? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. At some point, you begin to maybe understand that maybe the Israeli spies were not so much sent to spy out the city of Jericho as to rescue Rahab, God’s chosen, out of it? Selah.
God’s Chosen? Really? Beloved, God had a plan for Rahab… from the beginning. God redeems Rahab. Not only does He redeem her, but He establishes her as royalty in Israel. He gives her a name eternally linked with the lineage of David, Israel’s greatest king, and Jesus, the Hope of all mankind. She goes from despised to distinguished, from a place of infamy and shame, as a prostitute to a place of eternal renown in the venerable ‘Hall of Faith’ in Hebrews, chapter 11. I have a lot more to say about Rahab. What was life like for her in Israel? Was she immediately accepted? A stranger in a strange land? Different ethnicity, different language, what kind of obstacles lay before her? Another time perhaps.
Beloved, whatever your past, or present, God has a future plan for you, a plan for eternal future and a hope, a plan to make you the head and not the tail, a plan to Bless you if you will trust Him. You may be a little rough around the edges, Rahab certainly was. You may not think God could use you or Bless you. Why you? Why should He? Beloved, why not you? Nothing is too hard for Him. He sent His Son for just this purpose: to save you. Good News. Come and get it. Rahab did.
Blessings,
.wb
Matthew 1:5-6
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
Hebrews 11:31
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
1 Corinthians 1:26
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;
Proverbs 31:30
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
For there is no respect of persons with God.
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Romans 4:7-8
7 “Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[
Joshua 2:9
and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land
Joshua 6:22
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.”
It could not have been easy for Rahab. Prostitution is a hard, hard way of life. While she may have been well to do at some level, prosperity had not come without a price. How did she get here? God only knows. How much pain? How much had been broken? How much physical abuse had she suffered? How many broken promises had she endured? Was she beautiful? Probably. Depends on who you asked. But you don’t see the boot prints in the middle of her back. And while it’s easy to make Rahab solely a victim (makes us feel better, doesn’t it?), she was hardly a paragon of virtue. She was a prostitute. She was a survivor. She’d made some hard choices, but they were just that: her choices. She was a convincing liar. When she lied to the King’s men and told them that the Israeli spies had departed her abode, they spent days chasing, tracking, following an imaginary trail created out her spoken words… and nothing else. Liar. Yeah, she had that down. And you know what about a liar? A liar will steal, cheat, what ever it takes. She was a survivor.
However, God saw something in Rahab, something that was there from the beginning. Something that looked like… Him. In her years, in her experiences, she’d heard about the God of Israel, The God of Heaven and Earth. She acknowledges in Joshua 2: v.11 that the God of Israel was truly God. How she find that out? When did she become convinced? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. At some point, you begin to maybe understand that maybe the Israeli spies were not so much sent to spy out the city of Jericho as to rescue Rahab, God’s chosen, out of it? Selah.
God’s Chosen? Really? Beloved, God had a plan for Rahab… from the beginning. God redeems Rahab. Not only does He redeem her, but He establishes her as royalty in Israel. He gives her a name eternally linked with the lineage of David, Israel’s greatest king, and Jesus, the Hope of all mankind. She goes from despised to distinguished, from a place of infamy and shame, as a prostitute to a place of eternal renown in the venerable ‘Hall of Faith’ in Hebrews, chapter 11. I have a lot more to say about Rahab. What was life like for her in Israel? Was she immediately accepted? A stranger in a strange land? Different ethnicity, different language, what kind of obstacles lay before her? Another time perhaps.
Beloved, whatever your past, or present, God has a future plan for you, a plan for eternal future and a hope, a plan to make you the head and not the tail, a plan to Bless you if you will trust Him. You may be a little rough around the edges, Rahab certainly was. You may not think God could use you or Bless you. Why you? Why should He? Beloved, why not you? Nothing is too hard for Him. He sent His Son for just this purpose: to save you. Good News. Come and get it. Rahab did.
Blessings,
.wb
Matthew 1:5-6
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
Hebrews 11:31
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
1 Corinthians 1:26
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;
Proverbs 31:30
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for June 12, 2011: God Expects Obedience (Joshua 1:7-18)
1 Samuel 15:22
… Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...
Isaiah 1:19
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land…
1 John 3:22
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
I apologize for the jump off. Last week was the beginning of the last quarter in this volume of the Lesson Standard. The theme for this quarter is: God instructs His people. That’s you and I. Why do we need instruction? Because God’s way’s are higher than ours. When you visit a foreign country, for politeness sake, it’s important to observe, at least some of the customs of your hosts. However, if you are planning an extended stay or permanent relocation to that foreign locale, your survival may hinge on your ability to learn and apply the language and customs of the society you are becoming a part of. The same is true for the believer. When we believed, we became foreigners on two fronts: You’ve suddenly separated yourself spiritually from family, loved ones and acquaintances. You are no longer like them. Secondly, you are an alien, literally in a new ‘Kingdom’. In this new kingdom it is absolutely imperative that you align yourself with the leadership and direction of the King. You are either for Him or against Him. Therefore it is contingent that you listen, learn and apply yourself. Doesn’t that sound like good advice? Listen, Study, Learn and Apply. Throughout Scripture believers are exhorted to do exactly that.
Last week’s lesson: ‘God Keeps His Promises’ opened the quarter with the children of Israel finally coming to the land of promise after forty years in the wilderness. In that lesson, God shows Joshua the potential of His promises to Israel. The same is true for us today. When God reveals Himself, He reveals Himself, through Jesus, as the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The possibilities before us are limitless. God wants His people to prosper.
This week He begins to reveal how that will be accomplished: He will provide, but they must follow and obey.. in the moment! The Lesson Commentary I use give’s a wonderful illustration on this point in this week’s lesson. The segment uses the illustration of Military boot camp, the training period during the first few weeks of a new recruit. In boot camp, new recruits learn the importance of immediately obeying the commands and instructions of their commanders. After one recruit came home to visit after the completion of boot camp, his father asked him what he had learned, he replied he’d learned the meaning of the word ‘now’.
Why focus on the importance of ‘now’? Because God’s interaction with you is immediate and constant. He’s not on His way. He’s near you at all times. So near, He only need whisper, in that still small voice. His Word is near to you: in your mouth and in your heart. When he speaks, we as believers must be moved to obey in the ‘now’. In the moment, each moment, we must trust Him and demonstrate our trust by obedience. The Israelites learned this lesson the hard way. God had brought them to this very place forty years earlier and they missed their moment through hesitancy, unbelief and disobedience. Caleb and Joshua, because of their faith, were the only fighting men of Israel’s army to survive that episode and earn the opportunity to enter into their inheritance. The others died in the desert over that forty year period.
This time the instruction was be strong and very courageous. To trust the hand of the Lord, trust His love for them, His desire for their success. The same is true for us. We have to trust Him, trust that He loves us, cares for us, only wants the best for us, and will protect us and Bless us. The question is do we obey in the moment, reaching out and holding on to His unchanging hand? It’s a daily task for the believer: trusting, obeying, believing, growing through obedience into the confident, healthy, empowered Christian God wants us to become. I’m in. What about you?
Enjoy the lesson,
.wb
… Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...
Isaiah 1:19
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land…
1 John 3:22
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
I apologize for the jump off. Last week was the beginning of the last quarter in this volume of the Lesson Standard. The theme for this quarter is: God instructs His people. That’s you and I. Why do we need instruction? Because God’s way’s are higher than ours. When you visit a foreign country, for politeness sake, it’s important to observe, at least some of the customs of your hosts. However, if you are planning an extended stay or permanent relocation to that foreign locale, your survival may hinge on your ability to learn and apply the language and customs of the society you are becoming a part of. The same is true for the believer. When we believed, we became foreigners on two fronts: You’ve suddenly separated yourself spiritually from family, loved ones and acquaintances. You are no longer like them. Secondly, you are an alien, literally in a new ‘Kingdom’. In this new kingdom it is absolutely imperative that you align yourself with the leadership and direction of the King. You are either for Him or against Him. Therefore it is contingent that you listen, learn and apply yourself. Doesn’t that sound like good advice? Listen, Study, Learn and Apply. Throughout Scripture believers are exhorted to do exactly that.
Last week’s lesson: ‘God Keeps His Promises’ opened the quarter with the children of Israel finally coming to the land of promise after forty years in the wilderness. In that lesson, God shows Joshua the potential of His promises to Israel. The same is true for us today. When God reveals Himself, He reveals Himself, through Jesus, as the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The possibilities before us are limitless. God wants His people to prosper.
This week He begins to reveal how that will be accomplished: He will provide, but they must follow and obey.. in the moment! The Lesson Commentary I use give’s a wonderful illustration on this point in this week’s lesson. The segment uses the illustration of Military boot camp, the training period during the first few weeks of a new recruit. In boot camp, new recruits learn the importance of immediately obeying the commands and instructions of their commanders. After one recruit came home to visit after the completion of boot camp, his father asked him what he had learned, he replied he’d learned the meaning of the word ‘now’.
Why focus on the importance of ‘now’? Because God’s interaction with you is immediate and constant. He’s not on His way. He’s near you at all times. So near, He only need whisper, in that still small voice. His Word is near to you: in your mouth and in your heart. When he speaks, we as believers must be moved to obey in the ‘now’. In the moment, each moment, we must trust Him and demonstrate our trust by obedience. The Israelites learned this lesson the hard way. God had brought them to this very place forty years earlier and they missed their moment through hesitancy, unbelief and disobedience. Caleb and Joshua, because of their faith, were the only fighting men of Israel’s army to survive that episode and earn the opportunity to enter into their inheritance. The others died in the desert over that forty year period.
This time the instruction was be strong and very courageous. To trust the hand of the Lord, trust His love for them, His desire for their success. The same is true for us. We have to trust Him, trust that He loves us, cares for us, only wants the best for us, and will protect us and Bless us. The question is do we obey in the moment, reaching out and holding on to His unchanging hand? It’s a daily task for the believer: trusting, obeying, believing, growing through obedience into the confident, healthy, empowered Christian God wants us to become. I’m in. What about you?
Enjoy the lesson,
.wb
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for June 5, 2011: God Keeps His Promise (Joshua 1:1-6; 11:16-23)
Joshua 1:7
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Joshua 1:8
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 21:45
45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
2 Peter 1:4
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
Almost everything we do, in one way or another, is based on the honor system. In some way, re absolutely rely on some absolutes remaining absolute. We learn it as babies. We depend on our parents and guardians for everything. As we grow, we become familiar with our surroundings and trust that they will remain reasonably stable and unchanged. We indentify with our family and learn to give and receive trust in our familial environment first, then as we venture out, we develop relationships with our neighbors, we make friends, we explore new places, tentatively at first, developing confidence in new surroundings and relationships. What we seek, in all this discovering, are relationships and environments that can be trusted.
What then of God? Have you trusted Him entirely? If not, why not? All of His promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’. Because He is all powerful, He can’t fail and, subsequently, He won’t fail you. He has no limitations. No boundaries. There are no obstacles He can’t overcome. There is nothing,’ no’ ‘thing’ too hard for Him. And because He loves you, there is no good thing that He will withhold from you. Nothing! What then? What are His conditions? Simple: Trust and obey Him ... with your whole heart.. continuously. Hold nothing back, give it all to Him. It’s all His anyway. Once you have released your ‘self’ to Him, relinquished your ‘self’ and your ‘selfishness’ to Him., traded your desires to Him for desire of Him you will find and experience Peace. Peace that surpasses your ability to understand. You will develop a confidence in Him that will enable and empower you to overcome every obstacle you’ll encounter. It’s a little like waking up one morning and discovering that you’ve been given ‘super powers’. Beloved, you have been given super power: God’s Grace and Favor toward you is unlimited and immeasurable. And it’s eternal. He never takes it back, never changes His mind, never regrets His decisions toward you. You never disappoint Him, ever. Isn’t that good news?
Rest assured! Rest … Assured.
Blessings,
.wb.
Psalm 106:12
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.
Romans 4:21
21And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Joshua 1:8
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 21:45
45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
2 Peter 1:4
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
Almost everything we do, in one way or another, is based on the honor system. In some way, re absolutely rely on some absolutes remaining absolute. We learn it as babies. We depend on our parents and guardians for everything. As we grow, we become familiar with our surroundings and trust that they will remain reasonably stable and unchanged. We indentify with our family and learn to give and receive trust in our familial environment first, then as we venture out, we develop relationships with our neighbors, we make friends, we explore new places, tentatively at first, developing confidence in new surroundings and relationships. What we seek, in all this discovering, are relationships and environments that can be trusted.
What then of God? Have you trusted Him entirely? If not, why not? All of His promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’. Because He is all powerful, He can’t fail and, subsequently, He won’t fail you. He has no limitations. No boundaries. There are no obstacles He can’t overcome. There is nothing,’ no’ ‘thing’ too hard for Him. And because He loves you, there is no good thing that He will withhold from you. Nothing! What then? What are His conditions? Simple: Trust and obey Him ... with your whole heart.. continuously. Hold nothing back, give it all to Him. It’s all His anyway. Once you have released your ‘self’ to Him, relinquished your ‘self’ and your ‘selfishness’ to Him., traded your desires to Him for desire of Him you will find and experience Peace. Peace that surpasses your ability to understand. You will develop a confidence in Him that will enable and empower you to overcome every obstacle you’ll encounter. It’s a little like waking up one morning and discovering that you’ve been given ‘super powers’. Beloved, you have been given super power: God’s Grace and Favor toward you is unlimited and immeasurable. And it’s eternal. He never takes it back, never changes His mind, never regrets His decisions toward you. You never disappoint Him, ever. Isn’t that good news?
Rest assured! Rest … Assured.
Blessings,
.wb.
Psalm 106:12
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.
Romans 4:21
21And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
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