First Things. Quarter At-A-Glance September 2013

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1 c Text Urban Ministries PDF Supplied Page 1 Quarter At-A-Glance September 2013 First Things God s creative work is seen throughout the stories found in Genesis and Exodus. The quarter begins with the creation of the world and of human beings, explores the creation of a nation that began with God s promises to Abraham and Sarah and their heirs, and then studies the stories of the Hebrew people on their journey out of captivity toward freedom. UNIT 1 FIRST DAYS This is a five-lesson unit that explores Israel s earliest stories. The first lesson is a hymn that affirms God s creation. The next two lessons focus on God as the Creator of the universe and humanity. The fourth lesson concentrates on God s promises to Noah and the establishment of an everlasting covenant. The fifth lesson explores the scattering of the nations. UNIT 2 FIRST NATION This is a four-lesson unit that develops the promise made to Abraham by God. The first two lessons tell of the promise of land and children to Abraham and Sarah. Lesson 3 sheds light on the blessing promised to Abraham s lineage. The final lesson outlines the blessing being passed to Jacob. UNIT 3 FIRST FREEDOM This is a four-lesson unit that explores the power of God to save Israel from oppression. The first and second lessons look at how God prepares and actually delivers Israel from bondage. Lessons three and four develop the story of Israel s beginning as a freed nation. 1 UMI_DIR_S_913.indd 1 6/17/13 11:42 AM

2 c Text Urban Ministries PDF Supplied Page 2 September 1 BIBLE STUDY GUIDE 1 God Creates Bible Background PSALM 104 Printed Text PSALM 104:5 9, Devotional Reading MATTHEW 6:25 34 Aim for Change By the end of the lesson, we will: DESCRIBE God s creative power and provision; APPRECIATE the wonder of God s Creation; and PRAISE God for the resources available for us. In Focus When Gale lost her job last year, her joy went with it. At first, she was happy to spend a couple of months with her children. Then she began her job search, expecting to be employed within a month. Thirteen months later, she was staring at a pile of disconnection and collection notices. It seemed that the more she prayed, the worse her situation became. Since she couldn t pay her bills, she decided to take her last five-dollar bill to buy a fast food value meal. Inside the restaurant, she ran into a former coworker who remembered Gale as the Cake Lady. Gale used to share homemade cakes with the employees. The woman explained that her wedding was coming up, and she was considering a $1,200 estimate from a cake designer she didn t know. She offered the job to Gale since she knew her work, then wrote a $600 check for a deposit. At that moment, Gale realized she d been praying for a temporary fix for her problem, and God gave her a permanent solution. She went to her car, retrieved a folder full of cake order forms, and handed some to the woman to pass out at work. Gale praised God on the way home for giving her the talent to make the money she needed. God has already given us everything we need. In today s lesson, we will praise God for resources available to us. Keep in Mind O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches (Psalm 104:24). 2 UMI_DIR_S_913.indd 2

3 c Text Urban Ministries PDF Supplied Page 3 Focal Verses KJV Psalm 104:5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. 8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. 27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The People, Places, and Times The Book of Psalms. Tehillim, the Hebrew name for the book of Psalms, means praises. The book is made up of 150 chapters, each one written as a lyrical piece to be sung to musical instruments. The Jewish church used it as a hymnbook in the temple. Seventy-three of the psalms are credited to David, making him the most prolific psalmist. Other composers include Asaph, Ethan the Ezrahite, Herman the Ezrahite, Moses, Solomon, and the Sons of Korah. Psalms is broken up into five divisions. Psalm 104, our lesson text, is taken from the fourth division. It is not clear who wrote Psalm 104, but some scholars believe David is its author. David. David s life was so rich that it s no wonder he wrote most of the psalms. He was Jesse s youngest son, he was a shepherd, he was anointed as king of Israel, and he defeated the giant Goliath with a stone and slingshot (see 1 Samuel 17). And all of this was before his adulthood! Though he had many triumphs, David had just as many trials, and his range of emotions is captured in the psalms. He wrote Psalm 3 when his son Absalom rebelled against him. Psalm 51 was one of confession, written after his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. He wrote Psalm 142 while hiding from Saul in a cave. David was an ancestor of Jesus Christ, and he died at 70 years old. Background It is possible that the Israelites were in captivity during the time Psalm 104 was written. Most people held against their will focus on the things they do not have freedom, security, and happiness. While in bondage, captives complain, cry out to God, and shake their fists in anger. However, because some scholars attribute this psalm to David, the purpose would be different, for David lived long before the Israelites went into captivity. If David was indeed the author, he did just the opposite of raising his fists in anger when faced with difficult situations. In Psalm 104, he gave an account of the things that he knew could not be taken from him. He focused his attention on God s creation, emphasizing that it is God 3 UMI_DIR_S_913.indd 3

4 c Text Urban Ministries PDF Supplied Page 4 who creates, sustains, provides, and preserves. With Psalm 104, David affirms that God has provided all our needs through His creation. At-A-Glance 1. God Orders (Psalm 104:5 9) 2. God Works (vv ) 3. God Provides (vv ) In Depth 1. God Orders (Psalm 104:5 9) It is said that God is a God of order, and the first portion of our lesson text proves it. To order means to attend to the arrangements of items. The way in which items are arranged is an indication of their size, importance, or when each will be dealt with. David boasted that God is so creative that He hung the earth on its own axis, and no matter how heavy it is or what shock it absorbs, it cannot fall or be moved. Then, God covered it and the waters stood above the mountains. But, because God s greatest creation man could not live in such a place, God reprimanded the waters and they fled to more suitable places, like the valleys. At God s rebuke, a boundary was formed that water could not cross over so that man could live. 2. God Works (vv ) Throughout the Bible, God endorses work. Work is good. God created so much that verse 24 reads the earth is full of thy riches. God was so productive that He didn t just create the oceans for show, but He filled them with great and small creatures, both swimming and creeping kinds. In time, humans, the crown of creation, created boats and ships to use these waters as passageways for merchants. His work produced work! He also emphasizes the importance of balance. There can t be all work and no play. David mentioned the leviathan, a sea monster of immense size and power, that has no other duty than to play in the vast waters it calls home. 3. God Provides (vv ) According to Scripture, God s provision is bountiful and seasonable. Verse 27 reads that these wait all upon thee; that thou givest them their meat in due season. The Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible asserts in its discussion of Genesis 1 that God s creation patiently waits for His provision because of the natural instinct He put in it. His creation knows that He is bountiful and open-handed (v. 28), and they gather what He gives and are satisfied. Because they desire no more than what God sees fit for them, they have no need to complain or be dissatisfied. They recognize that if God hides His face from them (i.e., ignores or leaves them to themselves), they will be troubled. They are so dependent upon their Creator that they cannot take their next breath without Him. When, at God s bidding, they give up their existence, others come behind them as God recreates and replenishes. Search the Scriptures 1. Why did God set a bound over the waters (Psalm 104:9)? 2. What happens when God sends forth His Spirit (v. 30)? Discuss the Meaning 1. How does this text illustrate God s creative power and provision? 2. Using the text, identify resources God made available to us through His creation. Lesson in Our Society In a downturned economy, it is easy to focus on what we have lost, things we cannot obtain, and the hopelessness we might feel. In Psalm 104, David chose to focus on God s creation 4 UMI_DIR_S_913.indd 4

5 c Text Urban Ministries PDF Supplied Page 5 and the riches thereof. We will do well to challenge ourselves to identify resources we can use to produce what we need. Provision is all around us. Make It Happen This week, challenge yourself to focus on what you have rather than on what you do not. Challenge yourself to see God the way David characterizes Him bountiful, attentive, and open-handed. He has not forgotten you or your family. While you wait for Him, make daily gratitude lists and thank Him for what you do have. Then, pray for wisdom to use what you have to get what you need. Follow the Spirit What God wants me to do: Remember Your Thoughts Special insights I have learned: Sources: Blue Letter Bible. BlueLetterBible.org. (accessed July 8, 2012). Brueggemann, Walter. The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, Goldingay, John. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 3: Psalms Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible. Genesis 1. (accessed July 25 27, 2012). Mays, James L. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Psalms. Louisville: John Knox Press, Mullins, Nicole C. My Redeemer Lives. com/lyrics/n/nicole_c_mullins/my_redeemer_lives.html (accessed December 19, 2012). Smith, William. Smith s Bible Dictionary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., , VanGemeren, Willem A. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Vol. 5. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Word in Life Study Bible (NKJV). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Say It Correctly Manifold. MAN-i-fold. Leviathan. le-vi-a-than. Innumerable. in-noo-mer-ab-ul. Daily Bible Readings M: God Knows Our Every Need (Matthew 6:25 34) T: The Greatness of the Creator (Psalm 104:1 4) W: Nourishment for All Creatures (Psalm 104:10 17) T: The Cycle of Days and Seasons (Psalm 104:18 23) F: The Exalted God of Creation (Psalm 97:1 9) S: Praise God, the Creator (Psalm 104:31 35) S: God, Our Creator and Sustainer (Psalm 104:5 9, 24 30) 5 UMI_DIR_S_913.indd 5