Sponsor s Guide. For Sponsors of Junior High, Young People and Adult. Prepared by Richard Merritt

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2 Baptist Training Course Sponsor s Guide For Sponsors of Junior High, Young People and Adult Prepared by Richard Merritt Vol. 57, No. 1 ISSUED DECEMBER 1, 2010 WINTER QUARTER Outlines by Don Price EDITOR IN CHIEF: Larry E. Clements larryclements@abaptist.org BUSINESS MANAGER: Wayne Sewell wsewell@abaptist.org PRODUCTION EDITOR: Sally McInvale ADULT EDITOR: Jim Jones CHILDREN S EDITOR: Libby Gill ILLUSTRATOR: Connie Spears GRAPHIC ARTISTS: Shawn Blase, Jeff Allen, Greg Hilterbrand, LAYOUT DESIGNERS: Bonita McKnight, Kyle Elkins, Cindy Butler CONTENT EDITORS: Terry McKellar, Carolyn Burks, Deby Turrentine PRINT PRODUCTION: Charles Easley COVER DESIGN: Greg Hilterbrand Copyright 2010 Baptist Sunday School Committee 4605 N. State Line Ave. Texarkana, TX THE PROMISES OF GOD Quarterly Aim: To show that the Lord has provided great and precious promises to His children. CONTENTS Lesson No. 1, December 5, 2010 The Promise of the Bow Lesson No. 2, December 12, 2010 The Promise to Abraham Lesson No. 3, December 19, 2010 The Promise to David Lesson No. 4, December 26, 2010 The Promise of the Messiah Lesson No. 5, January 2, 2011 The Promise of Salvation Lesson No. 6, January 9, 2011 The Promise of Security Lesson No. 7, January 16, 2011 The Promise to His Church Lesson No. 8, January 23, 2011 The Promise of the Comforter Lesson No. 9, January 30, 2011 The Promise of Christ s Return Lesson No. 10, February 6, 2011 The Promise of Answered Prayer Lesson No. 11, February 13, 2011 The Promise of His Word Lesson No. 12, February 20, 2011 The Promise of God s Care Lesson No. 13, February 27, 2011 The Promise of Godly Wisdom

3 2 SPONSOR S GUIDE LESSON 1 December 5, 2010 The Promise of the Bow Lesson Text: Genesis 9: Related Scripture: Genesis 6:1-7; Exodus 12:25; Numbers 14:11-20; Joshua 23:5; 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Chronicles 1:9; Nehemiah 5:5-9; Psalm 105:42; Luke 1:72, 73; Titus 1:1-4; Hebrews 10: Application: To show how a visible sign is given by God about His promise never to destroy the earth again by water. DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS The Rainbow Is Around the Throne of God, Revelation 4:1-3. Among the visions John had concerning the things to come, God revealed to John the appearance of the throne room in Heaven. John saw Heaven s features centered around the throne of God. As the supreme power over all, God has the might and the right to rule. Isaiah also had a vision of the throne of God. Isaiah 6:1, 2 states, In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. God emphasized His holiness to Isaiah. In John s vision, God emphasized His power and authority. John saw Jesus the Lamb of God on the throne. His appearance was majestic, crowned with glory and honor. The beautiful rainbow in Heaven framed the scene of the throne room in Heaven. The rainbow was the sign of the promise God made after He destroyed the inhabitants of the earth by the flood. The sign of the bow reflected God s mercy in promising never again to send a flood over the whole earth. God s holy nature will send a flood of His wrath on the world in the end times, but never again will He destroy all living creatures on the earth by a flood of waters. The language reveals the rainbow in Heaven exists in a complete circle, not just an arc as appears on the earth. The color of Heaven s rainbow is singular, an emerald color. EXAMINING THE TEXT Genesis 9: The flood covered the whole earth. Some have suggested the flood was only a regional problem, not a worldwide catastrophe. The wording of the Scripture of this text proves that to be a false statement. The flood God sent in Noah s lifetime involved the waters covering the whole earth. Above the tops of the highest mountain on the earth, the flood waters rose. Genesis 8:5 declares, And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. When the flood waters began to go down, eventually the mountain peaks were able to be seen. For months, the earth had been

4 hidden beneath the waters. God opened the windows of Heaven, the fountains of the deep and provided enough water to submerge the entire earth. The flood destroyed all flesh on the earth. Genesis 7:21, 22 reads, And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. God destroyed all mankind, all animal life, all creeping things and all birds all that had to have air to breathe. Genesis 6:5 states, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The wickedness had become so great on the earth, God would not allow it to continue. Genesis 6:7 reads, And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. God determined to make a new beginning with Noah. The flood expressed God s wrath on the sinful conditions upon the earth. Genesis 6:2 states, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. The line of faith and the line of unbelief became one. At that point, all mankind became corrupt except Noah. God determined to spare Noah and his family. At God s command, Noah built the ark. Verse 3 declares, And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. The one hundred twenty years involved three forty year testing periods in which man had the opportunity SPONSOR S GUIDE 3 to repent and turn to God. Noah preached and built the ark, but no one turned to God. God s invitation to mankind in this generation lasted one hundred twenty years. God s promise of the bow in the cloud represents a token of His covenant with Noah. God made the covenant as an absolute promise to all the inhabitants of the earth. It was not a conditional covenant. A conditional covenant includes, If you will..., then I will. God gave no conditions for mankind to meet concerning this covenant. God s faithfulness to keep this covenant has nothing to do with man s failures and sinfulness. God made this covenant as an expression of His grace and mercy to sinful humanity. Noah was spared by the grace of God. Unto Noah, this expression of God s grace and mercy provides a promise for all people of all generations upon the earth. The unlimited power of God enables Him to place His bow in the cloud. No one else can approach the power and glory of the one true God that can establish such a token and covenant. The promise God made to Noah will endure to the end of this creation. Genesis 8:21, 22 states, And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man s sake; for the imagination of man s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Although some mistakenly believe that in the last days all the seasons will blend into one, the Bible contradicts such a belief. God promised no more flood, nothing that would ever hinder the procession of the seasons from

5 4 SPONSOR S GUIDE spring to summer, summer to fall, fall to winter and winter to spring. This promise God gave was for perpetual generations. God promised to give the bow in the cloud to remind mankind of His promise. By His own grace and mercy, God desired the inhabitants of the earth to know of His power and glory. His Word reveals the awesome power of God to inundate the whole earth with water. In the face of such great power, mankind could properly only know fear. God s promise of the bow in the cloud has been given to offer comfort to mankind as the objects of His mercy and grace. At first, each rain would seem frightful. Before the flood, there had never been rain. Noah and his sons and their families needed the promise to live with peace of mind concerning another flood. Every time rain seems to have no end, man s doubts and fears will be removed by God placing His bow in the cloud. God always keeps His promises. God promised to remember His covenant every time He saw the bow in the cloud. God never forgets anything. The promise to look upon the bow in the cloud and to remember His promise represents a choice of God s will. His will and character include justice and mercy. Second Peter 3:9 states, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Through God s grace, He offers a way for sinners to be saved through Jesus Christ. God s plan of salvation through Jesus is for all people. Romans 10:13 declares, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Through God s mercy, He provided His bow in the cloud so that all mankind could see and know God does remember His promise. The covenant God made with Noah exists as an everlasting covenant. He promised, The waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh (Gen. 9:15). He said, Neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood. He also said, Neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth (verse 11). He made this promise to perpetual generations (verse 12). Perpetual refers to the vanishing point of time, lasting to the end of the world. One meaning of the word generations means ages or evermore. The Noahic Covenant God made with Noah and his sons included a binding agreement by which God promised never to repeat the flood over the whole earth as long as the earth stands. God has never broken any promise. God s promises rest upon the faithfulness and truth of His holy and righteous character. The rainbow reveals God s mercy. Through God s great mercy, mankind will be spared from total destruction by a flood of water. Mercy may be explained in terms of God s kindness and loving favor toward mankind. Through His mercy, He offers deliverance, forgiveness and proves Himself to be long-suffering toward mankind. By placing His bow in the cloud, God gives both a token of His merciful promise and a reminder to mankind that the same God who put His bow in the cloud has all power. The covenant God made with Noah rested upon God s ability to keep it. He established it. The Noahic Covenant originated in the mind and heart of God. He freely offered it for the comfort and assurance of mankind concerning the fear of another flood every time it rained. God, who put the bow in the cloud where mankind can see it, established His presence and power overlooking a sinful world in which sinners are reminded

6 there is a just and holy God in Heaven. Although He will never break His covenant promise to destroy mankind by water, there will come a time when He sends the flood of His wrath upon the earth to destroy the whole creation by fire. (See 2 Peter 3:7, ) The covenant God made with Noah reveals He has the ability to keep all His promises and will fulfill all His covenants. RELATED SCRIPTURE Genesis 6:1-7. When the faith line the sons of Seth and the ungodly line the daughters of Cain began to intermarry, the line of faith became fewer and fewer. Their children began to adopt the ways and customs of the ungodly until the population of the world had become very wicked. Exodus 12:25. The Passover would be a sign or token to bring to remembrance the power of the Lord in bringing the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God did so with a high hand by revealing His great power through the plagues that humiliated the idols of the Egyptians. Numbers 14: God gave the people of Israel signs of His ability to provide for them. He led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He gave them water from the rock. He rained manna on them from Heaven. He sent them quail when they desired flesh to eat. In spite of all these, the people of Israel still responded to God with unbelief. Joshua 23:5. God reminded the children of Israel of all He had done to make them a home in Canaan as He had promised. God kept His promise to them in spite of their sinfulness and lack of faith in Him. 1 Kings 8:56. God gave promises to Moses concerning the people of Israel s SPONSOR S GUIDE 5 future in the land of Canaan. Not only did God bring them in, but He kept His Word according to the blessings He would offer them and to the chastisement He would use to warn them. 2 Chronicles 1:9. God promised King David that he would never fail to have a son on the throne of Israel. The immediate fulfillment rested upon Solomon as the next king. The ultimate fulfillment promised the Son of David to reign in the Millennium. Nehemiah 5:5-9. The people of Israel failed to live by the fear of the Lord when in difficult financial circumstances. Instead of relying on God to keep His promise to care for them, they began to sell their people into slavery. Psalm 105:42. God made a covenant promise to Abraham concerning his descendants living in Canaan. To keep that promise, the Lord provided for the needs of Israel during the forty years of wilderness wanderings. Luke 1:72, 73. No doubt God kept His covenant promises to Abraham by the time the New Testament began. But for the promise of God, the nation of Israel could not have procured for itself an enduring existence. Titus 1:1-4. Paul wrote to Titus by inspiration of God. His opening remarks revealed Paul s faith in God as the revealer of truth and the One who had the power to fulfill all His promises. Hebrews 10: God s faithfulness to keep His promises comprises a perfect record. He cannot lie. He will not break even one of His precious promises. His faithfulness should motivate His servants in the churches to be faithful. RELEVANCE OF THE TEXT Considering the sinful conditions of the present time, it may be difficult to

7 6 SPONSOR S GUIDE imagine the sinful conditions that moved God to destroy all the inhabitants of the earth. How could those conditions be any worse than the present ones? The wise Bible student must believe that the conditions were so deplorable that God refused to let them continue any longer in such evil. Genesis 6:5 states, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Evil refers to moral corruption in which the standards of morality had been broken down one by one. Sin began in the thoughts of these people when they dreamed up new ways to sin. The word imagination refers to their purpose. The evil generation lived for the purpose of doing wickedness. Such a sinful condition throughout all humanity grieved him at his heart, (verse 6). God became heartsick over the sinfulness of humanity. Such was the evil upon the earth that God s righteous nature broke forth in a flood of water that destroyed every living thing upon the earth, with the exception of Noah and his family. Verse 8 declares, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This first mention of the word grace in the Bible reveals God s loving favor upon Noah. God refused to excuse the people from His judgment. Second Peter 2:5 reads, And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. God will not excuse sinners from His judgment. All unsaved sinners will give account to the holy and righteous God at the Great White Throne Judgment. The only way to be excused from this judgment is to by faith enter into God s ark of mercy, Jesus Christ. Like Noah and his family, those who find refuge in Christ as their ark of safety will be in a place of safety with the Lord when He pours out His wrath on a wicked world. As God shut the door to secure the safety of Noah and his family, all those in Christ will be secured and kept safe by the power of God. CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION The rainbow exists as a constant reminder of God s truthfulness and faithfulness. The promise made to Noah and to all mankind has been kept without fail for many generations. It will never fail as long as the earth stands. The bow in the cloud reminds every person of the faithfulness and mercy of God. Never again will He destroy all mankind by the waters of a flood. The bow in the cloud reveals a great truth about all the promises of God. Each promise of the Lord is as sure as the bow in the cloud. Mankind depends on the promises of God for daily life as well as the promises of God for eternal life. God promises eternal life to those who will repent and trust in Jesus. To each of these, God gives His promise of eternal security. John 10:28 states, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. God s faithful record of keeping all His promises reveals any sinner may trust Him to keep His promise concerning everlasting life to those in Christ Jesus. The assurance of salvation requires the child of God to rely upon God s faithfulness and ability to keep His promises. As surely as the bow is in the cloud, God will eternally save each one who trusts in Christ.

8 SPONSOR S GUIDE 7 LESSON 2 December 12, 2010 The Promise to Abraham Lesson Text: Genesis 12:1-3; 17:1-8. Related Scripture: Genesis 15:14; 18:18; 22:15-18; 26:2-4, 24; 28:10-15, 20-22; Deuteronomy 26:5-9; 1 Kings 3:8; Psalm 105:42; Acts 3:25; Romans 9:8, 9; 11:1-5; Galatians 3:8, 18. Application: To show how God spoke to an individual, Abraham, with great promises. DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS God Never Forgot His Promise to Abraham and His Seed, Acts 7: God kept His promises to Abraham according to His own timetable. One expression used in the Bible to refer to God s exact right time is fullness of time. Galatians 4:4 states, But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. At God s right time, the family of Jacob or Israel came to live in a protected environment in Goshen in Egypt. Similar to living in a cocoon, they were blessed by God to multiply from seventy into a large nation while in Egypt. The timing of the fulfillment of God s promises always occurs at exactly God s right time. When the time came for the children of Israel to leave Egypt, God used a king who knew not Joseph to put such a heavy affliction on the nation that they began to cry out to God in prayer for deliverance. As they began to pray earnestly for God to help them, God set in motion His plan that He had already begun years before by the birth of Moses. At the age of forty years, Moses left Egypt to go into training to be God s leader for Israel. He trained for forty years on the back side of the desert. For more than forty years the people of Israel had continued to pray in faith believing God was hearing and would answer their prayers. God never fulfills His promises accord ing to man s timetable. God always has perfect timing, never a second late or a minute early. God did not forget His promise to Abraham to make his seed to be a multitude. God demonstrated this by keeping the promise that He will be faithful in all other promises at His own good time. EXAMINING THE TEXT Genesis 12:1-3. God had a place and a plan for Abraham. Abraham s hometown, Ur of the Chaldees, was a place noted for its idolatry. Its worship of the moon goddess dominated the lives of the people. God demanded Abraham to separate himself from the place of false worship. Second Corinthians 6:16, 17 states, And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,

9 8 SPONSOR S GUIDE and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. This principle of separation was demanded by God from Abraham and from his descendants when they became the nation of Israel. God still requires His faithful servants to be separated from false worship. When God made Abraham great, his father s house would have no reason to get glory in it. The usual thing for young adults to get ahead is to build on the success of their parents. God intended to make Abraham great. No one would be able to say Abraham s father had blessed him and he became a great man. God wanted Abraham to depend on the Lord, not on blood relatives. To prove his faith and dependence on the Lord, God demanded Abraham leave Ur for an unknown destination that would become his home and that of his descendants. Ur was a prosperous city in which there was much commerce and other business activity. Abraham by faith turned away from the idolatrous city and his own family to go to the place God led him. In his great journey of faith, Abraham had to depend on God, not his family. God promised to make of Abraham a great nation. The nation of Israel became a nation great in population. At the time of the Exodus, some have estimated the number at two million. The nation became great in power. God gave the people of Israel victory over their enemies. They lived in a region where almost every Canaanite nation tried to conquer them. Under King David, God gave many military victories. Under King Solomon, the land had rest from war for forty years. The nation of Israel has been great in its continuous history. Although Israel has had many enemies, God has protected and guaranteed the existence of the descendants of Abraham as the nation of Israel. God gave the nation great wealth. In every sense of the word great, God kept His promise to make Israel a great nation. Abraham did not live long enough to see it, but God kept His promise. The Lord promised to bless the nation. God s blessings on Israel included His provision for all its needs. As long as Israel obeyed God, He continued to send rain and to give a bountiful harvest to its crops. God blessed Israel with many natural resources. At the present, Israel is still a nation rich in many highly desirable resources. God s blessings on Israel included God s fighting for it against its enemies. The Lord said, I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee (Gen. 12:3). God gave the people of Israel a rich land. He made them a numerous people. He protected them throughout their history. God s blessings on the children of Israel included both spiritual and material things. All the writers of the books of the Bible were from the nation of Israel except Luke. God s blessings on the people of Israel are too many to be overstated. God promised to make Israel s name great. The name of the nation, Israel, means prince of God or having power with God. Even the name of the nation reflects it is God s chosen people. Deuteronomy 7:6 declares, For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. God chose the people of Israel and purposed in His own will to make them a great nation. Isaiah 41:8, 9 states, But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee,

10 and not cast thee away. God has never forgotten His promise to make Israel a great name. The Lord s plan for Israel involved the promise of the Messiah. God promised Abraham, In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Gen. 12:3). This promise had such great scope that every nation in the world would be blessed. God s fulfillment of this promise involved the coming of the Messiah. Haggai 2:7 states, And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. When Jesus came, He brought the glory of God to the nation and to the Temple in Jerusalem. When He comes to the earth again, He will bring His glory and power into the millennial Temple and rule the earth for one thousand years. When Jesus is spoken of as the desire of the nations, He stands supreme as the Messiah and Savior of all the people of the earth. The greatest possible blessing in Christ is salvation. Genesis 17:1-8. God promised, Thou shalt be a father to many nations (verse 4). When Jacob had twelve sons, their descendants grew into the nation of Israel. Ishmael s descendants grew into a nation. The descendants of the Ishmaelites include several of the Arab peoples who follow the teachings of Islam. The six sons of Keturah Abraham s wife of his old age grew into six Arab nations. The descendants of Esau became a nation. God literally fulfilled His promise to make Abraham a father of many nations. The name Abraham means father of a multitude. The name change from Abram which means high father to Abraham highlighted God s promise to keep His covenant with Abraham. Abraham became the ancestor of many kings. God s promises to Abraham were not just words SPONSOR S GUIDE 9 that sounded great, but they had real substance and a tangible fulfillment. The Lord s covenant with the descendants of Abraham would be an everlasting covenant. In Genesis 12, God promised Abraham a nation. In Genesis 15, the Lord promised Abraham a land. In Genesis 17, the restatement of the covenant God had made with Abraham involved His seed or descendants. God s covenant promises with Abraham centered mainly upon his descendants through Isaac, the son of promise. Although God blessed all the seed of Abraham, His choice blessings were upon the Israelites. The sign of the everlasting covenant with Abraham s descendants was circumcision. Genesis 17:13 states, He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. God s covenant with Abraham and his seed will never cease. God s covenant included a land for an everlasting possession for Israel. When God gave the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac, it was populated by several Canaanite nations. Genesis 15:18-21 states, In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. Even though the Israelites occupied the land of Canaan, God s plan was to set them aside and to give them the land, their crops and their homes. When they entered the land, they ate of the crops the Canaanite people had harvested, lived in their homes and conquered the land by God s power and blessings upon them.

11 10 SPONSOR S GUIDE The Lord made one demand upon Israel. He said that He would be their God. The main problem in Israel obeying God for many generations was its unfaithfulness to the Lord by participating in false worship. God commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with the Canaanites to keep them separated from false worship. Exodus 34:15, 16 declares, Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. Through many times of disobedience to God, the people of Israel turned again and again to the false worship of the Canaanites. Instead of permitting God to be first, they turned to idols. RELATED SCRIPTURE Genesis 15:14. God promised to bring Israel out of Egyptian bondage. He did so with demonstrations of His great power. Israel left Egypt with the wealth of the Egyptians including silver, gold and many other things. Genesis 18:18. God planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He remem bered His covenant with Abraham. Due to Abraham s nephew Lot s dwelling in Sodom, the Lord told Abraham of the coming destruction. (See verses ) Genesis 22: After Abraham raised the knife to slay Isaac on the altar as God had commanded, God restated the covenant He had made with him. God s future blessings were promised to Abraham again after his obedience. Genesis 26:2-4, 24. God s blessings upon Abraham and his descendants involved the land of Canaan. Even in times of famine, God planned to bless them in the land. He promised to make Abraham s seed in number as the stars. Genesis 28:10-15, God came to Jacob in a dream and promised to keep the covenant made at first with Abraham and later with Isaac. God restated the covenant when it was given to Jacob, including the land, the seed and the promise of Christ. Deuteronomy 26:5-9. When God delivered the people of Israel from Egyptian bondage, He did so by many miracles. He revealed His mighty power and His protection for them. He continued to protect them on their journey to the Promised Land. 1 Kings 3:8. Solomon prayed and made his request to God as the Lord had said. In his prayer for wisdom to lead Israel, Solomon spoke of God s fulfillment of the promise to make Israel a greatly populated nation. Psalm 105:42. God made the covenant with Abraham. This covenant originated in the mind of God. He planned it. He purposed it. He would not forget to fulfill it. This covenant of the Lord had been made with Abraham and his seed. Acts 3:25. Peter preached to the people with Old Testament examples. He spoke of God s covenant with Israel. This generation of Jews to whom Peter spoke were the children of Abraham, heirs to the covenant God had made generations earlier. Romans 9:8, 9. God did not make His covenant with the children of the flesh. The son according to the flesh was Ishmael. The son of promise according to the covenant God made with Abraham was Isaac. Romans 11:1-5. Paul wrote of the covenant God had made with Abraham concerning Israel. He knew God would not cast away the people of the covenant. Paul spoke of Elijah s example in remaining faithful to the Lord.

12 Galatians 3:8, 18. God preached the gospel to Abraham and he was saved by faith. God s same plan of salvation offered God s forgiveness to any person, including those of heathen nations. Through Abraham s descendant according to the flesh Jesus Christ all nations of the world had the opportunity to look to the Savior. RELEVANCE OF THE TEXT Abraham learned to obey God through a process of trial and error. When he left Ur of the Chaldees, he took his father in spite of God s command that forbade it. As he learned to obey God, he enjoyed the blessings of God in times of obedience. When he disobeyed God, he put the lives of his family in jeopardy. When he took his nephew down to Egypt, Lot learned to love the things of the world. Abraham had grown spiritually by the time God revealed to him the coming destruction of Sodom. Abraham interceded for the city and his nephew, Lot. He prayed again and again, asking God to spare the city. God answered his prayers until Abraham reached the minimum of righteous souls to be found in Sodom according to God s will to spare the city. When there failed to be ten righteous ones in Sodom, it revealed Lot s failure and not Abraham s. When God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son, he immediately made preparations to go where God com manded and to do what He had said. He traveled to Mount Moriah and placed his son on the altar. When God intervened, Abraham had raised the knife to slay his son according to the word of the Lord. God provided a substitute ram. God restated the covenant and promises to Abraham on the occasion of his great obedience. The long-range part of the covenant involved the coming of the Messiah as one of Abraham s descendants. Jesus SPONSOR S GUIDE 11 Christ came at God s perfect time to be the Savior of the world. His coming, His suffering, shed blood and death provided the means of eternal salvation for any person of any nation of the world. The nation of Israel has been so blessed by God in recent history. The events of the nation becoming a political entity again in May, 1948, has revealed God is still blessing Israel. He fought with the nation in the Six Day War in The conflicts in the Middle East in 1958 and in 1973 revealed God is still on their side. God s covenant with Israel has shaped the course of events in the world. CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION The comforting truth that God operates by making and keeping promises helps people today realize they can depend on God. The same God who made and kept His covenant with Israel has many promises in His Word. He has kept all of them. God has both the ability and the power to make His promises true. In this present generation, people should learn, know and rely on the promises of God. The everlasting covenant of salvation has vital significance to every person. Whoso ever will may turn to Christ in repentance and faith and be eternally saved. This everlasting covenant is not based on the ability of the person to obey God it is based on God s ability to keep His promise. John 5:24 states, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Those who believe God have the opportunity to secure their future forever with God in Heaven by coming to the Lord on His terms for salvation. Although many believe that there are several ways to come to God, God has given only one way the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

13 12 SPONSOR S GUIDE LESSON 3 December 19, 2010 The Promise to David Lesson Text: 2 Samuel 7:1-17 Related Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:28, 29; 1 Kings 5:2-5; 6:12; 8:56; 1 Chronicles 22:8-13; 28:3-6; Psalms 89:3, 4; 119:142, 151; John 8:40; 17:17. Application: David s love for God is seen in his desire to build the Lord a house. DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS Solomon Speaks of God s Completing His Promise for the Temple, 1 Kings 8: The great spiritual victory of building a house for God proved that God kept His promise to David. Solomon David s son reigned on the throne of Israel. He took the things David had gathered for the building of the Temple, added other things he acquired and led in the building of the house of God. It proved to be a majestic structure befitting the place where God s name and God s presence would reside. Solomon did not take the glory unto himself for the building of the Temple. He gave God the glory for keeping the promise He had made unto David. He rejoiced to see the day in his lifetime when God had fulfilled the promise. The king looked upon the congregation of the people of Israel and praised the Lord for the accomplishment that was seven years in building. God not only performed His words, He prospered the cause during the preparations of gathering materials, employing a workforce and constructing the Temple. Solomon had a great testi mony before the people of Israel. His testimony reminded the people that God had promised David a son to rule on the throne of Israel and that his son would build the house of God. This time of great rejoicing led to a time of peace in the land as God gave them rest from their enemies. During Solomon s reign over Israel, the land prospered exceedingly and increased in wealth abundantly according to the blessings of the Lord. God was well pleased with the efforts in building His house according to His pattern. He proved His acceptance of the Temple by sending fire down from Heaven and by His glory cloud filling the new Temple. EXAMINING THE TEXT 2 Samuel 7:1-17. David s great desire to build a house for the Lord filled his thoughts. He spoke to the prophet Nathan concerning what was on his heart. Although a good desire, any particular heart s desire a person has may or may not be the will of the Lord concerning the thing. God has a work for each person to do. David s work was to be a man of war to establish the kingdom in power over Israel s enemies. God blessed David in battles, fighting with him and for him. Many lives had been taken in the process

14 of establishing Israel as a world power in that region. During all these dangerous times, God had a work for David to do as king. David s great desire to build a house for the Lord in Jerusalem although a commendable desire had no part in the plan of God for David s life. Nathan s response to David indicated his approval. Every prophet or preacher is excited when one of God s servants reveals he is ready to do a great work for the Lord. Nathan spoke to encourage David to get about the work of building a house for the Lord. Nathan failed to inquire of the Lord concerning whether it was His will or not. He assumed he knew God s will without asking Him. This same sin of presumption occurs in the lives of God s children today. To definitely know God s will concerning a particular matter, the child of God should seek the answer through the study of the Word of God and through prayer. Nathan s ideas and God s will concerning the matter were two different things. When Nathan the prophet of God spoke without seeking the will of God, he misrepresented the will of God. God s will did not include David s building a house for the Lord at Jerusalem. Nathan had not gone far when the Lord s words came to him. He had to return to David and inform him that it was not in God s will for him to build a house of God. This good thing and great desire in David s life had to be set aside as far as accomplishing the work of constructing the house. When David heard Nathan express the will of the Lord in the matter, He did not get his feelings hurt. He still desired to be a part of the process of building the Temple. He determined to do all he could to gather material to aid in the completion of the work in any way he could. David and Nathan learned that what appears to be SPONSOR S GUIDE 13 a good thing to man may not be a good thing to the Lord. Nathan accepted the word of the Lord even though it opposed what he previously said. God s promise to David concerning ruling in Israel involved a son to sit on his throne. Another great desire of a godly father is to see his son excel in the work of the Lord. The Lord said, I will set up thy seed after thee (2 Sam. 7:12). God forgave David s sin of adultery and murder after He punished David and Bath-sheba in the death of their son. The next son born to Bath-sheba was named Solomon. David had several wives and many sons. God could have chosen any one of them. He chose to use Solomon for the great work of building the Temple. The name Solomon means peaceable. God chose a man of peace instead of a man of war to build His house. David rejoiced to know that God promised to put his son on the throne of Israel. God promised that Solomon would build the Temple. The Lord said, He shall build an house for my name (verse 13). The former place for the holy things of the worship of the Lord had been the Tabernacle. It was in effect a tent or a portable structure that the people of Israel carried in their wilderness wanderings and moved from place to place until David brought the ark of the covenant and placed it in a tent in Jerusalem. There the ark resided until Solomon built the Temple. Solomon made a treaty or a contract with the king of Tyre to provide cedars and workers to cut down the trees. The cedars of Lebanon were not scrubby, short, ugly, little trees. They were tall, beautiful and the most desired of all trees for building an elaborate house. Solomon employed many thousands of Jews to help with the work of building the Temple. He fulfilled God s plan and promise to David.

15 14 SPONSOR S GUIDE God also promised that Solomon s descendants would continue to sit on the throne of David. God had not made a dynasty out of the family of King Saul. As a result of his sins, God determined to remove the ruling power from the house of Saul. God placed that honor with David. Although David was not perfect, he was a man after God s own heart. God determined that David s descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever. The immediate fulfillment of this promise involved Solomon. The ultimate fulfillment of a son of David to sit on the throne of Israel will be fulfilled by Jesus Christ sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem during the Lord s one thousand year rule of peace and righteousness. Although David s descendants were not perfect before the Lord, God kept His promise that David s descendants would rule on the throne. God s rule for blessing and for cursing Solomon involved the same warnings that God had given the children of Israel on many previous occasions. The Lord said, If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him (2 Sam. 7:14, 15). God warned previous generations in Israel concerning turning away from God to follow after false worship. Deuteronomy 28:14, 15 states, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. God s warnings must be heeded. The Lord promised not to deal with Solomon in the manner He did with Saul. When Saul sinned against the Lord, God rejected him from being king. Saul deliberately disobeyed God s orders to kill King Agag and to destroy even all the flocks and herds. King Saul also took it upon himself to offer a sacrifice unto the Lord instead of waiting for Samuel to do so. Saul presumed he could perform the work of a prophet or priest in preparing and offering a sacrifice. God was not pleased. These sins in which Saul rejected the will and way of the Lord motivated God to reject Saul and his family as rulers over Israel. Saul learned to his great disappointment that God s will and way could be altered or substituted in any way. God revealed to David that He would not reject Solomon as king the way he did Saul. God promised His mercy would be upon the house of Solomon forever. Solomon would not live a sinless life before the Lord. His descendants would also sin against the Lord. God s mercy extended to Solomon and his descendants con cerning their rule on the throne of Israel was God s choice. The act of mercy from the Lord would not preclude His chastisement upon Solomon s des cendants when they sinned against the Lord. Some sins reflect a disqualification in the eyes of the Lord concerning particular phases of his work. When God could no longer use one of Solomon s descendants, He turned to another of his family. God s mercy bestowed on individuals cannot be earned or deserved. It is an expression of the character and nature of God. Romans 9:15 reveals, For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. God extended His mercy to Solomon. The promises of the Lord concerning David s family and their rule over Israel would be incomplete without a promise that the kingdom of Israel would be established

16 forever. God s promises include all that is required for the promise to be totally effective to accomplish the will of the Lord. When God promised David a son to rule on the throne forever, God determined to establish the kingdom of Israel forever. God s promises to David and Solomon were in accord with His covenant with Israel. The promises to Abraham concerning a land and a people were supplemented by promises to David and Solomon about the nation s survival as a political entity. Many other Old Testament nations incurred the wrath of God concerning their treatment of the nation of Israel and do not exist today. God promised to continue the kingdom of Israel forever. RELATED SCRIPTURE 2 Samuel 7:28, 29. David gladly accepted God s plan and promises. He knew the Lord was God. He knew His words were true. He understood God s promises were for his good. He prayed according to the will of God and the promises of God. 1 Kings 5:2-5. Solomon s negotiations with Hiram the king of Tyre began with the explanation that his father David was a man of war. God s house must be built in a time of peace by a man of peace. He gave glory to God for giving him peace to rule. He told Hiram about his purpose to build a house for the Lord in Jerusalem. 1 Kings 6:12. God warned Solomon that he could not build God a house and then live to please himself. God required Solomon to live according to the commands of God. Solomon had the responsibility to walk with the Lord, to judge according to God s standards and to be an example of obedience. 1 Kings 8:56. Solomon s prayer upon the dedication of the Temple included SPONSOR S GUIDE 15 many requests for the Lord to hear and to help. He realized the God he served had never failed to keep a promise. This great truth had been established for generations by the time Solomon understood it. 1 Chronicles 22:8-13. David spoke to Solomon explaining why he could not build the house. He urged Solomon to accomplish that great work. David expected Solomon to fulfill his responsibility to build a house for the Lord in Jerusalem by the power of God who would bless his efforts. 1 Chronicles 28:3-6. God explained to David that he had been a man of war, a man of bloodshed. David spoke of God s choices concerning Judah to be the ruling tribe, the family of David and his son Solomon to rule after him. Psalm 89:3, 4. The Davidic Covenant involved a kingdom, a throne and a king to rule over Israel from David s family. The covenant was not a conditional covenant. God freely offered the covenant promises to David. Psalm 119:142, 151. God, the everlasting ruler of righteousness, rules accord ing to truth and justice. The psalmist expressed his belief that God is near His servants and that all the com mandments of the Lord are according to truth. John 8:40. Jesus spoke the truth when He said the Jews were not Abraham s children. He spoke about them in a spiritual sense, not in a physical sense. They were not descendants of Abraham. They were not the true people of Israel who turned to the Lord by faith and trusted in Him. John 17:17. Jesus prayed the Lord s Prayer before He went to the cross. His prayer is the longest recorded prayer in the New Testament. He prayed for God to sanctify His disciples according to truth. God s Word is truth. Sanctified means to set apart for special service.

17 16 SPONSOR S GUIDE RELEVANCE OF THE TEXT The nation of Israel thought of David as their greatest king. He had done many mighty deeds. The people sang that Saul had killed his thousands and David had killed his ten thousands. David prevailed over the giant Goliath. He had victory over the lion and the bear while he kept his father s sheep. He had victory over many enemies. However, his life was not all good things. Many remember the sins David committed when he lusted after Bath-sheba and took her as if she were his wife. He conspired to commit murder so that Bath-sheba would be freed from her husband. When the wicked plot succeeded, David took Bath-sheba to be his wife. God did not fail to hold him accountable for his actions. The prophet told David that the sword would never depart from his house. As a warrior king, God had greatly blessed David to win victory after victory over the enemies of Israel. David was a man after God s own heart. When he sinned, he was quick to turn to God in repentance and seek His forgiveness. He was a man with a rare and unusually close relationship with the Lord. David made it the rule of his heart to please the Lord. On many occasions, David sought God s will before proceeding. He learned from the occasions when he failed to follow God s will. When he tried to move the Ark of the Covenant on a cart, a man died. David later considered how to do so according to the will of the Lord and accomplished it in a manner to give glory to God. The ark was carried by the right priests of the tribe of Levi. David learned there is no way like God s way. God will only accept His will and way exactly as He has commanded for things to be done. David desired to build a house for the Lord at Jerusalem. Nathan urged David to go ahead with his plans. When Nathan received the word from the Lord on the matter, he had to return to tell David he could not build God a house. God gave David a greater thing than his desire. He promised David that his son would rule the people of Israel and that he would build God a house. CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION David and Solomon were willing instruments in serving the Lord. They accepted their place and did what they could to advance the work of God. David found his purpose in gathering materials for the house of the Lord. At great personal expense, David personally gave generously to the building fund for the Temple. Second Samuel 24:24 states, Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. David proved himself willing to sacrifice financially for the work of God to prosper. God s servants in His churches should follow His example. Solomon also went to great expense and effort to build the Temple. He not only gave generously, he also enlisted others to help him in the work of building the house of the Lord. In the service of the Lord today, God can greatly use generous givers who will also use their influence to encourage others to join them in the work of the Lord. Almost every church lacks an adequate number of workers. When the Lord s faithful servants encourage others to help them in the great work of serving the Lord, God is able to use their influence to lead others to serve Him. While David and Solomon gave great amounts to the work, others labored diligently to see it accomplished.