Ciara picked at a thread on the bedcover. She was

Transcription

1 Lesson 12 August 23 Page 82 God Demands Justice A Present-Day Illustration Ciara picked at a thread on the bedcover. She was kneeling over the side of her bed in prayer. Her mind kept going back to her friend Robbin. Robbin had said she was going to start a home Bible study for single women. Ciara texted Robbin and asked when the class would start. Robbin never texted back. Then two days ago, Robbin mentioned in passing that the Bible study had been going on for three weeks and that things were going well. Ciara felt hurt. She didn t say anything, but wondered why she had been excluded. Maybe the rest of the women didn t want her there because she was divorced. And it seemed like Robbin was pushing her out of her life. Ciara had been feeling like she was on the periphery of things work, friends, and life. Am I being too emotional, Lord? Ciara prayed. She prayed a little while longer, but then she got up to do what she felt the Lord had been telling her for the past three days. After hanging up the phone, Ciara was all smiles. And to think she had accused her friend of wrongdoing in her heart. Robbin said she never saw the text. She told Ciara of the date and time and told her friend she was sorry she hadn t called herself to make a personal invitation. The two women forgave each other, and Ciara learned again that it pays to listen to God. 1. How can we tell if people are listening to us when we speak to them? 2. What is the difference between hearing and listening? 3. How do you feel when someone is not listening to you? 4. How do you think God feels when we don t listen to Him time and time again?

2 Week of August 23 Page 83 Practice Justice Zechariah 7:8-10, KJV 8 And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, 9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. Zechariah 7:8-10, NIV 8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other. The Lord spoke a bold word through Zechariah, who prophesied to the returned exiles. Through Zechariah, God called the people to His vision of justice for all (vss. 9 10), reminded them of the stubbornness of the prior generations of God s people (vss 11-12), and also of the consequences of a stubborn refusal to follow His ways (vss ). Zechariah s message is for God s people to reclaim and renew their commitment to embody His character in their lives together, with true justice, mercy, and compassion. All of these words are part of the revealed character of God. As a holy nation, God s people are to reflect His character through their lives. The command to administer true justice (vs. 9) is not restricted to formal judges or local leaders. The words true justice point to the need for all of God s people to act faithfully and assume responsibility in working for harmony and peace wherever these values are lacking. To administer true justice, God s people must also embody mercy and compassion. Mercy here should be understood more as committed kindness, a dedication to extend goodness faithfully in our family and community relationships. Zechariah may be echoing Micah, who summarized God s way of life as, To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8). Zechariah adds compassion to this mix of powerful descriptors of the holy life.

3 Week of August 23 Page 84 To reflect God s character, the people must make the daily moment-by-moment decisions to extend good to one another and to work for wholeness and abundance at all levels of society. We have a responsibility to others. Zechariah makes this clear in verse 10 by moving from the general exhortations of verse 9 to specific applications of these. True justice, mercy, and compassion are only present if we work to manifest them in the lives of the marginalized members of society, such as widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor. Zechariah concluded the list of God s exhortations with a general warning against plotting evil against one s neighbor. Given the spirit of Zechariah s words, we can easily restate this negative command into a positive: Plan and do all the good you can for your neighbor. 5. What is Zechariah s vision for God s people as a community of faith? 6. Why does Zechariah specifically mention the marginalized groups: widows, the fatherless, immigrants, and the poor? 7. What is the relationship between loving God and loving others in light of Zechariah s words? The Danger of Failing to Listen Zechariah 7:11-12, KJV 11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. 12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 7:11-12, NIV 11 But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.

4 Week of August 23 Page 85 Zechariah did not give God s people some new commandments. Zechariah s words simply echo the values that God articulated to Moses on Mount Sinai. Sadly, Zechariah reminds God s people of their long history of failing to live up to the ideals of love for God and love for neighbor. In fact, Zechariah delivers a stinging indictment of the stubbornness of Israel s ancestors. They willfully and intentionally ignored God s Word given to Moses in the Law as well as the words sent through His prophets. Literally the text says, they made their ears heavy to God s words, deliberately plugging their ears. The image is also that they turned their shoulders against Him, like a stubborn animal refusing to yield to a yoke. God desires for His people to have a caring heart. Instead, their hearts had become as hard as flint (Zech. 7:12) toward Him. The heart is the center of one s being and controls a person s will and actions (Matt. 5:19). So the people willfully refused to listen and obey. God sent the prophets with a message given by His Holy Spirit to try to get through to the Israelites, but when the people still would not listen, an angry God sent them into exile. 8. How did God s people respond to His desire for them to lead a holy, obedient life? 9. What does it mean to have a heart of flint? 10. What opportunities did God give His people to understand His ways and expectations for them? The Warning of the Exile Zechariah 7:13-14, KJV 13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts: 14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the Zechariah 7:13-14, NIV 13 When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen, says the Lord Almighty. 14 I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so

5 Week of August 23 Page 86 KJV land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate. NIV desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate. The sad indictment of much of Israel s history is this God s people did not listen to Him. They may have heard His laws and the words of the prophets, but their listening did not lead them to actually live out those words. The story of the Old Testament testifies to the mercy and patience of God, but as Zechariah reminded his hearers, God eventually stopped listening to His people. Of course, God listens and knows everything, but this metaphor of not listening simply means that God allowed Israel to suffer the consequences of its failure to listen and obey His instructions. This most recent consequence was their exile. Two things had happened: God had scattered (vs. 14) the people to many nations to live as strangers in strange lands such as Babylon for a generation. Also, the beauty and promise of their homeland turned into an empty and desolate land to serve as a witness to the costliness of disobedience. God s people are blessed to be a blessing, then and now. Failure to listen and to live as God calls us to live negates God s desired blessing to the world. The fertile Jezreel Valley of central Israel. God said because the people would not listen to Him, He would exile them and their pleasant land would become desolate (Zech. 7:14). 11. What caused God s people to be exiled? 12. Why do you think that Zechariah revisited the recent past tragedies of God s people? 13. In what ways do we need to listen more carefully to God, and how do we do so? ןאוהש אסומ דמחומ Photo:

6 Week of August 23 Page 87 The Voice You Should Hear You ve probably seen greeting cards that poke fun at older people who are losing their hearing. They say things like Can you give me a recap? The other person replies, Cream and sugar in your decaf? Or Must be thirsty! and the response might be No, it s only Wednesday. These silly sayings make us smile, but some people really can t hear well, while others might just have selective hearing. It s easier to forgive someone who has a hearing loss as opposed to someone who chooses not to listen. Sadly, many of us fall into that latter category at one time or another. The stereotype is that children and husbands never listen. (Of course, husbands could say the same thing about their wives!) How many times have you been told by a spouse or child, I didn t hear you! Interestingly, children never seem to miss hearing the music of an ice cream truck going by or a teacher announcing, No homework for tomorrow. You can tell when someone is truly listening to you by his or her actions and reactions to what you have said. If there is no response, it may mean they didn t hear or they have chosen not to listen. Sometimes it is hard to decide which of those is true. True listening elicits a response. The same is true when God speaks to us. We can choose to listen or pretend we didn t hear His nudging. We will respond if we are truly listening to Him. We can also be sure there will be consequences if we choose to ignore God s voice. The psalms give us guidelines on how to listen to God: still and quiet your soul (Ps. 131:2), tell Him you are listening (1 Sam. 3:9), ask Him to search your heart (Ps. 139:23), and then wait on Him to tell you what you need to hear. 14. Why is it easy for us to not listen to others? 15. Describe a time when you decided not to listen to God s leading. What were the results? 16. Does God communicate to us in ways other than His Word? Share ways that God has gotten your attention.

7 Week of August 23 Page 88 Listening Produces Results We know that God speaks and expects His children to listen and obey. Parents are always telling their children what to do. Usually what they say is for the child s benefit. How can we expect our heavenly Father to do less? He loves us so and certainly knows what is best for our lives. He tells us how to live. He tells us how to respond to Him, and how to respond to people around us. How often do you talk with God and then listen to Him so you know His will? Start now asking Him to speak to you, then listen to Him and do what He says. KEY VERSE Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. Zechariah 7:9-10, KJV This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other. Zechariah 7:9-10, NIV DAILY BIBLE READINGS FOR NEXT WEEK S LESSON August 24 through August 30 (See The Quiet Hour and Cross devotionals on these passages.) Mon. Psalm 25 Teach Me Your Paths, O Lord. Tues. Isaiah 57:10-21 The Contrite and Humble in Spirit. Wed. Matthew 7:7-14 How Shall We Treat Others? Thurs. Joel 3:9-16 How Shall We Be Judged? Fri. Jeremiah 6:26-30 How Shall We Repent? Sat. Malachi 3:1-12 How Shall We Return? Sun. Malachi 3:13-18 How Have We Spoken Against You?