Adult Teching Resources September 4, 2016 Fith Mtters: Lessons From Hebrews (August 7-28) Jeremih 18:1-11 Getting Into Shpe An Apostle s Apprentice Lessons from Timothy (Sept. 11-Oct 23) 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Bd Strts Cn Be Redeemed 1 Timothy 2:1-7 It s Not About You 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Find Contentment Where You Are www.nurturingfith.net Subscribe to Nurturing Fith to ccess the core Bible content for this lesson. Find links nd videos relted to this lesson. 1 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Getting Into Shpe Jeremih 18:1-11 FIT Teching Guide by Rick Jordn This dult teching outline is designed to support The Bible Lesson by Tony Crtlege, printed in Nurturing Fith Journl. You cn subscribe to either the digitl or print edition of Nurturing Fith Journl to ccess the lessons. Plese lso ensure tht ech person in your clss hs copy of Nurturing Fith Journl so they cn prepre before the lesson. Before the Lesson: Bring ply dough or other cly for the Informtion session. Also hve wter nd pper towels if you choose to see which of the clss members kettles will hold nd pour wter. Bring te bg s the prize for the best te kettle. Fellowship Question (Use one of these to brek the ice, to begin some discussion nd led into the study): I replced my set of dishes (when nd why?) Wht is your fvorite flvor of te? Informtion Our scripture tody is from Jeremih. Since the subject is potter, we get to hve hnds-on experience. Tke some cly nd mke te kettle with spout. The winner gets n unused te bg. [Distribute cly to mke te kettle with spout. Depending on the size of your clss, this could be something for everyone to do, or you my sk for 2-3 volunteers to see who mkes the best one. Tht could be best looking, or you my wnt to see if they ctully hold nd pour wter.] The scripture tody is bout messge the prophet Jeremih received while observing potter t his wheel. [Hve clss member red Jeremih 18:1-4.] Wht does your trnsltion sy the potter ws mking? It probbly ws not te kettle but it could hve been. Our printed lesson notes: He used generic term tht cn men thing or rticle Trnsltors hve used terms like vessel (NRSV, KJV, NAS95), pot (NIV11, NET), or jr (HCSB). 2 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Informtion continued Apprently, the point ws not wht the potter ws mking. The point ws the mteril the potter ws using. Agin, from our printed lesson: Modern potters use cly tht is treted to remove impurities Ancient potters hd to be prticulrly creful. Sometimes one could be nerly finished with pot only to hve smll stone or bubble rise nd mr the surfce. If it is not perfect, ws will the skilled potter do? [If you hve the clss members vessels tht did not win, fltten them!] Then, we strt over. Wht insights might we gin bout God from Jeremih s observtion of the potter? (God desires perfection; God does not like imperfection; God works with the rw mterils we give God; etc.) A potter t work is not prticulrly rre sight, nd it my hve been even more common in Jeremih s dy nd culture. But God did not send Jeremih to the potter s shed simply to wtch n rtist t work. God ws going to use this firly ordinry experience become n illustrtion of God s pln for Isrel. [Hve clss member red Jeremih 18:5-10.] If we only hd the experience in the potter s shed, we might think, God s the potter is ll powerful. The cly must be totlly submissive to the potter s hnd. But when we red God s proclmtion bsed on the potter, we get different truth. We hve two if then cluses. Or, more precisely, we hve two if if then cluses. 1. If I declre tht I will pluck up (v.7), 2. if tht ntion turns from its evil (v.8) 3. (then) I will repent of the evil I intended to do to it (v.8). 1. If I declre tht I will build nd plnt it (v.9), 2. if it does evil in my sight (v.10), 3. then I will repent of the good which I intended to do to it. (v. 10). [This outline is from Wlter Brueggemnn. A Commentry on Jeremih: Exile nd Homecoming. Grnd Rpids: Willim B. Eerdmns. 1998. p. 168.] It seems tht God hs options to crete or destroy - s potter does. In the second if, the ntion of Isrel hs options, s well. The second if celebrtes Isrel s freedom. Isrel is not fted but cn ct in new wys. [Ibid.] 3 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Informtion continued How does this pssge inform our understnding of God? How does it inform our understnding of ourselves in reltionship to God? [God llows people to mke the choice to obey or not; we hve choice nd lso consequences of our choices; unlike innimte cly, we cn mke decision tht determines how things work out, etc.] In verse 6, we red tht God could choose to rework the cly. There is hope. Divine justice does not exclude the possibility of humn repentnce. Rther it demnds nd expects it! Thereby full nd effective humn response to the divine will cn open up wholly chnged prospect for the future. [R. E. Clements. Jeremih. Interprettion: A Bible Commentry for Teching nd Preching. Louisville: John Knox Press. 1988. p. 113.] We re given choice: obey God nd fce fulfillment or disobey God nd fce destruction. Common sense might tell you to choose life. But, given the cler choice, people often mke the wrong choice. [Hve clss member red Jeremih 18:11-12.] Turn is the Hebrew word shub (pronounced shuv ). It mens turn or return. Return. Amend. Another wy to sy this might be, mke things right. The people hve choice, unlike cly. But wht is their response? (It is no good; it cn t be done; it will not mtter; there is no use in chnging; etc.) The people ct s if their fte is lredy set. The die is cst. They re in too deep. Why do you think they would feel this wy? (they cn t imgine God s grce is lrge enough; they enjoy living in evil nd do not believe there will be dire consequences; they feel trpped; despir, etc.) Our printed lesson writer sys, the people s decision mkes this one of the sddest stories in the Bible. Why do you think he would lbel it this wy? (Their destruction ws self-inflicted; they could not imgine tht God ws grcious nd merciful; they would rther die thn chnge, etc.) If someone invites us to do something or to go somewhere nd we tell someone no enough times, wht hppens? (They stop sking; we lose the opportunity, etc.) Freedom [to choose God s wy] hs now been forfeited through sustined resistnce nd stubbornness Resistnce to God prcticed so long eventully nullifies the cpcity to choose life Eventully, the potter will quit on the cly, becuse the cly will never turn out right. [Brueggemnn. 169.] There re severl other Scriptures tht use the potter/cly vessel imgery. As we her them, listen for the reltionship between the potter nd the pottery: [Hve clss member red Isih 45:9-10.] Wht is the reltionship between the potter nd the pottery in tht pssge? 4 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Informtion continued For this next pssge, picture cndle within jr tht hs holes to let the light shine through. Agin, listen for the reltionship between the potter nd the pottery: [Hve clss member red II Corinthins 4:6-7.] Wht is the reltionship between the potter nd the pottery in tht pssge? Trnsformtionl Exercise Wht is remrkble is tht we, erthen vessels, hve choice. We my choose to repent. We my choose to go our own wy. [Tell the story or red the following excerpts from Christin clssic writing. Source: C.S. Lewis. The Gret Divorce. New York: Collier Books. 1946. pp. 68-73.] C.S. Lewis refers to this in his book, The Gret Divorce. The book is not bout mrried couple, but refers to the decisions one mkes do we mke choices tht unite us with God or choices tht seprte us from God? In drem bout bus ride, the nrrtor meets guide who interprets things tht re hppening in the drem. The pssengers on the bus re ghosts. The bus hs left grey town nd hs stopped t plce where the grss is so shrp nd firm tht it pins the ghosts to stnd on it, becuse the grss is rel nd they re not solid, yet. Ultimtely, the nrrtor discovers tht grey town is flse relity, lso known s Hell. The bus is heded towrd relity or Heven. But mny of the pssengers choose to stop the journey nd to return to the grey town. The nrrtor then sks the guide question: Then those people re right who sy tht Heven nd Hell re only sttes of mind? Hush, he sid sternly. Do not blspheme. Hell is stte of mind ye never sid truer word. And every stte of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creture within the dungeon of its own mind is, in the end, Hell. But Heven is not stte of mind. Heven is relity itself. All tht is fully rel is Hevenly. For ll tht cn be shken will be shken until only the unshkble remins. Noting tht most pssengers wnt to return to the grey city, the nrrtor sks, Why do they choose, these souls who go bck? And how cn they choose it? Milton ws right, sid my Techer. The choice of every lost soul cn be expressed in the words, Better to reign in Hell thn serve in Heven. There is lwys something they insist on keeping, even t the price of misery. There is something they lwys prefer to joy - tht is, to relity. Ye see it esily enough in spoiled child tht would sooner miss its ply nd its supper thn sy it ws sorry nd be friends. 5 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Trnsformtionl Exercise continued Lter, the Techer tells the nrrtor, There re only two kinds of people in the end: those who sy to God, Thy will be done, nd those to whom God sys in the end, Thy will be done. All tht re in Hell choose it. Without tht self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul tht seriously nd constntly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened. [Close in pryer something like this:] We thnk you, God, tht you give us freedom to choose. We pry you will guide us in our choices s we follow you. We pry you will clense us of impurities tht keep us from being who you desire us to be. Amen. Comments or Questions for Rick Jordn? You my send comments to the lesson pln uthor t rjordn@ cbfnc.org. Rick is lso vilble to led workshops nd conferences on Christin Eduction, with prticulr emphsis on how best to use the FIT Fith model. 6 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Digging Deeper by Tony Crtlege Digging Deeper is designed to support The Bible Lesson by Tony Crtlege, printed in Nurturing Fith Journl. Wtch for the shovel icon in the The Bible Lesson, nd then reference tht item in this Digging Deeper resource. You cn subscribe to either the digitl or print edition of Nurturing Fith Journl to ccess the lessons. Plese lso ensure tht ech person in your clss hs copy of Nurturing Fith Journl so they cn prepre before the lesson. Who ws Jeremih? Jeremih s ministry extended through the lst decdes before Judh s exile nd for some yers fter (bout 627-580 BCE). It ws not lwys s picturesque s in tody s text, though he ws mster of metphors nd used them often. Often he engged in plin, hrd preching, or sought to spek to the right person t the right time. Alwys it ws sincere nd in response to wht Jeremih believed to be direct cll from God. His work took plce during conflicted, difficult time in Isrel s history. As result, his ministry involved not only spiritul mtters, but lso included pronouncements relted to politics nd foreign policy. Jeremih ws live during the reigns of five Juden kings. These included Josih (640-609), Jehohz (609), Jehoikim (609-598), Jehoikin (598-597), nd Zedekih (597-587). It is likely tht Jeremih hd significnt influence on Josih, who cme to the throne s boy of eight, presumbly ruling with the id of stewrd until he cme of ge (2 Kings 21:24-26). Jeremih dted his ctive ministry from the 13th yer of Josih s reign (Jer. 25:3). Judh remined under Assyrin domintion until round 621, bout the sme time tht Josih becme old enough to mke his own decisions. When book of the lw ws discovered during renovtions of the temple (likely form of the book of Deuteronomy), Josih ws inspired to instigte series of religious reforms, tering down ltrs on the high plces tht were dedicted to the worship of other gods. This ws risky move: destroying plces of worship to the foreign gods would hve constituted n officil rejection of the Mesopotmin gods, nd could hve been considered s rebellion ginst Assyri. Isrel s historins prised Josih s good king becuse he sought to clense idoltry from Judh nd supported the worship of Yhweh only. Unfortuntely, Josih ws not lwys s wise in politicl nd militry mtters. Bbylon decisively defeted Assyri in the bttle of Nineveh in 612 BCE, nd Josih hd hopes tht Bbylon s defet of Assyri would be good for Judh. Unfortuntely, he died in bttle t Megiddo in 609, leding filed ttempt to prevent Egypt s Phroh Neco II from joining the Assyrin leder Assur-Ubllit in rebellion ginst Bbylon (2 Kings 23:29-30). Jeremih ws hertbroken over the pious king s deth: 2 Chr. 35:25 describes his lment over the fllen Josih. Josih s son Jehohz II ruled only three months before Phroh Neco II imprisoned him nd replced him with his brother Elikim, whose nme he chnged to Jehoikim (2 Kings 23:31-34, Jer. 22:11-12). 7 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Digging Deeper continued Jehoikim ws forced to py hevy tribute to Egypt during his tenure s king (2 Kings 23:34-24:6; Jer. 22:18-19). He ruled for bout eleven yers, during the time in which the Bbylonin king Nebuchnezzr completed the job of his predecessors, leding Bbylon to position of supremcy by defeting Egypt nd its llies t Crchemish in 605 BCE. Jehoikim is portryed s foolish king. It ws he who responded to Jeremih s written prophecies with contempt, cutting them up nd burning them (Jer. 36:1-32). This ws representtive of Jehoikim s disdin for the prophetic word: when Urih of Kirith Jerim prophesied ginst the city nd lnd ccording to the words of Jeremih, the king hd him hunted down, even fter he fled to Egypt, nd killed him (Jer. 26:20-23). In Jer. 22:13-19, the prophet criticized Jehoikim s love of ffluence, predicting tht he would die nd be buried with no more ceremony thn tht given to ded donkey. Jehoikim declred independence from Bbylon in 601 BCE, leding the Bbylonins to move ginst Jeruslem in force. He died during the siege of the city, nd ws replced briefly by his son Jehoichin (2 Kings 24:6-15; Jer. 52:31-34), who ruled only three months prior to the city s fll in 597 BCE. Jehoichin nd mny leding fmilies nd crftsmen of Judh were deported to Bbylon, where they lived in exile. Nebuchdnezzr ppointed Jehoichin s uncle Mttnih (nother son of Josih) to serve s king, nd chnged his nme to Zedekih (2 Kings 24:17-20; Jer. 21:1-7, 34:1-11, 52:1-11). Zedekih, the only king with whom Jeremih is known to hve intercted personlly, ws pressured to join Egypt in rebellion ginst Bbylon. Jeremih counseled the king to resist the pressure nd ccept his role s vssl of Bbylon (21:1-14; 27:12; 32:1-15; 34:1-7, 37-38), but Zedekih refused to listen. He rebelled, prompting Bbylon to invde Jeruslem gin, destroying the city in 587/86 BCE. The Bbylonins rzed the temple, humilited Jeruslem s inhbitnts, nd mrched the king long with other residents of Judh into exile, where they joined those who hd been tken ten yers previously. Judh then becme Bbylonin province outright, nd Nebuchdnezzr ppointed prominent citizen nmed Gedlih to govern the province from the city of Mizph. Jeremih hd not been tken cptive with the exiles, perhps becuse it ws known tht he hd counseled submission to Bbylon. He ctively dvised those who remined in the lnd, while lso sending letters to those who were in exile. Within few yers, group of zelots ssssinted Gedlih in hopes of throwing off the Bbylonin yoke. This led to nother influx of Bbylonin troops, nd in 582 even more Judens were crried into exile. Others escped the Bbylonins by fleeing to Egypt, reportedly forcing Jeremih to ccompny them (40:7-44:30). Thus, Jeremih ministered during period of gret uphevl. Well-schooled in the techings of Deuteronomy nd probbly fmilir with the ministries of eighth century prophets like Mich, Hose, nd Amos, he stedfstly proclimed true Yhwism nd denounced ll religious devitions. Often, he interpreted Judh s politicl troubles nd impending wrs s punishment for the ntion s sin in turning wy from Yhweh; yet, he lso offered glimpses of hope for the future. 8 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Digging Deeper continued The text The Revised Common Lectionry text for the dy is Jeremih 18:1-11, but tht fils to include the people s response to Jeremih s chrge in v. 12, so we ll consider tht verse s well. The reminder of the chpter hs been shped s continution of the prophetic potter story. After the people rejected Jeremih s wrning in v. 12, Yhweh responded with n nnouncement of judgment (vv. 13-17) which proved so unpopulr tht the people plotted ginst Jeremih (v. 18), leding him to utter mournful lment sking God to curse those who plotted ginst him (vv. 19-23). The word of the LORD Jeremih 18:1 is instructive, s it reminds us tht the biblicl use of the phrse word of God or word of the LORD typiclly referred to specific messge from God, usully given to prophet. Describing the entire Bible s the word of God is populr wy of showing respect for the scripture, but it lso misrepresents the wy word of the LORD is used in the Bible itself. The Bible is compendium of testimonies of people from Isrel nd from the church who sought to understnd the wys of God. In mny cses, biblicl uthors believed tht God hd spoken directly to them or to others, but none of those who wrote their ccounts imgined tht their words would become recognized s scripture, or tht nyone would ever refer to the whole of it s the word of God. As we red the Bible, we would do well to recognize tht ech writer s work reflects his or her own perspective nd understnding of how God works mong people. Mny of the writers relted stories in which persons reportedly received direct messge from God. It s in tht sense tht we cn properly refer to the word of God, t lest s the ncients perceived it. Stone wheels The Hebrew term trnslted s wheel is dul form of the word mening stone, so it literlly mens two stones. Why would tht be? Mny ncient potters wheels were constructed of two disk-shped stones connected by centrl shft tht went through the lower stone nd into socket in the ground. The potter would turn the bottom stone with his feet, cusing the upper stone to rotte. A potter nd shper Jeremih s skill with wordply is evident in v. 11. The Hebrew word potter is the prticiple form of the verb tht mens to shpe, so potter is one who shpes. In v. 11, Jeremih uses tht sme prticiple in conjunction with the first person pronoun, construction tht could be trnslted I (m) potter, or I (m) shping (the verb of being is understood in either instnce). Since the sentence contins n object of the shping ginst you we choose the ltter option, trnslting it s I m shping ginst you disster To cpture the double mening, the NRSV trnsltes I m potter shping evil ginst you... 9 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
Digging Deeper continued Return, repent The Hebrew word trnslted to repent is shub (pronounced shoov ), which literlly mens to turn, to turn round, or to return. To truly repent is to turn wy from evil nd towrd God nd good. The word is common in the prophetic literture. Jeremih prticulrly liked using it in rtistic wordplys, employing the sme word with vriety of menings. Joel Drinkrd hs noted tht in chpter 3, Jeremih used the root 16 times in 22 verses. (Peter C. Crigie, Pge H. Kelley, nd Joel F. Drinkrd, Jeremih 1 25, vol. 26 of Word Biblicl Commentry [Grnd Rpids: Zondervn, 1991], 245). 10 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016
The Hrdest Question by Tony Crtlege The Hrdest Question is designed to support The Bible Lesson by Tony Crtlege, printed in Nurturing Fith Journl. You cn subscribe to either the digitl or print edition of Nurturing Fith Journl to ccess the lessons. Plese lso ensure tht ech person in your clss hs copy of Nurturing Fith Journl so they cn prepre before the lesson. How does this potter relte to other biblicl references to God s potter? Jeremih ws not the only biblicl writer to use the imge of potter working cly s metphor. Most of these, however, relte to God s the cretor of humnkind, rther thn God s the one who shpes Isrel s future. Recll tht the cretion story in Genesis 2 speks of God s mking humns from the dust of the erth, no doubt moistened s cly (Gen. 2:7). Isih 29:16, for exmple, tunts Isrel for turning things upside down nd forgetting who mde them: Shll the potter be regrded s the cly? Shll the thing mde sy of its mker, He did not mke me; or the thing formed sy of the one who formed it, He hs no understnding? We find similr theme in Isih 45:9: Woe to you who strive with your Mker, erthen vessels with the potter! Does the cly sy to the one who fshions it, Wht re you mking? or Your work hs no hndles? Isih used the sme metphor in different setting in Is. 64:8, s he offered n intercessory pryer for the people in sense not unlike tht of the hymn Hve Thine Own Wy. Here he prys Yet, O LORD, you re our Fther; we re the cly, nd you re our potter; we re ll the work of your hnd. As Terrence Fretheim hs noted, the question in these texts is one of divine right/ knowledge rther thn divine rule/control. God my be confessed s sovereign, but humn ctivity is powerful force in these texts. The cly is not considered pssive; God s rule is not bsolute (Jeremih, Smyth & Helwys Commentries [Mcon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2002], 277). As long s God grnts humns freedom, there is voluntry limittion on divine control. If we were ll robots, the erth would be neter plce, but we re humn, nd one spect of our humnity is the bility to mess things up. Fortuntely, we hve God who does not give up on us, but knows how to set things right. 11 Nurturing Fith September 4, 2016