his is our last lesson in this series on the Old Testament. In this lesson we will summarize some of the things we have learned until now. We will also consider the questions we raised in the lesson entitled ”God Creates the World.”
Before we being our lesson, however, let us not forget to spend some time sharing our lives together, praying together, and supporting one another. Also, do not forget that it is good from time to time to be together socially, share a meal and enjoy one another's company without any further responsibilities. Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we give you great thanks that you have created us for fellowship with you. We also thank you that you have redeemed us from sin and death. Pour out upon us your Holy Spirit that we might help each other review what we have learned. All for the glory of your Name. Amen.
In the previous lesson, we summarized what we learned in our first nine lessons on the Holy Scriptures. In this lesson, we will repeat those nine summaries and summarize the three lessons we covered in the section, "Hope for the Kingdom." These twelve summaries will be given below. Read each one out loud, and after you have read it, let the group answer six questions. These are the questions we are familiar with, plus one more. They are: 1. Where did we come from? 2. Who are we? 3. Where are we now? 4. Where are we going? 5. What must we do? 6. For example, in lesson one, God Creates the World, the five questions could be answered as follows: Where did we come from? We came from God who created all of us. Who are we? We are all made in the image of God and members of a single human race. We are made to worship God, to work, and to raise our families. Where are we now? We are no longer in Eden the land of delight. Where are we going? We are now upon earth, but Genesis one and two do not tell us where we are going. What must we do? We must treat each other as creatures of the one God, establish our families, and do our work well.
Further, as you answer these questions, build upon previous summaries and answers. For example, in the lesson, Isaiah Five, we learned how God's people violated the laws of the covenant in regard to land. In answering the questions in regard to "Isaiah Five" and previous answers, we could say that God intended land for all of us in Eden ("God Creates the World"), that this land was cursed as a result of sin ("Sin, Corruption, and Death"), that God chose a people ("God Chose a People") and showed them how to use the land rightly ("Land and Work"), and although we are the people chosen by God, we have added house to house and done our work poorly ("Isaiah Five"). Who are we? We are people who have done these things. Where did we come from? We came from God, and at the same time, we have come from people who added house to house and failed to work well and wisely. Where are we now? We are still in the midst of a people who exploit each other. Where are we going? We are going toward a new heaven and a new earth. What must we do? We must use our resources, land, time, and strength, for God's Kingdom.
Here are the summaries of the twelve lessons. Read each one out loud, and then answer the four questions as informed by the summary of the lesson you just read as well as the prior summaries and your answers. Continue building your answers until you reach the final lesson. God bless you!!!
1. In our lesson, God Creates the World, we learned that God created all things good, that there is only one human race, that men and women are made for each other in marriage, that God intends for all of us to work, and that God wants all people to benefit from the blessings of creation.
2. In our lesson, Sin, Corruption, and Death, we learned that all of us disobeyed God's commands. The result was the corruption, sorrow, and death that affects all areas of life, including our relationship with God, with the land, with each other, and we are subject to the devil and his angels. This disobedience, however, was laid upon Jesus, and as we shall see in future lessons, in his presence the blessings of creation are restored to the people who come to him.
3. In God Chose a People, we learned that God chose Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel. Jesus was, above all, the descendant chosen to bless the world. We are spiritual descendants of Abraham, and in obedience to Jesus, we are called to be a blessing. We are not always a blessing, and our failure to bless others was also laid upon Jesus.
4. In Worship and the Covenant, we learned that God wants us to worship by renewing the covenant we made in baptism. This covenant brings together God's acts of deliverance, his commands to us, and our commitment to him and each other sealed by a sacrifice and a meal. This worship is the Holy Communion celebrated by the church.
5. In our lesson Leadership, we learned that God began to establish his Kingdom by commanding leaders to study God's Word daily and to put it into practice. Leaders are not to use their positions to amass power and wealth, but as an opportunity for righteousness and justice. We also learned that we are to follow the godly leadership of those God has placed over us.
6. In Land and Work, we learned that God divided the land among the people and provided laws that returned land to its original owners and cancelled debt. We learned that we, as followers of Christ, are to use our resources for the sake of our communities as well as our own needs.
7. In Micah Three, we learned that leaders, rather than seeking justice and righteousness, often use their position to acquire wealth and to dominate others. Further, many people give themselves over to immoral living and drunkenness. We, in our churches, our communities, and our nations, have not been the leaders God requires, nor have we worked with leaders in ways that bring justice and mercy.
8. In Isaiah Five, we learned that the people of God were violating the covenant in their use of land. They added house to house and field to field, leaving their neighbors without the land and work God intended for them. We also have given ourselves over to greed, refusing to use our resources according to God's purposes and not using our time and strength in productive work.
9. In Amos Five, we learned that we go to the Lord's house to worship, but we do not keep his commandments nor honor his covenant. Rather than vain worship, God seeks justice and righteousness.
10. In The Righteous King, we learned that Jesus is a righteous king who restores covenant relationships. He lifts up the afflicted and needy by his forgiveness, his healings and deliverance from evil spirits, and his enabling people to work and help each other. He feeds people with his body and blood, and his Kingdom will have no end.
11. In Jeremiah Thirty-One, we learned how God gives us a new heart through his Son, Jesus. He does this by Christ's atoning work on the cross and his forgiveness, and we learned how to help each other receive this new heart by prayer and the laying on of hands.
12. In Isaiah Fifty-Three, we learned again that Jesus bore the sin of the world, our misuse of land and work, our failure to be true leaders and followers, and our inclination to give in to sin and the devil. We poured out our hearts to God, that he would lay upon Jesus the suffering and sorrow of our souls, our churches, our communities, and our world. We believed that God has placed all these things upon Jesus, and by his mighty resurrection, is making all things new.
13. Finally, thinking back over these lessons, summarize their teaching on the four relationships we have discussed in this series: our relationship to God, to each other, to the land and material resources, and to evil.
Let us end this lesson with a prayer.
O great and living God, we thank you that by your mighty power you have revealed to us how we should live in your Kingdom, and sent your Son that this Kingdom might come upon earth as in heaven. Empower us, we pray, that we might follow your commands and live according to your promises, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In our next lesson we begin our study of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
